Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

Just received this through from John Baker, Chairman Austin & Longbridge Federation....


POL 2015

For a number of years the Austin and Longbridge Federation (ALF) has helped with the organisation of Pride of Longbridge (POL) in April.

Organisation of a car rally is not the reason for which ALF was established, and it must reluctantly withdraw from its role in POL now that it has outgrown its informal beginnings.

The existing ALF committee is very willing to liaise with any organisation or individual who wishes to work with Rover Community Action Trust (RCAT), the local founders of POL, for the 2015 event and further into the future.

Efforts by ALF to engage professional help with this have thus far proved fruitless. POL has only taken place in recent years due to ALF and certain of its committee members working heroically, without many helpers, to make sure the event takes place safely and legally. The time has come for this popular event to be robustly organised by a body set up specifically to do this.

From our experience this will involve:

Working with Birmingham City Council over the availability and layout of Cofton Park.

Organisation of toilets and their location.

Stewarding/marshalling.

Working with clubs, forums and individuals to establish the best layout at the venue, and marking out the park.

Publicity.

Funding insurance and toilets in particular.

Dealing with insurance and health and safety issues.

Working with RCAT on community involvement, and establishing responsibility boundaries.

If you are interested in taking POL into the future then please contact the ALF chairman, John Baker:- ausfederation@talktalk.net


So does anybody have the necessary skills and time to offer help to ensure this event runs in 2015?

It's a great event that needs to continue!

Think that's bad on them in all honesty

Not really, its a lot of work and hassle for little or no reward and all they get every year is not enough toilets.....ect.

I have done a number of events like this in the northwest centred around the traders of the town I worked in but I just couldn't keep doing the 160 mile round trip every time something on site was required.

I hope this gets resolved.

I am not surprised they have issues attracting help or funding. Their attitude to the event is very single minded to the point of anal retention.

They will not consider new ideas, they will not consider charging a nominal fee, they do not want autojumble and have forcibly towed off vehicles they presume are trading and then issued a 'lifetime ban' to these people!

I myself, blame the leadership of Ms Cartwright, she is very single minded and opinionated. Perhaps it is time for a new leader?

sounds like you were towed once

I do agree with the nominal charge though, £1 should cover everything required, going off last year that's an easy £3k to cover insurance and bogs.

No, I did witness one, it was an ugly scene.

Toilets are a bugbear at any show.

I'm thinking of making this subject a agenda item for the AGM.

Should we get involved with this and what is the background ? I would have thought that Pride Of Longbridge and the Austin Rover Federation were heavily interwoven!

Would we be stepping into a snake pit ? How can the organisers prohibit traders when SAIC MG were there two year's ago?

What are peoples view's on this any background please add to the thread

SAIC/MG have been there since 2012, they seem to be rather revered, one wonders if they help fund the event?

Just to tidy up a few loose end's here; Pride Of Longbridge hasn't been discussed at the AGM. Other important issues effecting the club's future rather kicked this problem into the long grass.

I can't for the life of me see why 'they' don't want auto jumble? Or is it to do with keeping the grass clean/free from oil?