Another owner's club for the M M would be good for the car

[Dean]

the MMOC should have ............. So at least they can organise things that .......

I think the people who want to do it should organise it! Get involved - that's how things get done. ;-)

Quite right, but as it is the MMOC members that want to recruit more youngsters then surely the MMOC should take a lead?

At the moment no one is doing anything, so like others are saying, membership will just get smaller as current members get fed up or sadly pass away.

[Cam]

...surely the MMOC should take a lead?...

Agreed, but we need ideas! Tell us how and what we should do. I'm sure a lot of people have suggested things in the past but WHAT were those ideas?? We need details!

Don't forget that the MMOC is NOT the committee but the entire membership, so

...surely the MMOC should take a lead?...

applies to us all.

[Sidney'61]

In my opinion seperate clubs would just cause arguments and there's no need for it, however, I think the way of getting across to everybody would be a range of different magazines devoted to different aspects of the club ie. a magazine based on modified minors or indeed standard minors but driven by youngsters, also a mag that can be found in a normal newsagents and not hidden away.

I know it's maybe not right me stating this should be done when I know I'm not going to do it myself as I'm a student with no time on my hands but when I someday finally finish education I'd love to try and start a magazine or organise rallies for the younger generation. These would all of course be linked straight back to the main club.

[Dean]

http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... highlight=

I've started a fresh topic as it seems to have taken over from the original title of this thread.

[Dean]

Oh and incase anyone thinks otherwise I am for one MMOC, the biggest and best should encompass all tastes of minor ownership.

[rayofleamington]

then surely the MMOC should take a lead?

The MMOC is run by volunteers. The rallies are done by volunteers. The website is run by volunteers. Hence my comment - if you can find something that is not already being done, then by all means do it! If it works well then it proves it was a good idea - if it doesn't then at least you tried something.
I know there's been complaints about the age of the Lancashire folk who did their 'artistic' calendar, but at least they did something rather than wait for someone else to do it. I've known at least one young member start the idea of a calendar but with no conviction it led to nothing.

or organise rallies for the younger generation.

go for it The downside is that before you know it the younger owners start asking for for things that exclude you on age rather than attitude (I blinked and now I'm nearer 40 than 30!!)

[Dean]

Ray I'm 37 myself mate... so could be considered out of touch myself!

[Sidney'61]

Well I'm a good 20 years younger than you (yes, I was born in the 90s!) so I'm right in there with the youngsters. I just don't really want to be spending much time organising things in the midst of doing coursework and exams... I'll have a think though.

[Dean]

Andy, put your coursework first. There's plenty of time once you are done to do any organising. ;)

[Judge]

As I said earlier, we seem to be going round and round in circles. All of this has been said before and still we are no further forward.

I have made a variety of suggestions both on here, and directly at committee meetings, but unfortunately most of these, if even given consideration, have not even been tried.

However as Cam has said, and I have said many times previously, YOU are the MMOC, not the committee, and if you don't make you voice heard, and make a contribution (and I have attended enough AGM's to know that you don't) don't keep moaning.

Steps off soapbox

[jonathon]

To the original question of one or more 'clubs' for the Minor I'd say why not. Other classics manage well with a variety of 'clubs' each offering their own specific 'niche'
The MMOC will never offer everything to everyone and if an independant 'club' can assist in areas difficult for the MMOC to manage then why not, so long as they compliment each other and do not compete for the same backing or market.
We do after all have several alternatives in the 'motoring world' ie the RAC or the AA, Practical Classics or Retro Cars etc. We already have Minor Matters and Minor Monthly, both offering their own brand of information and view points.
As for encouraging younger members, I'd like to see some figures first, of the current take up by young members. Are they part of an existing 'family' membership, how many are there , what age is deemed 'young', and how many are there in the club already.
I notice that a large percentage of branch meetings are held in pubs or clubs, I'd question that this is the right environment to ask 'youngsters' to attend, but then the term 'youngsters needs to be age defined.
Talking to quite a few teens hardly any of them had even heard of the Morris Minor, but were well versed in the Astra, Fiesta models and the equipment levels that these enjoy, at a fraction of the cost of a basic reasonable condition Minor.
Most of the teens were not in the slightest, interested in car maintainance, and had very limited understanding of the mechanical basics. So I agree with some of what has already been said tha we are only going to interest a small percentage of youngsters into the Minor world. One also must take into consideration the rising cost of Minor ownership, restoration and basic maintenance. These are no longer the bargain basement, buy for £50 run for ten years and sell at a profit, days. a poor condition Minor is a money pit and only when you have a good one will it become a reasonably cost effective vehicle to run on a daily basis, assuming of course that you have both the time, inclanation, skill and money to perform your own work.
I 'd also like to say that the offering of ideas to improve the services of the club should not be tied to the fact that you are expected to offer your services in order to make this happen. Many folk have excellent ideas but have neither the time nor inclination to become involved in there application.
Lastly the idea of a seperate club is not a new one, over the last 20 years members have had issues with the running of the MMOC, which have largely not been addressed. So for recent MMOC members this call for more than one club or a change of emphasis from the MMOC is nothing new, but I do hope that threads like this are taken on board by the MMOC committee and the much chages are brought into play.

[Dean]

However as Cam has said, and I have said many times previously, YOU are the MMOC, not the committee, and if you don't make you voice heard, and make a contribution (and I have attended enough AGM's to know that you don't) don't keep moaning.

Steps off soapbox

Bill I'm not moaning, I joined the MMOC just two weeks ago having got into Minors back in June of this year. Previously I never gave Minors a second thought as the image the press give the car is how most outside of the MMOC see their owners. It's tough to look outside and in when you are inside the moggy fold, but I am fresh blood and have found Minor followers to be nothing like the image portrays. Therefore I have decided to do the old mans minor up, this is an interesting and great car that youngsters should know about.

[Dean]

As for encouraging younger members, I'd like to see some figures first, of the current take up by young members. Are they part of an existing 'family' membership, how many are there , what age is deemed 'young', and how many are there in the club already.

I was thinking any age up to say thirties. Also why do you have to own a Minor to be interested or be part of the club? Most at the VW bashes have no intention of owning a VW, but go with friends who have them. The club still benefits on admission fees and the awareness is there if at some point they fancy becoming an owner. Remember this is about encouraging people to have a minor, not convert the already converted.

[luridhue]

We should avoid excluding the more senior members of the club but focus more on engaging younger people when at meets/rallies/classic car shows. This is something that must be done not so much on club level but on a personal level by all members, don't sit in a circle drinking tea when you could be engaging those that are looking. When talking to groups about your car don't just focus on those that can remember them coming out the showrooms or those that understand the engine changes, talk to those that are getting into cars at an early age, talk to the teenagers.

I agree with comments previously made that there are many who attend the classic car rallies do tend to hide behind their cars and put up psychological walls to others that might want to chat. The most memorable occasions, especially when growing up are those owners that manage to spread their enthusiasm by just talking to us and actually seem interested in me or my brother (when we were little.)

[luridhue]

Dean, the same has been for me. I thought minor owners were those that had bought them when new, still run them but only on a Sunday and spend a few hours cleaning and putting them back under their covers in the garage until the next Sunday.

The image that still comes to mind is that of Dot Cotton driving one out into the country to have a picnic... I thought that was the make up of almost all minor owers and that I was in a severe minority. I am definitely wrong, the minor crowd is very much like the Land Rover crowds by the looks of it, nothing how I perceived it as.

[jonathon]

To have info on the current ages and their numbers would be a basis on which future policies could be based. Know your club... and all that.
I quite agree that you do not need to own a car or even be a member to attend a rally, but the emphasis of the original question was about getting more young members in either one or more clubs.

[ASL642]

If we kept our cars under covers in the garage how would we get to work. They're daily drivers in this family

[luridhue]

Lou, it is definitely a generalisation that I have very quickly found to be wrong

[rayofleamington]

Lastly the idea of a seperate club is not a new one, over the last 20 years members have had issues with the running of the MMOC, which have largely not been addressed

Is there any club for so many thousands of people from different backgrounds and different ways of life where the same is not true? I doubt there is one single example of a big club covering such a wide variety of people where there is no room for improvement and nobody with a with any complaints.

However the club IS the members and nobody stands in your way to do something.

I 'd also like to say that the offering of ideas to improve the services of the club should not be tied to the fact that you are expected to offer your services in order to make this happen

Ideas are great - but ideas don't make things happen. What makes things happen are those with the enthusiasm to do something about it. Hundreds of people in the club actively participate in organising rallies, club stands, branch events, national events etc...
one example I can think of recently is 'the club' raising £30,000 for Macmillan. If the people who came up with the ideas were not prepared to put the effort in, this may not have gone anywhere. As it was, the activities of those involved make me proud to be part of 'the club'.
Things like this are one of the many reason the club wins awards.

[jonathon]

I hear what you say Ray, but if you assert that if you have a suggestion then 'you' have to carry it out then this is sure way to not get any more suggestions.
We can all participate in others ideas , we as a family have supported the Macmillan car by donation rather than offering to help organise it.
Volunteers only volunteer if they have the time and ability to see things through.
Personally I have no time to give to the MMOC, but prefer to 'forward the ownership' of the Minor and its 'preservation' by running a business that allows many to do just this. Yes its a commercial venture but no less as important as an idealistic volunteer working for the MMOC

' Things like this are one of the many reason the club wins awards.'

and maybe

'over the last 20 years members have had issues with the running of the MMOC, which have largely not been addressed'

is why some folk feel the need to start another club.And yes I agree the MMOC is not alone in this.