March 2018
 
Dates For Your Diary
 
 
Monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of every month at Liddington Village Hall, opposite the church
 
April 19th 2018
 
'Wheels, Skills and Thrills: the sequel!'  Martin Evans

May 14th 2018
 
VIP Close Protection driving -  Mark Kenderick, Bespoke Driver Training.

June 11th 2018
 
Swift Medics’ out of hours and emergency Doctors services      Dr Jonathan Glover.

July 28th 2018
 
Calne Bike Show - yes, we are attending so volunteers to the Secretary please!

 
Monthly Ride-Outs
Remember that monthly Bike Ride-Outs take place on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Check the Forum for details
 
Do you have a topic you would like discussed, or know of an interesting speaker?  Please contact Monica!
 
 
Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following members who have passed their Advanced Tests recently:

David Venman - Car - Advanced Tutor
 
James Corneloues - Bike  - Silver
 
 
 
Merchandise
Don’t forget that we have a range of clothing available to purchase. We also offer a range of books, such as Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, and these are available at discounted prices.

For more information visit the Merchandise page of our web site at www.wiltshireroadar.co.uk.
We are always looking for more articles, ideas and news for the newsletter. Have you been somewhere interesting recently that would make a good story? If you attend any group events then take a camera and send us your pictures!

Please forward all contributions to newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk
 
 
We're now on
Facebook
AND
Twitter!
Find us on facebook
@wiltshireroadar
Notices
 
Accreditation - Success
 
The Committee is pleased to announce we have successfully achieved accreditation with RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders Head Office.  This is great news and allows us to continue with our aim to improve road safety and reduce road collisions and casualties by improving driving and motorcycling knowledge, attitudes, skills and standards.
 
We are very grateful for the hard work and patience of many who have been involved in the process which has seen us successfully pass accreditation.  We will have our accreditation reviewed in March 2021 as part of a 3-year rolling programme
 
General Data Protection Regulation.
 
The law is changing on 25 May 2018 on how personal data is held and managed by organisations and RoADAR Wiltshire is no exception.  The main change is the need to have explicit consent for us to hold and use data.  The Committee is still working on the finer details of maintaining compliance with the law.  You will in the near future receive an email outlining out privacy policy and requesting your consent for us to hold and use your data to achieve our aim above.  Please work with us to continue to make the Group efforts successful.
 
Meeting 12 March -  Norman Parry; Both Sides Of The Himalayas By Motorcycle
The group were treated to an enlightening and inspiring talk by Norman Parry. Norman describes himself as a fit and active pensioner who had motorcycled all his life and is involved with both the TRF and IAM as well as RoADAR Wiltshire

While visiting one of the bike shows Norman did what many of us dream of and signed up to do the London to Beijing adventure with Globebusters (other adventure organisers are available) and took his BMW 650 GS through Europe to Istanbul, this is where he felt the adventure really started despite being knocked off his bike by a bus!

The trip went on through Iran, through the ‘Stans’ and into the Wakhan Valley which borders Afghanistan and on to China taking a route on the north side of the Himalayas. Norman presented a wide range of slides showing beautiful cultural architecture and stunning scenery while regaling us with stories from being invited into houses in Iran, getting lost in China, sleeping in shipping containers and a fellow traveller who kept them in 25yr old Laphroaig whisky!

In spite of the horrendous roads and the hazardous riding conditions he experienced, on his return, Norman signed up straight away for his next trip - from Dehli to China using a route on the south side of the Himalayas. This adventure took him to heights of 18,380ft above sea level where altitude sickness can be a real problem, however, one problem which had Norman worried was wearing a hole in his engine casing after coming off his bike, this was easily solved by the support guy who helped him out with two part metal putty, a repair which lasted several thousand miles for the rest of the trip.

More slides followed showing spectacular views and glimpses into the various cultures encountered, full of colour and life. A key message that Norman put across was wherever you travel people are the always friendly, interested and show great hospitality, especially to travellers.

Many thanks to Norman for giving the group an insight to his adventures and answering a wide variety of questions, it was a really enjoyable evening.
 
 
 
Car Tutors needed
Last year was successful with an increase in new associates. We need new car tutors to Coach and Mentor new members to achieve the standard required for the RoSPA test.   You need to have achieved at least a Silver on your test and have good interpersonal skills; there is a training and assessment phase so you are not dropped in at the deep end.  Commitment is not huge – one morning per month – but depends on you and your enthusiasm.
 
If you like a challenge, and the reward of helping  someone  develop as a driver; please get in touch,  We are particularly short of car tutors in the South and West of the County - but please do not be put off if you live elswhere - it is extremely rewarding.
 
Communication from RoADAR Coordinator - Richard Howes
Richard's monthly message has been placed on the Forum under General Discussion.  Please head over there to see the latest from our Regional Coordinator
 
RoADAR Head Office facebook Page
 
Reminder of the page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/161699161113584/ or type in RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders in to your facebook.
 
WABAM  - Invite
Slow Riding                            
Sunday 27th May at Wroughton Park and Ride, Croft Road, Swindon, SN1 4RW. 
Open to all members and the general riding public so spread the word.
 
Skillshare 2018 - New locations - Starts 7 April
Skillshare will run from 10 am on the first Saturday of each month from April to October.  The locations (to improve our coverage across the County) are as follows:
 
For April, June, August and October it will be at the Three Trees Farm Shop at Chiseldon
 
For May, July and September it will at the Haven Salisbury.
 
Skillshare is extended to car drivers as well as bike riders.
 
Drivers or riders can turn up and get a free assessment of their skills, with the opportunity to sign up for full membership if they want to take it further. If members get an opportunity to publicise Skillshare the website is a good starting point or please ask Mark Sealey for more information (skillshare@wiltshireroadar.co.uk)
 
Communication 

Committee minutes    These are available from the Group Secretary if any member wishes to see them. If you are interested in reading the minutes, then please send a mail to the Group Secretary whom will promptly forward them onto you.
 
Membership fees - confused? 
 
There are two subscriptions to pay:

1. Wiltshire RoADAR (the Group) - an annual fee is paid to the Group in October. This pays for hall hire, speakers and promotional material. This fee does not cover test fees or RoADAR/RoSPA membership fees.

2. RoADAR (HQ) - a fee is only paid to RoADAR (HQ) in the first instance for the test fee. After that, it is up to the individual if they wish to pay an annual membership fee to RoADAR - this is in addition to paying an annual membership fee to Wiltshire RoADAR. If a member does pay an annual fee to RoADAR, then assuming one does so for three years continuously, there will not be a further test fee to be paid for the three yearly retest.  The fee to RoSPA is paid by the indiviudual at the time of booking their test. Annual renewal to RoADAR is around the time of your test. 
  
Forum
 
A reminder for all Members there is a Forum on the Website which can be used for any purpose but particularly coordinating events, hints, tips and general conversation.  It is easy to register on the website so please do log on and chat away.
 
Test results 
 
Reminder to let the Membership Secretary and your tutor know when you have taken your Advanced Driving/Riding Test and result. This is so our database is kept up to date; there is no need or pressure at all to have the result published on the website or in this newsletter if you wish to keep your result confidential.
  

 
 
 
 
Membership Secretary: Mr Gary Franks
Hon Secretary: Mr Peter Genet
secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk
To make sure that you receive our messages we recommend that you add newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk, membership@wiltshireroadar.co.uk and secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk to your address list.