Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter
What a great club we have, so reliable! Our webmaster, Lee, asked for members to escort his daughter to her prom. Eleven bikes with 15 members turned up to ensure that Lucy arrived in style. All bikes, sporting black and purple ribbons, made a grand entrance into Legoland, making sure that Lucy won the ‘Best Entrance’ award. Well done to the Thames Valley escort team!
There have been so many good rides this month but the best, for me, has to be Day 1 of the World Ride, to Swansea. Since getting my trike three years ago, I’ve done lots of miles - France 3 times, Faaker See in Austria last year, but I have always gone out with Dave. Well, for this particular ride he couldn’t make it; he had promised to help a friend, so I took the plunge and went on my own! Easy ride to Chieveley, 50 miles up the M4 and I met nine other bikes at the services. They seemed pleased to see me and I felt welcomed on my trike. Not only was this my first ride on my own but it was also the first official ride I’d done with Thames Valley. The ride there was great, the trike had no trouble keeping up and I rode in front of Nick, who was tailing, allowing the drop-offs to overtake when necessary. I had planned to leave them there and return on the motorway but it was such a good, friendly ride that I was easily persuaded to stay with the pack for the scenic ride home. A fantastic day out, 373 miles in all, and a great big THANKS to all who made it such a good experience! Sue
Inside this issue… Front cover:
July / August Birthdays
Random picture
Page 2
Start your Engines
Page 4, 5
Director’s Update
Page 6, 7
LoH - Sue’s Scribbles
Page 8, 9
New Members
Page 10, 11
World Ride - Day 1, Swansea
Page 12, 13
World Ride - Day 2, Bournemouth
Page 14, 15
Calendar
Page 16 - 18 Solstice Run - Toni Charles Page 19
Cream Tea Ride, Ashridge
Page 20, 21
D-Day Anniversary - Sue Moyler
Page 22
Whose bike?
Page 23
Mystery Man
Page 24
Jokes
Page 25
Poker Run news
Page 26
Photo Gallery
Page 27
Meet the committee
Back cover: Route 66
John Ingram 27th July
Sue Brown 1st Aug
Yvonne Cotsford 8th Aug
Graham Odey 15th Aug
Toni Charles 16th Aug
Happy Birthday to you all!
A big Thank You to those who have contributed to this month’s magazine: Don, Sue B, Sue M, Toni, Linda and Nick
Hi All, and welcome to the July edition of tales from The Riverbank. What a fantastic month it’s been for riding your bikes in the glorious sunshine. A very busy month since last club night, plenty going on in the calendar with rides and weekends away. World Ride Sunday and Monday got this month started, two great days riding and having fun. The first ride was our trip to Swansea Dealership and a return ride via the Welsh Valleys and the Forest of Dean. The terrific scenery and the great weather made the day out on the bikes just perfect. World Ride Monday was another great success with Tea & Cake in Stockbridge and a Picnic in the lower gardens in Bournemouth. The Thames Valley World Ride Crew accumulated a total of 5,926 miles over the two days. Well Done everybody !! Just four days later and the crew are off again, this time to Tewkesbury for our Chill-Out weekend at the Lower Lode Inn by the River Seven. The weather was not really on our side at the start of the weekend but Saturday came with a bit of a break in the weather. Barry led a ride-out to a pub for lunch in Westbury on Seven which was very pleasant. On returning to the Lower Lode the rest of the day and evening were spent chilling out by the river with a few beers and a BBQ, a fun weekend with some great company. Thanks, Pat & Barry, for organising the event. Wake the Lakes The boys’ weekend away camping at Wake the Lakes was a little like Glastonbury this year but on a smaller scale. The rain managed to dampen most of the weekend from Thursday through to 6am on Saturday. Saturday, with the weather far better, allowed the organised rides to take place and it was worth waiting for. A 60 mile round trip around Windermere and through the passes around the Lake District, with absolutely fantastic scenery and riding countryside.
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Thanks, Freddie, for this year’s Boys’ Weekend - looking forward to 2015’s ride. On our way home from Wake the Lakes, Dave Mitchell had a spill and came off his bike around J12 on the M6 motorway. Dave was riding in a pack of around 6 or 7 bikes when the accident happened. Dave was taken, by ambulance, to Walsall Hospital in Birmingham to be checked over. He was admitted to hospital for a few days nursing broken ribs and a few bruises. He is now back home resting and taking it easy. Good luck mate, and get well soon! I would like to say a personal thank you & well done to all the Thames Valley riders who were on that ride home on Sunday for the way they dealt with situation on a very busy motorway. Every one of those guys played a part in keeping Dave safe and the traffic moving while waiting for the emergency services to arrive. It’s always very hard when it’s one of your own who is injured and you need to stay focused on what’s going on around you. Well done guys !! We still have a very busy month or so in the diary including the American Rally of the Giants, the Ledbury weekend, Blackley Festival of Motor Cycles and Thunder in the Glens. Still loads to look forward to. Committee Position. We are looking for a new membership officer as you may know by now. Freddie has filled the position for a number of years now and would like to retire at the end of the year. He stayed on this year because we have been unable to find a replacement for him. We must have somebody who would like to join the committee to help run our club. Come and have a chat if you are interested in the post of Membership officer. Ride safe and have fun.
Don
Sue says...
Didn’t our ladies do well! Both Elaine and Toni clocked up a massive amount of miles and hours in the saddle on the summer Solstice ride. Speaking of summer, it appears to be slipping past so quickly. The good thing about it, though, is that there are so many planned ride outs and opportunities to enjoy it. It was great to meet new member, Thelma, at the last club night. Both she and her partner, Mike, ride their own machines and Thelma’s is a gorgeous red flake Sportster. Welcome to Thames Valley LoH Thelma, we are looking forward to seeing you both on a ride out very soon. Those that were able to come along to the Chill Out weekend had a fab time. Fair play to all the people who rode their bikes as the weather wasn’t great to start with. Dave and I had a real chill out (cop out) and went in the car instead! Many of us spent the Saturday meandering around the pretty town of Tewkesbury where we kept meeting up with each other in coffee and cake shops that were just too tempting to pass by. Others were escorted on a scenic bike ride to a lovely pub for lunch. We all met up again in the evening to share our stories of the day and enjoy the sunshine with a beer or six! The food was great too, as you can see from the size of Pat’s breakfast! A big thank you to Pat and Barry for organising the whole weekend. While the lads were away the rest of us went out to play. Thank you to all that joined us for the ride to Ashridge ( I love it that you have so much faith in us to go somewhere where you had no idea where it was!) I led 13 riders and their pillions from Sportsable to my house to be greeted by Dave who was cheffing up bacon and sausage butties. After a relaxing break and several sausages and coffees later, we peeled away to start the second leg of the journey. 6
Sadly, Bernie’s bike was playing up and we had to leave him and his untrusty steed behind. Is there some truth in the number 13 being unlucky? We were once again blessed with sunshine as Dave led us on a beautiful route around the Bucks and Herts countryside ( well that was until we reached Stokenchurch where it decided to shower on us and blot Dave’s excellent record of taking us on a ride out on hot sunny days). There was a wide selection of food and cake available but as promised, the eagerly awaited cream teas did not disappoint. I challenge anyone to ever eat two of them in one sitting! After a relaxing wander around (well apart from Chris who worked off his scone and jam by climbing the 172 steps of the Bridgewater Tower to look at the seven counties view) we thought we had best be on our way. It was lovely to see everyone waving us goodbye - odd they didn’t wave on our way in… or do we really look that scary?! The ride ended in Marlow where we were waved on our way in, this time by Bernie Bulldog who clearly had now got his bike under control. It was a pleasure to meet Angie and Graham who joined us on their very first ride-out on their brand new Road King. Last, but by no means least, a huge congratulations to Elaine Shepherd who has accepted the role of National Ladies of Harley Officer for UK and Ireland (HOG). We are proud to have you as part of our Chapter, Elaine, and are looking forward to supporting you in your new role. Sue x 7
Thames Valley would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new members: Sue and Kevin Lambe
Michael Walters and Thelma Bryant
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Jonathan Lewis Mandy Mussong’s son
Don Lawrence
Tom Ray Our youngest member!
We hope you all have a great time in our friendly club!
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HARLEY-DAVIDSON速 SUNDAY, JUNE 22 - MONDAY, JUNE 23 DAY 1 The ride, with Don Wibberley leading and Nick West tailing, was to the Harley-Davidson dealership in Swansea. Ten bikes carrying 17 people met at Chieveley Services and took the M4 over the Severn Bridge and into Wales. We were greeted, at the dealership, with a warm welcome from the staff, and a lunch of filled rolls, snacks and hot and cold drinks. Oh, and of course, Welsh cakes! The ride back was a more scenic route, taking us to Neath, Merthyr Tydfil and through the Forest of Dean. We stopped at The Air Balloon for drinks and snacks then off towards Oxford and our individual routes home. A fantastic ride with beautiful scenery, almost 400 miles covered today, - and we even got a fly-past from a Vulcan Bomber!
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DAY 2 A case of dĂŠjĂ vu, we were at Cheiveley again for the second day running. This time we were off to the seaside, a picnic in the park in Bournemouth. Not as many people as yesterday, a work day today, but 11 bikes with 15 people met up. We made our way to Stockbridge, a very pretty place and a popular coffee stop, then on towards Romsey, Ringwood and finally Bournemouth. Parking was starting to be a problem, until Mark came to the rescue and directed us to a large car park very near to the main park. Malcolm had his trailer and when chairs were produced from it, it became a huge locker for the leathers and helmets. Packed lunches were carried to the park, which was buzzing. Lunches having been eaten, a slow walk to the beach and pier was the order of the afternoon. Ice creams all round and a lovely day was had by all.
Linda
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August
July
cont.
Ledbury Rally Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd
Welsh Weekend Friday 18th - Sunday 20th Unofficial Ride to North Wales
Hog n Bog Rally Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd
Inter Chapter Ride-out Sunday 20th, S’Able 8:45 Chieveley 9:45
Committee Night Tues 5th Primary Officers
Join with Hogsback, Oxford & New Forest for a ride to Salisbury Plain
and agenda, set by Don
A4 Odyssey Sat 9th, 9:30 Chieveley
Fenlanders Rally Thurs 24th - Sun 27th
Ride through historic Marlborough and Avebury.
The Racecourse, Fakenham
Gaydon Motor Museum Sun 10th, S’Able 9:00am
Rally of the Giants Blenheim Palace Sunday 27th S’Able 9:00
Gaydon, Warwickshire
Poker Run - 5
Pre 50s American Auto Club Display
6:30 onwards, venue TBA
Brackley Festival of Speed
Ace Café Harley Night Thursday 31st, 6:00
Sun 17th, S’Able 9:00
Ladies Day at Ace Café
August
Sun 17th, S’Able 9:00
Thunder in the Glens
Ledbury Rally Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd
Thurs 21st - Tues 26th
Club Night
Hog n Bog Rally Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd
Thurs 21st
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Dates, events, ride-outs and activities Details correct at time of going to print. Check the website for updates and amendments www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Club Nights
Entries for your Diary 2014 Fenlanders Rally 24th - 27th July Ledbury Rally 1st - 3rd August Hog n Bog Provience wide 1st - 3rd August Sherwood Rally 15th-17th August Thunder in the Glens 22nd - 25th August European Bike Week Faaker See 2nd - 7th September Deva Legion
July
17th
August
21st
September 18th October
16th
November
20th
Mag contribution Deadlines
Circus Maximus
12th - 14th September New Forest Rally ‘Blazin’ Blazers’ 26th - 28th September
July
10th
August
14th
September 11th Check website for Changes / further details on all events 15
October
9th
November
13th
Did you ever have one of those crazy-ass ideas that sound great when you first think of them? Then you take some time to think about it and you can’t remember exactly how or why you ever got so stupid? I seem to get that a lot. In a flash of idiotic genius, it suddenly occurred to me that this year, the longest day was going to be a Saturday, so why not attempt to ride the longest distance in the UK during daylight on the longest day?! That was mistake number 1. Mistake number 2 was opening my gob and telling everybody what I was thinking. Before I knew it, someone had given me some sponsorship money, and I’d lost any chance of backing out gracefully. The longest distance is in the UK is 837 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End. It hadn’t really occurred to me that I’d have to get my bike up to the north of Scotland to begin with, and then back home from the south-west of England afterwards: a total journey of some 1,800 miles. I calculated my likely gas and hotel outlay … ouch!! I took a leisurely two days to ride up to Scotland, staying overnight with one of my Leather & Lace MC Sisters. Splitting the journey up was a great way to save energy for the ride itself, plus, it was a great way to catch up with some valuable Sistertime.
It felt great closing in on John O’Groats. Although mainland Britain is only about the same size as California, crossing the Scottish border still felt like crossing the State Line. I gave a little fist pump. North of Inverness, gas stations became few and far between. I was crossing the highlands, close to the snow line. Run out of gas here, and I’d be in serious trouble. Just to be safe I turned off the road every 50 miles or so to find gas at one of the few small villages along the way. Before long, I was following the eastern coast road. That has to be one of THE best roads I’ve ridden in the UK. I had the road pretty much to myself, and although it was freezing cold, it was great fun flying around the bends, looking down at all the un-spoilt beaches and coves. John O’Groats itself was bleak! It felt a little bit like I’d gone back in time and was riding into some wild-west frontier town. Everything was laid out along one straight road, which just seemed to end at the sea, right ahead. There was a Post Office which was closed up for the night, a number of guest houses, a hotel, and a bar. I rode down to the sea to get some photos before it got dark.
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After taking a few obligatory selfies, I made my way back to the hotel to check in, and then rode down to the bar. I got chatting to a couple of fisherman standing outside for a smoke. I don’t think they’d ever seen a female biker before – they seemed quite surprised that I’d be attempting this run. They insisted I show them my bike, and tell them everything about the ride. I must have impressed them – they showed me inside the bar, sat me down, bought me drinks, and gave me some money for my charity! Then my landlord showed up, and donated a little more! I went to bed early, but couldn’t sleep. I found out it doesn’t really get dark at all that far north. When I got up at 3am, it was still daylight outside. There were quite a few bikes waiting for sunrise by the signpost marking the northern point of the journey, so there was quite a buzz! Sunrise was at 4.05am: we started our engines and headed off, past a number of photographers waiting at points along the early part of the route. I’d noted where the gas stops were on my way in, so I didn’t have to stress too much over whether I’d have enough 24 hour gas stations to make it down to more populated areas. The route took me down the east coast to Inverness, on to Perth, then west towards Glasgow, before heading south and along the
border with Wales, and finally curving west towards Cornwall. After all that time on the road, it’s very exciting riding west with the sun setting in front of you, wondering which of you will get to their journey’s end first. I had only about 30 miles to go, and was making great time, when I hit a snag: the entire A30 came to a standstill. I split lanes and filtered my way near the front to where a car was on its roof, the road closed in both directions, and the air ambulance sat in the middle of the carriageway. It felt like forever that we were sat there, while the sun continued setting in front of us. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, and we were allowed to continue. Finally arriving at Lands End before sunset felt amazing! It took me a while to find somewhere to park up. I’d only been stopped about three minutes when Thames Valley’s own Elaine and Ray strolled up! Elaine had just ridden east to west, again from sunrise to sunset!
All in all, we managed to raise £362 plus an additional £66 Gift Aid for Make-A-Wish Foundation, a national charity with its headquarters local to me. Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes for children fighting life threatening conditions. Would I do it again? You bet! Toni Charles 17
CREAM TEA RIDE
MR. & MRS. BROWN’S BUCKS BIMBLE
After meeting at Sportsable, 12 bikes & 19 people left for the LoH ride to the Ashridge Estate, led by Mrs Brown ably assisted by tails, Sue Dodds & Pat Adams. Calling in at Mr.& Mrs Brown’s for a breakfast of sausage & bacon rolls with tea & coffee, all of which were very welcome. We carried on our way led by Mr. Brown, through some very pretty English villages. Cream teas were calling to us. Only 1 of the group managed to resist temptation - well done, Angie! The weather was on our side as we made our way towards High Wycombe and Marlow. Oops, spoke to soon - a heavy shower caught up with us near Chinnor, but it did not dampen anyone’s spirits or enjoyment of the day. A huge thank you, and well done to Sue & Dave Brown. Linda Friend
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By Sue Moyler Ed & I have been members of the British Legion Riders for some time. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be in the forces or exforces to join. Actually, they welcome all riders & appreciate the fact that we contribute but will never see anything back in return – except the camaraderie, social events & rides of course! The local group hold their meetings in Arborfield & they are extremely active socially as well as riding & attending many events. Although we had met many of them socially we had never been on one of their rides. Then, on 23rd May, we received an email; the Legion Riders had been invited to attend a D-Day anniversary veteran’s tea party on 6th June in Littlehampton. It just so happened that we had that week off & had nothing planned. We thought it sounded like an interesting day out so we put our names on the list. As we were on holiday, we decided to book a hotel & go down to Littlehampton the day before & then make our own way to the RV just outside Littlehampton the next day. We had a glorious ride down in the morning & spent the rest of the day exploring Littlehampton. We had tea in the Look and See Centre, the venue for the veteran’s party. It was decorated already with flags, bunting & lots of memorabilia, including the café menu for the next day. All food from the era such as Boiled Beef & Carrots, Corned Beef Fritters, Mutton Hot Pot, Spotted Dick & Custard & Jam Roly Poly. It all looked great. We also learned that children from the local school would be attending, in costume from the era. The weather was kind again the next day & was gloriously warm. After a leisurely breakfast we spent some time watching the various events taking place in the UK & France on the TV until it was time to leave. We made the RV at Cross Bush Services in plenty of time & met up with Martin, from Sussex Riders, who had co-ordinated the event & some of his members. Not long after, the Berkshire Riders arrived & we proved to be by far the biggest contingent. After a coffee we all set off on the 7 miles or so ride into Littlehampton. We parked up in an arc at the top of the lifeboat station slipway facing STAN the Look & See Centre which would have been interesting had they had an emergency!
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The school children soon arrived, very excited (maybe it was just because they all had the day off?!) & looking amazing in their costumes. T hey had produced a wonderful & very colourful book of poems they had written which we were given a copy of; a lovely souvenir to take away from the day. The kids all made a b-line for the bikes so queues were formed to sit on them for photos. Ed’s was particularly popular with mine not far behind. Martin asked me to start mine up; I had a young lad sitting on it at the time – the poor kid nearly jumped through his skin! When the thirty veterans arrived they were greeted by the Mayor, the District Council Chairman & other VIP’s & then taken upstairs for the first part of the event. A while later the Lord Lieutenant of Sussex (the Queen’s personal representative) arrived & how lovely was she?! The local press wanted a picture of her with a bike so she sat ‘side saddle’ on Ed’s Glide surrounded by all the Legion Riders, she loved it. A while later we were told that if we wanted to we could go upstairs & mingle with the veterans. We timed it right because as we got up there the Lord Lieutenant was being introduced & she gave a wonderful speech on behalf of the Queen. She then went around the room speaking to each veteran & giving them a pin & a certificate of gratitude. After that the Mayor read ‘For the Fallen’ (we will remember them) & then a recording of the Last Post was played followed by a 2 minute silence. Standing in amongst all the veterans for this was a very moving experience & something we felt very privileged & humbled to be a part of. I was standing behind a jolly looking chap so I asked if I could see his pin & certificate. He very proudly showed me both. His name was Stan & he was 90 years old. He told me he was dropped in the second wave onto Sword beach & on the day they weren’t told anything. They had no idea where they were going or why. Like many others he said he didn’t like to talk much about it. Ed was chatting to an enchanting 92 year old lady. She explained that she had worked as a Timber Measurer in the Women’s Forestry Service - selecting the timber needed for the war effort & running the sawmill. This was interesting as only recently we had watched an episode of Foyle’s War which had featured a woman who was doing that same job, something we’d not heard about before. Eventually we had to leave as afternoon tea was about to be served. All in all, a great day was had by all. The sadness & emotion brought forth by their memories was palpable at times but also an enormous of sense pride was evident. Certainly from those of us invited to share this special day there was a huge amount of respect & gratitude for what these brave men & women endured for our freedom. Sue & Eddie
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Whose Bike? Our ‘Jammy’ photographer, Linda, has been taking candid shots of our bikes when we weren’t looking! Do you recognise your bike, or that of another club member? If you correctly identify the bike and owner, you will win a bottle of wine, to be presented at club night. If there’s more than one correct answer, names will be put in a hat and one drawn out - at club night. Good luck!
If you can identify this bike, send your answer to editor@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
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Not a man, but a young girl this month. She grew up to be a Thames Valley member but which one? Do you have a photo of your younger self? Have you changed a lot over the years? Send your photo to the editor (address inside back cover) to be featured on the Mystery Man page. Most people put their faces through holes like these, but not Thames Valley girls! Oh no, they have to be different and put their BOOBS through! Who are they?
(and if you know‌ how come?)
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A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a motorcycle when he spotted a well known heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike. The mechanic shouted across the garage,
"Hey Doc, can I ask you a question?"
The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, Be careful where you hang your helmets, ladies!
"So, Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take valves out, fix 'em, put 'em back in and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?" The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over and whispered to the mechanic...
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"Try doing it with the engine running!"
This month we met at The New Leathern Bottle, in Warfield. I think they were a bit overwhelmed with the amount of people ordering food (there was only one working in the kitchen) and Mick wasn’t happy with the wait. But he looked happy enough when it arrived! Great food! 25
Sunset in Lands End. MADE IT!
Don Don Wibberley Wibberley Chapter Chapter Director Director Email: director Email: director@ director @thamesvallyhog.org.uk thamesvalleyhog.org.uk @thamesvallyhog.org. uk
Pat Adams Pat Adams Assistant Director Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@ Email: assistantdirector@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Colin Wilkins Colin Wilkins Treasurer Treasurer Email: treasurer@ Email: treasurer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Moyler Sue Moyler Secretary Secretary Email: secretary@ Email: secretary@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Fred Cotsford Fred Fred Cotsford Cotsford Membership Officer Membership Officer Membership Officer Email: membership@ Email: Email: membership@ membership@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Nij Jones Nij Jones Head Road Captain Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@ Email: headroadcaptain@ Thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Nick West Nick West Safety Officer & Safety Officer & historian Historian Email: Historian @thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Email: historian@
Barry Adams Barry Adams Activities Officer Activities Officer Email: activities@ Email: activities@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Lee White Lee White Webmaster Webmaster Email: webmaster@ Email: webmaster@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Knight Sue Knight Editor Editor Email: editor@ Email: editor@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Bernie Meason Bernie Meason Photographer Photographer Email: photographer@ Email: photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Brown Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Ladies Harley Email: of ladiesofharley@ Email: ladiesofharley@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
facebook.com/groups/facebook.com/groups thamesvalleyhog thamesvalleyhog
youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1 Linda Friend Friend Linda Photographer Photographer Email: photographer@ photographer@ Email: thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Shirley Shirley Churchill Churchill Merchandise Merchandise Email: Email: merchandise@ merchandise@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1
Toni Charles Club Venue: Club Venue: Activities Officer SportsAble, SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Email: activities@SL6 1BN Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Maidenhead, SL6 1BN
A chance to fulfil that Route 66 dream! Just a few places remain on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. See Nick West for details,