Members News

Sadly not many of you will have had the privilege of meeting David Ross who passed away on March 9th.
David & Liz became members of the SOC in 2022 when they changed their caravan to an Elegance and attended the Drax New Year rally that year.

They are very close friends with Colin & Betty Patterson and David and Colin’s friendship goes back to when they were boys.

They live in Scotland so they were a little far away to attend many rallies but they continued to be members. They have always been regular CAMC ralliers in Scotland and Liz is the Scottish Division Treasurer. They had planned to attend more SOC rallies but David’s health started to restrict their travels which became confined to just a few very local CAMC rallies. However some of you will have met them when several SOC members and others with Elegances had a get together on the CAMC Yellowcraig site in Scotland.
Val and I also had the pleasure of their company on other occasions when there has been a Patterson’s family event.

It is so sad that they never managed to get to more SOC rallies which they really wanted to do.

Our thoughts are with Liz and all their family at this sad time.
R.I.P David

John Brailsford, President

 

 

Lowdhams Caravans is a Swift Super Centre, based to the East of Nottingham. This year is Lowdhams 60th anniversary year. You may have seen an article in the Spring edition of Going Places about this. To celebrate this momentous year, Lowdhams are having a festival weekend in June to which Swift Owners Club members are invited to attend. If you would like to attend please see the link below. It’s a free event, but to secure your place you will need to pay a deposit of £40 which will be returned to you when you attend the weekend. Spaces are limited so if you are interested then please book as per the link below.

60th Anniversary Weekend Event | Visit Us 5th-7th June 2026

Gareth Roberts, Marketing Officer

Gareth assures me that although the event is stated to be exclusive to My Lowdhams members, you do not have to be a My Lowdhams member. When booking you should state that you are an SOC member and quote your SOC Membership Number.

Webmaster

 

The Spring 2026 edition of our magazine Going Places is now online to view and/or download. Access is by clicking on the magazine image on the General Info page.

If you download this PDF file to a mobile device you will find it very handy to have at hand wherever you are. Many years of back issues are also available on the General Info page.

Webmaster

 

📍 Maidenhead 📅 New Year 2026 💷 £200 per van 🚐 Minimum 25 vans required

We are planning a proposed New Year Rally for 2026 in Maidenhead.

⚠️ Please note: This event is currently proposed, as we are unable to fully commit until summer due to school confirmation.

What’s Planned:

✔️ Hardstanding pitches
✔️ Evening meal provided all 4 nights
✔️ Professional Entertainment one evening.
✔️ Friendly rally atmosphere
✔️ New Year celebrations

To make this happen, we need at least 25 vans.

👉 If you’re interested, please add your name to the list to avoid disappointment.
This will help us confirm numbers and secure the booking once we receive confirmation.

Let’s start planning a fantastic New Year celebration together! 🥂✨

To register your interest please contact Val and Phil Metcalf
Email: valeriemetcalf@btinternet.com
Text/phone 07766 654037

Val & I received the sad news this morning from Deb and Jen the daughters of Jean Lee that she had passed away peacefully in her sleep last Friday.

Jim & Jean joined the club in 1993 and were regular ralliers mainly in the north as they lived in Stockport at the time. They frequently travelled further afield on holiday rallies both at home and abroad, so were known by many members all over the country.

They reluctantly had to give up caravanning when Jim had to relinquish his driving licence due to medical issues. They then moved to live in Leicester to be near to their son who sadly died about three years ago. This was a difficult time for them as their daughters didn’t live locally.

They were a lovely friendly couple and It was always a pleasure to visit them whenever we were in the area. I know that they really appreciated our visits and Jean would always scan the rally book when it arrived to see if there would be a rally near enough to them so that we could visit.

Over the years Jean’s mobility had deteriorated but with Jim by her side she managed. When Jim passed away in January last year, after they had spent a lifetime together, it was  a difficult time for her. Sadly her mobility deteriorated further and dementia started to set in.

Jean always liked her little tipple of sherry  so maybe the angels will let her have one now and again.

Our thoughts are with all her family at this difficult time.

RIP Jean

John Brailsford, President

A new Holiday Rally has been added for 2027.

Bookings open on 1st April 2026. Please see UK Holiday Rallies Programme for details.

Webmaster

I received the following from a member who wished to advise other members that the NEC has now installed ANPR on its carparks. The caravan shows have always had free parking (AND THEY STILL ARE) unlike other events which are chargeable. However, there is a new process to follow.

Click on the link below for details for full details.

https://ccmshow.co.uk/parking

Webmaster