NW Report June-July 2012

9^th June: MAG NC Meeting, Warwick

I attended the NC meeting at Shrewley Village Hall

Minutes of meeting will be available on MAG UK web-site. http://www.mag-uk.org

10^th June: Motorcycle First Responder Course

I attended a first aid course for Motorcyclists, arranged by Blackpool MAG and presented by Graham”Doc”Moitre from NGM Training. It was an excellent course, good material well presented and quite staggering statistics. .There is a high percentage of motorcyclists dying at the scene of an accident due to bystanders lack of knowledge. Many die due to suffocation within their helmets. Makes you wonder if there’s a case for abolishing the helmet law?

22-24^th June: Blackpool MAG “Fun n Frolics Rally

Well, where to start? Build up week to the rally went well but on the Friday afternoon the heavens opened and the wind was devastating. By mid-afternoon we had lost one of the marquees, the majority of tents on the camping field had been lost. Whilst trying to secure the remaining marquee we had an emergency meeting to decide whether to call the rally off, but considering that many bikers were already making their way across to the Fylde coast we decided to carry on. As it turned out, the numbers were well down but those who attended were certainly in the party mood. The Rugby Club staff opened up the changing rooms for those who had lost their tents to sleep in. The top rugby field was opened up for camping as the main site was flooded. We managed to cover costs and still make a few quid for MAG but most of that will be going towards repairing/replacing the marquees so I don’t envisage a donation from this year.

24^th-June EU Hands off Biking Day of Action

The NW runs went well from Charnock Richard with an estimated 1000+ bikers setting off from the services both North & South. The Northbound run was coordinated with Lancashire police and was very well organised. The Southbound was coordinated with Greater Manchester Police and did not go so well with many complaints about the Police actions. Not the place to go into too much detail but needless to say it is because of the attitude of Greater Manchester Police towards bikers in the region that has prompted the formation of the Motorcycle Alliance Party

11^th-13^th June Manchester Alliance meeting HAMC clubhouse, Irlam

We were invited to the Hells Angels clubhouse in Irlam, Manchester to hold our monthly Alliance meeting. Once again a very productive meeting and we were made to feel very welcome by the HA. There were discussions about the recent Demo Day with suggesting that we should be joining forces with other motoring organisations. I expressed my reservations but the general feeling seemed to be in favour. It maybe one to be discussed at NC?

8^th July: Blackpool Bike Show, Stanley Park, Blackpool.

This annual show, now in its 6^th year has always been blessed with good weather and this year was no exception. The format was changed slightly, charging everyone a couple of quid to park up, and then free entry into the show for those who wanted to enter their bikes or trikes. The result was £350 raised on the day for NABD. This show is a great chance to connect with the general public and it was decided many years ago that profits from this event would go to a chosen charity. MAG still benefits as we sell memberships and MAG products on the day.

8^th July Morecambe & District MCC BikeFest, Morecambe

As this clashed with the Blackpool Bike Show, MAG members from MAD MCC volunteered to run the MAG stand at this event. The day went well with plenty of interest in the stall and a few memberships taken.

17^th July RSBS Meeting, Leyland House, Leyland

It was quite a productive meeting. Forum members are being asked to engaged with local dealerships as RSBS ambassadors and information packs have been put together. During discussions of recent events, the recent EU demo was discussed. I reported back on the complaints we had received about the handling of the M6 Southbound demo run. Although there were no members from Greater Manchester Police present at this meeting, there was representation from Transport for Greater Manchester and Lancashire Police. I was assured that my concerns would be passed onto GMP and that a contact within GMP would be arranged so that I could communicate any concerns within the region directly to them. This could be progress?

24^th July: North Manchester Alliance Meeting, Coastal Café, Blackpool

The alliance meeting came north to Blackpool. It was a very good meeting, with discussions on past and future events within the region. A large section of these meetings is taken discussing MAG campaigns with an ever increasing variety of representatives from the regions MCs and MCCs.

29^th July:- Cumbria Custom Show, Kendal RUFC

A few of us from Blackpool MAG went up to support this event run by the Cumbria Coalition and to drop off some affiliated MCC flyers. Had some interesting conversations with members of different MCs. It was an enjoyable day spreading the word.

5^th August: Shadows Rally, Morecambe

We were offered free stand space at this rally. I was attending a friends wedding so once again members of MAD MCC stepped in and volunteered to run the stall. From all accounts it was a good rally with a quite a few memberships taken, some on direct debit forms!

Other news from around the region

I have been trying to contact the Morecambe & Lancaster Rep with no success and so Kevin Hyde of MAD MCC has now taken over this position. Kevin is planning on holding the MAG meetings at the George Hotel, Torresholme, on the second Wednesday of the month from 7.30pm onwards, the first meeting being Wednesday 12^th September. All other local groups, Blackpool, Red Rose, Manchester, Wirral and Chester are functioning well although numbers are down at a few of the venues. I get the feeling that MAG is well accepted now within the whole of the biking community within the region and the alliances and coalitions that have been formed are going a long way towards getting all the bike clubs talking and supporting each other. It’s a good position to be in and a nice feeling !

See you all at the weekend,

Tony Cox
NW Regional Rep.