Group Leaders Guidance Notes

Group Leaders' How-to Guide.

If you are a new Group Leader, or even an experienced volunteer looking for a little help on a specific aspect of running a local area group, you can find our handy "How -to" manual available to download below. Furthermore, you can find the Group Leaders requirements and policies below.

Download the Group Leaders' - How to Manual.

Convoys and Runs

Please refer to the governing body's advice here: https://www.motorsportuk.org/clubs-organisers/faq/faq-certificates-of-exemption/

Group Leaders Policies and Requirements 2021

1.0 Purpose of Document

This document lays down the fundamental guidance and requirements for the formation and function of the TR Registers local Group system in the UK. Its intention is to help you in your position as a local Group Leader. Any queries regarding anything in this document should be addressed to your local Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator or to the TR Register Office.

2.0 Definition of a Local Group

An "officially recognised" local group consists of a number of fully paid-up members, family members and youth members (18 – 29) of the TR Register, as specified in the Articles of Association, who agree to be affiliated to the TR Register, to promote the TR marque and provide a focus for local activities.

3.0 Objectives of a Local Group

A local group has no legal standing but as it is affiliated into the TR Register, it is a requirement to share its aims and objectives. The most important objectives are-

• To promote the TR Register and its aims.
• To provide a focus within the groups geographical area for the activities and events organized by the TR Register, and local / regional activities organized by the group's members.

Local Groups play a very important part in the life of the TR Register. Members who are in contact with the local group benefit not only from the social activities and events organized at a local level but also from the wealth of experience and advice contained within the group. This experience can help with the initial purchase of a TR, knowledge in locating parts suppliers and overcoming the technical challenges that are part of owning a classic car.

4.0 Formation of a Local Group

An officially recognised local group shall only be formed if the TR Register Board of Directors agrees to its formation. Input from the relevant Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator and all local groups geographically close to the location in which the new group propose to operate will be taken into consideration.

5.0 Group Leaders

An officially recognised group shall have a Group Leader who is a fully paid-up member of the TR Register. The Group Leader shall only be elected by the group's fully paid-up members to be responsible for the day- to-day running of the group in the area, which the group covers. The following paragraphs amplify the group leader's responsibilities.

6.0 Duties and Responsibilities

This paragraph is particularly important; it outlines the obligations of a local group and the Group Leaders both to the TR Register centrally and to the local membership.

1. All members of the local group are governed by the Articles of Association and Code of Conduct of the TR Register, and any rulings made by the Directors.
2. Local groups shall inform the local Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator and the Register office of all planned events and use the TR Registers approved website to promote all local events. This will enable the TR Register to identify events for insurance purposes.
3. Local Group Leaders shall send their local Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator copies of any newsletter or any other locally issued publication.
4. Local groups may elect officers, (from fully paid up members, family members or youth members). Groups may levy local subscriptions for newsletters and / or charges for local events. Groups shall not charge a subscription fee for membership or joining a local group.
5. Local groups are recommended to follow good accounting procedures.
6. Group Leaders are encouraged to attend the Group Leaders meeting, which is held annually. They should also encourage either the Groups Dep.GL or person responsible for their website to attend.
7. Group Leaders shall comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (2016) which came into force in 2018 (GDPR). Group Leaders are considered officers of the club and therefore under the legislation can be party to the membership data that the club holds. Group Leaders must not openly share membership data with other members or any other person without prior permission.

Group Leaders must be aware of and comply with any Health and Safety regulations when attending events, which they or any other TR Register group instigates. They should also be aware of the implications of the Child Protection Act; this applies especially at outside events attended by the public.

7.0 Election of Group Leaders

Group Leaders must demonstrate that their group has democratically elected them. If there are unusual circumstances, which prevent this process the Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator must be informed. When the leadership of a local group changes the incoming Group Leader shall inform their local Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator and the TR Register office, which will check that the new Group Leader is a fully paid-up member of the TR Register. Groups led by non-members will not be recognized, information packs, accounts etc. must be passed on to the new Group Leader by the outgoing incumbent. The office staff will make any changes required to the both the database and website and advise the magazine of the change of the Group Leader or other group officials.

8.0 Local Group Committees

Many local groups have committees, the members of which shall be a fully paid up member, family member or youth member of the TR Register and voted for by the group members at the groups AGM. It is the responsibility of the Group Leader to ensure that all who vote are members. A committee is generally chaired by the Group's Leader and may consist of the Group Leader, Deputy GL, Treasurer, Event'sorganizer, Newsletter Editor and Social Secretary. The function of the committee is to decide upon the calendar of events, co-ordinate local group activities and national events, and to handle publicity.

9.0 Local Group Membership

Membership of local groups is restricted to members, family members and youth members (18-29) of the TR Register, all members are entitled to attend a local group of their choice. Wives / Partners etc. of members are welcome to attend and from time to time members may bring friends, colleagues or a person who has expressed interest in joining the TR Register to their meetings. Group Leaders shall ensure that non-members attending local group meetings on anything approaching a regular basis should either join the TR Register or cease attending meetings. In case of difficulty, the Group Leader should contact their Regional Director / Area Co-ordinator.

10.0 Indemnification and Insurance

The TR Register has a liability insurance policy, which indemnifies the TR Register and its local Groups (as defined in this document) in respect claims arising out of recognised TR Register activities either as the TR Register or as a local group. A number of points should be born in mind regarding indemnification. In the Clubs insurance, the key to any liability claim is negligence. For a claim to be successful, it has to be proven that the TR Register or one of its Groups has been negligent. Regarding TR Register recognised events at amember's property. Where an event is held at a member's house then it needs to be clear that the TR Registers liability policy will cover claims made against the TR Register and the Group, but not the owner of the property. If there was a defect in the property, someone is injured, and a claim made against the property owner then this is not be covered under the Registers insurance. If a member holds an event at their property then they should inform their household insurers. This policy does not cover firework displays, bonfires, bouncy castles or other inflatable devices as these are excluded by the policy. Liability arising out of the use of motor vehicles whether for pleasure or competition, are not be covered by the TR Register Liability insurance policy, members are responsible for insuring their own cars.

11.0 Meetings

Meetings are held for members of the TR Register and the frequency will depend upon the level of enthusiasm within the group, the geographical area of the group may also have an effect. In general, local groups hold meetings at least once a month however, the more active and larger groups may meet more often. Although as stated, meetings are for TR Register members, non-members expressing interest in thegroup's activities should be encouraged to attend so they can assess the benefits of joining.

The Group Leader, together with the committee, if there is one, should decide upon the best location in which to hold meetings. Where the group decide that meetings should be held in different locations within the groups area it is essential that there are adequate means of contacting members of the changes.

The TR Register Local Group website is most likely the best option when contacting members regarding any events, or changes to events, that are to take place. TR Action may be used for this purpose but it should be noted that there is at least a six weeks lead-time for any information to appear.

All Groups shall hold an Annual General Meeting each year, at which all officers of the group are to be elected, committee members reports can be heard and most importantly to receive a statement of accounts from the Treasurer. Any proposals to be included must be put forward at least one calendar month prior to the AGM and distributed by email, News Letter or Website to all Group members. Only full members of the TR Register are eligible to vote at these meetings, proxy votes shall be accepted from members unable to attend. Any TR Register members of another group attending the AGM are not allowed to vote at this meeting, it is essential that this is made clear in the calling notice or at the start of the meeting. Local Regional Directors / Area Co-ordinators must be informed of any forthcoming AGM and may be requested to chair the meeting. Local Regional Directors / Area Co-ordinators shall only vote at these meetings if the group is their local group.

12.0 Local Group Treasurers and Finance

Local groups shall have a Treasurer, who will have stewardship of the group's funds and be accountable to the group and the TR Register for these funds. All groups are advised to keep accounts, firstly because it makes sense and secondly because members have a right to know where and how their money is being spent. Where a group requires a bank account, at least two signatures shall be required to authorise any withdrawals from the account. Local groups shall not request any subscription from their members towards group funds.

There are two sources of "income" available to a local group, the first being locally organized fundraisingactivities, and an example of these would be raffles held at local group meetings. Entry fees for events organized by the group and attended by other group's members may be charged to cover any expenses.Funds raised this way are expendable in any way agreeable to the group's membership, for example, these could include charitable donations, sponsorship, events etc.

The second source of income is from funds available within the TR Register, with each group having a nominal budget of £150 per annum. This amount should be reclaimed within that financial year using the approved expenses claim form, accompanied by the relevant receipt. Half of the £150 can be claimed prior to expenditure however, receipts must be submitted as soon as possible. The remaining 50% can be claimed following the receipt of invoices etc. to support the expenditure of the whole amount. If uncertain over a claim, please email or phone the office with the relevant information, (i.e. no claims for food and drink) The £150 fund from the TR Register, may be used for the following; copying and printing of group news letter's,meeting room hire, show and event equipment, transport / fuel costs for officers attending specific events.

Show and event equipment, group banners, flags, gazebos etc must include and identify the TR Register logo / name. When available such items should be obtained through the Register office. All club and local group finances must follow a transparent and consistent process, and must be reported in the annual accounts at the local group AGM.

13.0 Central Support

• Providing publicity for announcements, news etc.
• Provide a local group micro site within the TR Register main website.
• Provide local group co-ordination to act as a focal point for representing the views of local groups to the board.
• Organizing the Annual Group Leaders meeting.
• Provide lists (upon request) of all members details as listed in the Data Processing Privacy Notice 2018v1,(Refer to section 20.0) to a single specified group committee member of all fully paid-up members allocated to the group.
• Subject to budget and availability of equipment, support groups events and shows, which promote the TR Register's overall aims.
• Cost effective purchase of items such as T-shirts, Rally plaques, Flags, Stickers etc, may be made through the office.

14.0 Group Leaders Meeting

The board of directors will organize the Group Leader's annual meeting. The meeting shall be attended by each Group Leader, or nominated deputy, who may bring one other delegate from their group if space allows. In addition, local Regional Directors / Area Co-ordinators attend the meeting. Other members of the board and office staff attend the meeting by invitation. Travel expenses will be paid by the TR Register providing the members produce their membership card at the meeting.

15.0 New Members and Lapsed Members

New members will receive details of their local group when they join. The Group Leader (or specified member) will be informed of a new or leaving member's name and details by the office on a regular basis. Due to the changes made in the General Data Protection Regulations 2008, any contact with a new member inviting them to attend the next group meeting shall be made through the office email system. It is essential that all new members be assured of a friendly welcome to any meeting they attend. Holding on to existing members is essential. Where members sell their vehicles, efforts should be made to contact the new owner and encourage them to join the TR Register.

16.0 Meeting with Other Clubs

Meetings with other clubs are often a good way of raising more money and stimulating group attendance. Regular joint meetings should be seen to be separate from local TR Register meetings. Special attention should be made of possible insurance difficulties at such meetings.

17.0 Emblems, Publicity Material etc.

The TR Register office will advise on the most appropriate and possibly cheapest way of having publicity material produced. The management board must see the designs of emblems to ensure that they would not be detrimental to the TR Register image. The design must incorporate the TR Register name.

• All groups should find it useful to produce a regular newsletter, which most successful groups do on a regular basis. In fact, this is one of the largest expenses for most local groups but possibly the best investment. Regional Directors / Area Co-ordinators must receive copies of local newsletters, information sheets, events calendars etc by email.
• Local groups should utilize the group facility on the TR Register website as this allows for continuity throughout the club with each group being able to update their own website at any time. It is essential that these be updated on a regular basis in order to maintain credibility and member's interest. If required, requests for extra pages can be added to the group's website, via the office. Events placed on the website are checked and notifications are received and authorized by the office, notifications are received by the office but submissions of these are automatically generated. Any information required concerning the group website should be sent in writing to the office. The TR Register email facility can be used to distribute any correspondence between Group Leaders and members.

18.0 Competitive Events and the MSA etc.

The Motor Vehicles (Competitions and Trials) Regulations 1969 (as amended) require that any motoring event, which utilises the Public Highway be subject to Authorisation under legislation. The Department of Transport has authorised The Motor Sports Association Ltd. to undertake Authorisation. Under this legislation, Motor Sports Association Ltd. is the sole authorising body for competitions and trials on four wheels on the public highway in the UK. The Road Traffic Act 1988 prohibits racing and trials of speed between motor vehicles on roads in England, Wales and Scotland. It is a criminal offence to promote or take part in a race or trial of speed between motor vehicles on a highway or public road. A person who promotes or takes part in a race or trial of speed between motor vehicles on a public highway is guilty of a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £2,500, obligatory disqualification from driving and the imposition of between 3 to 11 penalty points on their licence.

Other motor vehicle competitions such as Treasure Hunts are permitted on public roads, subject to an authorisation procedure. Racing is permitted off the public highway, subject to a similar, authorisation procedure. Authorisation can be obtained from the MSA for Treasure Hunts, Touring Assemblies etc on the public highway and or competitions off the public highway such as Auto Solos. Authorisations can be either an Exemption Certificate or a Permit.

The MSA effects Master Insurance Policies only in respect of Public Liability and personal accident risks and this cover applies to all events held under permit or for which an exemption certificate has been granted.

A non-competitive social run on the public highway, where there is no timing, no clues to follow or prizes of any sort, is for likeminded participants where there is no other purpose than the camaraderie of motoring in company to a predetermined point, does not require authorisation from the MSA.

19.0 The Image

As a local Group Leader, you are responsible for ensuring that events attract the right kind of publicity. We want to present a competent, friendly and helpful image. The TR Register does not wish to be associated with events that cause nuisance or offend the public. Quite apart from the damage this can do to the TR Register it can also impinge upon the classic car movement in general. Many local groups have been established for many years, and in these cases, the TR Register is particularly keen to see these groups grow and encourage new ideas as well as maintaining traditional activities. Long standing Group Leaders shall make every effort to encourage 'new blood' on Committees and to embrace youth and initiative.

Download the guidelines above here