Thirsty Bob
I am very pleased to announce, as its Provisional Chairman, the formation of a new independent GoldWing Club:
GOLDWINGS NORTH WEST
A strong contingent of former members of Lancs & Lakes will be founder members of this new Club – we are the doers and organisers, indeed all the organisers of the spectacularly successful 2008 Blackpool Light Parade are involved.
We want to create something new and different as a GoldWing Club, something which will appeal to the wider GoldWing community in the North West of England, not just those who were members of Lancs & Lakes last year. We are not just a breakaway group wanting to carry on with what we achieved in Lancs & Lakes, enjoyable though that was until recently. As an independent Club we will be free to spread our Wings and broaden our scope!
Sincere Bob
Our new Club formation arose from the need for change in the UK GoldWing Community; the “one national club fits all” formula has failed UK Wingers. It has held back the much wider variety of GoldWing enjoyment which we think is possible.
Which is why GoldWings North West will also be part of the new national umbrella organisation for GoldWing clubs, the Federation of UK GoldWing Clubs, which is to be launched soon. Lots of Wingers in UK have welcomed the wind of change which is blowing. In our part of the Country we’re doing something about it.
Silly Bob
So this is my personal invitation to all Wingers anywhere in the North West of England to come along and experience what we are about. Even if you have your own local Club already, you are welcome to come along and find out what we’re up to – it might give you some useful ideas. We’re going to stay based in central Lancashire and we’re not interested in spreading far and wide into other areas. We are interested in building variety and choice. We welcome Wingers who want to retain membership of other clubs too.
Steely bob
GoldWings North West will meet regularly at the Swallow Trafalgar Hotel in Samlesbury, Preston on the first Sunday in the Month.
The Inaugural Meeting will be on February 1st and I will be there to welcome you from about 9:30 am with a Full English breakfast including toast and tea or coffee at only £5.00 per head. If you’re on a diet you can have just tea or coffee instead. Breakfast will be followed by an informal meeting to explain what the new Club is about and to seek your views on how best we make it happen.
Hot Bob
It’s time to leave the sadness of past disagreements behind and to focus on making the best of our opportunities for the future. We want to enjoy a genuinely friendly and independent Club for Wingers in our part of the Country. Maybe lots of other Wingers in UK think the time for that has come too.
Our friendly neighbours, Goldwings North Wales, already formed as an independent Club, will be coming along to help us along our way and we look forward to joint activities with them and with lots of other UK Wingers during the forthcoming biking season. Any other GoldWing group who may be interested in what we are doing are also welcome to attend.
Here’s to the future of Goldwing’s North West, to freedom and independence for all GoldWing Clubs and to a great 2009 GoldWing season!
Bob Summers
As an ex L&L member for 16 years but now living in France .I am a member of GWRRA of America .Will I be allowed to join GoldWings North West ?
Best wishes Bob & you will be a great choice as leader of the new club.
Bob is away in Holland for a couple of days on business, so I will try to reply for him.
The new Club will make its own admission rules, if any, once it has formed. But I am sure you will be most welcome to join GoldWings North West Roy – although of course you might have to get up early and ride pretty fast to make the Breakfast Meetings while you’re living in France!
As I understand it anyone who is interested in GoldWings, even if they do not yet own one, will be welcome to apply to join. Most members will probably live close enough to central Lancashire to be able to ride to the meetings without making a big expedition of it and there is certainly no desire to expand the Club’s “territory”, it’s going to be essentially a local area Club.
But why prevent any Winger joining if he wants to, even if he does live a long way away? Why prevent any Winger joining any GoldWing Club?
Congratulations Bob, I know that your new club will be a roaring success and I sincerely hope that many other Wingers who read your comments and hear about your new club and about the ” Federation of United Kingdom Goldwing Clubs ” will be inspired to follow suit and join up.
Anyone who has been reading or following what has been going on in The Goldwing World surely must realize that this is the way forward for wingers to be part of an organisation that has the best interest of ALL it’s members at heart and not just a select few……Once again well done.
” Long Live The Federation “…..:-)
Oh…..!!!…….I forgot to say….Change that bloody Blue writing I can hardly see it……LOL
Was that quick enough?
Not Bad…..Keep Practising…..;-)
What a good choice of new chairman, I remember Bob helping us to source our regional banners, nothing was too much trouble, a true gentleman and we wish him all the best
Thanks Stuart I will keep watching your blog for details. By the way I was one of the first wingers to do the light parade with Bob & Frank about 12 in all and the only one I missed was 2008 . I think the new club will be O K with the same top managment running it . ROY
Bob will be an excellent Chairman, I have no doubt. We’re just going to have to work on getting him to smile for photographs!
Good Luck Dr. Bob, I hope to attend on the 1st with the North Wales gang. But can you check for Dave Turvey exactly how much breakfast he can expect for £5 and will he be allowed 2nd’s and free coffee/tea refills? It’s important!
Stevie C-D
Ah, now that’s a much better photo of Bob – he almost looks human on this one. The other was more likely to scare people away!
At the risk of disloyalty to our future leader, I can reveal that a search of all my own photos and all of Nigel’s (several million?) for a picture of Bob in which he looked relaxed, smiling and sober drew a complete blank.
So let’s have a bit of fun and invite all UK Wingers to submit photos of Bob. Someone, somewhere must have a photo of Bob looking like his real, relaxed and smiling self!
Send them as email attachments please – use the NewsDesk button, top right on the Blog screen.
Hi Roy, as Stuart has already stated, yes of course you can join the new club. I remember you attending the first run through the lights, there was only 10 of us on that first run and it was the response from the visitors to Blackpool on that night which prompted the development of the Blackpool Goldwing Light Parade. Who would have thought it would have grown into what it is today. It’s great to see that the Scarborough Light Parade is now in its second year and likely to be yet again a major success. It would be really something if Brighton or Bournemouth on the south coast could host one.
Thanks for the comments of support regarding the position of yet to be elected Chairman. I feel it’s a great opportunity to add something to the Goldwing community in the North West and in the process help the development of the Federation. From the comments received so far we should have a well attended first meeting on the 1st February. Trust you still have the Goldwing, bit of a run from France but you’re welcome to attend.
Agreed, but just what is it he’s always looking at somewhere over the far horizon?……..