International Rally 23-26 May 2014, Darlington

[Forumadmin]

There are a mere 50 weeks remaining to next year’s National Rally and so this is early advice to all concerning the event and plans so far. The 2014 Rally will be held in the North East of England and is being organised for you under the auspices of the North-East section led by Alf Heseltine. However, as that section is one high on enthusiasm and qualities but not so high on membership numbers the Executive have asked Barbara Atack, Michael Koch-Osborne and Paul Beaumont to help.

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The base for the weekend will be the Redworth Hall Hotel (DL5 6NL) which is situated some 8 miles west of Darlington and a short distance to the west of the A1(M). It is right in the cradle of the railway world, hence our rally logo displays “Sans Pareil” one of the pioneering locomotives, that predates the Jowett Car Club by 100 years!

The scenic run is planned to head west from the hotel and will take in such places as Wolsingham, Stanhope, Eggleston and Staindrop as well as Shildon, where there will be an opportunity to visit the National Railway Museum and actually view the remains of Sans Pareil.

The static display and concours day will be held at the magnificent Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle (approximately 15 miles from the Hotel)

Prices are being finalised and will be advised shortly to enable bookings to be taken from September this year.
Future bulletins will add more details to these locations, and the area in general. For now all JCC members are encouraged to plan to join us in the North-East between 23 - 26 May 2014 for a rally that promises to be enjoyable and memorable.
Rally Programme:
Rally Booking forms September 2013 Jowetteer
Vehicle Entry forms October 2013 Jowetteer
Raffle Tickets January 2014
Bookings close 31 January 2014
Vehicle entries (for programme) close 31 March 2014
All Monies Banking Date 1 April 2014
Concours 24 May 2014
Scenic Run 25 May 2014

Further, for those who have time, on Monday 26 May a visit to the Tees Pumping Station (8
miles from the hotel) is planned. This is a Victorian pumping station complex which houses a
1904 steam powered beam engine (which is promised to be in steam for our visit.) and
Europe’s largest surviving (of its type) 2-cylinder gas internal combustion engine which,
appropriately for our visit, dates from 1914.
2014 RALLY COMMITTEE

[Tony Fearn]

Perhaps this heading will attract more posts as it emulates the previous National Rally locations headlined in the 'UK Events' section of JowettTalk.

The last Rally in the North East (1993) was a huge success, and I'm sure this one will be also.

Tony.

[M S G Benning]

Awaiting updates on the progression for next May. 1993 Beamish Rally, was the instigator of us buying our Javelin (courtesy of being passengers of Pat Butt on the scenic run).

[AlanBartlett]

After the successful trip to Basingstoke, and a brilliant weekend. I'm looking forward to this next one. I think I set off tomorrow I may get there in time for next May.

[Forumadmin]

Tony have a look at......

As you see I have now merged the two.

[Tony Fearn]

I still think that the first word should be DARLINGTON. It makes the subject stand out, especially if the heading migrates down the list.

Tony.

[Keith Clements]

The booking form for next year’s rally is attached to September and October Jowetteer so please complete and return it as soon as you can. Note the car entry form should be in November Jowetteer so you may want to wait until then to save postage, shoe leather and diesel! Not sure yet what is happening about email or on-line booking or BACS payment.

Bookings must close on 31st January at the very latest so don’t delay too long!

Payment can be made in full with a post-dated cheque dated anywhere between 2nd October 2013 and 1st April 2014. CHEQUES WILL NOT BE PRESENTED UNTIL 1st APRIL, and booking forms will not be accepted without cheques (arrangements have been made with Tom Chapman for overseas members to pay by credit card). Receipts will be issued. Cancellations will be accepted with no penalty up to 31st March. After that a full refund may be made but cannot be guaranteed. After 21st May no refund can be made unless the room is used by someone on a waiting list.

Competitive prices have been negotiated for the rally weekend and any nights before or immediately after. The price per night is £134 for two people sharing, or £87 for single occupancy including bed, breakfast and evening meal, provided a minimum of three consecutive nights are booked. If a shorter than three-night stay is required please contact Michael Koch-Osborne as a supplement may be payable.

If staying for the rally weekend, bed and breakfast only is available for days before and after at £90 for two or £67 for single occupancy. There are plenty of family rooms and competitive prices have been negotiated for children.

The hotel can provide packed lunches at £10 each for Sunday and Monday, but on the Concours day (Saturday) at Bowes Museum we have been allocated a spacious room overlooking the rally site where a sandwich, cake etc. lunch is available at £7.90 each. Access to this room is through the museum but FOC to members, provided lanyards are worn. There is disabled access. Should anyone wish to have a conducted tour of the museum, these are available at the preferential rate of £7 per head provided more than twelve members book. If there are insufficient applicants your money will be refunded and you may then book on the day with the general public.

All the above prices are the precise charges levied by the hotel and have not been ‘weighted’ by your Rally Committee to cover costs, as has been the case in some previous rallies. Because of this, we must make a compulsory administrative charge of £10 to each adult. If you wish to enter the Rally without staying at the Redworth Hall Hotel but wish to display your car at Bowes Museum, take part in the scenic run, and obtain a rally pack, there will be a £10 charge for this per entrant.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Michael KochOsborne on 01274560642 or email: michaeldko'at'hotmail.com

-The 2014 RALLY COMMITTEE

Next Year’s International Rally is located in the magnificent countryside of the north-east and is already attracting considerable interest. It is based at the Redworth Hall Hotel (DL5 6NL) on the A6027 (8 miles west of Darlington). The rally field day on Saturday 24th May will be at the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle, web address:

http://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk Barnard Castle is a major tourist attraction with its centre within easy walking distance from the museum. The castle was one of Richard III’s residences and forms part of the Richard III trail drawn up by English Heritage.

Sunday’s scenic run gives everyone the opportunity to visit many of the local attractions (including the National Railway Museum at Shilden) and can be adapted for those wishing to travel only a few miles to those wishing to cover a wider area.

On Monday 26th we have arranged a visit to the Tees Cottage Pumping Station which, we are assured, will be in steam and is well worth a visit for those who have time.

Last month we sent your rally entry form with the Jowetteer but we are advised that this was not universally received so a second copy is included this month. If you have already submitted your entry please ignore it, otherwise please help the rally team by booking without delay. Remember that your cheques can be dated anywhere from 1st October to 1st April, but they will not be presented until 1st April.

Providing rooms are still available, you have until 31st January to book.

Next month, enclosed with the Jowetteer, will be the rally field entry form.

Again, as the various functions of the Rally are being handled by different members of the rally team, it is essential that this form is completed and returned as advised if you wish to enter the concours or have your attendance and that of your Jowett included in the rally programme.

As usual we have a limited opportunity for advertising in the programme. If you, or a business that you are associated with, would like to advertise, advertising rates for the A5 programme are £50 per full page, £25 per half page, £100 rear cover (outside) and £75 front cover (inside).

We would appreciate it if copy for advertisements could be forwarded together with the requisite cheque to M D Koch-Osborne, 3 Pennygate, Eldwick, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 3BN (tel: 01274-560642, email: michaeldko'at'hotmail.com). Some help with advert artwork is feasible. Please make contact as soon as possible to discuss.

[k. rogers]

Why is there not a deposit system this year in order to confirm the booking? Also I may be wrong but I thought there is a legal issue regarding how in advance a cheque may be written, or has that changed?

[Jack]

Why is there not a deposit system this year in order to confirm the booking? Also I may be wrong but I thought there is a legal issue regarding how in advance a cheque may be written, or has that changed?

Check with your bank - most will allow a cheque to be presented within 6 months, but some banks might vary and bounce cheques older than 3 months.

The solution to this is to post-date the cheque, if they will not present it until 1st April, date it 30th March 2014. With modern digital processing banks rarely check the date on a cheque anyway, and as a result often older cheques will clear whereas in the past the clerk would take a quick look and reject it if it was beyond date.

The important thing is that if a cheque is presented late, you can get hit with fees for it bouncing depending on your account.

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

Deposits are an unnecessary hassle for the organisers and also for you. Julie and I spent many hours chasing and managing them. I guess if the cheque bounces it may be even more of a hassle. Ask Michael to pay by BACS!

[M S G Benning]

JACK - 'lifted from the cheque & credit clearing company website: " Can I post-date a cheque?

Customers are advised not to post-date cheques because it is likely to be against the terms and conditions of their bank account. Problems can arise with post-dated cheques if they are paid in before the due date. Different banks have different policies, but the majority of banks discourage the practice. Many state in their terms and conditions that post-dated cheques should not be written while some include a note at the front of chequebooks, saying post-dated cheques should not be written. There are no specific rules on how banks deal with post-dated cheques if they are written and enter the clearing process. However, it’s likely that if the paying bank spots a post-dated cheque, it will return it with the reason given as “post-dated cheque”. This is inconvenient to both the beneficiary and the payer.
If customers wish to make a person-to-person payment on a particular future date it may be preferable to set up a standing order or one-off automated payment using internet or phone banking services. To do this you will need the recipient’s account name and number, and sort code."

Further, although it is not stated here, you will find that most banks will take the view that you are anticipating funds! These days that would be looked at more seriously due to the precarious state of job situations etc.,
steph

[AlanBartlett]

As a younger member, I do prefer the deposit system, allowing one to place a deposit, putting ones mind at rest that you have booked a spot for the event. Also giving you deadline when money needs to be in by allows me to budget for it. Without fear of leaving it to the last min and not getting a place as it were.

[Jack]

So, Darlington is very approximately 230 miles from us, and the half way point is going to be somewhere in the Sheffield/Leeds/Manchester triangle.

Any suggestions on a Thursday night stopover? Anyone else travelling long distances from the south fancy joining us? Post up and we can keep everyone in the loop with where we end up.

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

There is always the Wakefield hotel just off M1 we used for a couple of Jowett Weekends, but it can easily be done in a day-- like 4.5 to 5 hrs driving. I would prefer to do in one go.

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

Can I make a few points that really need to be borne in mind on this topic?
Rallies are organised by members for members and the organises commit a lot of time trying to arrange an enjoyable event for their fellow Jowett enthusiasts. They get nothing out of it other than sleepless nights and a lot of hard work as I am sure Keith etal. will agree.
As such it is necessary to organise the administration of the event in a manner that does not totally take over the lives of all concerned.
When 2014 was in the planning stage there were concerns about how the rally deposits etc would affect the Club's balance sheet and influence the VAT status of the club. It was therefore agreed that the rally committee would effectively act as the Hotel's agent. Hence the additional booking fee. The accommodation charges are exactly what the Hotel charges the rally committee. A straw poll indicated that the most preferred way to pay was by cheque, so it was decided that we would ask members to send a cheque, ideally dated for about the time that the hotel has to be paid, with their application. These cheques will not be presented until the advised date so they are technically not post dated (an undated cheque could have been requested but it was felt that this would not be favoured) If members want their cheque presented immediately please say so (several have!)
When all is said and done we are talking about a few over 100 bookings. Please help the rally committee to have a simple life here. If you want to do anything other than the post dated cheque route just contact Michael Koch-Osborne and he will sort it for you.
For those of you who receive a digital Jowetteer, a .pdf version of the booking form will be supplied to Keith shortly.
Deposits are a annoyance because the rally team, just at the time when activity is peaking, have to spend time and money chasing balances.
As for a staging point, Jack, there are many options ranging from a tent in my garden! through travel lodges to hotels. If you can guide me with your preferred type of accommodation I will recommend for you!
And finally............ DARLINGTON. Geographically the country is divided in the Darlington area by the A1. Darlington is to the east whilst the rally is entirely to the west of it. It seemed to be a good idea to avoid describing the rally as being at Darlington when it isn't. Barnard Castle would make more sense, but probably no one knows where it is! Hence the term "North-East"!

Paul