JOHN BULL RALLY 3rd – 5th May

Alan,

thanks for posting about the John Bull Rally in Belgium, it seems a very affordable international rally at only 15 euros entry fee including camping.

https://midflandersbsaoc.wixsite.com/bsa-oc-be-mid-flande/en 

Maybe see you there.

Regards

Gordon

Gordon, I know you well enough to say that like you I like affordable. Unfortunately the NOC seem to have omitted that word from their vocabulary. I note the plea for people to book for the International, people are probably waiting to see if they have won the lottery before booking ?

This is a bit tongue in cheek but us Scots or even Scots Italians have been taught to be careful with our silver. 100 Euros for myself and wife seems a bit extravagant for a rally fee.  I know I have complained about this before but if the club wants to end the rally scene it’s going the right way about it.

This is only my opinion and in no way detracts from the hard work Martin has put into the organisation of the meeting.

Gino

Hi Gino,

We all like affordable, unfortunately more and more also want comfortable. The site in Spain provides a certain level of comfort but to book the site costs money. It is not just a field where you can pitch your tent.

We spend many many hours searching for sites that can take the required numbers, can provide a mix of accommodation, under cover and under canvas, has the facilities to feed and entertain the expected numbers. These are few and far between. Also we need a local like Martin who is prepared to put in the large amount of work required to make the event a success. These are even rarer.

We tried to put on a 'cheaper' national rally this year by having a rugby club as the location but even these have escalated in price, and getting caterers in is no longer a £10.00 a head operation.

If you look at the minutes of the 2023 AGM:-

https://www.nortonownersclub.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/090%20AGM%202023%20Minutes_0.pdf

You will see on page 17 the cost of the Friars Rally in 2022. This had a budget of just under £9,000. You will see that simply to book the site costs over £5000. We normally try to break even on rallies but this one we lost £446

OK, Kent is an expensive part of the country, but you see our problem.

As I have asked before, if anyone knows of a site that can take 120-180 members in a mix of under cover and under canvas accommodation, has the ability to feed that number, has a bar and space for entertainment, and can do it all at an affordable price, then please let me know.

Regards

Tony

My, how things haven't changed in the 5 years since I was last a member. Tony Ripley still going on about profits and losses e.g £456 loss (that equates to about £00.30/member) for a rally which gave members an opportunity to meet up on their Nortons, compared to an overall club profit of £18,520 (year ending 2022). What is the budget for B.o.D expenses e.g laptops, lunches, dinners, travel, accommodation? What is the club for if it's not for a social club centering around Nortons.

I have been absent for the last 5 years due to me receiving a ban from the EC at the time (you'll remember this Tony) for criticising Stuart Garner on the NOC forum and going against Tim Harrison's order of only positive comments to be allowed. Remember Stuart Garner? The guy the EC were bending over backwards to accommodate but ended up with a 2 year suspended prison sentence for fraud. Who'd have thought it?  I'd like to thank all the EC members who took the time for their written apologies regarding the ban - unfortunately they forgot to send them.

Simon,

Welcome back, it's been noted you're on good form and still prepared to speak truth to power.

Thanks Gordon, I genuinely appreciate your comment but I fear my time may be limited as I've literally just got off the phone with someone claiming to be Paul Smith (NOC chairman). He  who was not happy with me quote, "digging up the past". I took the opportunity to ask him why the Board of Directors expenses are not published as a separate item in the club accounts which he wouldn't or couldn't provide a satisfactory answer to while claiming the club is a not for profit organisation which contradicts the club accounts. Meet the new EC, same as the old EC.

Hang on Simon, I am not going on about profit and loss, what I was trying to point out is that  running a rally is not a cheap thing to do and we do try to break even, which I believe we came pretty close to.

I would be very happy to subsidise the rally cost but then the 96% of members who do not go to rallies may complain.

The above mentioned minutes of the 2023 AGM does show income and expenditure.

I welcome you back on the forum as you do have a wealth of technical knowledge and you have been responding helpfully to a number of members questions. However making comments like 'someone claiming to be Paul Smith' is not very helpful.

As regards the 'non-profit' comment, if you believe you can run the accounts with an income and expenditure around the quarter million per year without either making a profit or a loss, then we do have a vacancy for a treasurer. 

Tony

 The minutes do itemise expenses for computers and the club van for example but strangely not expenditure for BoD meetings which will include meals, travel and accommodation, funny that.

Do you forget the EC subsidising a shipping container which happened to contain EC members bikes bound for an American rally?

Running a rally obviously has an expense. Whether it makes a profit or loss is down to the competence of the organisers. Same applies to running a 'not-for-profit' business.