Morris Minor Owners Club

Andy, you so aren't the only LCV member with long hair and beard... it's great to see the sixties living on I'm cultivating my beard for next year.

I'm like Roger, I like chatting to people and looking at the cars. I also like browing the traders' stalls and the autojumble. Next year I expect (/hope) that I'll enjoy showing off The Beast.

One of the nicest things about this year's rally was the website area, with the inviting circle of loungey deckchairs and the constant presence of inviting people offering tea, cheese, cake, strawberries, crisps... Only issue was that it was soooo far from the autojumble area! It would be really good to see other official or semi-official groups within the Morris Minor fraternity offering similar manned seating and refuelling areas. I didn't find one in what I took to be the LCV "area", just a line of six or seven LCVs. I'm keen on seats as I have a disability (though you might not have guessed it if you saw me at this year's rally ) which means that I can't stand for more than a few seconds, I have to either walk (and eventually run out of energy lol) or sit down. I won't dwell on the fall-out I've had for attending this year's rally, as I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent there

Another disability-aware point: were there any loos for wheelchair users? If not, it would be good to have one - with a big sign to show where it was! Level access is useful for lots of people beside people who are actually in wheelchairs.

I'm dead keen on the ideas of mechanics displays/workshops and would definitely be there in the front row with me big mouth asking loads and loads of questions (if there were seats available...)

I'd be against any displays or competitions which might encourage the abuse of engines or mechanical set-ups, such as the VW "see how long an engine will run at full revs without any oil" display; and I'd think it was daft to have competitions to see how loud your engine or exhaust could be - but that's just personal taste, eh

Dunno if this would be feasible but maybe there could be a website area/stand where people who aren't currently users could see the thing in the flesh (on a laptop maybe) and have a go at using it, with a sensible adviser hovering if needed. I strongly feel that the website needs to become more central to the club's thinking as time marches inexorably onwards, and perhaps this sort of familiarisation display could help a little bit with that. The current set of website staff are well-qualified and friendly, a huge asset to the club, and I'm sure there would be volunteers to take a shift as well.

I never found the concours area at this year's rally, where was it? or was it not there on the Saturday? It would be nice if the grass in the concours area could be mown nice and short, so that you could get down and dirty to see the underneaths of the vans - I mean vehicles - as well as the upper parts.

Perhaps it would be good to have big signs to show where things are? and the odd signpost here and there could be used as well. (Yes I do realise that this is a huge extra task for the organising committee.)

Good signage from major routes might be a way of increasing attendance by perhaps bringing in more of the general public (of course that would mean putting on more facilities and displays designed to appeal to the general public) - with the cunning plan of getting them interested in Minors. We drove to the site on Friday from the M1 and there were no signs at all until about a quarter of a mile from the site, and quite small ones then, which you certainly wouldn't notice unless you were looking out for them. Don't know if this was the case on Saturday and Sunday: perhaps more signs were posted by then. And yes I realise that road signage is VERY expensive, and that the organising committee were VERY busy.

I love lynda's ideas of games and stalls designed for all the family. I'd also agree with getting "bird flying displays", but only if they were done by properly qualified, responsible people who do falconry for a living and actually care for the birds properly. There are a great number of ignorant so-called "falconers" out there, who just don't know what the birds need, some of which are so cruel (unintentionally, perhaps, through ignorance) or haplessly useless that they have had me and/or friends complaining either to event organisers or the RSPCA, or both. To me it doesn't matter if someone ignorant sets up as a juggler or something, they will just look idiotic and perhaps drop their balls on their head (quiet at the back), but setting up as a falconer when you don't know what you are doing is just downright cruel, and the presence of these sorts of displays reflects badly on organisations which employ them at their events. Ooooh, soapbox! ok I'll get down now Let alone chucking penguins into a bucket But yes, proper falconry displays are always very popular. Dubious relevance to Morris Minors, though? (It took me three years for the penny to drop about why it was appropriate to have Morris dancers at the National ) Oh, and a final point to bear in mind about falconry: the good ones will need to be booked at least a year in advance, possibly longer if it's the high summer season, and they will cost a few hundred pounds a day.

I like "wreck of the rally", too, and jon's idea of having different areas designated for different types or classes of vehicle. Was there a Custom and Modified area at this year's rally? that'd be a great one

great thread

wibble xx

Jay-Minor wrote: maybe film shows, photo boards

Nice ideas

wibble_puppy wrote:Dunno if this would be feasible but maybe there could be a website area/stand where people who aren't currently users could see the thing in the flesh (on a laptop maybe)

VERY good point. I'll investigate

Wib (can I call you that?)

I was the long haired Younger (well almost 30 year old) with his head under the bonnet of the red pick-up on saturday. I was quite surprised how many LCVers there are with long hair!

Again I agree with points raised. Not thought about the loos for those less abled, a very good point.

I aplogise about the lack of chairs near the collection of vans, mental note to bring some next year (so someone had better remind me ).

Andy G

uax6 wrote:....., more like real awards. The awards you get when you actually use and abuse your motor..

What you mean like taking a Concours car on MOT, or in pouring Manchester rain during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony?

By the way, have you ever been on MOT, its well worth it

Not made the MOT yet, although having a French wife might be an advantage, but she doesn't like the Van (can't think why?). Now if a load of you came round my house for a couple of weekends armed with welders we could get my 4dr back on the road and she might be impressed enough to say yes

Andy G

(It is on my plan, but I'm not sure she would enjoy camping for a week... Anyone got a caravan I could borrow if I get the 4dr running again for next year?)

uax6 wrote:Wib (can I call you that?)

It would be better than Roger calling me Widdle Puppy yeah call me anything you like

I was the long haired Younger (well almost 30 year old) with his head under the bonnet of the red pick-up on saturday. I was quite surprised how many LCVers there are with long hair!

Ah! I have photos of you. With your collections of jubilee clips and pork pies stored neatly on the battery.

I aplogise about the lack of chairs near the collection of vans, mental note to bring some next year (so someone had better remind me )

Never apologise

wibble_puppy wrote:

Jay-Minor wrote: maybe film shows, photo boards

Nice ideas

maybe some stuff about the history of the marque and about issigonis and the creation of the vehicle - i found the articles on this very interesting when they were in the club magazine (please don't correct my grammar BG it's been a long day )

And what a battery that was! I though it was a perfect place for the porkers!

Andy G

wibble_puppy wrote: (please don't correct my grammar BG it's been a long day )

Looks fine to me, mate :G

wibble_puppy wrote: I never found the concours area at this year's rally, where was it? or was it not there on the Saturday? It would be nice if the grass in the concours area could be mown nice and short, so that you could get down and dirty to see the underneaths of the vans - I mean vehicles - as well as the upper parts.

We were at the complete opposite extreme end of the site as that of the camping area.

The grass is usually short for the concours cars to allow for the judging of the undesides. Therefore if you had found us Wibbs, you would have been able to examine Philip Horn's van in detail.

Loads more 'Northern' Moggys... so how about Harewood House again or maybe Lynda could get some sort of descent price at Newby Hall..... toilets are dead posh there... and loads of them

Mal

mal wrote: maybe Lynda could get some sort of descent price at Newby Hall..... toilets are dead posh there... and loads of them

Mal

You can all come and share my caravan

Judge wrote: We were at the complete opposite extreme end of the site as that of the camping area.

Curses. Big site + crap legs = no viewing of concours for me

The grass is usually short for the concours cars to allow for the judging of the undesides. Therefore if you had found us Wibbs, you would have been able to examine Philip Horn's van in detail.

Nice one - cheers for that, Bill. I have already been over every centimetre of Philip's van, as he was lovely enough to let me come and play at his house one day That's not to say I'd not rush at it whenever I saw it in future though

Concours people are like that

strongly feel that the website needs to become more central to the club's thinking as time marches inexorably onwards

i arrived fri pm did not know where our site was, asked an already pitched camper who told me to" e-mail them thats what u normally do?" thanks pal i found the site anyway.
enjoying very much the comments,as usual so much positive stuff on the message board, long may it continue and grow. : :

How about a caption competition? been done, I know, but might be nice in a tent - big stand with blow-up photo on it, shelf with bits of paper and pens, box to put your caption in with your contact details?

well at least some good ideas and thought for future rally organisers
also i think we have to try and get away from this butlins type of ideas tho and attitude that most seem to have.

so lets have better toilet and shower facilities, its ok for you roger you did not live very far away, but i and les drove for nearly 6 hours , and as many others and i can teel you, we could have done with a shower on getting to the rally field, its comments like yours that not get us the showers and extra facilities we need

lerts get away from this idea that we all want to visit someones else old house

demonstrations are a good idea, perhaps john could do one for fitting a servo, and agin perhaps a welding demo,
yes def more needs to be going on during the day to keep everyones interest going, but this does not have to at the rally field, i think a drive round is a good idea, perhaps to a local bar or restaurent for those that want it, i am sure there must be some nice places around the rallies

maybe a paintball area, things like that that we can all enjoy

I never found the concours area at this year's rally, where was it? or was it not there on the Saturday?

Well the concours judging is on the Sunday

Personally I found that once I had viewed all the cars on display and visited the stall holders I was left with nothing to do.

Well as a website user Jay you should have come and said hello and had some of the Gallons of Tea and cakes that were available, there was quite a bit mentioned about it beforehand.

Finally, I think that this should be a free event to all MMOC members as we do have a lot in the bank,

You need to attend an AGM if you want to bring that subject up.

Ah! I have photos of you. With your collections of jubilee clips and pork pies stored neatly on the battery

Thats sounds good using Jubilee clips to retain your pork pies on the battery I always thought that was a wasted space area

Well done UAX6 from the Minor LCV Register for getting this one going. Great stuff Andy and I agree with everything he says.

Andy & Wibble puppy are both seen in this image so you will know who each other is and the red ute mentioned that was overheating is in the photo too

and lastly....................Does anyone know what actually happened to teh showers, no one from teh organisrers or MMOC have said the reason why they were not there? Or have I missed it?