Members News

This is a new rally at a new venue for 2025!

Join us for a Burns Night Celebration in the heart of DH Lawrence country. Silverhill Woodland Retreats is located in the village of Teversal in rural Nottinghamshire, and is a great site with a modern toilet/shower block with underfloor heating. The site fee includes 16amp EHU at £25 per night. All pitches are hard standing (levelling blocks may be required on some), and there are ten fully serviced pitches available for the rally at no extra cost. A Burns Night meal has been arranged with The Carnarvon pub (popular & renowned for its good food) for the evening of Thursday 23rd (not strictly Burns Night which is the 25^th!), and only a 5 min walk from the site. The cost of the 3-course meal is £35 per head and includes a Piper for the evening to Pipe the Haggis amongst other tunes. Non-haggis and vegetarian options will be available! A £10 per head deposit will be required nearer the time once menu choices have been submitted. To be cost effective we need 20 units/40 people for the Thursday night event. Other social events to be confirmed, which may incur an extra cost.

Additional pitches may be able to be arranged for those not attending the meal but remains tbc, and extra nights after the rally has closed may also be possible, but tbc.

The site is opposite Silverhill Wood and Country Park ideal for walking (including dogs of course) and cycling. It is the site of a former colliery and has a prominent miner’s statue “Testing for Gas” up the hill. It is also in easy reach of Hardwick Hall, Chatsworth, Bolsover Castle, Sherwood Forest, Peak District, Eastwood (DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum), Chesterfield with its famous crooked spire, Bakewell, Matlock & Matlock Bath to name but a few attractions.

Your marshals are David & Yvonne Lovett assisted by Gareth & Dianne Roberts.

The rally is available to book now, with a closing date of 5^th January 2025. Hurry as pitches are likely to be popular for this special event! If oversubscribed a reserve list will be started.

Please send your rally booking forms to davidjlovett19@gmail.com

N.B. The site will allocate pitches based on unit type, size and any special requirements.

Piping the Haggis                                                                                    

“Testing for Gas”

The Autumn 2024 edition of our magazine Going Places is now online to view or download. Access is by clicking on the magazine image on the General Info page. 

As postal deliveries vary so much across the country, if you haven’t received your hard copy yet please allow a few days before contacting the Membership Officer.

Webmaster

I have been asked by Val Metcalf to post the following information for rally number 46:

Welcome the New Year in the Swift way @ Furze Platt Secondary School.
We have full use of the school over the weekend. All vans will be sited on hardstanding.
All evening meals are included in the costs.
We have booked entertainment for the 30th December. The itinerary is in the Rally Book on page 74.
Unfortunately all this comes at a cost, so the cost of this year will be £150 for 2 adults for 4 nights.

If you are interested please contact me by Phone or Text: 07766 654037
Email: valeriemetcalf@btinternet.com
Or post to 8 Romulus Close, Wootton, Northampton NN4 6LJ

*** Please note the change of address to that published in the Rally Book.

Webmaster

The Swift Group have sent me some complimentary tickets for the NEC Birmingham, Motorhome and Caravan Show (Tuesday 15th October to Sunday 20th October 2024). The tickets are single use only and can be used on any day.

If you would like a one then please contact me on my email. (marketing@swift-owners-club.com)

Regards, Gareth 

Barry Brown has just secured the funeral date today to enable you to have as much notice as possible if you are able to attend.
Please contact me by phone or text 07711263295 as I have agreed with Barry to collect numbers of SOC members who wish to attend.

UPDATED: Wake and donations link now below as promised.

Funeral Location: Mansfield Crematorium (Thoresby Chapel)
Derby Road, Mansfield, NG18 5BJ

Date & Time: Wednesday 16th October @ 1:15pm

The Wake: The Rushley, Nottingham Road, Mansfield, G18 4SN

If you wish, donations to Nottinghamshire Hospice in Marion’s name can be made via the link below:

https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-notices/18-09-2024-marion-brown

Val Brailsford

Janet Bubb together with Alison and Jo would like me to express their sincere thanks for all the cards, letters, Facebook posts and tribute page posts which were very comforting to her and her daughters on their loss of David.
She would also like to thank you all for the donations made to MacMillan Cancer Support by cash on the day, via the tribute page or by other means.

Janet was overwhelmed and delighted by the number of people from the SOC who attended his funeral last Friday. 
There were many current members, HLMs and some past members who attended too. We all were humbled to be there and learn a lot more about David from the eulogies that were excellently presented at his funeral by Alison and Jo.

I was aware that at least 2 people were unable to attend at the last minute due to illness as their respective other halves managed to attend. It is now possible for anyone who was unable to attend for any reason to view this service via the Obitas link below.

David Bubb Funeral Service Link (Username: hadi3656 Password: 193039)

Please let any members past and present know that this will be available to view until 26th October.

Val Brailsford

Sadly Norman Scotting one of our Honorary Life Members passed away very suddenly recently. Norman and Pat joined the club back in 1985 and soon became regular ralliers. They were both very enthusiastic about the club and Norman became Chairman just 2 years later. After retiring as Chairman he took on the roles of Publicity Officer and Advertising Officer for 3 years with a year as Rally Equipment Officer too during that period!

I worked alongside Norman as Hon. Secretary during his final year as Chairman and can vouch for the fact that his enthusiasm had not waned. It was a time when membership was at its peak and if a night went by without a ‘phone call I had to check he wasn’t ill! (no email or txt in those days).

It is many years since Pat and Norman rallied but they will always be remembered for the PatNor BBQ Trophy which they donated to the club and is still contested every year.

Many members will recall lots of fun times with Norman and Pat both at home and abroad in those early years.

Our thoughts are with Pat and their family at this sad and difficult time.

RIP Norman

John Brailsford, President

If you are a long-standing member and remember them then Pat and the family welcome you to join them to celebrate his life.

Please contact David Hill by text or phone if you are able to attend. 07866 892609

Funeral details as follows:
Date & Time: 9/10/24 at 10:00am

Location: Amber Valley Memorial Park & Crematorium
Derby Road, Swanwick, Derbyshire, DE55 1BH

Wake: Trent Lock Golf Club
Lock Lane, Nottingham, NG10 2F

A gentle reminder that Swift Leisure have invited our members to attend a VIP event on their stand at the NEC October show. The event is from 10:30 to 11:30 on Wednesday 16th October 2024. So far I only have 6 names of the 26 possible places available. If you are attending the NEC October Caravan Show on the Wednesday and would like to be included in this event then please let me know. My contact details are: Email address marketing@swift-owners-club.com or via call/text message to 07412 636628.

Gareth Roberts, Marketing Officer

Earlier today I received the very sad news that long standing member Marion Brown passed away this morning after a long illness.

Many of you will remember that Marion and Barry celebrated 50 years of membership at this year’s AGM rally. During their 50 years of membership they had attended every AGM and were determined to make 2024 no exception, even though Marion had only just come out of hospital. She bravely managed to attend it even though they could only manage to come for the day.

Val and I will always remember when we first met Barry & Marion on our very first SOC rally 40 years ago. They gave us lots of information about the club and made us very welcome. We left determined to do more SOC rallies.

Our thoughts are with Barry at this very sad and difficult time; Marion and Barry had been married for 67 years. Our thoughts are also with their children Susan, Maureen & Michael and families.

RIP Marion.

John Brailsford President

Sadly we received a phone call yesterday from Don saying that they were reluctantly leaving the club.

On behalf of the membership I would like to express my gratitude for what they have done for the club over the years. Not only have they run many rallies both, at home and abroad, but over the years Don has served as our Chairman and as an ACM; Jean also served as an ACM and between them they have covered the roles of Minutes Secretary and Publicity Officer. They have also introduced family to the club and one son is still a current member.

Hopefully we may occasionally see them visiting their many friends and their family on future rallies.

I wish them many more happy years of touring.

John Brailsford, President

DON & JEAN’s FAREWELL MESSAGE BELOW:

After 35 years membership, Jean and I are leaving the S.O.C.

Not because of any dissatisfaction – on the contrary – we have many, many happy memories of rallies at home and abroad and we have made many friends!

Personal circumstances have forced us to move to “the dark side” in order to enable us to continue touring and as we have been unable to find a ‘Swift’ product that meets our requirements, we have now bought an Autotrail!

Hopefully we may still catch up with our numerous S.O.C. friends and acquaintances on a neutral field, somewhere, sometime!

We wish the Club every success in the future!

Don & Jean Munro