Author: sloper29

The LDMCC Annual Rally is over for another year and, despite all the pandemic-related nervousness, was a great success. The weather was in our favour and Saturday and Sunday were blessed with a good deal of sunshine. Club Secretary Roy Staunton tells me that he has not seen so many caravans and tents at the rally for many years, surely a good sign for the future of our Club and the event. As with our last rally in 2019, the Rudge Association joined us for the weekend, contributing to the fun and games with a skittles match between the two clubs.

Saturday’s ride out followed quiet roads with beautiful sweeping bends and gorgeous countryside, breaking for a coffee stop at Toddington Station on the Gloucester Warwickshire Heritage Railway. The turn-out on the Sunday was the best we have seen for several years, with about 60 Douglas and 20 Rudge machines lined up in the display area, followed in the afternoon with our usual field events and raffle. Thanks, as always, to those who brought machines to the event and congratulations to all who won a prize – and, of course, a big thank you from the Committee to everyone who helped out over the weekend to make the event possible. We look forward to seeing you all in 2022!

The LDMCC is gauging interest for a new section, covering the Anglia area between the existing sections in Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire meeting in Bishops Stortford, and the Kent section based in Gillingham. The proposed new section would be based near Ongar, in Essex, and meetings would be held once a month. If you are a member who lives in this area and would like to attend – or are not yet a member, but are interested – please contact Dave Lawrence at law41.ldmcc@yahoo.com The preliminary get-together will be held on 29th September. More details in the current issue of The New Conrod.

The Club’s registrar, responsible for applications to DVLA for new and age-related application marks, has drawn my attention to the following. In cases where insufficient postage has been paid on material sent to him, it is held by the Post Office for 18 days before being returned to the sender, unless the recipient pays the outstanding charges. The Club cannot accept responsibility for unpaid postage, or for the additional administrative fee which the Post Office charges. Please ensure, then, when sending material to support an application, that it meets the applicable dimensions and weight criteria. The registrar always acknowledges receipt of material, usually by email but otherwise by phone or mail.

The Maldon Museum of Power’s open day is a regular fixture in the LDMCC calendar, and this year’s show attracted a good turnout – helped, no doubt, by some Summer sunshine! While it’s always nice to see a good turnout of Douglas machines, I am particularly impressed by the after-market anti-theft device sitting in the sidecar of the Dragonfly combination! My thanks to Club Registrar Len Boydell for the photos.