MVT February Devon Area meeting – Minutes
1. Apologies
We had apologies from a number of ‘regulars’ who couldn’t make this month’s meeting – it’s half term, of course, and several people were either away or were working. Apologies received included
2. Last month’s minutes
Minutes were circulated by email following last month’s meeting. Starting this month, the plan is to post a copy up on our website for reference and in case anyone doesn’t get a copy or loses theirs!
3. Matters arising
Venue; progress is being made with upgrading the ‘skittle alley’ at the Welcome Stranger (although sub-dividing the room to provide the pub with storage space means it will no longer be suitable for skittles). The plan is that, once completed, the room will enable us to make some of our meetings more varied by introducing things like video evenings, show-and-tell evenings and maybe even a bring-and-buy table-top swapmeet. All ideas welcome........
4. Website progress
Check it out! Our webmaster Paul has been busy and the Devon Area website now boasts a completely new look and greeting. There’s a lot of new content to go with the new look, and our commitment is to ensure that there is something new to see on the site every month. From now on the monthly meeting minutes will also be added, and all members are recommended to keep a close eye on the calendar of events.
ACTION; The website is our ‘shop window’ and a surprising number of the contacts and enquiries we receive come to us from this source. So we want to make it as interesting as we can, and keep it fully up to date. If you have any material that may be of interest – particularly photos of vehicles or of past MVT events, but also write-ups – please get in touch with Paul.
5. Recent events – Stoneleigh
With little in the way of MV-based activity during the winter months, Rob Miller suggested shortly before Christmas that we might want to organise a minibus trip to the militaria fair at Stoneleigh at the end of January. Shane Lock volunteered to organise it and at the January meeting the decision was taken to subsidise the cost of the coach. In the event Shane managed to fill the minibus – 20 people altogether – and overall the event was declared a huge success and something we will definitely consider doing again.
Many thanks to Rob for the idea, and to Shane for getting it all so beautifully organised.
6. Upcoming events:
· 24 March –
We’ve been approached (along with other local areas) to see if we could provide 2 or 3 wartime vehicles for two hours on a Wednesday morning at an event for schoolchildren being held at Hive (by Chesil beach). Anyone interested to contact Rod for details.
· 28 March – Bring&Buy at Cobbaton?
Severnside have arranged a visit to the Cobbaton Combat Collection on 7th March, and Preston wondered if we had missed an opportunity (with such short notice) to get some of the Devon mob involved – a kind of ‘meet the neighbours’. He did propose, however, that we may want to organise an open invite to a ‘Bring&Buy’ for later in the month – perhaps Sunday 28th March (just before the Collection opens for the new season) – and invite members from adjacent areas to come along and join in.
· 4/5 April – Buckfastleigh Easter Gala
This is not an MV event – merely the annual Easter classic car meet at Buckfastleigh Station, but Rod will be there with his Jeep........
· 25 April – Cheesman Memorial Run
The annual Cheesman Memorial Run will take place on Sunday 25th April – national ‘Drive-it Day’ for old and classic vehicles – route, timing and other details as yet to be confirmed. Despite his absence from the meeting, we all clearly heard Colin kindly volunteer to organise a route again as he has done in previous years. Thanks, Colin.
None.
The meeting broke off in a fit of giggles and the evening was then rounded off with a dastardly quiz, set by Clive (with help, I suspect, from Jenny), which in short I didn’t win. Mind you, the winner’s trophy (also made by Clive) was certainly well worth competing for!
Rod King (acting minute-taker in Colin’s absence)