Club Chairman
Following 16 years as Chairman of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, Grenville Chamberlain OBE will be stepping down.
We would like to thank Grenville (pictured left) for his unwavering dedication to the Club and its members throughout his time as Chairman.
We're delighted to announce that following the Caravan and Motorhome Club AGM, David Turner has been appointed as Chairman by Club members.
David (pictured right) has been a dedicated Club member since 1988, contributing significantly by serving on various Committees and previously holding the position of Club Vice-Chairman.
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In addition after 12 years of dedicated service as the Club's Honorary Treasurer, Christopher Macgowan OBE has stepped down. His successor is Alison Woodhams.
The Club offers its most heartfelt thanks to Christopher for his guidance over the years and warmly welcomes Alison.
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Wishing Grenville a happy ‘retirement’ from his role. Met him on a couple of occasions when he came across as a true gentleman and a proper members, member! He appeared humble and would see the fun and assuming side of caravanning. Loved his moment in that lighthearted ‘Caravaner of the Year’ TV show, even when things didn’t go his way he remained a genuine character who clearly loved our shared pastime.
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I remember the old saying ‘ if it ain’t broken don’t mend it ‘
Also seeing as it is the ‘ members ‘ club let’s have a bit more interaction / consultation with the membership and I think it will go from strength to strength
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I don't share your enthusiasm for the 'Caravanner of the Year' TV programme Micky.
What should have been a shop window for our wonderful hobby came over as a sort of 'Carry on Caravanning', and the viewer was left with the impression that the Club is an organisation run by clowns, for clowns.
As for the moment when the Chairman ripped the back off his caravan....it made me want to shrivel up into a ball!
I wish him well, but I think the change is long overdue
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To those showing such disrespect to our past Chairman who has given 16 years serving us the membership and are calling for change at the top. What positive steps are you going to take to bring that about apart from blowing hot air on CT.
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Respect is a two way thing, it is supposed to be a club and I for 1 don’t think there is much coming to the membership.
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"…the impression that the Club is an organisation run by clowns, for clowns."
The key word is 'impression' and that’s exactly what the terrible program created. Timboc is correct.
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Evening
Firstly can people remember that every paid up member of this club has the opportunity to make a change, not just come onto social media and bleat about it.
We met Grenville when we first started with the club at a training event. He took the time to talk to everyone in depth and make us feel as important as any other employee old or new. A very genuine and dedicated man. Roll on 12 years and we are on our rest days at a site in Dorset. Strolling around one evening we heard that unmistakeable laugh again and went to say Hi. After all that time he remembered our names and we had a good long chat about our life with the club and also about motorhoming (Both Grenville and Christopher are motorhomers).
I know it's hard for some but can we keep this thread free of point scoring and respectable.
JK
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I don't suppose any member of the general public watching the programme gave it a second thought. It is well known that some members took umbrage at the series but I think they had to understand that no TV company is going to broadcast a lifelike programme on the subject of the Club because it would have a very limited appeal. I am pretty sure the Chairman and the boss of Road Pro understood that from the outset? I am sure making a programme about the average CMC member would be the most boring programme on TV. At least the programme in question has some comedy highlights. But it also dealt with some serious issues around caravanning.
All of this is unimportant because we are talking about the celebration of a person who has dedicated 16 years of his life to the Caravan and Motorhome Club as it's Chairman. I am not even sure it is a paid position beyond expenses. Turning up to events all over the country must be exceptionally time consuming. I think some commentators might want to reflect on that before picking holes?
David
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Well, I've tried emails but never had a response. I provide constructive comment on every site we visit when requested to do so, leave my email address and phone number, but again get no response.
I spoke at length with a senior representative at the recent NEC Show about a particular site where I think members are getting short changed and got excuses, but nothing that leads me to believe that he thought that what I was saying was in anyway constructive or relevant.
I'm a big supporter of CAMC and use their sites almost exclusively. It would be nice to be listened to.
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Sixteen years is a long time, I think anyone who has that amount of time and effort in deserves credit and a well done, especially if as said there's no pay involved. The club is at the highest membership ever so it can't be all that bad no matter if one uses sites or not.
The COTY could be debatable as to its success but at least it got the club noticed and I would suspect most non MH/caravaners who watched it didn't take it that seriously but saw it for what it was. I wasn't offended by it and had a good laugh. Those that used club sites appeared to carried on using them and did membership has grown, because of it? Who knows?
It was no worse, probably better, than the Top Gear episodes when they stayed on a caravan site.
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Yes, I think COTY proved we weren’t all the stuffy, nose in the air, unfriendly lot many were suggesting we were! It was lighthearted and took a sideways look at our pastime. For goodness sake it was just a bit of fun and portrayed us as being able to laugh at our own foibles which in my book is a good thing. Nothing to be taken too seriously surely.
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It’s better to look forward rather than back, and I will say I rather like the sound of the new man - he has certainly been saying all the right things.
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I totally agree, lets just hope the new man doesn't just say the right things, but also listens to what the members want, not just those who think it's just run for profit and don't bother about what the members think. I know the Club has to cover costs, but it seems more interested in making money, forgetting it's a MEMBERS CLUB to enjoy the freedom of camping.
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I have never seen this. I have tried to find it on catch up (I am a reluctant, Sky subscriber, reluctant as I think that it is far too expensive, but subscribe as I am a horse racing, tennis and cricket fan). When was COTY on and what channel was it on?
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BBC2 around 6 years ago. Google tells all.
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There’s a review here as well. Kindest I could find……………
It was a concept never to be repeated……..🤭
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No, not recent, and thankfully the second series never materialised.
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If our new chair is half as good in the role as Grenville, we will be in very safe hands. We met Grenville over a number of days when we were involved with the filming of COTY in 2015, which incidentally we won, and a more enthusiastic and gentlemanly individual is hard to imagine. With regard to the Club Together discussions following the programmes, which I believe were the most posts on any subject to that day, we attended the National at Weston Park by invite of the Caravan Club (as it was then) and seeing a coffee morning advertised on one day for Club Together contributors, we thought we would just pop along to meet some of the more ardent keyboard warriors in the flesh. Guess What? Not a soul there but a couple of CC staff and one lady who just fancied a cup of coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Draw your own conclusions.
Very best wishes to Grenville and his wife. Just one question though Grenville, why did you go over to the dark side from proper caravanning with car and van?
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I wondered what might have become of the participants in COTY. It seems you lived to tell the tale! 😀
Draw my own conclusions? What can I conclude other than the apparent fact there happened to be no one there at the time you popped along. I can’t see there is any deeper meaning to it than that. 🤷🏻♂️
I don’t think anyone has questioned Grenville's personal qualities other than his judgement regarding COTY. I am, though, rather puzzled as to why you question him about moving to a motorhome and used a 'keyboard warrior' type of term by referring to the "dark side" which is not really in keeping with the CAMC ethos of equality and definitely not a term designed to inspire harmony within CT or CAMC.
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I have met the retiring Chairman a couple of times and found him a very personable person. It must be a massive commitment to take on that role but he certainly threw himself into it and of course by association we should also thank his wife. On your point about changing to a motorhome perhaps he decided like many of us that it became an easier option as you get older?
I had no idea that they hosted such an event at the National, although I suppose we could guess that perhaps not many that contribute to Club Together actually attend the National as I don't recall it coming up much in discussions? There are many on this forum who genuinely try to help people in answering posts and also a lot that try to provide measured feedback on the way the Club operates. However I did get the impression with one chat I had with Greville the powers that be thought Club Together there was too much negative feedback by those you might think of as keyboard warriors but are often not regular posters. So in that respect its a shame that the good sometimes get drowned out by those whose only interest is to accentuate the negative?
As a participant it would be interesting to hear your views on whether the programme was meant as a serious or sideways view of caravanning.
David
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I totally agree. Almost worse than the objectionable use of the term "dark-side" is the reference to caravanning with a car and a van as "proper" - the inevitably inference being that use of a motorised caravan is improper.
It really is hard to believe that this prejudice still subsists.
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