TR Lincs 2021 Easter Bank Holiday Newsletter
TR Lincolnshire April 2021
Happy Easter and I hope you are all enjoying this Bank Holiday Monday.
With spring now blossoming all around us and the prospect of the Covid-19 chains being released, hopefully soon, it's time to start thinking about getting going again and reminding ourselves what owning and driving a TR is all about. Quite a number of you I know have already ventured out for those "essential trips" in your TR and enjoyed being reacquainted with the feeling of sitting behind the wheel again.
You'll see as you read this Easter Bank Holiday edition that we will at last have some events and runs to take part in over the coming months with June 21st being the day we are all looking forward to. Please try and get yourself booked on as many as you can and as always, if you can, please come up with a few suggestions of your own. One of the consequences of lockdown for the 2021 season means that we have a lot events all vying for the same shortened season and it is almost impossible to fit them all in as many dates now clash. Never-the-less there is plenty to choose from including our own TRLincs events, East Area joint events and of course national TR Register events spoiling you for choice. Whichever events you plan to join then you know that the TR spirit will ensure you enjoy it to the full, so please take the time to look through the events calendar and plan out the remainder of 2021. As always..........
Keep safe and see you soon.
Adrian Lawton - Group Leader
Our 2021 Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday 14th March and a first for us was via Zoom. I was pleased that 15 members joined the call and that we were able to fulfil our obligations to hold our annual meeting. As there were no nominations for the officer positions all the incumbents were re-elected as follows:-
Group Leader - Adrian Lawton
Treasurer - Jane Gray
Secretary - Derek Pywell,
Competition Secretary - David McDonald
Honorary Spares Secretary - Bob Smith
For those of you that didn't join then you can see a summary of the meeting business by clicking HERE
Group Leaders Meeting - via Zoom 28th March 2021
The idea of virtual meetings seems to be catching on as I attended the last Group Leaders' meeting via zoom on Sunday the 28th March. As you know, all group leaders get together at least once a year to review how the club is performing, to discuss and formulate ideas of what needs to be done to ensure the success of the club and ensure the TR Register members get everything that they need from it. The meeting, while not as interactive as the more traditional gatherings, did work well and still highlighted some interesting issues, I thought I'd share some of them with you. Membership numbers still gives some cause for concern, the picture below shows the difference between November 2020 and this March, overall we see a drop of 114 members in the 5 months. Various reasons were put forward as to why this is but there is no fundamental driver other than maybe selling the car, age, moved etc etc. More on this later. 
One way perhaps to retain membership is to make sure that there are real benefits in belonging to the register. For some the camaraderie offered by like minded people pursuing their interests is enough, but maybe there could be more. So in an effort to expand the appeal of the club we have been joined at the centre by Colin Porter who has a wealth of experience in the automotive world and has assisted major car clubs in achieving considerable benefits from recognised suppliers and retailers for the members of the clubs he has been involved with. Further announcements of the type of 'offers' available will appear in future issues of TRA.On the financial side the TR Registers accounts are in good shape, not least from the fact there have been no major events that have required to be supported. One success story is the commission the Register receives from those of us that insure through the TR Register scheme, this last year saw a contribution to TR Register funds of some £65,000. If your insurance is due for renewal then it's worth considering the TR scheme as it contributes positively to the club.Following the formal presentations we took part in a series of virtual break-out sessions to explore some of the issues around retaining an encouraging increased membership. Whilst there is no silver bullet to this some good ideas did come out of the discussions and the management team took the feedback and will look to incorporate it into future strategy.
With the prospect of better times ahead now is the opportunity to pencil in those events and runs into your diary for later this year. A full list of events can be found by clicking HERE but here are a few highlights to get you started.
Drive It Day - 25th April, 2021
Drive it day 2021 will be going ahead although not as we would have enjoyed it in the past. You will have seen the article on it sent out in the Easter newsletter from Wayne Scott so I don't need to add to that. Remember though that the rule of '6' still applies and that you should take that into consideration if you are thinking of meeting up outside. Don't forget to order your rally plaque to mark the event and you can get it by clicking here
TR Lincs BBQ - 27th June, 2021
It was back in 2018 when we last held our BBQ and it's high time we did it again. This time we will start a short run to the BBQ venue simultaneously from the Market Place, Wragby and the Four Seasons Garden Centre, Silk Willoughby departing at 11.30am for arrival at the BBQ for approximately 12.15pm. Thank you to Derek Pywell (Wragby) and Andy Parnham (Silk Wiloughby) for volunteering to lead you to the BBQ. As in previous years please bring your own protein portions (meat, fish, vegetarian) and chairs, accompaniments will be provided including teas and coffee. BBQ grills will also be provided.If you wish to come along for our first post lockdown weekend event for over 30 people then please either "book on" the event on the TRR Website here or email TRLincs@yahoo.co.uk stating which starting point you will leave from or if you intend to travel direct to the Old Barn BBQ venue.
This event is publicised on the condition that Government restrictions and guidance relating to COVID-19 will allow it to proceed. The TR Register is committed to following the law and Coronavirus health advice at all times.
Other Events
There are many more local, regional and national events planned and more details of these will be published nearer the date of the event. Just a reminder that the TR Lincs Tour of Northumberland in September, full details HERE, still has some vacancies so please let me know if you would like to join the other 11 cars already booked on. Remember full details can be found on the TR Register website.
And Finally ...........
As we move into less constrained times, just a reminder that we are resurrecting the photographic competition that we planned to run last year. If you recall Tim and Karen Davies volunteered to run the competition. The idea is that we all take photographs throughout the season that are TR related and at our November meeting/gathering each photograph, submitted anonymously, will be judged by all those present and the 12 best pictures selected. These will then from the basis of a 2022 TR Lincs Calendar that you will be able to purchase. So as you venture out make sure you get snapping, the more interesting or abstract the picture the better.
For those of you new to the world of TR I came across this short film on Youtube on the story of TRs from the beginning right up to the TR7 V8. Worth a watch when the weather turns less fair later this week. You can see it by clicking HERE.