Club Matters and Kimber House News

Adam Sloman and myself at the NEC show in 2019

Following our first online Club AGM, which was a first and an unusual way for us of holding one compared to a standard AGM, I have taken on the role of Chairman. Bill Silcock’s expected short return to the role to cover last year, went on much longer than anticipated so we do have to thank him for stepping up to take over in a year, that was a year that no one could have anticipated when he became the Chairman back in October 2019. 2020 was a bad year that most of us will want to forget and never repeat, but we managed to keep the Club running through those very difficult times. For what is basically a social club linked by cars, it was hard to do what we usually do and are good at, but alternate ways of communicating with members have kept us in a strong position. Regular Newsletters, Podcasts and the dreaded Zoom meetings came into their own. Who had really heard of Zoom this time last year, whereas now it is used by many of us on a regular basis to keep in touch? In 2020, we have contacted not only with our own membership but the worldwide MG community, which has to be a good thing.

Our existing membership supported the Club solidly throughout the year and has kept the Club in a strong position. It was good to see a large number of new members joining the Club last year even though we could not supply the full social benefits that would be normally included with Club membership. 2021 has not started as we would have liked, but let’s keep everything crossed that, at some time, we will be in a position that allows us to meet up face to face again so we can start to socialise and use our cars again. Things are not looking so bright at the start of the year as yet, but with the vaccine being rolled out in larger and larger numbers, let us hope some sort of normality can return to us all very soon.

Sadly, as you will have already seen, a difficult decision was made to cancel MGLive! for the third year in a row. There were just too many unknowns of what the position would be by June and if, indeed, public large gatherings like that could even happen. The Club is looking at other events, maybe later in the year, that we can attend when the circumstances may allow us to meet up when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, please stay safe so we can all get through this and meet up again once we are allowed.

Keith Williams

KIMBER HOUSE NEWS

Kimber house is still currently closed due to the lockdown rules, but the website is still very active and is open for membership and merchandise orders. At the moment all merchandise orders will be processed and shipped once a week on a Friday. We are sorry, but due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, our shipping for Europe, America and the rest of the world has been suspended until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to get something sorted in the not too distant future.

This month in Kimber House news we thought we’d bring you a brief roundup of the latest Classic Car news:

Following the success of two events in 2020, Classics for Carers is back for 2021! The 2021 event is focused on NHS wellbeing and mental health, aiming to raise £13,000 to fund an NHS well-being pod - a quiet restorative space for staff. Save the date: March 20.

The British Motor Museum has won a prestigious Royal Automobile Club Historic Award in the Collection category. The Museum won the award for a number of reasons, namely hosting three exhibitions during 2020 and through two lockdowns. More on that in the news section.

The government has unveiled some new designs for driving licences and number plates without the EU flag. While existing licences and number plates will still be valid, the new versions will be issued to everyone renewing a licence or getting one for the first time.