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.
CONTENTS
1) 8th Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt Report
2) October Rideout (Saturday 20th)
3) Yorkshire MAG AGM
4) Rally Roundup & MAP AGM
5) Biker Quiz Nite
6) VJMC Show Charity Presentation Evening
7) Car drivers Don't Hate Bikes (It's Official)
8) Mike Penning replaced as Roads Minister
9) Wakefield MAG Christmas Do
10) Forthcoming Events (for October and beyond)
1) 8th Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt Report
Check out the rideout report Here
2) October Rideout (Saturday 20th)
Our planned October rideout was originally scheduled for Sunday 21st October, but this was organised well before the date for the October AGM was set, which is the day before, on Saturday 20th October.
We have therefore decided to kill two birds with the one stone and hold our rideout on Saturday 20th October instead. Destination: The Yorkshire Region AGM at West Ayton, or, onto Scarborough if you aren't planning on attending the AGM (Scarborough in the Autumn is magical, honest ;-)
The rideout will meet at our usual time and place: Meet 9:30am (leaving at 10:00am) at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 4EJ.
The Yorkshire Region Annual General Meeting is this month on Saturday 20th October 2012 in Scarborough at the Forge Valley Hotel, Pickering Road, West Ayton. The AGM will start at 12:30.
The AGM is your opportunity to hear about all the regions great achievements, as well as have a say in how the region is run. It's also the opportunity to vote for the forthcoming years regional officers:
All the Region Committee positions are up for re-election / election for those standing down this time round. If anyone wants to step forward and get involved at the Yorkshire Region level, this is the best time to do it !!!
Tea, coffee and biccies will be provided at the AGM and Snacks will be available at the bar.
If anyone wants to stay over, The Forge can do B&B for £30 per night per person. Book by calling 01723 862146. Alternatively, Sandra and Graeme at the Rosedene Hotel, 106 Columbus Ravine, Scarborough, YO11 7QZ can accomodate anyone wishing to stay over. Tel. 01723 374252 or 07790676839. www.rosedenehotel.co.uk Secure parking for bikes.
We are combining our monthly rideout with attending the AGM (or onto Scarborough if political meetings aren't your thing) - see above. Hope to see you there and 75 branch points are awarded to every Wakefield MAG member who attends the AGM. Don't forget your MAG membership card to get into the AGM !!!
Magic Action Promotions (MAP), is the events arm of Yorkshire MAG, which hosts the ITV, FYP & YPR bike rallies, which contribute so enormously to the MAG fighting fund.
A message from Pete Walker, Events Manager for MAP:
Well it's been a strange year from the start to the end, a month of solid rain in April and below zero temperatures at Into the Valley saw us have a difficult set up and a reduced attendance at the valley. It's a touch and go time of year at the best of times, but this year was exceptional with very soft ground and Ice on tents.
Farmyard, well that looked like it was going to be good with great weather whilst we built it up, but the weather forecast always saying we could have some rain on the weekend. Some rain! Ha, with a month's rain in 18 hours even the most optimistic person we know is the CMA's Glen Knight and he even stamped his foot and said flipping rain! We had a lot of support from our party faithful customers, but I think at times even they struggled to keep a stiff upper lip. We spent two weeks on site in near Somme conditions and during the clear up in our Johnsons Army surplus singing "it's a long way to Tipperary" round a campfire, we must have looked the part too.
Pudding, was marred by the same rain shower that lasted 5 weeks over the whole UK ! the land was wet before we went onsite and we had to make contingency plans before we even set off! Cancelling all the traders and not using the part of the site we would normally put the marquee and traders on, but instead using the football pitch part we managed to get away with the rally and with extra costs going into hire equipment in case the weather turned bad during the rally, the pudding turned more into an exercise than a fund raising rally, but it was a good rally though.
So to debrief these and other things the date for the MAP AGM is Saturday 17th of November, it's a bit later than normal but we have been waiting for information and we hope to have it by then, also we have to give at least a months notice, so we are not far out. All room hire, tea and coffee and the buffet lunch will be paid for by MAP and will be free to you.
We have decided to go to Scarborough for our AGM and debrief this year and we have booked a meeting room in a lovely hotel called Green Gables. The AGM will start at 11am on Saturday the 17th of November and will have a buffet lunch about 1:30pm we expect to be finished for 5pm.
A deal has been brokered with the hotel to provide accommodation on the Saturday night at the bargain price of £25.00 per person (kids will be half price). This will be on a first come first served basis and will consist of Room and English breakfast and a set evening meal (possibly some sort of chicken dinner) with all from MAG who are staying (veggie faddy eaters catered for). There is a cheap bar at less than £3 a pint of lager and we will have entertainment on the night. Kids and pets are welcome as long as the pets are well behaved and the kids are cleaned up after.
The rooms have an availability to sleep lots of different amounts of people, so single male or single females may have to share, but we would have to see the take up for this first. Rooms need to be booked through Pete Walker (and not directly with the hotel, otherwise you wont get the fantastic deal). The deal is open until the 21st of October but again, after the rooms have sold out that's it.
Of course, there is no obligation whatsoever to stay over, you can just attend the MAP AGM and events debrief, then go home, or stay just for the entertainment and then leave ... Let the rider decide !!!!! It's our ethos and we stick to it.
Every MAG member is more than welcome to attend the meeting and see how the MAP events are run, its more the merrier and MAP welcome you taking more of an interest or active role. Hope you can attend and 75 branch points to every Wakefield MAG member who goes.
Not long now to our much anticipated and hotly contested annual quiz nite. Our 9th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite will be held at 8:00pm on Wednesday 14th November 2012 at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield.
60 questions will be asked, 30 of which will be motorcycle related and 30 will be general knowledge (but there will be a bike related link / theme somewhere, however tenuous).
The quiz is highly competitive and hotly contested throughout Yorkshire (MAG Groups and local MCC's) and the prestigious roll of honour is:
Who will win in 2012 ? .... Come along and find out !
£1 entry fee p.p. Team (Max. 5) or individual entry. Great prizes for the winners (1st, 2nd & 3rd), plus booby prize for the least number of correct answers.
All proceeds to the MAG Fighting Fund.
6) VJMC Show Charity Presentation Evening
This years VJMC Lotherton Hall Bike Show Presentation Evening is being held on Tuesday 9th October at Lofthouse Gate WMC, Canal Lane, Lofthouse, WF3 3HN. 7:30pm for an 8:00pm presentation, followed by a buffet supper. All those Wakefield MAG members who helped the VJMC marshal this most prestigious event, back in July, are welcome to attend. All the funds raised from this show are for charity and at this event, the West Yorkshire branch of the VJMC will be presenting cheques to their chosen charities, which last year were Wakefield Hospice, Kirkwood Hospice, Andeas Gift and the Stroke Association.
7) Car drivers Don't Hate Bikes (It's Official)
Digging through the results of the motoring survey by Admiral Insurance reveals a couple of surprises. One is that bikes barely get a mention, the other is that when they do, they're not vilified.
The only time the term 'motorcyclist' appears in the whole 56-page survey is as a possible answer to the question: "Which types of road users do you find irritating?"
You might imagine that bikes would score highly given the reaction some people have to motorcyclists, but it turns out that most of the car drivers surveyed really weren't bothered. Only 18% of men and 21% of women found motorcyclists irritating (on the road, that is), with an overall 19% of respondents saying they were irritated by bikers.
That, surprisingly, makes us among the least-irritating of the possible answers, scoring well below taxi drivers (37%), lorry drivers (34%), elderly drivers (41%), caravanners (29%), 4x4 drivers (26%), tractor drivers (26%), van drivers (34%) and cyclists (37%).
So next time you're sailing past a traffic jam full of steaming drivers, remember this: you're not irritating them.
If you're a pensioner who tows a caravan with a 4x4, however ....
8) Mike Penning replaced as Roads Minister
The recent cabinet reshuffle saw Mike Penning MP move to the Northern Ireland Office, probably in a supporting role to colleague Teresa Villiers, and a new man take up the reins in Transport. Simon Burns, MP for Chelmsford, and Stephen Hammond MP for Wimbleton arrive at the Dept for Transport at a crucial time for motorcycling, as the Motorcycle Test Review is nearing completion, as the EU Type Approval Regulation nears its Parliamentary vote and as the negotiations begin into the new Super MoT.
Simon has a long history in most administrative sectors, either in government or while in opposition, and has held many positions within local grassroots Conservative Associations, so that broad base should put him in good stead for this Under-Secretary of State position. Having spent time working with the US Democrats on two campaigns, (most recently supporting Hilary Clinton) his politics clearly aren't as far to the Right as some within the Conservative Party, but exactly what his attitude is to the EU Commission's meddling in motorcycling, is yet to be seen.
Stephen Hammond's personal background is in finance, but he was previously shadow transport with responsibility for Conservative rail policy.
Norman Baker remains unchanged as the remaining Under Secretary for transport, and his responsibilities continue to include local transport policy, sustainable travel and traffic management, so he will still have some motorcycle involvement too.
Previous Roads Minister Mike Penning, himself a MAG member, was a huge boon to Riders' Rights, setting up the Ministerial Review into the motorcycle test and ensuring that progress was as swift as possible. Unfortunately the Agencies within his remit weren't always as progressive as him and the review process has dragged on much longer than expected, but MAG is extremely grateful for all that Mr Penning has done for motorcycling during his tenure.
MAG is looking forward to meeting Messrs Burns, Hammond and their new boss, Patrick McLoughlin, Sec of State for Transport, as they settle into their new roles and wish them all the very best for the future.
We all enjoyed last years Christmas Do so much, we have unanimously voted to repeat the experience this year !!!
So, the Wakefield MAG 2012 Christmas Do will be held on Saturday 8th December, and will be a lunchtime meal at the Chinese Buffet in Trinity Walk, then a pub crawl around many of Wakefield's fine hostelries. We will meet for the 'All You Can Eat' buffet, at 13:00, then, following the buffet, we are going to do the 'world famous' Westgate Walk pub crawl, in the afternoon, starting in town at the Strafford Arms, and working our way down Westgate. This gives lots of options for just coming for the meal, joining us at one of the many Westgate Walk pubs, or both !!!!
The lunchtime buffet costs £6.99 (a price increase of an outrageous 4 pence from last year !!). We will be taking a fiver deposit shortly so we can make a firm booking at the restaurant, but at this stage, let me know if you are going so we have an idea of numbers.
10) Forthcoming Events (for October and beyond)
Saturday 20th October - Wakefield MAG Rideout (Destination: Yorkshire AGM / Scarborough)
See Above. Meet 9:30am (leaving at 10:00am) at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 4EJ. Heading to the Yorkshire AGM at West Ayton, or to Scarborough if political meetings aren't your cup of tea.
Saturday 20th October - Yorkshire MAG AGM
See Above. Forge Valley Hotel, Pickering Road, West Ayton. The AGM will start at 12:30 so please arrive for 12 noon. Don't forget your MAG Membership Card to gain entry !!!
Friday 26th October - Leeds MAG Halloween Party
The Parkfield Suite, 8 Parkfield Terrace, Stanningley, Leeds, LS28 6BS. 8pm till late. Fancy Dress Optional (Prize for Best Outfit). Raffle, Live Music from Resurgence. Tickets £5 (in advance or on the door). 200 limit. www.leeds-mag.co.uk
Sunday 11th November - Wakefield MAG at the City of Wakefield Memorial Sunday Parade & Service
10:50, Wood Street War Memorial. Rideout to Royal British Legion Riders Branch event at Mirfield, following our attendance at the Remembrance Service.
Wednesday 14th November - Wakefield MAG Biker Quiz Night
See Above.
Saturday 17th of November - MAP AGM & Events Debrief
See Above.
Saturday 8th December - Wakefield MAG 2012 Christmas Do
See Above.
That's all for this month and I hope to see you all soon.
Ride Safe
Steve Travis
Chairman
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.