Chairmans report March 2025
Hi all,
Well, it looks like spring is here at last. I am sure we all glad to see that and are thinking of what we are going to do this year.
Its boiler testing season so please contact your club boiler tester to make an appointment. I am sure we are all doing work on our engines making them ready for the year ahead.
I guess we are also looking at our diaries considering what event we intend to go to.
The entry form for our Tewkesbury steam up June 21-22 2025 is now available for download. Click here.
Chairman’s report January 2025.
We find ourselves at the beginning of a new year. I hope you all have enjoyed the festive season and are fully recovered from any excess you have taken part in.
We are looking forward to the new steam season and trying to make a list of the events we would like to attend. I have some jobs I need to do on the engine for this year but it’s still bit cold outside for me at the moment.
I hope you are planning to attend both Blue Lias and Tewkesbury events. If you would like to go to the Blue Lias event please contact Chris Stubbings directly. If you would like to attend Tewkesbury the application form will be on the website soon. Please note these events are open to all, so if you have friends who are not club members tell them they will be welcome to attend.
As we have done over recent years, we will not be having a mass boiler testing day. As engines are getting bigger the test process takes longer so it is not feasible to run this type of event anymore. If you require a boiler test please contact your local boiler test and arrange an appointment. I hope to see you at the club night later on this month.
John Kidley
Chairman.
Chairmans report November 2024
Well, we find ourselves at the end of another year. The Society has run it two events at Blue Lias and Tewkesbury, both of which were lucky with the weather. The events went very well and I would like to thank all who helped with the events ensuring smooth running.
We had our usual stand at the Midlands Model Exhibition which took place at the Warwick Exhibition centre. We had several engines on display with other engines in steam giving a display of Road model steam. We shared the stand with the Steam Apprentice club who brought along some of their display material which they use to explain a bit about the workings and history of live steam in this country. This brough a new dimension to our stand which I feel we need to expand on. I would like to extend my heart felt thanks to Chris Stubbings who has organised this event for many years now and would like to step back from it now. So, if there is anyone out their who would like to take on this event please contact the committee.
The weather has been very poor this year and many steam events have been cancelled due to the wet conditions. I personally have not attended as many as I would normally due to the weather and also because my wife has suffered some ill health this year. I am pleased to say that we seem to be over this now and we hope to be able to attend more next year, weather permitting.
The A. G. M. is fast approaching and I urge all members who wish to attend to return their invitations
A. S. A. P. It will take the normal format which will include a Christmas party. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.
John Kidley
Chairman.
Chairmans report September 2024
We are nearing the end of another steam season. The club has had another good year running our two events which were both very successful and all who attended enjoyed themselves immensely.
The Society will have a stand at the Midlands Model Exhibition and we are looking for members who want to exhibit their model, we require models of any type or size, new or old. Please contact Chris Stubbings if you are interested.
We are not long away from our A. G. M. so please ensure it is in your diary if you are able to attend. We are still looking for a committee secretary, please contact me if anybody is interested and able to attend the meetings. It’s not an odious task, the main function is taking notes at the meetings and preparing the minuets of the meetings. As we only have six meetings a year now its not a lot of work.
I personally have enjoyed this year’s rallying although we have not attended so many due to my wife’s ill health. She is much better now so hopefully we will be able to be more active next year.
John Kidley
Chairman.
May 2024
The season is well under way and I am sure most of the engine owners will have already attended some events. It’s a shame the weather has been so wet and many events have already been affected by it.
I would like to welcome Mathew Long to the club who has recently joined and acquired an engine. Mathew is new to steam but very keen to learn with his children. We hope to see him at the club events with his family and engine this year.
I hope all who can attend will make the trip to Blue Iias as it is a great location with a lot of room to run your engine with a great pub on site which serves great food at reasonable prices. You can take a walk along the canal or round the fishing lake and take in the country air. It’s a great relaxing weekend. We will have a road run to a local village fete which all who took part enjoyed last year.
The preparation for the Tewkesbury event is well under way with over forty engines already entered. I hope all who can attend will be there. We can offer a boiler test over the weekend if you require one. Please contact Rob prior to the event so we know about it.
We are still looking for a replacement for Chris England as Committee Secretary if anyone could help? Please contact me. It is not a difficult role, just requires somebody to attend the meetings take notes and write the minuets.
John Kidley
Chairman.