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

[mike.perry]

This topic seems to have generated a great deal of comment in the last 24 hours. I will just throw in a few random points.
My theory is that people tend to own as classic cars the cars that they grew up with therefore the majority of Minor owners are now around retiring age. Pre war Morris 8 owners are considerably older and I believe the Morris Register has a greater problem with falling (dying) membership than the MMOC. There are exceptions to the theory such as Judge with his 1927 Morris. The MMOC needs to be encouraging the exceptions at the other end of the age range.
Your list of TV shows, Judge, omitted one small item which typified the Minor ownership age bracket, that news item we did last week, three old geezers in Series MMs. That was my fault, the only people available at six hours notice were all retired.
To answer your point Jonathon about separate clubs to look after different interests, the MMOC has the registers to promote particular vehicles, incuding the modified and custom register, and if something positive was done to sort out the relationship between the MMOC and Minor Monthly we might even encourage the LCV register to rejoin the MMOC since Russ Harvey is now editor of said magazine. On that point I will have to conceed that the LCV register is doing very nicely thankyou on its own.
Judge, for the benefit of those of us who were not at committee meetings or have missed the points, could you please list your suggestions rather than oblique references to them so that we may give our support to them as we see fit.

[jonathon]

But the problem is Mike, that even with suggestions given to the committee , many areas where improvement could be made, have been neglected. The Registers may well be able to perform tasks but they need to be given the ammunition.
If the perception from a large enough group is that change is not on the agenda then there will be talk of new clubs that can offer what they want. I see no problem or threat to the MMOC by them doing this. After all the major suggestion at the moment is that we share events with other 'Clubs' so why not another Minor one

[mike.perry]

My point about the registers is that they are virtually autonomous and run themselves with no interference from the committee, and therefore with the backing of the register members can orgainse their activities as they see fit whilst still being part of the MMOC.
If we work from the same list of complaints then maybe something will get done (eventually) rather than one person standing up in the committee and getting shot down.

[LouiseM]

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.

You're missing my point Ray. Yes, the calendar raised money for charity, and no-one is knocking the Lancashire club for their efforts. However it was widely publicised in the national press, by the club, and just reinforced the stereotype of the Morris Minor owner. If the club wants to attract younger members then it needs to publicise the 'younger' owners too, not just the more mature owners.

I have owned Minors for over 20 years and although aged 40 something I consider myself as a 'younger owner' as at many of the Minor events and car shows that I go to I'm young in comparison to other Minor owners there. I drive my Minor as often as I can and attend rallies and car shows when I get the time but am currently in a job where I work an average of 60 hours a week and am often away from home for weeks at a time. I'ts all very well to tell people to do something but not every member is in a position to do so. This shouldn't make their views and suggestions any less important. I've been a member of the club for years and don't think that it's unreasonable for the club to represent, and take on board, the views of it's members. It needs to move with the times if it's going to survive.

[Judge]

As requested, the following are just a few of my ideas, most of which have been suggested here and to the committee previously, to deal with a variety of issues from attracting new members, retaining existing members, and also increasing revenue for the Club.

In all cases I would personally be happy to help with there implementation wherever possible.

1. Make use of every opportunity to obtain a wider audience of potential members.
2. Encourage Morris Minor owners to use their cars and promote the club by both example and talking to members of the public whenever possible.
3. Expand, regularly update, and maintain the Club Website. Encourage potential members to join by posting ‘tasters’ in the public area and the full articles etc within the Members Only area.
4. Create an online version of Minor Matters.
5. Combine as many MMOC events as possible with well established shows etc and actively seek new members there.
6. Join up with other Marques, and arrange combined shows.
7. Encourage better attendance of solely Minor rallies, by seeking suggestions from the membership via Minor Matters, and non members via the website etc, and if feasible act on them.
8. Utilise other Morris Minor publications, such as Minor Monthly to reach non MMOC members.
9. Improve PR aspects by keeping Minor enthusiasts updated on Club promotional events, and also encouraging them to take a more active role themselves in approaching the various forms of media with Minor related items.
10. Invite younger members to take an active role at MMOC events.
11. Have practical demonstrations, such as what to look for when buying a Morris Minor, simple maintenance etc, at rallies.
12. Invite younger members to suggest a calendar that might attract the younger generation.
13. Post MMOC Committee Meeting Minutes in the Members Area of the website.
14. In a similar fashion to Regalia, advertise Club spares online. This would also act as an auditing facility for the Club.
15. Invite members to suggest a theme for the Clubs stand at the NEC, and invite the winners to take part.
16. Add a questions & answers section to the Members Area, whereby any questions posted there could be:


1. Acknowledged by an elected Club representative.
2. Discussed at committee, or to speed up the process, discussed by committee members via email.
3. An agreed response posted by the elected representative within the Members Area.

[mike.perry]

That seems to be a reasonable list of proposals, Bill. Most of them can be achieved at branch / register level without a policy change at the top. With the exception of the national rally, all other rallies are organised at regional / branch level and it is up to those people to organise their event in a public friendly way maybe by not being stuck in the back of a field somewhere but as near to the public as possible with "Public Welcome" signs.
If the rally is attached to a larger event to which we get a free or reduced admission then I feel that we have a duty to "entertain" / chat to the public who have coughed up the full entrance fee to see the show rather than hide behind the car with a picnic table chatting to the people in the next car also with their picnic table.
I think that we can divide your proposals into two sections:-
Those that can be achieved at regional / branch level, which requires encouraging the MMOC membership through the website and magazine.
Those which need a policy change which may or may not be achieved by lobbying the committee.

[Judge]

This may be over generalising Mike, but I think that people tend to sit behind their cars at Minor only events simply because there isn't anything different to see. On the other hand look what happened at our Southern Regional Rallies held in conjunction with the White Horse Show, plenty to see, including a good variety of other classic and vintage cars, not many sat behind their cars there

Possibly you are right about being able to split my proposals into two sections, but in reality, and preferably, they need committee commitment to be fully realised.

PS It's a shame you didn't get the opportunity to ask all of the questions raised during our liaison meeting, at the AGM.

[rayofleamington]

You're missing my point Ray.

Was just being devil's advocate ;-) If younger memers had done a calendar and the club had ignored it then there'd be a reason to complain. If the younger members aren't interested or able to organise something they want, then yes they can at least suggest it. I've yet to find a club official who didn't already have loads to do! Therefore any activity needs volunteers.
I don't see the club as anti-young. One example would be the presence of articles from younger members in the club mag - in the last years I can think of many including MOT write ups, resto write ups etc...

5. Combine as many MMOC events as possible with well established shows etc and actively seek new members there.

I'd like the club to offer discounts for new members - for example the many thousands who show an interest at the NEC stand. I think this would be an excellent way of gathering new members - I had words with the Treasurer last year when this was overlooked at last years AGM in the Fee change.
I do remember that everyone else voted in favour. I can live with being in a Minority of ONE every so often but where (oh where??) were all the people full of ideas that like to have their say on the message board?? If nobody else can be bothered to stand up and be counted, there's little point.

As for volunteering - I'll be one of the helpful people (mugs) who will assist with the club spares stock take this winter. Does anyone else have a spare day in the weeks before or after Christmas?

[Judge]

I'v yet to find a club official who didn't already have loads to do! Therefore any activity needs volunteers.

In general I would agree with this, but in my case I had both the time and commitment but still didn't succeed in being given the opportunity.

Now I have even more time, and haven't yet lost any of the commitment, but still no one is apparently listening.

[mike.perry]

I agree that most of us mingled with the public at the White Horse Show, I was addressing an earlier comment, and hopefully it will be taken on board at all events where the public are admitted.
If the proposals are carried out at branch level then the committee have the option of going along with them or discouraging them.
A couple of the topics on my list were covered earlier on at the AGM and there were one or two other contributors to AOB. I raised the topic which has been outstanding for the longest period and which I am keen to see resolved, namely the relationship with Minor Monthly.
If I had kept standing up and raising topic after topic I can just hear the groans from the audience.
I will continue to raise the subjects at national liaison meetings and keep a close eye on the Minor Monthly issue.
ps. How do I find out when committee meetings have taken place so that I can request copies of the minutes?

[Judge]

What was the answer to the other topics then Mike?

As for the meeting minutes, you will have to write to the club.