Midlands

Below you can find all the Midlands Social Scene reports submitted for the most recent TR Action, in full. If you have any problems with the content then please contact the office. Should you wish to find your nearest group then please use our postcode search facility or visit 'We're Only Hear for the Beer' for listings of all group details. Please use the links below to find your report:

• Cotswold Vale
• Derbyshire Dales
• Shropshire
• Stoke

Cotswold Vale

Andy Canning

A very Happy New Year to you all and I hope it will be a healthy and prosperous one. My last report concluded by wishing Bob and Joy Allen a sincere farewell and good luck from all in CVTR and we hope that the photo from our November meeting will bring a smile and shorten the miles now they are back in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Thanks to Phil Blake and Keith Brown for supplying the pictures, and Graham and Jane Edwards of North Wales group who were visiting the area.

Tim Walker hosted the annual Thai Emerald November Sunday Lunch and as the NEC show was spread over three days on the same weekend many CVTR members managed to attend both events, agreeing however that seven halls is quite a stretch in one day. As usual the Register stand was vibrant and popular with many familiar faces. Credit must go to all involved including the office team for an excellent stand.

The National AGM at Gaydon attracted many Cotswold Vale members who always take great interest in the workings of the Didcot office as well as keeping up to date with the social side of TR ownership. While in our safe keeping the Wheel Spinner was given a make-over and now sports two more layers; sincere thanks to our own Richard Durrant who arranged the additional plinths with woodworking genius Jason Marshall who lives in CVTR area.

Our own AGM was on the 30th November and our very efficient Treasurer Keith Brown has taken on the task again together with his now familiar raffles. Also included was the long awaited Air Ambulance final total and a big thanks to everyone who helped to raise the £306 which was presented at the Strensham Helicopter base in December. Our chosen charity in 2012 is yet to be decided but no doubt Cotswold Vale will once more grasp the nettle and give generously for a worthy cause.

Into the New Year and on January 21st we will all meet for our annual Dinner at the Kings Court Hotel near Alcester, our third year at this venue will include the usual banter and awards and thanks to the many loyal Cotswold Vale members who throughout the year give their time and effort to help make the group what it is today. There are always too many to mention but their names do pop up in my reports. The results of this event will be in the next Action issue 256.

January is also the month we plan our Calendar for the coming year. This can be viewed on line in our monthly Newsletter which is a detailed and entertaining and put together by our roving Vale team.

Derbyshire Dales

Maurice Davey

Our Group seems to becoming a centre of ownership and expertise for the ubiquitous TR6. And with good reason as it has proved itself as an excellent long distance comfortable cruiser popular with many of our members. Our latest convert is a long time member and already a TR5 owner, Dave Burgess. Dave has purchased a car from California and it has a hard top. The colour was that well known 1970s chocolate brown that we all loved back then, but not now. The car was imported and delivered. Then the fun began. Dave stripped it all down to the bare shell and off it went to the body shop for stripping and painting. Our picture shows the finished shell before being mated back with the chassis which Dave had restored, painted and rebuilt the running gear etc. I am sure you all will agree the new colour is fabulous and if you could see and feel the finish you would be green with envy. Thanks to another of our Group Members, John Geeve whose body shop did the work. It is a testament to true craftsmanship. At about this time Dave had some health problems which took him away from work and meant he could not drive for a month. The body was now back on the chassis, all was complete at the paint shop and the car needed collecting. So yours truly volunteered to help trailer it back to Dave’s garage so work could continue. Thankfully he was now feeling much better and was looking forward to building the car back up. My next job is to persuade him to do a piece for Rebuilders Diaries but I have a feeling I am on a loser as he will be back at work and dashing about the UK again.

Our successful Club Nights continue and at the November meeting we had a new member arrive in, yes, you have guessed it, his newly acquired TR6. He introduced himself as Chas. I introduced him to our Group Leader Dave Worne, another TR6 nut and soon they were deep in conversation and going out in the dark to inspect the car. So we are now sorted for entertainment at our Annual Dinner on January 14th (details on the Web Site). Chas and Dave will be giving it some Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit.

Our next Club Night on 14th. December will have Steve Hall of TR Enterprises giving us a talk. It should be a very good evening.

That’s it for this issue, Season’s Greetings to all our members and a Very Happy New Year. 2012 promises to be very busy with a lot of great car action.

Shropshire

Simon Beresford

Hi! Club nights at The Red House are going well.

Phil’s TR4A restoration is coming along very fast at the moment; he was able to get quite a few parts at the Donnington Triumph and MG show; while Peter Napier is putting a few miles on his newly rebuilt TR4. James’, Mark’s and Reg’s TR250s are all speeding along on the restoration front as well.

The Whitchurch TR brigade held a breakfast meeting at Sleap aerodrome over near Wem, something that we may try and organize in the spring?

Dave, Helen and myself popped down to the AGM to keep up with the Register and meet old friends there. The Shropshire Group’s AGM will take place on February 8th at the Redhouse starting at 9pm usual format. Come along and have your say on the group; we are already well on the way to organizing the coming season’s events, more on that next month.

For more info get in touch or check the website for up to date details.

Bye for now.

Stoke

Simon Beresford

A Happy new year to one and all!

Our club nights are still getting a great turn out of cars and folks even with the dark winter nights.

Quite a few of the group went to the Donnington Triumph/MG Show, good for a first attempt and nice to see everyone there. Members have also been to the NEC show and various rallies etc. around the area. A few of us popped down to the TR AGM to keep abreast of the national scene , and much to Chris Mountford’s surprises he was awarded a Gold award for his services to the Stoke group over the last thirty years and the Register in general.

We will be having the Group AGM on February 6th at 9pm - usual format. As always it is your time to have your say on the group.

One final note is to express our sadness at the loss of Robert Taylor who passed away on November 14th. A true classic car enthusiast, he and Janet were area organizers and stalwarts of the Stag owners club and members of the Stoke TR group, joining in many of our events both locally and nationally. A true gentleman and always enthusiastic, he will be missed by all who knew him.

Bye for now.