News feed, 25.2.17

25 February 2017

The North East Coalition of Motorcycle Clubs again met at Angels Place last night. Bikers had already packed the place by the time we arrived, so we went upstairs sooner than the others. We had a brief chat with Graham and Lyn, from the 2012 MCC, as everyone else made their way upstairs too. Craig led the meeting.

The Coalition Coordinator got things underway by welcoming the Gunnars MCC to the Coalition. They’ve been to a few meetings now and everyone welcomed them aboard. Back to Craig, and he outlined a few things happening in the coming months. Last month’s write-up, here, describes a few of them but in addition, there’s:

  • 24.3: Hells Angels Anniversary, with The Revolutionaires
  • 1.4: HAMC Poker Run, as described last month, will also include a hog roast. The ride should start about 11.00 am, so get there early.
  • 15.4: the Wyrm Riders Brotherhood is hosting an Alice Cooper Nightmare, Alice in Sunderland, with an Alice tribute band. It’s all for charity, so get along if you can. It’s at The Point. Flyers should be available at the next meeting.
  • 1.7: HAMC Custom Bike Show, with loads of north-east custom bikes on display
  • 23.7: Bad-Landers MCC Ride of Respect

Craig finished with an impassioned speech about what a great thing the NECMC is and how we all stick together. There’s a fantastic spirit within the group, and long may it last. Everyone needs to play their part in keeping it cohesive, watching out for each other.

The next meeting is on 31.3, at 8.00 pm. There are lots of websites and Facebook pages for all these groups, so get online and help support them and the NECMC.

GeordieHOG Editor

 

News feed, 22.2.17

22 February 2017

To kick off this year’s Chapter Mileage Challenge, we’re inviting everyone down to Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead on Saturday 4 March, from 10.00 am, for coffee and cakes.

For those not familiar with the challenge, it runs from 1 March to 30 November and it’s all about riding, having fun … and clocking up the miles as you go. At the end of the riding season, we collate all the mileages and send them to H.O.G. They then make awards in various categories, including greatest average number of miles, greatest number of participants, furthest travelled bloke and furthest travelled lady.

It doesn’t matter how many miles you ride, but every one counts! You can accumulate extra points by attending H.O.G. flag rallies and having your picture taken while you’re there. This year, we’re very proud to say that our Heart & Soul Rally is as a H.O.G. flag rally!

Geordie Chapter also has its own award for furthest travelled bloke and furthest travelled lady, won last year by Paul Wright and Rachel Ratcliffe respectively. We’ll announce our own winners at the 2017 Chapter Christmas Party.

For those who entered last year, your closing mileage is this year’s opening mileage. You can submit your mileage at any time from 1 March by popping along to the JH-DG but the sooner you register the more miles it means for the chapter. Though the official forms aren’t necessary anymore, we still need to verify your mileage then it’s submitted electronically by Jennings.

Weather permitting, our Road Crew will also convene a short ride-out, for new chapter members and anyone else who wants to ride along. We’re hoping to show new members how the Road Crew keeps everyone together on chapter ride outs. It should leave about half ten, so get along there about ten to hear the briefing etc.

All donations of cakes are welcome and we’ll give all proceeds to the Great North Air Ambulance. See you all there!

GeordieHOG Editor

 

Chapter Meeting, February 2017

5 February 2017

The H.O.G. Geordie Chapter 2017 AGM was a fantastic event last week, at Nissan SLC. It was standing room only, as everyone piled in to hear reflections on 2016 and what to look forward to this year. We even had pie and peas on offer too!

Barry got things moving in fine style, confirming the changes in the Committee for 2017. Gary is our new Treasurer, and Lesley takes over Chris’ role as Welfare Officer.

Barry steered us through some of the fantastic things that we did on 2016. And he outlined more for 2017, including increased participation in L.O.H. events and rides.

The Geordie Chapter Committee is here for everyone, to make sure that we operate on the right lines, and maintain a coherent message throughout the year. Barry emphasised the need to work with each person in the Chapter and if people have any comments or issues which need to reviewed, please raise it with Barry or Peter first. That way, we can make sure we have a solution that works across the board.

We have a great relationship with the team at HOG Insider and in 2017 we’ll again be doing our best to make sure we raise the profile of the Chapter within it. We also have a great website which everyone can use to publish their own stories, pictures and riding tales. It does take a lot to pull these things together but it’s always easier with help from members. We can all play a part in helping Harley-Davidson riders join Geordie Chapter.

Geordie Chapter hosted the annual H.O.G. Directors’ Meeting last weekend and there was a bundle of things for everyone to get involved in. We laid on a bus to Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead and there was a great atmosphere down there. The theme for Saturday was Building Bridges, with Barry and Grant giving impassioned speeches to the group. Barry said there’s a number of Chapters that are really struggling, with numbers and finances. We also have the demise of the SOfER rally, which is a real blow. On a positive note, the Heart & Soul Rally is now a H.O.G. Flag Rally!

Nissan SLC then dished up pies and peas for more than a hundred hungry people.

Straight back into the meeting, we had updates from others in the Committee. Of special note, James gave a few words on the Road Crew. Firstly, James piped Allen aboard as the new Assistant Head Road Captain, which is a great appointment. Then, we had the following:

  • Rides are being prepared for 2017 but James is always on the look-out for ideas from members – get in touch directly if you’ve got somewhere in mind
  • If anyone would like to join the Road Crew, rock up and have a chat to someone on the Road Crew for more information
  • James is looking for greater participation from members and increasing safety as we ride, so he’ll be reinstating Saturday morning briefings soon. There’ll be an update on how we ride, what’s required from each rider and what the Road Crew do – keep an eye out for news of these events early in 2017
  • James again emphasised that the Road Crew are there for everyone’s benefit, making sure that we have the best time we can when we’re out and about, and keep us together, as far as possible. If anyone has any questions, just get in touch.
  • On another safety note, the Road Crew will be insisting that all non-members, including pillions of non-members, sign the H.O.G. disclaimer before we set off on Chapter ride-outs. If this applies to you, please make sure you do it when you arrive, not just as we are about to set off …
  • The Wednesday night ride-outs, hosted by Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead and led by Greg or Grant, will be starting up again on 29 March 2017. Everyone is welcome to come along and this year we’ll be using the second man drop off system, so there should be no confusion over which way to go.
  • Finally, the annual first aid refresher course that our Road Crew does is nearly upon us. We’ll be opening this up to others in the Chapter later in the year, depending on availability.

 

 

With some enthusiastic voting, Barry rounded off with a few changes to the way we run the Chapter:

  • The AGM will now be held in December, to match other chapters
  • The membership year will stay the same at 1 March to 28 February

And that’s it, a few highlights from a great meeting! See you all on 2 March.

GeordieHOG Editor

 

News feed, 29.1.17

29 January 2017

Ray, our Coalition Officer, led the way to the monthly meeting of the North East Coalition of Motorcycle Clubs at Angels Place, on Friday. We got there as the place was warming up and the band was getting ready. Armed with a drink, we made our way upstairs for the formal proceedings. The place was packed, and some highlight events include:

  • HAMC: St Valentine’s Massacre, 11.2.17, at Angels Place
  • HAMC: Rock Night, every Thursday, at Angels Place
  • Patriots MC: Twentieth Anniversary Rally, 5.5 – 7.5, in Bristol. See Patriots MC website for more details.
  • Bellatorum MCC: Family Day, 20.5, at Sunningdale School
  • Brigantes Brotherhood: 18.3 charity night and 20.3 open night
  • Draconians MCC: Life’s a Pitch Rally, 14.7 – 16.7, at Swalwell Junior Football Club
  • Dragonslayer MCC: St George’s Rock Night, 22.4, at A1 Allerdene Club
  • Hylton Hornets MCC: Rock Night, 21.4, at South Hylton Club
  • NABD: You’ve Been NABD’d Rally, 5.5 – 7.5, in Cheshire. See NABD website for more details.
  • The North Men MCC: Eight Gathering, 18.8 – 20.8, at West Hall Camp Site
  • 2012 MCC: Great North Swap Meet, 19.3, at Twin City Motorcycles
  • Twisted Sprockets MCC: Pre-season Prom, 4.3, at Stormont Main Social Club
  • Wyrm Ryders Brotherhood: Alice Cooper’s Nightmare, 1.4, at Sunderland

The Coalition Coordinator confirmed the final amount raised in 2016 was £23,390, which is amazing.

The evening then drifted back downstairs for some more beer and fun. The next meeting is on 24.2, at 8.00 pm.

There are lots of websites and Facebook pages for all these groups, so get online and help support them and the NECMC.

GeordieHOG Editor

 

News feed, 16.1.17

16 January 2017

There are some changes for our 2017 Road Crew …

James Jobson is our new Head Road Captain, supported by

Allen Glasper as Assistant Head Road Captain.

Many congratulations to both and we look forward to seeing our Road Crew leading us when we’re out and about this year.

GeordieHOG Editor

 

Chapter Meeting, January 2017

8 January 2017

Happy New Year everyone! What a fantastic turn-out to our first Chapter meeting of 2017! The car park at Nissan was overflowing due to the new plant construction but everyone managed to find a space and make it over to the SLC. We must have had eighty or so members there.

With a boisterous warm-up from Dave, Barry got things underway:

As last year, we’re looking for everyone to think about things that they would like to do to support the Heart & Soul Rally. Dawn will be collecting names etc. at the next Chapter meeting. There’s a whole range of ways that people can get involved from set-up, security, reception to tear-down.

There’s about 200 tickets sold so far, so get in there now to help make the rally a resounding success.

It’s the AGM in February and this is the last time in this slot. We’re moving it to December from now on, to match the other UK chapters. There’ll be a few questions raised at the meeting, so try and get along if you can. There’ll be pie and peas for everyone too!

We’re looking for some ideas for guest speakers for 2017 chapter meetings. We’ve had some great presentations in 2016 and all suggestions are welcome.

Any ideas for ride-outs in 2017 are welcome too. Helen passed round a copy of the Events Calendar for 2017 and there are quite a few free weekends. All the events are also in the calendar on the website. This is your Chapter, so please speak up if you have an idea!

The Chapter is twenty years old this year, and we’ll be celebrating in various ways throughout the year – watch this space! Hopefully, Lyn will get some great-looking badges for us too.

Duncan provided a quick update on the year-end accounts, with a very healthy balance. This allows us to freeze membership rates for another year. Great news for everyone.

Duncan is standing down as Treasurer soon, so this is one of his last updates. Gary will be taking over the role shortly.

It’s a busy time for memberships right now, so get your renewals to Mandy. The form for 2017 is on the Chapter website.

Ruth announced that the next L.O.H. meeting would take place on 28 January 2017, at Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead. We’ve arranged a bowling evening, on 21 January 2017, at Washington. Tickets are £12 per person. Please let Ruth know if you’d like to attend.

Robin provided a quick update on the website too. We’ve being doing some updates over Christmas, so everything looks great again. All the Chapter events and UK rallies are in the Events Calendar, helping everyone plan their riding year ahead.

The website is for everyone and if you would like to see something new on there, or would like to contribute a story or some pictures, please get in touch with Robin.

There’ll be a great event at Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead on 14 January. It’s the start-up event for the annual Battle of the Kings competition. Grant said that there would be bands, traders and a scran van there during the day. Sketch, who is helping design the bike, will be there too. It sounds like a great event, so get along if you can.

Finally, Barry presented Rachel with her L.O.H. Rider of the Year award and certificate. Well done to Rachel!

Dave, Steve, Ray and Lesley were the winners in the raffle. Dave moved like lightning to snag the JD!

The next meeting is the AGM, on 2 February. Did we mention the pie and peas (!) ? See you all there!

GeordieHOG Editor

 

News feed, 30.12.16

30 December 2016

Geordie Chapter: Monthly Newsletter, December 2016

Here’s a copy of our monthly Geordie Chapter Newsletter. We’ve got a great round-up of the year from some of the Geordie Chapter Committee, and a look-ahead to what’s in store for 2017.

Getting things underway, Barry has a few words for everyone:

‘Here’s to twenty years – 1997 to 2017! We’re looking forward to celebrating our twentieth anniversary next year and early indications show that it’s going to be one of the best yet!

2016 has been an amazing year for the Geordie Chapter – we managed to do all sorts of things from Chapter ride-outs, rallies, charity events and most recently, our superb Christmas Party. Our Activities Officers, Peter and Helen, managed to keep the Calendar stocked full of great events to suit everyone.

Our membership has increased considerably during 2016 and now stands just short of 250. I would be so proud to see us break the 300 barrier once again – hopefully we will manage this during 2017. So come on, let’s all encourage everyone who is buying bikes or trikes to join the famous Geordie Chapter and get involved in the fun.

Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead is also doing their bit to encourage new members to join the Chapter. They are giving all new members a 50% voucher towards their first year of membership. This is great news for us, and apparently not done at any other chapter in the country.

Fifty-four Chapter members took part in the 2016 H.O.G. Chapter Challenge and between them, managed to ride more than a quarter of a million miles. This was a fantastic result and we’ll be entering the challenge again. Keep an eye out for the forms coming round early next year.

Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we managed to raise £2,350 for various charities throughout the year, starting with the Great North Air Ambulance back in May. This contribution forms part of the c. £25,000 raised by the clubs in the North East Coalition of Motorcycle Clubs (NECC).

Paul and Lesley McPherson also raised an astonishing £4,000 in one night that they split between Gibside School and our Geordie Chapter mascot, Harley Stallard.

In July we saw our new dealership open, Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead, with its state of the art, high-spec store and the very latest Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They’re currently underway with their new workshop facilities, to service our bikes and trikes.

I would also like to thank Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead for their contribution to the Chapter over the past six months. They contributed a superb £450 jacket as the main prize at the Heart & Soul Rally, gifts for our Santa Ride, and money prizes for our annual mileage awards. It’s great to have their support.

Most recently, we had our annual Santa Ride. In all my years as a Chapter member, I have never seen such a great amount of gifts given by everyone. The ride to the hospital was spot on and this year the weather was really kind to us. A sincere thank you to everyone that took part. The amount of gifts people donated for the Salvation Army was astonishing.

In 2017, Percy Park will again host the Heart & Soul Rally. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone, including our friends from the Bergen Chapter who will be visiting us. I am so looking forward to catching up with them, sharing stories and building relationships for future events.

Our 2017 Events Calendar is quickly filling up with something for everyone to keep us on our bikes, having fun. And in February, we have our AGM. I would like to discuss a few items with you all, so please try and come along.

Here’s a list of the Chapter members who received awards at this year’s Christmas Party. Well done to them all:

L.O.H. Rider
1. Rachel Ratcliffe: 7,049 miles
2. Trish Gillespie: 6,000 miles

Iron Butt award
1. Paul Wright: 13,431 miles
2. Gwyn Brooks: 10,279 miles

Outstanding Achievement Award, voted by the Geordie Chapter Committee
Greg Holmes

Geordie Chapter Members’ Member of the Year
Paul Wright

David Williams H.O.G. Geordie Chapter Member, presented by our Director
Ray Hales

GeordieHOG News award, for the best website story
Ruth Neal

I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year, with peace and good health for 2017.’

2016, 12 Chapter EOY Newsletter a

Peter, our Assistant Director (also one of Activities Officers), said:

‘As we come to the end of 2016 and take time to reflect on chapter life and the numerous events, activities and rallies we’ve all enjoyed this year, it’s good to see we’ll be repeating most of these in 2017!

Early 2016 saw us take part in the CRAGG event, at Gretna, for the first time. The weather was against us at times but it now looks like it’s going to be a well attended annual event.

We found out that the Bailey Mill venue for our camping weekend wouldn’t be available this year, so in July we went to Clennell Hall in Northumberland. We had a fantastic time with entertainment provided by some of our talented Chapter musicians and equally talented staff of Clennell Hall. We partied well into the small hours and then Shaun treated us to a fantastic rural scenic ride-out on the Saturday. We are returning in 2017 and hopefully we will make this another annual event. There’s still plenty camping available for anyone wanting to join us, so just give me a shout.

The Chapter BBQ is now, if memory serves me right, in its sixth year and still very well attended by everyone. I could go on and list a few more events, but I’ll point you all in the direction of the Chapter website and our Facebook page where we’ve listed all the activities, ride-outs and events for 2017.

The calendar is already starting to fill up for 2017, but there’s room for a few more events! If anyone has an idea for an event or activity, feel free to contact me or Helen and we’ll see what we can do.’

We have a Treasurer’s Perspective, from Duncan:

‘I write this in the middle of sorting out the end of year accounts for the Chapter, which we’ll publish in January 2017, and I am happy to report that they will again show the Chapter in a healthy financial position. We had a considerable turnover in 2016, and an improved final balance in our accounts. I can report a significant increase from when I first took over as Treasurer when the Chapter re-formed.

The role of Treasurer includes overall financial management of Chapter finances rather than just accounting for money received and spent. Our healthy financial position has allowed us to reduce the cost of membership by £5.00 to £15.00, for an individual member. At the same time, we have been able to give back some benefits to everyone, such as pie and pea suppers and curry, at some chapter meetings this year. We also gave a £10.00 discount on the Chapter Christmas Party tickets. Members taking part in all of these events have received a benefit of £22.00 each, which is pretty good value for the £15.00 subscription – especially when taking into account the other chapter activities and rides in the course of the year.

Not least of these Chapter activities was the Heart & Soul Rally which was a resounding success thanks to Dawn, our Rally Coordinator. With careful financial management, we were able to ensure it was a financial success, rather than a cost to the Chapter. I have been Treasurer now for four years and as I am well past retirement age, I will be stepping down next year. I will be handing the reins over to Gary Robinson.

I wish Gary every success in his new role and Happy New Year to everyone.’

2016, 12 Chapter EOY Newsletter b

Trish, representing our L.O.H. officers, said:

‘As 2016 comes to an end, it’s time to reflect on the past twelve months. This year not only sees my first year as an L.O.H. Officer but my first complete riding year and I’ve got to say I’m very pleased with my 6,000 riding miles!

We’ve continued to expand our L.O.H. members, welcoming more riders and non-riders throughout the year (to be an L.O.H. member, you first need to join H.O.G. as a full or associate member, then join our Chapter).

Our communication with other Chapters has never been better. The welcome we received from the Brescia Chapter, during our annual holiday to Italy, completely exceeded my expectations. If anyone riding abroad would like help locating and arranging to meet overseas chapters, I’m only too willing to help.

I attended my second national L.O.H. Meeting in October, meeting up and discussing ideas for 2017. One of these is a national Sparkle Ride, scheduled for September, and I will be discussing this with the five northern Chapters to plan the weekend – more details to follow shortly.

We’ve had quite a few articles in the L.O.H. section of the HOG magazine and H.O.G. Insider, so please keep forwarding your stories and adventures to me to get them published.

We are the host Chapter for the 2017 H.O.G. Directors meeting in January and plans are coming along nicely to include a visit to our fantastic new dealership. To entertain partners during the weekend, I’m arranging a Cocktail Masterclass at Newcastle’s Revolution Bar and hope many of our Ladies of Harley will join us.

I’m looking forward to riding with you all again soon and hope you all have a very safe riding New Year!’

Lyn keeps our merchandise supplies in good order and has a few words for us too:

‘Our merchandise sales have never been better, with my stall at the monthly Chapter meetings, the rally and our online shop. We’ve recently expanded the range of Geordie Chapter items to include silver rockers to match the H.O.G. silver Eagles. They are available in large and small. We’ll have these available online soon.

I can also order name rockers (just in case you forget your own name!) and there are lots of styles etc. available. If you’re looking for a specific something but can’t find it, just get in touch and I’ll see if I can get it for you!

Best wishes everyone.’

2016, 12 Chapter EOY Newsletter c

Robin, our Webmaster, has a few closing words:

‘Our website continues to develop, and I’m adding lots of new content all the time. It’s open for everyone to read and is a great way of encouraging new members to join the Chapter. I do a lot of research and upgrades to ensure that our website is one of the best!

I’m hoping to refresh a number of the pages early in 2017, making sure that everything is right up to date and meets the various requirements of regional and national H.O.G. There are quite a few guidelines in place.

Great stories and pictures really help sell our Chapter. They also promote our charitable events and activities. We generate some fantastic enthusiasm when we’re out riding and I’d like to capture as much of this as possible on our website. If you would like to contribute something that you think others would like to read or see, please get in touch, using GeordieHOG News

Best wishes to everyone for 2017!’

Finally, thanks to Cross Rob for the pictures in this month’s Newsletter.

We’ve got a Chapter Meeting at Nissan SLC on 5 January 2017, getting underway at seven-thirty.

See you all there!

 

Chapter Santa Ride, December 2016

15 December 2016

There’s a great write-up of our recent Santa Ride on our Facebook page, with lots of pictures. You can read it here.

And Ian McClelland (Ian McClelland Photography) passed on a couple of great photos, below. Many thanks, Ian.

2016 12 Chapter Santa Run a

Salvation Army members Eric Pearce, Eric Mercer and Brian Mercer with Barry Gillespie, Geordie Chapter Director, and Sohail Khan, Director of Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead, after our annual Santa Ride to the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Thanks to Santa Greg for looking very festive too!

 

2016 12 Chapter Santa Run b

Dawn Bell, teaching assistant at Gibside School is presented with a cheque for £2,000.00, part of a total of £4,000.00 raised by Geordie Chapter. Dawn is joined by (L-R) Paul McPherson, Ladies of Harley Officer Trish Gillespie, Lesley McPherson and Director of Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead Sohail Khan.

It was a fantastic day, with much better weather than last year, and I’m very proud of Geordie Chapter for their generosity at this time of year. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Chapter Meeting, December 2016

3 December 2016

Thursday saw the last Chapter meeting of 2016 and Barry got things underway in great style by announcing the cumulative mileage total for the Chapter Challenge. A fantastic result, and thanks to everyone who took part.

A few snippets from the meeting:

There’s a few people going over to the BikeFest in Ireland next year. Anyone is welcome to join the group making the journey.

We’re looking for some ideas for guest speakers for 2017. We’ve had some great presentations in 2016 and all suggestions are welcome.

Voting is open for the Member of the Year, 2016. All nominations to Peter, please. There’s been a recent text about this too. This is your chance to vote, so make it count!

The Santa Run is on 10 December 2016. Please take all gifts for the Salvation Army to Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead, and don’t wrap them. The Chapter has purchased separate gifts that we will donate to the RVI.

More than 120 tickets have gone for the Christmas Party, on 17 December. Speak to Peter if you’d like one.

Lyn kindly let everyone know that Chapter rockers and H.O.G. patches are now available in silver. This ties in with Ray’s sterling work within the coalition to see it through. Please speak to Lyn if you would like some silver goodies. Ordering does take ages though, so you may not have them in time for Christmas.

And Ray continued the good news with some forthcoming events from the coalition:

10.12.16 HA MC Christmas Party. £10 entry. Available from the HA, Twin City and Earl of Zetland.
12.12.16 Bogeymen MC Rock Night
17.12.16 Dragonslayer MC Christmas Rock Night, A1 Allerdene Social Club 7.00 pm. £5 entry.
23.12.16 Brigante Brotherhood MC are holding a charity night in aid the Gurkhas

Ray also gave a further update on fund-raising – clubs in the NECC raised more than £24,000 for charity this year!

Ruth announced that the next L.O.H. meeting would take place on 17 December 2016. Our L.O.H. has also arranged a bowling evening, to take place 21 January 2017. Tickets are £12 per person. Please let Ruth know if you’d like to attend.

The next meeting is in 2017, 5 January. See you all on the Santa Run on 10.12, or the Christmas Party on 17.12. If not, see you next year!

 

Chapter Meeting, November 2016

9 November 2016

There was a fantastic rally feel to November’s chapter meeting. Barry gave everyone an update on the Heart & Soul Rally – hopefully, we’ve got some of our friends from Bergen Chapter coming over for the 2017 event. About one hundred tickets are gone already which is about a fifth of those available. This is great news, and a reminder to everyone to get their orders in soon. Bands are all booked now too, with some new facilities planned at Percy Park.

A number of chapter members made their way down to the Cider Rally in 2016, and it looks like the same will happen again in 2017. It’s one of the first ones in the rally calendar. On foreign shores, we have the BikeFest in Ireland, the Euro Festival in St Tropez and the Benelux rally in Antwerp for 2017. Some great choices for everyone really.

A quick update from our Treasurer confirmed that Geordie Chapter donated more than £2,000 to charity during 2016. A huge thank you to everyone involved!

Ray ran through the events taking place across the coalition in coming weeks:

Every Thursday is Rock and Metal Night at the HA clubhouse, 8.00 pm until 1.00 am
18.11.16 Votadini MC Rock Night, Backworth Social Club, 7.00 pm
19.11.16 HA MC Bikers’ Ball, HA clubhouse, from 8.00 pm. £10 entry – cuts and tux or chicks in posh frocks
26.11.16 Gypsy Rebel MC Rock Night, Royal Navy Club (Roker) 7.00 pm. £5 entry.
12.12.16 Bogeymen MC Rock Night
17.12.16 Dragonslayer MC Christmas Rock Night, A1 Allerdene Social Club 7.00 pm. £5 entry.

It was great to hear that clubs in the NECC raised more than £19,680 for charity this year.

Mandy said that the Chapter now has 220 members and a further four joined on the night, bringing membership up to 224. New members this month are:

Robert Reed, Maureen Elliott, Andrew Kirtley, Kenneth Carse, Jason Melrose, Chris Trotter and Helen Trotter

Trish reminded everyone to submit completed mileage forms for the Chapter Challenge. All numbers to Trish, please.

There are a few tickets left for the Chapter Christmas Party, on 17.12.16. They will be on sale again at December’s meeting.

Ruth announced that there will be a Coffee and Cake morning at Jennings Harley-Davidson Gateshead on 26.11.16, to raise funds for Myeloma UK.

Our Ladies of Harley will arrange a ten-pin bowling evening, in January 2017. This will likely be at Washington, with some food available too. Everyone voted for a Saturday night, so watch this space!

Steve and the Road Crew are still developing a ride-out for our Santa Run. Everyone has fingers and toes crossed for some better weather than last year!

It was a boys-only night at the raffle this month, with three Johns, Dave and Mick all taking home some goodies. John B has done quite well at the raffle this year …

See you all on 1 December, at 7.30 pm.