LAA Rally - Sywell Car Parking - Help Required!

[Nigel Ramsay]

Guys and gals,
It's that time of year once again!

I have had offers of help from a few good folk, mainly for set-up and tear down (Thursday PM, Sunday PM). Brian Hope has been trying to find volunteers for car park duties without a great deal of success sadly.

The situation is this; We are victims of our own success and whilst Andover Strut did a sterling job last year, it was too much for them to look after car parking in conjunction with running the campsite (which I'm sure we all agree worked well). We had hoped a Strut would take on Car Parking but that has not happened. Now we are left with two options, volunteers or a paid organisation which of course will deplete Rally funds considerably. If this does occur then next year will see a parking charge of at least £2.00 per car to cover some of this.

A proper job will require around 10 people per day, working in shifts of 2 hrs (2 or 3 per shift) for Friday/Saturday and Sunday morning. I realise that it's a pretty un-sexy job but it's very essential with the numbers we are expecting. We have tried to keep Rally costs to a minimum using volunteer effort but this is now a situation we can't ignore. PLEASE, are any of you prepared to help for a two hour shift on one or more days of the rally? Please PM me in the first instance if you can help, stating for how long/how many days/which day etc.

If we can't find enough volunteer effort then we'll have no alternative but to employ 'professional' services and to charge for parking (which we'd like to avoid at all costs).

Over to you chaps!

SO! I'm appealing to you to offer some time to ensure a successful rally this year.

[Paul Lawrence]

Hi Nigel,

My other half said she will help out and most of the Rally electricians will do a couple of shifts over the weekend if I buy them beer in the evening!. I have maybe 2-4 others for Saturday when you need more teams (08-00 - 13-00). Its not hard work!

As Nigel said please can anybody spare a couple of hours. I helped out last year and and it was good fun as most of my fellow LAA'ers drove in last year who I had not not seen for a year. A good place to meet up when they arrive!

Please don't let the few do all the work, we would like to enjoy the rally and maybe fly in if the weather if fine!

Paul Lawrence

[Nigel Ramsay]

Thanks so much Paul, this is a great help!

People, 125 views or so of this post and this is the first offer of help! Come on folks, this is YOUR Rally! It doesn't 'just happen', it takes effort all year from a team of volunteers. In truth there are probably around 10 or so true volunteers over the week-end who make everything happen. We are ably supported by Penny and Sheila who work tirelessly, especially selling exhibition space which is what funds the event. All the work of running the campsite and exhibition areas is voluntary during the week-end. This is the ONLY way that the rally can be run within the new financial model which absolutely insures us against financial loss.

We've had 8 volunteers so far for set-up/pull-down which is great but; of 8000 members, probably a little over a quarter attended last year.... that means a volunteer take-up of less than 0.5% roughly!

We don't expect you to work all week-end; a couple of hours on car park duty for just one day would be so helpful

[Paul Lawrence]

172 Views!

Its like waitng for team GB to win the first gold medal!

[Ian Melville]

Hi Nigel,
Did you get my email?
I shall be helping Jon Ward with the home builders stand, so time will be limited for car parking duties. However if you do need an extra pair if hands I will be around all weekend.

[Nigel Ramsay]

Hi Ian, no I didn't get an email; just checked including spam etc. but non! Anyway, thanks for your offer. It looks like Paul may well be co-ordinating this ( ) so I'll put you on the list with proviso that you are busy!

Just in case there's a problem with my email address it's [email protected] for all the other volunteers!

[Paul Lawrence]

We still need more help for the car parking. In general we need more teams for the mornings from 8am to 1pm. Its not hard work, the more teams we have then you might only have to work no more then a couple of hours.

My dad (Stan) will be helping again this year, and he had two new hips earlier this year and he is 82!

Please contact me on 07971 154208, email me [email protected] or report the the campsite office during the rally.

Many thanks.

Paul Lawrence

[Nigel Ramsay]

370 views of this post...... 7 volunteers, several of whom helped last year. I'm sure that the majority of regular viewers of the bulletin board will attend the rally this year, many of whom will stay over.

A couple of hours help with car parking on a single day will help enormously and may just avoid a £2.00 parking charge for everyone next year!

That's the alternative folks, if car parking turns into a fiasco this year, the Rally will have to pay for professional car parking services therefore SO WILL YOU!

You get a rally at the price you do by dint of volunteers. When we wanted to start the rally again the Board told us we COULD NOT LOSE MONEY or there would be no Rally. We've got a financial model that works but it's a frugal model that works by volunteer effort. If we have to pay for parking attendants, it's just one more step towards overspend and cessation of a members event. Surely there are more of you who actually think it's worth putting a couple of hours in to ensure a successful event.

The last thing we want is to increase prices for the members, it would be free if it were possible but it simply isn't. Come on fellas!

[Ian Melville]

Hi Nigel
I don't think 370 views equals 370 different members reading this thread. I must have contributed to 10 or so myself.

Don't disagree with you comments otherwise. I assume there will be an prominent appeal in the next LAA magazine?

Have you also considered ATC cadets for the future(possibly too late for this year). My old Sqn used to do a lot of parking events. Fêtes, gymkhanas, and even a Barry Manilow concert Not for free but a lot cheaper than hired help. Do they still do stuff like this or has H&S killed that off?

[Nigel Ramsay]

Yup Ian, H&S and insurance issues! We may have to consider the Lions next year, still not free however. The issue of volunteers has always been the same sadly. So many members enjoy the rally as they did until it was canned a few years ago. Don't think we are facing that, we are in good shape, but we are adamant we don't want to start chipping away at our finances. If it comes to paying for car parking, then that's the direction we'll go; after all the Rally is still amazing value compared to other events - £2.00 for parking...rien!

[Nigel Ramsay]

Thursday morning 445 views... 1 more volunteer from yesterday's plea! Come on guys (and Gals) - two hours on one day is all we are asking; who will be today's volunteer?

I've decided to put a clip board in the 'Exhibition Office' Tent which is situated on the end of Marquee 1 (Facing Lincs Aviation's outside stand). If anyone thinks they can spare some time then please leave your name, a mobile number and available day/time on there and someone will contact you.

I can't keep on bullying for volunteers so this is my last appeal - just sign up on the day (as above).

[MikeG]

Hi Nigel,
Jan and I will help out. Leaving SFO on Tuesday and collecting dogs and RV and driving up to help Paul with his set up so should be there on Wednesday 29th. We should be able to do some stints in the car park on each day of the Rally.
Regards,
Mike Gaffney

[Nigel Ramsay]

Thanks Mike! I spoke with Paul today and he kind of assumed you would

[Nigel Bailey]

Hi Nigel
I've got a 1305hrs slot time on Friday when I will be flying in. As soon as I've got my tent up I'm available in the car park as required.
I'm an "old timer" to the rally these days and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to help out where I can.
Rgds
Nigel Bailey

[Brian Hope]

Thanks to everybody that voluteered, and to Paul Lawrence who co-ordinated everything. The Car Park was well manned and well organised and those that helped actually had a fun time doing it, so much so that they want to take it on again next year. Well done one and all.