The AGM is behind us and we have a new Honorary Secretary.
Liz Turner is already fizzing with ideas, so watch the website for further developments in the coming months. Many thanks to our retiring honorary secretary Glen Smale for a good job well done, over the past few years.
Mitsubishi not only hosted us for the 2014 AGM in November, for which we are most grateful, but has also offered to do so in 2015. We even have a date – Friday 13 November 2015 – not too auspicious I hope, as we shall be voting in a new Chairman and Vice Chairman, at least, for the following two years.
Speaking of 2015 dates, we have now fixed the date for the Western Group annual PR Driving Day on Tuesday 2 June 2015. As ever the day will be held at Castle Combe and I’m delighted that Alyson Marlow will be organising the event for us again. We have not held the event on a Tuesday to my knowledge before.
We were anxious to avoid the major events later in May and the date should keep us clear of the Le Mans 24 Hours race, The Goodwood Moving Motor Show and Festival of Speed, as well as the Guild Euro Classic. We always run the risk of clashing with a vehicle launch, but at least the date is in the SMMT diary.
The revised draft of the constitution will be circulated to members very soon, thanks to the hours put in by Dave Moss in revising and suggesting things that we might like to change before we adopt a revised constitution.
One of the regular items at the AGM is deciding who the group should make charitable donations to this year. It’s always a pleasure to be able to give and this year, we will be supporting the National Star College near Cheltenham again. By the time you read this we should have made a date to hand the cheque over, which will hopefully be before Christmas. We shall be supporting old favourites too, including WOMAC, the Guild Benevolent fund and motor industry charity BEN. Others include the Dorothy House Hospice in Bath and Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Following on from my column last month, it seems as though the Society of Automotive Historians has currently dropped its request to join AMWG and will seek recognition for its members work through the Guild.
As 2014 winds down and 2015 beckons. It just remains for me to wish you a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
John Kendall | Chairman WGMW
