Drive on the wild side
As farmers are classed as key workers, lockdown hardly affected me at all. I live in North Norfolk and my son farms in West Norfolk, a round trip of 80 miles, and I usually go to help once a week or more at busy periods.
I traded my 981 Cayman S for a 15-reg Cayman GTS PDK in January. When lockdown started in March, 99 per cent of traffic on the fast Fakenham to Swaffham road disappeared overnight. At first this was very weird and not a little unsettling but improved my average commuting time considerably.
As the weeks passed, I started noticing the wildlife was taking over this road as if it were a local track or footpath. Partridges, hares and pheasants were all wandering around peacefully in the middle of the road, usually at the exit of a fast sweeper. This had the effect of easing my right foot as I was fully expecting to find a herd of wild deer around the next bend!
Roy Vigus
Second site?
My wife and I are active members of R23 and enjoy attending a variety of events throughout the year (2020 sadly an exception), which are organised by our excellent ROs Christine and Martin Woolger. However, we have only ever visited the Clubhouse once in the 30 years that we’ve been members, given its location.
We’d very much like the Club to consider having a permanent site closer to us in the South East as an addition to the existing site. This would perhaps engage with a broader audience of Porsche owners who would happily meet for a chat over coffee if they did not have to travel so far.
Paul and Jane Duprey
Club General Manager Rich Baldelli says: Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, Paul and Jane. Unfortunately, the investment required to establish and run a second permanent venue for PCGB in the south would have a significant impact on our ability to grow the existing national events calendar, which is currently our best way of reaching as many members as possible.
Time for change
The Club does many things well, a good example being a static event like the Silverstone Classic. But most members gain experience of the Club by interaction with the Regions. These comprise volunteers who often have work or other commitments, though some are retired and have more time.
There are many members that are yearning for more driving events and tours (including European locations), weekends away and so on. The Club’s structure should be overhauled with a reduction in the number of Regions. More Regions does not mean the Club is improving; more participation is a better measurement.
The Club should implement a national template of events that must be undertaken in all geographical regions of the country to complement the Registers.
The membership fee should also be at least double the current level. This would allow the Club to invest, for example in tour managers. I am grateful for the people who put lots of effort into the Club on behalf of its members and the great friends I have made through the Club. Hopefully change will come, and when we reach the far side and are clear of COVID-19, we will see these changes put in place...
David Hester
Rich says: Thank you for your message, David, not all of which we have space to include here. The Club is in the process of planning new Regional events and initiatives for our anniversary in 2021 with a mind to reaching more members in more parts of the country. Watch this space as those plans unfold and are announced. An increase in the membership fee is a regular topic of conversation, and one that will undoubtedly be revisited again.
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