benimar owners' club MAGAZINE Issue No. 13 March 2004
benimar owners' club
founded April 28th 2001 Hon-President
Steve Reynolds
In this issue:-
Editors Column Members Letters WPC 2003 and 2004 Notice of AGM Resolutions Minutes of the last AGM Continental Report RDH News Exclusive Offer Membership Chairman's Chat Dates for your Diary
My plea for more letters, articles and photographs in the last issue seems to have fallen mainly on deaf ears. Hence this issue of your magazine is much thinner than usual and as I have no new photographs to use I have not gone to the expense of using colour for the cover and the centre spread. At least RDH will be pleased as they generously pay for the colour printing which is very expensive compared to black and white.
My thanks to Jean Marshall and Dave Amende for their letters, and to Roy Gill for his report on an unofficial gathering of the clans in Spain. I don't know what I would have done without them.
Although the weather in the UK has been very good for the time of year, much more sun than normal, I have missed the warmer climes of Spain. I have had quite a few e-mails reminding me of how warm it has been.
Judy and I are in the midst of trying to move house at the moment, (fractional down sizing or is that frictional down sizing !). So things have been a bit more hectic than usual of late. They say that it is the most stressful thing you can do. So far things have gone well, so we are expecting a hiccup any time now.
The Club's 3rd birthday and the 3rd AGM occur on the Saturday of the Peterborough Show Rally. There are 2 resolutions to be considered at the AGM. They are detailed on page 7 of the mag. If you can't attend and have any comments please contact me before the AGM. We have the same room booked as we used last year (thanks to Rod at RDH for contributing to the cost), so we should be comfortable whatever the weather !
Please try and attend and bring the minutes in this Magazine with you.
RonSmith
The next issue is due out before the end of June, so input to me by 10th of June at the latest please.
Illegal Immigrant
Jean Marshall
Who she was and where she came from we will never know now as when we found her she had starved to death. This might have been our fault as we had inadvertently taken away her food storage. It all started when we took delivery of our new Benimar. We were so pleased and couldn't wait to take it out on the road, so quickly loaded her up and set off for the weekend. We had a super time but things started to go wrong when I tried to move the heating control on the dashboard. It wouldn't budge at first and when it finally did it was with difficulty. Putting it down to newness and a little problem we carried on as it wasn't a big problem, but why had I got seeds on the floor! When we came home we put the van away at the farm and didn't think anymore about it until the next time we got her out and went to France. This time we found very small nuts on the floor under the heater, but as we didn't need hot air in the cab only cool air as it was hot in France we paid no attention and had a really good holiday with my brother and sister-in-law. On our return we rang RDH about little problems we had and mentioned the nuts on the floor of the cab. They thought we might have had them there already as it was possible we might have picked up a passenger at some time on our holiday! A few weeks later we went to Peterborough and one of the engineers was there to solve all the problems any of the vans might have had. He discovered lots of nuts and seeds behind the dashboard and said we must have had a mouse in and that it had stored it's food ready for a rainy day. We cleared all the debris and the heater then worked properly. On the next trip out we got our table out of the locker where we keep all the odds and ends and low and behold there was our little passenger squashed under the table. She looked like she had starved to death but then she could have been there some time. So we cleared all the back locker out and found her nest under the shower tray. It contained bedding for a family, though there were none to be seen, my walking socks when pulled out of my boots were little more than shreds, kitchen rolls were shredded and all were in her home, but sadly no food supply as that of course was or had been behind the dash. Now it just remains to be known where she came from. Was she already in the van when we got it or did she hitch a lift whilst on holiday in France, or away one weekend?
Jean Marshall N10 HRH.
Amendment
Dave Amende
Dear Ron
Last year saw a reversal in our decision to sell T752 BNN, a1999 Europe 6000ST which, in 2001, was home for a 60,000 mile trip round Europe. The van was advertised on motorlink.co.uk where it attracted
zero interest; beware if you are pursued by their sales team trying to get your £70 to advertise with them. Much better was the response from MMM readers, we would certainly advertise there again.
We were married in May 2003, moved house, bought a puppy, and our first child, Owen, arrived on 4th March, so keeping the motorhome seemed like a good idea to get the whole troupe away on holiday. We went to Scotland for a week in September. Since our labrador has chewed everything in the kitchen we feared that she couldn't be left alone in the van but a trial night on the driveway proved that Spanish woodwork is not as tasty as English and she took to motorhoming like a pro. We did
Stirling, Braemar and Aberdeen without a hitch. We can recommend the walled garden at the
Caravan Club Site at Stirling (Blair Drummond). Our next dilemma will be where to put the child seat in the van. As we only have lap belts in the dinette area, should it go on the 3 point harness on the passenger seat? We'd welcome any experience from other readers.
It's good to see that the membership is growing and we hope o be able to participate in some forthcoming rallies. The last one was York 2002, though with a dog and baby on board we may have trouble finding suitably deaf neighbours.
Re leisure batteries (Dec 03 issue), our original one failed due to a lack of maintenance in 2001 and was replaced with a motor battery. We always have the engine running or electric hooked up while using the microwave now.
After 3 years with Safeguard getting a 10% BOC membership discount we have now switched to the Caravan Club Insurance service whose premiums are 1/3 of Safeguard's. The only difference being the lack of breakdown/ recovery assistance that comes "free" with Safeguard. We shopped around and have taken out Green Flag cover with the Caravan Club at £82 for full recovery. It was worrying to note from the AA that they do not cover anything over
18 feet long as AA provide the service to Safeguard. (The Safeguard cover uses AA Commercial which easily copes with large Motorhomes - Ed)
Regards David, Louise & Owen Amende
I received 13 entries in total, not bad for the first year.
They are from :-
Honor Hewitt
Tim Hewitt
Sylvia & Ian Tilley (3)
Paul & Carol Smeaton
Chris Baines
Graham Baines
Vi Jennings (2)
George & Mary Pennington
Helen & Roger Foster
and one I can't read the signature.
It was not easy selecting a winner. There were the usual batch of rude ones and a few others so diverse that if was not obvious to me how to choose between them (and I am supposed to know the criteria ! ).
In the end I have selected a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. They will all be displayed at Peterborough
If you didn't manage to send in a card this year, don't worry you have all of 2004 to enter the next competition. Just send me the worst post card that you can find
Ron Smith
The 3rd AGM of the Benimar Owners' Club will take place during the rally at the Peterborough Show.
Time 2:00 pm
Date Saturday April 24th
Venue Huntington Suite (same as last year)
Please try to attend, even if you only visit the show on the Saturday.
Please bring the minutes of the last AGM and the 2 resolutions which are to be found overleaf.
This will save printing more copies.
There are two resolutions to be considered at the AGM. They are both designed to address the problem that arises around membership renewal time. Currently membership becomes due on Dec 31st and members are given 2 months grace in which to renew. Those not renewing by Feb 28th cease to become members.
Automatic ACCEO membership is also due on Dec 31st and the Membership Secretary provides ACCEO with a list of members at this time, together with the annual subscription of £3 per member. This year we provided a list which comprised all the members as at the end of the year, whether they had renewed or not. By the end of February almost 50 had not renewed. Some of these may be abroad for the winter, some may have just forgotten (despite a reminder and a renewal form in the Magazine) and some do not intend renewing.
The first resolution is intended to be able to provide a more accurate membership list to ACCEO, with a subsequent saving of unnecessary subscriptions.
The second resolution is intended to be a spur to members to renew on time by introducing a nominal joining fee. The joining fee is suggested as £2.
Anyone joining the Club during the year will also become a member of ACCEO from the joining date. Also, if you join during Nov and Dec you will get the following years Club and ACCEO membership included.
Note the Club year will still run from Jan 1st to Dec 31st as at present. All it will mean is you have to be prompt with your payment, as with most other annual payments.
There will be adequate reminders in the Sept and Dec issues of the Magazine.
Resolution 1
To replace paragraph 3 (c) of the constitution to read. "The annual subscription shall become due on the 1st of January each year. Members are encouraged to pay his/her subscription from the 30th of September. Any member not paying his/her subscription by the 31st of December shall be considered to have resigned from the Club and shall forfeit all rights and privileges.
Resolution 2
To amend paragraph 3 (b) of the constitution to read ".....together with the annual subscription and joining fee submit it to the Membership Secretary."
Ron Smith
MINUTES OF THE 2nd AGM OF THE BENIMAR OWNERS CLUB
Held on Saturday 26th April 2003
in the Huntingdon Suite at the National Motorhome Show Peterborough.
IN ATTENDANCE: Ron Smith, Judy Smith, Geoff Perry, Jane Perry, Colin Varley, Francesca Varley, Ray Beach, Carol Beach, Paul Bayntun, Christine Bayntun, Jenny Houghton, John Houghton, Chris Anderson, Richard Hall, Mike Rondel, Ruth Sangan, Mary Pennington, George Pennington, Sylvia Tilley, Ian Tilley, Lorna Thomson, Nichol Thomson, Beryl Peer, Dennis Peer, Carole Driver, Jill Dickerson, Gerald Dickerson, Agnes Johnston, Ian Johnston, Ann Pool, Brian Swanson, Pip Rowe, Vic Paine, Dave Hill, Evelyn Hill, George Cornish, Rosena Cornish, Alex Waugh, Julia Tinsley, Sarah Shillabeer, Malcolm Shillabeer, Peter Wilson, Joy Wilson, Sylvia Gill, Roy Gill, Jean Porter, Geoff Follows, Edna Follows, Graham Baines, Chris Baines, Mavis Baldwin, Brian Baldwin, Keith House, Harry Brampton, Ruth Owens and Honorary President Steve Reynolds (RDH)
The Chairman, Mr. Ron Smith, opened the meeting at 2.10.pm welcomed everyone and thanked Steve Reynolds for attending.
1. Apologies for absence had been received from Celia and Peter Rustom, Tony and Pat Darbyshire and John Porter.
2. The minutes of the 2nd AGM, which was held on the 27th April 2002, were taken as read and signed by the Chairman.
3. Matters arising. Re. the Wiring diagrams and vehicle layout drawings. Rod Harris has been unable to obtain any, so Ron Smith when visiting the factory asked Maurits if it was possible to acquire them for the use of club members. Unfortunately on the day of the Spanish Rally visit he forgot to remind him. Steve Reynolds has said he will try to obtain them.
4. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
The Chairman reported that it had been a year of continued growth and consolidation with membership continuing to rise despite losing a few at renewal time due to the changing of makes of van or living abroad.
The rallies were a mixture of good and bad news as some were very poorly attended. Only 4 vans attended Eden Camp and 4 +1 at the Cotswolds. Other rallies were cancelled due to lack of members volunteering to marshal i.e. Shepton Mallet, Thames Valley and Driffield. The Spanish rally was well attended with 14 + 1 vans at Oliva and 9 on the second half in Tamarit Park. The Peterborough Show was also well attended with 31 vans this year.
The factory visit was very interesting with 20 members eager to see how their motorhomes were constructed. A report complete with photographs will be featured in the next magazine.
The website is up and running thanks to Vic Paine with a Forum page called Benichat.
The marquee which has been purchased to replace last year's gazebos is proving more durable and plans were made to buy 2 more, 1 of which has been purchased at Peterborough.
ACCEO has proved a disaster so far - no details have been passed on to them so none of us are individual members.
The Chairman thanked RDH and BCS for their ongoing support and providing the room for the meeting and wine for the BBQ. The Chairman also thanked the Committee for their hard work and support, his wife Mrs Judy Smith for her continued support and the Marshals, Helpers and Contributors to the Magazine.
5. TREASURER'S REPORT
Ms Pip Rowe reported that the 2nd year's income was £1,208.92 expenditure, £981.75 expenses, leaving an excess of £227.17. As the club is in a healthy financial position it is not necessary to build up a large balance but to use the funds to the benefit of the Club. Ms Rowe thanked the Auditors Honor Hewitt and Geoff Perry. The accounts were passed unanimously by the members.
6. SECRETARY/MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY'S REPORT As Celia Rustom was unable to attend, the Chairman reported the following on her behalf.
The club membership has now grown to 276 full members (140 units). There were 52 non renewals (26 units)
Membership details (and the £3 fee) were not forwarded to ACCEO, hence the club was obliged to pay the Club Renewal fee (this is waived if we are an all individual member club). It is now too late to rectify the situation for this year, but we will put things right for 2004.
7. MAGAZINE EDITOR'S REPORT/PRESS OFFICER
Ron Smith reported there had been 5 issues of the magazine in the last 12 months (May, July, Oct, Dec and March). He thanked everybody for all the contributions and pleaded for more.
The latest issue with colour outside and centre-spread cost £160 extra. The intention is to have the front and back in colour as standard, with the centre-spread in colour occasionally, when finances permit. Steve Reynolds then kindly said that RDH would pick up the difference in cost of colour, to a maximum of 5 magazines a year.
In his role as Press Officer Ron reported that there was a Club news feature in MMM and that we were listed in the Club Contacts section in most monthly Motorhome magazines.
8. EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT
First of all Roy thanked Ron for his guidance on rally co-ordination, seeing as it was his first year in the post.
Secondly he apologised to those members who had tried to contact him in the past year, but who have been unable to do so due to his being away. One or two messages on the BT answering service were difficult to understand, probably people being outfaced by answering machines. Please, if you leave a message be succinct.
This year some planned rallies have had to be cancelled due to lack of Marshals. Perhaps the timing is the problem. For the membership to be fully notified, Ron requires the details to put in the newsletter. The newsletter comes out at nominally quarterly intervals. So clearly the rally should be organised at least six months in advance, therefore giving Ron time to publicise the event.
Perhaps the term 'rally' is a misnomer for our gatherings, which are not so formal as one is lead to believe by the term 'rally'.
Some of the 'meets' were poorly attended this past year, perhaps the forthcoming year will be better.
9. RESOLUTIONS
9.1 That the constitution be amended to allow residents in the Channel Islands to be included, as the term UK does not include 2 members residing in Jersey.
Paragraph 3 (a) to read
Membership shall be open to any owner, or potential owner of a Benimar Motorhome residing in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Proposer: Alex Waugh
Seconder: Frances Varley
Abstentions: None
Voting unanimous.
9.2 That the constitution be amended to allow a new category of member, which will allow former club members who either no longer are the owner of a Benimar Motorhome and/or no longer live in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Paragraph 3 (e) added to read
Associate Membership is available to any former member who no longer is the owner of a Benimar Motorhome and/or no longer lives in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and wishes to continue his/her association with the Club.
Associate members will not have any voting rights.
During the discussion re amending the constitution, it was suggested that there may be a problem if the Associate members were non voting. If in the future, the Club was to apply for a Sports Council or Lottery grant it would not be granted unless all the members had voting rights. The decision was taken to look into this in the future and the original proposal was put to the vote.
Proposer: Mary Pennington
Seconder: Colin Varley
Abstentions: None
Voting: Majority for
Against 1
The question of Club members bringing friends to rallies etc. arose and it was confirmed (rule 6c Club Events) that one guest unit per member is permitted. Preference will be given to Club members and there will be an additional charge for visiting outfits.
10. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Committee Members
Proposer
Seconder
Voting
CHAIRMAN: Ron Smith Vic Paine
Mike Rondel
Unan.
SECRETARY: Chris Baines Sylvia Tilley
Julia Tinsley
Unan.
MEM. SECRETARY: Jane Perry Judy Smith
Dennis Peer
Unan.
TREASURER: Pip Rowe Mary Pennington
Ian Tilley
Unan.
MAGAZINE EDITOR/
PRESS SEC: Ron Smith Francesca Varley
Ray Beach
Unan.
EVENTS
CO-ORDINATOR: Roy Gill Chris Baines
Sylvia Tilley
Unan.
CHIEF MARSHAL: Colin Varley
Ray Beach Mavis Baldwin
Unan.
Non Committee Members
AUDITORS: Geoff Perry and Gerald Dickerson agreed to be auditors for the coming year.
Voting Unanimous.
11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
It was suggested that a form be available in the magazine or on the website for members to apply to attend Rallies as it was felt that there would be more commitment having filled in a form.
It was agreed that a loose leaf form be included with the magazine.
A suggestion of emailing the above was dropped due to only 50% or so being on the Internet.
A Handbook that will include the amended Constitution and list of registration numbers will be included with the June magazine.
It was asked if a list of member's names and addresses could be include in the web site pages, this was strongly opposed and was dropped.
It was requested that the club website 'Benichat' page heading be renamed due to some members having restricted access to 'chat' pages via work computers. It was requested that it be changed to 'Tips' or 'Hints'. Vic Paine agreed to take this on board, and also said that if anyone had any problems generally accessing the website, to let him know a.s.a.p.
Alex Waugh requested that Steve Irvine be especially thanked for all his hard work repairing our vans for us at the Shows and hoped that RDH would continue to supply this service for the foreseeable future. This was echoed by many other members, who felt this was an asset to purchasing a Benimar from RDH. Steve Reynolds said he would pass on our thanks to Steve, he also said he would continue the service as long as was practicable.
Southern French Rally: The Chairman reported that a Rally may be organised in September by Barry Morton. This could take the form of 1 week by the coast and 1 week in the mountains, with the possibility of a follow on rally in Spain in October. Details to be announced.
A vote of thanks was proposed for the retiring committee members, Celia Rustom, Michael Jackson and Honor Hewitt.
Pip Rowe has found a source of Fleece jackets. With the club logo embroidered on the left breast they would cost £8.50 plus P.P. (i.e.£11) They are manufactured by 'Fruit of the Loom' and although available in Black or Blue it was decided that Blue should be the BOC colour. They are supplied in a minimum of 24 and if 18 orders are forthcoming it was decided the club will purchase the other 6 for stock. Sizes M to XXL. Sweatshirts and Poloshirts are also available please contact Pip.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held at the National Motorhome Show, Peterborough, on 24th April 2004.
The meeting closed at 3.45pm.
Chris Baines
UNOFFICIAL REPORT FROM THE CONTINENT
Departed Portsmouth at 0830 for Le Harve on 15th February. Once in France we made for Alencon - the all year site closed but there was an Aire at the entrance (no water). Stayed the night accompanied by a French van and a Dutch van.
Departed Monday for the all year site at Limoges - again closed and caught in the rush hour. Quick check on the map to Brieve-la Galliarde. Okay.
Tuesday to Le Boulou and onto Benicassim. On arrival at Bennicassim they had the first rain for several weeks.
Next day to Denia - the site of a thousand power cuts! There are all sorts of theories about the power at Denia - my thought is that the guy on the bicycle with
his dynamo has to obey the call of nature.
En route to Denia we went on the motorway by Valencia. There the road forks - AP7 and AP7 via the interior. I must have had one of the many senior moments. I took the A7 Alicante road. I think it goes via Portugal. After several miles we saw the road off to Alicante. We took it - then a sign to Gandia. Great I thought - nearly there. That road is not to be recommended for 22ft. Benimar vans. Very picturesque but narrow and
winding.
At Denia we met up with Graham and Chris Baines, just two days before they departed for Blighty. Also there, were Nichol and Lorna Thompson.
Once there we were regaled by stories of caterpillars six feet long but were actually normal caterpillars that form a line. The hairs on these caterpillars are fearsome, causing intense itching. Cure is I am told is spray the caterpillars with WD40 and ignite!
Nichol and Lorna's pitch looked like it came from the Chelsea Flower Show but they had been here since November. There was a rumour that there was a talk of a collection to buy Nichol pneumatic tyres for his tumbrel (Waste water carrier) which he used to good effect every morning at 07.30am.
The day we arrived at Denia, guess what, it rained, the first time for several weeks. It was unsettled but
at least no snow. When Graham and Chris arrived home the first night it snowed. They will live at the wrong side of the Pennines in Yorkshire!
I decided to check over the scooter and found that the oil level was low. Pouring the oil in, after about 300mls. I realised that I was putting it into the petrol tank. (senior moment).
As soon as possible I siphoned out the mixture. The damage was done. I topped up with fresh petrol thanks to Alex Waugh. After much plug cleaning etc. the engine started. I decided to run the engine to clear the system. Our neighbour a Dutchman called Wilheim
appeared through a blue cloud and "requested" that I switch off the engine. The engine run solved the problem even if it choked the Dutchman!
On Monday 23rd February Ian, Sylvia and Scraggy the cat, Alex Waugh and Julia Tinsley arrived to add to the Benimar party. The party expanded on March 2nd with the arrival of Mary and George Pennington with friends Harry and Shirley Lord (Swift).
Life settled to normal until Friday 12th when Nichol and Lorna had an afternoon party. There George Pennington demonstrated his prowess at Line Dancing to the accompaniment of several beers.
End of saga until a further report.
Things were a little saddened by the bombs in Madrid.
Roy Gill
New Man
RDH took on Ian Holingworth at the end of January. He is an experienced technician having spent 3 years in Canada working on RVs and before that 10 years at Brownhills.
Bad News and Good News.
The Bad news is that RDH have increased the charge for the Gas Safety and Habitation Check from £110 to £125. (it is still considerably cheaper than competitors though). The Good News is that the club discount is now worth £1.50 more !
Oops
The metallic Aereo planned for the NEC did not materialise. Benimar built the vehicle and then found it was too big to be sprayed at any of the spray shops in the area. I would have thought that it would have been better to spray the panels and cab separately, before assembly.
New Website
Rick tells me that he has been busy redesigning the RDH website which should be up and running by the time you read this. Give it a visit (www.rdh.co.uk) and let Rick know if you have any comments or improvements to suggest. Contact him at rick@rdh.co.uk
Expansion at Beeston
The recently acquired next door premises has now been covered in tarmac, which has trebled the display area and made parking much easier.
The office will be knocked through to next door to give Rod more room to work and a new customer reception/waiting area will be built.
RDH have accumulated a large surplus of Benimar cushions. They have a room crammed with full and part sets of cushions, of all shapes and patterns, together with some curtains and window frame casings.
These are offered free, exclusively, to Club members.
There is no stock list so please do not phone up with your requirements.
Call any time and see if they have what you need. It's on a first come, first served basis. Stock will be available until April 16th after which it will be disposed of.
P. J. Adams COACHWORK and CARAVAN REPAIRS
Car & Commercial Body Repairs, Spraying, Welding, Accident and Insurance Repairs
Approved repairer for
Benimar Motorhomes
and RDH
Goods Yard, Station Road,
Beeston, Nottingham.
Tel: 0115 922 2799
Fax: 0115 967 8008
FOR SALE PROTEC COVER To fit Europe 6000 ST range with Left Hand door. Brand New, never used. Change to a
Perseo forces sale. Cost £430 - Will accept £325 o.n.o. Call Sam McShane on 028 2587 1305 Ballymena, N Ireland
More than 40 members did not renew for this year, which is disappointing. For some it may be an oversight, especially if they have been over wintering abroad. Lets hope a few
return to the fold.
NEW MEMBERS
A warm welcome to the following new members :-
Fredrick & Sylvia Claringbould of Canterbury
Kevin & Sandra Bartlett of Trowbridge
Raymond & Margaret Craven of Swansea
Joan & David Lee of Waldeslade
Mark & Claire Heasman of Cressing
Frank & Rita Polly of Guernsey
Richard & Juliet Murkin of Whitstable
Paul & Jeanette Maishman of Horley
Sam & Anne McShane of Ballamena
Phillip & Carol Braun of Sheerness
Graham & Tina Bland of Bridlington
Free Ticket Offers
There were no takers for the offer of free tickets for the Manchester and Glasgow Exhibitions, as featured in the last issue. That is a pity as I doubt if Clarion will offer the Club any more with that response.
RDH Outdoor Exhibition
As I write this RDH are fielding an outside exhibition in conjunction with Yeomans who are showing tents and camping equipment at a site on the A52, quite close to Junction 25 of the M1.
The first weekend the gales wrecked some of the tents, but the 5 Benimars and 1 Chausson on display survived.
If all goes well they may do more of this sort of thing.
World of Motorhomes
Ex Club Member Sue Apperley (Sue and Chris now have a Euromobil) has set up a web-site
www.worldofmotorhomes.com which was launched at the NEC Show in February.
The site is operated by a team of enthusiastic motorhome owners and has been designed in the vein of a Motorhome Show. The core of the site is intended to complement the main shows and is a useful tool to those not able to attend. Main categories include links with products and services, Inside, Outside and On the Road plus Dealers, Security, Insurance, Mobility and Sites.
There are numerous sub categories dealing with Shows, Ferries, Magazines, Tourist Offices and Clubs ... plus a search facility.
The site will be under constant development during 2004.
Why not take a look.
Practical Motorhome
The June/July issue should contain a short write up on the Club, with maybe some photographs. You had better get a copy to see if you are featured.
Spanish Highway Code Changes
I hear that speed limits for Motorhomes are now 90kph (56mph) on motorways, 80 (50) on main roads and 70 (43) on other roads outside towns and villages. (I don't suppose it will slow Nichol down though).
Also, you now have to carry a reflective vest and if you carry a bike/scooter on the back you need to show striped reflectors.
Costa Blanca motorhome site British owned Cabins and Camping Los Niguez is a private family run site with just 3 statics and 6 pitches of 70-110 m2 (average 8m x 11m). Pitches have water, electricity and waste hook-ups. The site is open all year round. Located in a flat rural area near Dolores, South of Elche, it is easily accessible from the main autopista. There are endless walking and biking possibilities. The site has a laundry / ironing, WC/Shower, cartridge waste disposal point, a 12m x 7m pool, and a kids playground. There is also a shuttle to Dolores 3 kms away most days for supermarkets, banks, post office and cafes. Contact either Mike on 00-34-678-398-157 or Lynda on 00-34-647-356-945, or email to HYPERLINK " mailto : cabinsncamping@vodafone.es for more info, prices, etc. 10% Discount to Benimar Owners' Club Members
April 2 - 4 Eden Camp
WW2 Museum
Marshals - Paul & Carol Smeaton
Arrive after 2:00pm Friday
April 22 - 25 - Peterborough
National Motorhome Show
Club AGM 2:00 on Saturday afternoon
Marshals - Ian & Sylvia Tilley
Helpers - Paul & Carol Smeaton
BBQ on Friday night
RDH will be there
Booking form in MMM Book by Apr 3
May 14 - 16 Newbury
Southern Motorcaravan Show Cancelled due to lack of marshals
BCS will be there
June 18 - 20 Stratford
Motorhome & US RV Show
Marshals - urgently required or this will be cancelled
RDH will be there
July 16 - 18 Lincoln
Midsummer Music Festival
Marshals- George & Mary Pennington
Helpers - Roger & Helen Foster
RDH will be there
Booking Form in MMM Book by
Aug 6 - 9 Sussex
Somewhere in Sussex
Marshals - Pip Rowe & Vic Paine
More details in the next mag or have a look on the website
Sept 10 - 12 Shepton Mallet Outdoor Leisure Show
Marshals - required
RDH will be there
Booking Form in Motohome Monthly
Sept 17 - 19 York
Northern Motorhome Show
Marshals - Paul & Carol Smeaton
RDH will be there
Booking Form in MMM
If you know of a suitable venue for a club rally (the handbook tells you what is expected) and are willing to marshal get in touch with the Event Co-ordinator, Roy Gill, to fit it in the schedule.
Roy Gill
www.benimarownersclub.org.uk