YOU - THE BKCC - AND 2011

['The Gaffer']

Dear Bristol Kit Car Club Members.

May I start by wishing you all a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

Since starting the BKCC in 2009 I am delighted with its success and am very happy to have realised my own goal in creating the club and finding so many like-minded kit car enthusiasts to share experiences with. I have also found some great new friends too, a sentiment I think that all active members will share.

Winter is now drawing in so this is a great time to reflect as to what you want from the BKCC club next year, Your feedback is very important, so please take just one minute to respond with your, ideas and suggestions for the coming year.

As most of you know I have strived to keep the club free, however due to up and coming club expenses it will be necessary to restructure the club and put it on a more professional footing. Those who have read a recent CKC Mag will know that legislation dictates that we have to take out Public Liability Insurance. In addition as the membership grows so the forum needs more time and attention as well as additional data storage and bandwidth. All of this is too much for one person to take on in addition to running a business, so from March 2011 the club will be run by a committee of 3 consisting of Dave Bence, Ken Robson and myself.

Dave will take care of Club Events and Ken will take care of Motor Sports as well as setting up discounts with suppliers for the club membership. Members will be given an individual membership number, which will need to be quoted when taking advantage of any club negotiated discounts.  All of this needs to be funded somehow so from 1st March 2011 a small annual fee of £10 per member and committee will be charged in order to fund the necessary expenditure.

I firmly believe that this change is in the best interest of the club and its members as it will be operated in a more professional way yet most importantly remain non-clique. I also believe that members will feel more attached and have greater personal value in the club and in turn, the way it's run. I am sure that you will agree for £10 p.a. the club will offer great value for money.

I'm really looking ahead to the warmer weather in 2011 and catching up at meets and events so please don't forget to let us know what you want from YOUR club.  Any ideas and suggestions would be most welcome and if anyone would like to organise an individual event that would be most appreciated to help spread the workload.

Thank you for the support in 2010, and here's to your continuing support during a great BKCC 2011.

All the very best,

Phil.
Founder and Admin of the Bristol Kit Car Club.

[WALNUT]

Yes, I agree, running a club this size is to much for anyone to do on there own. And yes again, £10 is nothing to ask towards running costs. I do think we might lose a lot of the members who only look at the forun and dont post, or take part in any events. ( but then, is that a bad thing ? ) And will these people still be able to access all parts of the site

Tony

[ianckc]

Hi All,

For what's it's worth, I'd suggest leaving the forum open to all, as well as your meetings and gatherings. You want to encourage people in, not put barriers in their way. However, membership of the club should then get them something else, such as the discounts you mention with suppliers and insurers. It might get members preferential rates should you organise your own track day or other organised event. Non members (guests) would always be welcome at these, but would obviously have to pay a premium to the events, or simply go without the discounts to suppliers. There may be other 'added value' features you can offer to members.

I wouldn't get too hung up about kit car owners who want to come along to your gatherings, but don't feel inclined to pay for membership. If the incentives are good enough, they'll join when they feel ready, and the payment isn't so the club can generate lots of cash, but rather cover its costs. Good luck with the changes and I hope to see some of you at the CKC track days in 2011. Ian

[peetee]

Hi all, I would echo the sentiments in both of the above replies. Cheers,  Pete

[Grin-a-lot]

I joined a mountain bike club that allowed attendance at 3 meets before asking potential members to join (or not).  It allowed potential members to see if the club and people were right for them without the people who had paid feeling like £10 didn't get you anything (apart from a thinner wallet and maybe a nice membership card).

[Denzle]

Yes, I agree that a probation period of say one month would give a person joining the club the chance to feel their way into it by attending a couple of meets etc and getting to know some of the lads.   

Then the small fee of £10 should they wish to become a full member.

This I would also think would stop a lot of people joining  the club, creating work on data for those who run it and then not bothering to take part in any way.   

I think this club has a great relationship between some of its members and I only wished I lived closer to Bristol so that I could do more for it.   Sadly thats the way it is but I will do my best in 2011 to be more involved even from a distance.

I appreciate those that have put themselves forward to help run the club and I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and looking forward to a great BKCC for the  year 2011.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS & GREAT NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.   

                                  CHEERS,  DENZLE. 

['Mendip Wurzel']

Phil

I totally agree with all of what you are saying and have no problems with the membership fee. I can understand what others are saying about a free 'probationary' type status so that you don't discourage people from joining the forum, and a possible 'membership' status when you pay the £10.

There could be an extra 'star' of something against your name on the forum to show that you are at 'membership' status.

I will continue to do my bit in looking for events in support of Dave Bench and his new role.

And what about you Phil... well as I am sure you know you I think you have done a brilliant job over the last year which I can only thank you for and like you I have made lots of new friends with the club taking my kitcar experiences to a whole new level.

A job well done Phil.... thank-you

Kevin

[Daley Down Under]

Phil,

Firstly, thanks for everything that you have done for BKCC in 2010.  Membership fee is a no-brainer and I like the other suggestions from Ian and others.

Take it easy and put your feet up over Chirstmas.

All the best for 2011.

Adrian 

[xr2 stu]

i've not been on the site long and i dont mind haveing  to pay to be a member as i like the site and you just feel welcome
whan you use it and £10 is not alot

[paintman]

No probs Phil. it had to come.  Most of us will gladly cough up to be a member of such a good club and hopefully it will go from strength to strength.  Well done and thanks for all your efforts last year.

  Tony

[David H]

Well worth a tenner mate. Its an impressive site/club and I for one am glad to be a member.

Cracking job Phil

[Quarrycars]

Can't add much to what has already been said, I haven't been able to make it to any of the club meetings so far as I live a bit out of the area but the members enthusiasm and support (especialy the ones building their own Furore!) has been a big part of me starting and continuing my project.  I feel sure the club will go from strength to strength.
May I take this opportunity to wish all members of the BKCC a Safe, Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2011 (Good Grief...my drivers licence expires in 4 years )

[MrFozzieBear]

I agree with the £10 subs.

What you could do and i apologise if this has been mentioned is put on a limited website to non paying members or viewers a teired system. Somthing like Full paying member, Member and viewer's.

For viewers make it so they can only see the titles of the threads in a limited number of catagories so to intise them to joining. and so they can see what topics get talked about.


For non-paying members Restrict access to a few page views per day. Then when the limit is reached they can only see the titles of the threads in all catagories so to intise new paying members to enrol

and PAying members get the lot including discounts with companys which sounds an excellent idea to progress. although i am aware w you have had this a while. 

Also restrict the Wanted, For sale sections for paying members and non paying members to try and put some filter on who puts ads up.

I do like the way the club is heading and Thank you for setting it up.

Cheers,

Craig.

['The Gaffer']

Dear all.

Thank you (Especially for the kind words) from those that have so far responded via forum and email. I am taking comments on board but still need more feedback so please keep the replies coming. The changes will not come into effect until next March so there's plenty of time to fine-tune things and a full announcement will be made closer to the date.

The intention is not to alienate people or turn the club into a clique exclusive and snooty affair, in fact the aim is to keep things pretty much as they are but with the inclusion of some great discounts available only to subscribed members and full public liability insurance in place to protect us all. Not only that, but with the committees help, the club should be able to offer much more choice to its members.

PL Insurance. In simple terms, I, as in me alone may be the target of any claim arising from any incident or accident while the club is taking part in an event. This is obviously not acceptable and until know has been overlooked, and whilst I'm happy to continue donating my time free of charge to the club, I simply can't afford to fund it as well. In short, the club needs money to operate within the law, and is not looking to profit from subscriptions. A committee has been appointed simply to keep everything accountable and above board and to help make the BKCC a nice place to be.

The transition will appear almost seamless apart from subscribed members being recognised by forum title and stars. The forum will still remain open to guests (with small access restrictions) Meetings will still be free to everyone and events (Apart from maybe the odd entry fee discount to subbed members) will be free to attend also.

Thanks again for responding, it's YOUR club as much as mine so lets try to keep it safe but fun. With your help we can do it!!

Keep the comments coming.

Cheers.

Phil.

[Dixie]

Phil.

I agree that a membership should be paid, £10 is nothing.

I always get a little worried with committees, but I suppose as long as we keep it small and low key, all should be ok.

The Cobra club has 2 x levels of members for use on the Forum.  "Newbie" and "Club suporter".  Newbie allows you to read any text but you can only post in a certain area, not the techincal forums or "For sale" section.  This level of membership is shown under your name and how many posts you have made so that others can see how much effort/time you put into the Forum.

We could have a "Regalia" rep, we have enough members to warrant it.  It would look cool for us to have some clothing etc with the BKKC logo on when walking around shows. 

Just for interest, my insurance covers me for shows etc with a car that has a current MOT!

Because of the large geographic area our club now covers, why don't we select a couple of "Area reps" to help with organising runs etc.

Just a few thoughts to consider.  Mark

[YellaBelly]

Definitely worth 10 of her majesty's punds mate. site has come on leaps and bounds since it's inception.

Good job Phil

JB

[Hairy Santa]

First I'd like to say what a brill job you have done in getting this club from its infancy to what it is now, also to Bri for his input

I'm surprized it has gone on this long without the need for subs into the club, PL is def needed to cover Phil and members in the event of a claim

£10 what is it - 2 gallons of fuel or in my case 2 breakfasts  , I feel that £20 would be more in keeping with todays prices and this way there would be money in the kitty to buy whatever the club needed without going cap in hand to the members

I would like to see this club as all fully paid members, I have seen the problems in other clubs with those who paid and those who havn't and feel that if you want to be involved in a damb good club then you should contribute to it's running, I'm not going to go into details here on the problems I have seen but feel that either everyone contributes or nobody does  - with say 6-8 week breathing space when you first come on line

anyway I have had my spout - thanks again Phil - lets hope the club goes from strength to strength in the forecoming years   

Pete

     

[foggy]

Having been a chairman on Committee's and representation of various organisations, I am amazed how this club can do it for free, there must be costs somewhere along the line. I remember helping in setting  a up web site cost my forma club quite a lot of money and the only way it was funded was through club subs. £10.00 cheap as chips, who do I send the cheque too?----- Happy Christmas to all and I hope you get every thing you wish for! I want a Conteash-Mrs said no chance! But there is one on e-bay!

[Dixie]

First I'd like to say what a brill job you have done in getting this club from its infancy to what it is now, also to Bri for his input

I'm surprized it has gone on this long without the need for subs into the club, PL is def needed to cover Phil and members in the event of a claim

£10 what is it - 2 gallons of fuel or in my case 2 breakfasts  , I feel that £20 would be more in keeping with todays prices and this way there would be money in the kitty to buy whatever the club needed without going cap in hand to the members

I would like to see this club as all fully paid members, I have seen the problems in other clubs with those who paid and those who havn't and feel that if you want to be involved in a damb good club then you should contribute to it's running, I'm not going to go into details here on the problems I have seen but feel that either everyone contributes or nobody does  - with say 6-8 week breathing space when you first come on line

anyway I have had my spout - thanks again Phil - lets hope the club goes from strength to strength in the forecoming years   

Pete

   Yea , what he said.

[Casino]

The question of membership had to happen & I have no problems with having to pay an annual membership fee , whether it be £10 or £20pa.

I see no reason to change the current arrangement whereby Guests can access all areas of the club website, and that only registered Members can use/add to the forum. Afterall, thats how virtually all of us found the site, and  became members.

Membership cards was mentioned on an earlier posting and I would like to suggest that it may be easier to just colour code the first "star" ( say red )against our name to denote a paid up member and that this could revert to the gold if membership has elapsed ?

Finally, a big THANK YOU to you Phill for all your efforts and let us not forget BulldogBri the best leadout man, who can also take some good pics from the back of a convoy.

Casino

[Jake47]

Phil,

'ow much!!!!!  Only joking  - go for it.  I am sure that £10 won't break the bank for most of us.  It won't even get us a couple of gallons of unleaded.  Any chance of seeking out some discount on insurance?  I don't pay much for that either, but there may be members who would appreciate any reduction in running costs.
If there any members who are Civil Servants (sorry!), please get in touch with me, because there are discounts available for them through the Civil Service Sport Council. Merry Christmas,  Alan Hall

['The Gaffer']

Thanks for the comments, keep em coming please.

[YellaBelly]

Echo what has already been said and also sorry Bri, should have included you in the blaze of glory Had some real good runs etc. organised (even if I didn't make the bulk of 'em ) The feedback says it all.

Merry XMAS to all and here's to a great New Year

John

[YZFMINI]

Echo of what every one else says.
All the best clubs start of free..
Now this club is well established.
YZFMINI

[aliwizard]

AGAIN I ECHO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SAID £10 20 POUNDS A DROP IN THE OCEAN ,COMPARED  WITH WHAT WE SPEND ON ARE CARS LOL,WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE PHIL THESE SORT OF CLUBS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. SO THANKS PHIL FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK,HAPPY XMAS TO ALL THE MEMBERS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEW YEAR AND ARE MONTHLY MEETS,AND MAYBE I WILL FINISH MY BLOODY CAR AT LAST.

['The Gaffer']

Thanks again for the kind words and support folks. As mentioned, I will outline changes in the new year.

Please feel free leave anymore comments or suggestions here.

[Bulldog Bri]

Agreed, the club has gone from strength to strength very quickly in less than 2 years so can't complain about a small fee. Phil has done us a great job by starting the club in the place and I've been happy to lend a hand where I could (and when I've got less on my plate take a more prominant roll again if wanted).

All the best to Phil and the BKCC for 2011

['The Gaffer']

Cheers Bri and again thanks for your help since almost day one.

And the best convoy leader I know

[Bulldog Bri]

Cheers Bri and again thanks for your help since almost day one.

And the best convoy leader I know

Hey... I haven't given convoy leader position up and will be happy to lead a few more. 

['The Gaffer']

Hey... I haven't given convoy leader position up and will be happy to lead a few more. 

The job is still yours Bri. You are the best

['Mendip Wurzel']

Cheers Bri and again thanks for your help since almost day one.

And the best convoy leader I know

Hey... I haven't given convoy leader position up and will be happy to lead a few more. 

My wife does not like convoys unless I can tell her that Brain is leading..... she is always fearful of the race type convoy. 

I must say that Brian's convoys always stay together and we rarely end up losing people.