“What it means to be part of our Club”
CLUB MAGAZINE July 2019
“What it means to be part of our Club” page 12 & 13
After reading this I got “just a taste” that they are “ forgetting” CLs
I am amazed WHAT A CLUB!
No wonder some members have not heard of CLs!
Comments
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Who ever wrote it knows very little about the Club! Not only is there no mention of CLs but there isn't any mention of Centres and rallies either. It is just one big advert for the items that make money for a business, nothing to do with being a Club.
peedee
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It does give a nod towards the social aspects with a mention of the National (where the word "rally" has been dropped.)
But the omission of the CL network is very disappointing and I think CL owners have been let down.
I agree with the comments above.
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I pay annual fees to several organisations - the National Trust, the RHS and the RAC, as well as the C&MC- but I never regard any of them as Clubs in any sense of the word. They are all businesses and by paying an annual fee I get services and benefits in return. CL owners do too.
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CLs do get a mention and some are featured in the touring section but it is a pathetically small offering. I would like to see much more space given over in every magazine to CLs in a different area of the country each month. It might even get me giving the magazine more than the cursory glance it gets at the moment!
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Eurotravller, I'd agree with you. The evidence of the the majority of the marketing that comes from the Club is around the money-making aspects of the "club" such as; Insurance, Foreign Travel, Club Sites and Membership.
By contrast, Rallies, Centres and the CL network are rarely mentioned on the Club Social Media Channels, or in the out-bound emails sent to members.
The coverage of the CL network in the Magazine has marginally improved over the past few years with three CLs being picked out each month. I also noticed that Rallies were given a boost by the DG at the front of this month.
However, when I applied to become a member of Club Council (5 years ago), I went to a session alongside all the other new Club Council members at HQ to introduce us to the Club and it's ethos. It was a whole day session. We were very firmly told that this is a Club first and foremost and the Club (in effect the Executive Committe) sets the direction of the business. Having sat on the Club Council for 3 years (CL owners are no longer welcome on Club Council - but that's a whole different story) my comclusion is that this is partially true, but in the end, money tallks and financial objectives come before club-type matters.
I am told that my involvement with Club Council and at AGMs has increased the 'awareness' of CLs among the Executive. I hope this has been positive.
FYI The Company's objects are: (see Articles of association)
4.1 to maintain and conduct a club for the benefit of the persons, including mobile caravanners and those connected with mobile caravanning, who are admitted to Club Membership in accordance with these Articles;
4.2 to encourage social interaction between such persons;
4.3 to promote caravanning generally; and
4.4 to carry out or promote leisure and travel related services and products, including but not limited to caravanning and related pursuits.
Whilst this state-of-affairs could certainly be improved, and no doubt CL owners like myself would like to see CLs recognised more for the contributions we make to the network and Ralliers and members of Centres would like to see more coverage, it is vitally important that the Club remains profitable and can invst in the assets and infrastructure and staff necessary to run a sucesful and growing business. We all know other clubs that fare a lot less well, because they are not run as commercially.
Perhaps the Marketing team and Editorial team of the Magazine could be reminded that (according to the Club's own research);
- 22% of members join the Club 'mainly or only' to access the CL network
- 22% of Member Subscriptions equates to £3,364,020 in 2017
- 44% of members (about 154,000) use CL's at least once a year (Spring 2017)
- Around 21% of members nights away are spent on CL's (Spring 2017)
- 60% of new members say that access to the CL network influenced their decision to join the club
- Over 40% of available pitches on the network are provided by CLs
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Ted, please can you slow down your avatar. It flashes far too fast for comfort.
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Personally, I have long thought that the small five van network, CL and CS could do with another more interested governance body, something that would promote and support them far better than either of the Clubs. If such happened, say on the lines of the FarmStay marketing group, then I could see quite a few folks kicking Club Membership into touch and going with a new organisation. One that puts small sites at the forefront of holiday stays, and having paid inspectors giving advice to a consistent level. I’m rather surprised NFU haven’t looked at this as so many farms of all different kinds provide small sites. Maybe start up grants to get a new little site off the ground, especially in areas of the country that are woefully short of such sites.
The Club owes the CL network a huge debt, its very much at the forefront of why a lot of members actually join and stay. It appears that neither the old fashioned Executive, nor the “ we know best” professional Club Officers are acknowledging this debt. Gives a bit of an indication of why so many CLs use the Club as the licensing agency ( other than jumping through LA planning hoops) but then decide to go it alone after a certain period. We use a few ex CLs who are thriving outside of the Club.
Edit: about FarmStay. Wouldn’t be a huge leap for network to look into including small site network, as well as static vans on farms. Including licensing. https://www.farmstay.co.uk/About
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As a CL owner and a member,I am not allowed to put myself up for election as I have a commercial interest in caravaning.This applies to all new CL owners who have to join the club,to have a CL. bit of a catch 22.I invested alot of money into the basics for my CL and have found the support from the club/business sadly lacking.It is a business who puts its own concerns first.naturally.But as Cholsley Grange has pointed out Cls are one of the main reasons some members join the club/business.
The club/business did offer extra advertising to Cls in the magazine but it was almost the same as the handbook and we would have had to pay for the pages printed,so we would have been paying to advertise to the people we already advertise to.A good business plan for them,but not for us!
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It’s having that effect on me, too, WN. This is the second time I’ve asked. Next time it’ll be the report button or an email to the CM.
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Any club/company that has members/or shareholders that are protected against financial problems by setting up as a ltd company, is required to register at companies house,with your apparent "contacts"i thought something you would know being that obvious
"Happy to help though"
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I don’t find the speed of J57’s a problem but the fast flash of Cholsey’s is horrible and I avoid it like the plague.
Not only epilepsy but such things can bring on migraines.
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Cheers, Brian 👍🏻
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