Dear Wakefield MAG Member,
Welcome to the Wakefield MAG e-newsletter. If you can't attend our Wednesday meetings regularly, it's the next best thing to keep you up to date with what we are up to. We have a packed agenda for April, with events every weekend - see below for more details.
CONTENTS
1) Charity Pet Food Run Report
2) Yorkshire MAG Rally Tickets on Sale NOW
3) Call for ITV Marshals
4) Wakefield Hospice 10K Race - Marshals Required
5) Wakefield MAG 14th Birthday Bash
6) Wakefield MAG Bike Show
7) April Rideout
8) e-Petition: Challenge DVLA on lost entitlements on licence renewals
9) MAG AGC
10) Forthcoming Events (for April and beyond)
1) Charity Pet Food Run Report
Check out the rideout report Here
2) Yorkshire MAG Rally Tickets on Sale NOW
The Yorkshire MAG rally tickets are for sale NOW at the weekly branch meetings.
The dates (and prices) of the main Yorkshire MAG events for 2016 are:
Due to popular demand, you can also purchase Saturday tickets (with Saturday evening camping) if you can't make the Friday, but are put off by the full weekend ticket price for only one night. These are pre-book only and cost:
N.B. Child tickets (under 16) are FREE when bought with a paying adult ticket.
Ticket prices have remained static now for the last five years !!!
2016 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Farmyard Party. That's 30 rallies with No Cars, No Vans, and No pedestrians! Yes - the Farmyard Party is not going 'Old School' or 'Back to a Biker Rally' because it never left! From Day One of the Farmyard you have been able to indulge yourselves in having your own personal campfire around your tent for you and your mates (a very rare occurance at a big well organised rally these days). Back Street Heroes are not only sponsoring the FYP ride-in bike show for the umpteenth year running, but they are also bringing a round of their own special 2016 British Custom Bike Building Championship to the Farmyard, so you can expect a very special custom show this year.
Be sure to buy your tickets early, especially for the YPR, which sells out every year well ahead of the event. If you want some rally tickets reserving, do let me know.
The registration form for the forthcoming Into The Valley Rally (Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May) is now open.
To simplify registration for those of you who marshal regularly, you will now only have to input your personal details once. By completing this form you are agreeing that these details will be held by MAP and only used by MAP employees and Marshal Admin volunteers in relation to volunteering at MAP events. They won't be shared with anyone else.
During the process you will be prompted to create a password, automatically setting up a personal account which, in future will use your email address as your user name. Over the next few weeks new features will be added so that you can access your account to amend personal details or event specific details such as the time you are going to arrive on site.
For the time being it is a very similar process as last year, the new form can be found here: farmyardparty.com/tickets/marshal/Registration1.aspx?en=Into%20The%20Valley
The first step of registration now asks, 'Do you have a marshal username and password?'. For this first time you will need to click on 'no', which will then direct you to the form. All the usual questions are there, with the addition of an emergency contact person name, relationship to you and their phone number. We think this is an advisable addition for any responsible company working with volunteers.
When you have completed the form, make sure you press the button to submit the form. You will then have a confirmation message on the screen. Please then go to your email inbox where you will also have a confirmation email message, if it is not in your inbox also check your junk or spam folder. Should your registration not appear to follow these confirmation steps, please email mag.marshals@live.com and we can confirm whether or not your registration has been successful.
Please note the deadline for application is 01:00 PM Saturday 9 April 2016, you will receive confirmation of your shifts by Sunday 17 April 2016.
It is through the efforts of the volunteer marshals that these events can run and make a profit, which all goes to fund MAG's campaigning activity, which keeps you where you belong ... on two wheels and free from unnecessary restrictions. Please help marshal these events if you able. As well as doing you bit to secure & maintain your chosen lifestyle, marshaling is also jolly good fun !!!
Thank you and hope to see you there.
4) Wakefield Hospice 10K Race - Marshals Required
The 21st Wakefield Hospice 10k race is being held on Sunday 3rd April 2016, and takes the same route as previous years (starting from Clarence Park, it's a linear route straight out and back along Horbury Road). Wakefield MAG have helped to marshal this popular event for more years than we care to remember, and our role is as mobile race marshals, looking after those competitors at the tail end of the race. The roads will only be closed for an hour maximum, and although the bulk of runners will be finished whilst the road is still closed, a good number of runners (walkers !!!) will still be on the course, hence the requirement for mobile marshals (that's us !!) to ensure their safety, once the road is re-opened to traffic. We are generally the last 'officials' remaining on the course, and hence play a vital role. We still need a couple of additional marshals, so if you would like to volunteer, please let me know (or feel free to turn up on the day). P.S. you'll be home for lunchtime !!!
On the day, meet at 08:30 on Lawfield Lane to be issued with your marshalls Hi-Viz vest and receive any last minute instructions.
More details of the event here: www.wakefield10k.org.uk
P.S. Be sure to check this weeks Wakefield Express (Friday 1st April) for an article submitted by the Wakefield Hospice covering the invaluable help we give to the hospice, helping them run their biggest fund raising event of the year !!!
5) Wakefield MAG 14th Birthday Bash
We are celebrating our 14th Birthday (belatedly) on Saturday 16th April with a Super Six Party Booking at the Dogs, for which you get Admission (including race programme), Pint of beer/lager, any bottle or wine or spirit, Choice of any basket meal available on the night, 2 x £1 Tokens for Tote super six jackpot (usually well into five figures ... well worth winning !!!) & a £1 token for normal tote bet. An absolute bargain and an absolute hoot (this is our 4th visit) - a great way to celebrate our 14th Birthday !!!
£12 p.p. and we are taking booking deposits of £5 now. We have a table booked for 20, but we'll be able to fit a few extras in I'm sure.
Meet at 7pm at Kinsley Greyhound Stadium, 96 Wakefield Road, Kinsley, Pontefract. www.kinsleydogs.co.uk
Hope to see you there.
We are only a month away from our popular bike show, hosted at the Wakefield Gala at Clarence Park Arena, on May Day Bank Holiday Monday. Plenty of notice then to fettle up your pride and joy to enter into the show. 6 winning categories plus an overall Best in show up for grabs. We will also be hosting the Yorkshire MAG stand and running a tombola (with some great prizes to win). Lots of other attractions at the show and it's a great family day out. Hope to see you there.
Our April Rideout will be held on Sunday 24th April. No idea at the moment where our rideout coordinator plans to take us, but we can guarantee you a cracking scenic learner friendly route and 10,000 acres of clear blue sky (well, we can't guarantee the last bit ... but we can live in hope !!!). Meet 8:30am (leaving at 09:00am) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT.
8) e-Petition: Challenge DVLA on lost entitlements on licence renewals
This is not a MAG initiated e-Petition, but you may want to sign it if you agree with it's aims.
Detail from the Petition Author: For over 10 years, DVLA have been sending new licences to recipients with the wrong entitlements, in many cases drivers losing categories they have rightfully passed and rely upon to both make a living and for personal use. On investigating this myself I have come across numerous cases, specifically A licence category holders such as myself who after riding motorbikes for nearly 50 years now find myself without my A licence entitlement. DVLA will not provide any help or assistance in this matter nor will they accept photocopies of licences, only pass certificates or previous licences, all of which are sent to DVLA to renew or update entitlement. I would like to raise this as major fault on behalf of DVLA who will not take responsibility for their failings leaving many honest hard working people unable to access vehicles they previously relied on to make a living. On the small investigations I have carried out, I was outraged to learn how popular this problem is and how many honest people it is effecting. Mr Cameron - please order an investigation of DVLA's failings and demand they rightfully return all entitlements to drivers across the country.
Petition Link: https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-david-cameron-mp-challenge-dvla-lost-entitlements-on-licence-renewals
If you want to check what licence details the DVLA hold on record for yourself, use this link to interrogate their database: https://www.viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk/driving-record/licence-number
This year's MAG National Annual General Conference is being hosted by Barnsley and Doncaster MAG, in nearby Barnsley, on Saturday 9th April (so no marathon trek down south to get there this year). MAG's Annual Group Conference is the ideal opportunity for members from all corners of the country to come together to discuss the organisation's successes, the way forward, and to vote on matters such as Motions that have been brought to the Conference, along with some of the posts that will be up for election. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge MAG groups and individuals for outstanding service. Although MAG is obliged, by law, to hold an annual conference and certain due processes must be observed, it is by no means a dry and dusty event; there is plenty of lively discussion and exchange of ideas and a chance, in the evening, for some downtime to catch up with friends old and new and to celebrate the country's leading riders' rights organisation.
Location: Shaw Lane Rugby Club, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 6HZ. Camping available at the venue and following the AGC, there is an evening do, with live music, at the same venue.
10) Forthcoming Events (for April and beyond)
Sunday 3rd April 2016 - Wakefield Hospice 10K Race
See Above.
Saturday 9th April 2016 - MAG AGC
See Above.
Saturday 16th April 2016 - Wakefield MAG 14th Birthday Bash
See Above.
Sunday 24th April 2016 - April Rideout
See Above. Usual Rideout rules apply.
Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May 2016 - Into the Valley (ITV) Rally
See Above.
May Day Bank Holiday Monday (2nd May) - Wakefield MAG Bike Show at the Wakefield Gala
See Above.
Sunday 15th May - Wakefield MAG Rideout
A scenic route to Devils Bridge at Kirby Lonsdale, through the Forst of Bowland on little used roads away from the hustle and bustle of everyday traffic on the A65. Usual Rideout rules apply. Meet 8:30am (leaving at 09:00am) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT.
Friday 17th June - Sunday 19th June 2016 - Farmyard Party (FYP) Rally
See Above.
Sunday 26th June - Wakefield MAG Rideout
For our June rideout, we are heading to a vintage and classic show being held at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland, Lancashire (so don't forget your passport !!!). Usual Rideout rules apply. Meet 8:30am (leaving at 09:00am) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT.
Friday 5th August - Sunday 7th August 2016 - Yorkshire Pudding Rally (YPR)
See Above.
www.yorkshirepuddingrally.co.uk
See the events page for further details and more !!!
That's all for this month, and I hope to see you all soon.
Ride Safe .. Ride Free
Steve Travis
Chairman (since the early Carboniferous Period)
Wakefield MAG
0772 078 4734
Wakefield MAG meet at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield at 8:30pm every Wednesday. New (and Old) faces are always welcome.