Club AGM 2022

Posted on 05/11/2022 11:41 by peedee

I wasn't specifically singling out the Clubs unwillingness to allow motorhomes to use the service facilities without staying overnight when I said the Club is still very much caravan orientated. There is much more to it than that. Its a service I would not use anyway because there are now many such places elsewhere, 

Anyhow to discuss further would be going way off topic so I intend leaving it there.

peedee

 

 

Posted on 05/11/2022 11:38 by young thomas

PeeDee, I totally agree...the Club is still the Caravan Club with a name change.

the amount of MH or caravans on site doesn't determine how MH or caravan 'orientated' the club is, it mere reflects how the membership is split between the two types of touring vehicle.

to have a 'set menu' of services that are available to both sets of members might mean the club is 'inclusive' but if some of those services are not needed by one group and some services that are are not offered at all (as they would be unfair cost wise to the other) just highlights how one size fits all does not really apply.

the issue of MHSP is a case in point....caravaners seem to think that these mean the club has gone out of its way for MHs...yet the poor design and generally worse location of these make them difficult and sometimes embarrassing to use, obstructive at times and, often requiring more than one circuit of the 'dreaded' one way system to leave the pitch, empty/fill the van and then exit the site or return to the pitch.

unlike sites in other places, CAMC MHSPs are add ins to Caravan Sites...and as such, have be dumped into vacant spaces without any thought as to how they are fleeing to be used...it even took years to actually get one of these with a drain across the MHSP to line up with all waste outlet designs. Yet, further, these could/should have been designed with the drain at a low point meaning there was not a requirement for 'exact' placement of the van, therefore vastly speeding up the dumping process. Anyone visiting Europe and pretty much ANY aire or campsite would have understood how they work.

there are several other 'offerings' that the club could make (which could just as easily be taken up by caravaners) like non electric option on every pitch, smaller, cheaper pitches for those who carry little outside kit and stay just a day or two....

and, of course...as PeeDee mentions, use of services for those who are paid up members and will be staying overnight at other legal stopping points where, perhaps there won't be those services available.

im afraid the Club seems to have little understanding of how the market is splitting these days and certainly little understanding of how a MH works differently to a caravan and the different requirements of the respective users.

it seems it is just happy to continue to offer the same 'product' to all members without the ability to tailor items to suit demand.

yet another reason for us to eschew the Club's sites.

Posted on 04/11/2022 20:44 by DavidKlyne

I certainly don't expect the Club to be defensive, I expect them to recognise members concerns and have a bit more humility. As we are frequently told the Club is a non profit organisation, but what should be added is that it exists for its members. To me the need to answer questions defensively indicates that they have got things wrong but are not willing to be contrite  in their acceptance of that fact. 

They also don't show any acceptance of how some things are changing particularly as far as motorhoming is concerned. The question of members being able to use site facilities for short periods was asked. Now I accept that is not an easy question to answer as its more involved than it looks on the surface. However what I object to was the way the question was answered. Which was that wild camping is illegal in the UK and we don't want to encourage it. You would expect someone senior in the club to understand that there are many off campsite places where motorhomers can park for the night perfectly legally be it in a paid for car par of a pub car park etc. To me a question deserves a proper answer, even if the answer points out the difficulties of accommodating what the questioner asked.

David

Posted on 05/11/2022 12:44 by young thomas

There may be many more MH (members and non members) who don't think the club is MH orientated and, therefore don't use their sites.

who knows.

my opinion, for the reasons I've stated, concur with PeeDee...the club isnt MH orientated.

unfortunately, you don't visit the places where 'being MH orientated' is a given.

Perhaps if you drove a MH you'd have a clearer view of the points being raised.

either way, it matters not....we don't use Club Sites now, for many reasons, the above subject is just one of those deciding factors.

Back on topic, the Club's response to pretty well all the AGM questions did seem 'defensive' to me and I support David Klyne's observation posted earlier and PeeDees follow up.

 

 

Posted on 05/11/2022 12:38 by Graydjames

I wrote a long response to this, but I decided not to post it. I don't really like the confrontation that tends to develop in this place - not that I mean you were confrontational, just that it gets that way with some people. I don't want to be part of that. I'll keep my powder dry.

I still remain of the view that it is natural to defend. I do expect the Club to give answers which are largely justifying their policy and, hence, defensive. The alternative is to cave in.  

But I'll leave it at that.

 

 

Posted on 05/11/2022 11:38 by young thomas

PeeDee, I totally agree...the Club is still the Caravan Club with a name change.

the amount of MH or caravans on site doesn't determine how MH or caravan 'orientated' the club is, it mere reflects how the membership is split between the two types of touring vehicle.

to have a 'set menu' of services that are available to both sets of members might mean the club is 'inclusive' but if some of those services are not needed by one group and some services that are are not offered at all (as they would be unfair cost wise to the other) just highlights how one size fits all does not really apply.

the issue of MHSP is a case in point....caravaners seem to think that these mean the club has gone out of its way for MHs...yet the poor design and generally worse location of these make them difficult and sometimes embarrassing to use, obstructive at times and, often requiring more than one circuit of the 'dreaded' one way system to leave the pitch, empty/fill the van and then exit the site or return to the pitch.

unlike sites in other places, CAMC MHSPs are add ins to Caravan Sites...and as such, have be dumped into vacant spaces without any thought as to how they are fleeing to be used...it even took years to actually get one of these with a drain across the MHSP to line up with all waste outlet designs. Yet, further, these could/should have been designed with the drain at a low point meaning there was not a requirement for 'exact' placement of the van, therefore vastly speeding up the dumping process. Anyone visiting Europe and pretty much ANY aire or campsite would have understood how they work.

there are several other 'offerings' that the club could make (which could just as easily be taken up by caravaners) like non electric option on every pitch, smaller, cheaper pitches for those who carry little outside kit and stay just a day or two....

and, of course...as PeeDee mentions, use of services for those who are paid up members and will be staying overnight at other legal stopping points where, perhaps there won't be those services available.

im afraid the Club seems to have little understanding of how the market is splitting these days and certainly little understanding of how a MH works differently to a caravan and the different requirements of the respective users.

it seems it is just happy to continue to offer the same 'product' to all members without the ability to tailor items to suit demand.

yet another reason for us to eschew the Club's sites.

Posted on 05/11/2022 14:43 by GTP

the issue of MHSP is a case in point....caravaners seem to think that these mean the club has gone out of its way for MHs...yet the poor design and generally worse location of these make them difficult and sometimes embarrassing to use, obstructive at time

Including the MHSP at the new multi million pound investment at Cayton Village...which by the way was virtually empty this week...word could have got around regarding the massive housing estate being built right upto the hedge line...

Posted on 05/11/2022 15:25 by SteveL

unlike sites in other places, CAMC MHSPs are add ins to Caravan Sites...and as such, have be dumped into vacant spaces without any thought as to how they are fleeing to be used...it even took years to actually get one of these with a drain across the MHSP to line up with all waste outlet designs. Yet, further, these could/should have been designed with the drain at a low point meaning there was not a requirement for 'exact' placement of the van, therefore vastly speeding up the dumping process. Anyone visiting Europe and pretty much ANY aire or campsite would have understood how they work.

 

and, of course...as PeeDee mentions, use of services for those who are paid up members and will be staying overnight at other legal stopping points where, perhaps there won't be those services available.

 

What I find difficult to understand YT, is why having written the first paragraph above, you still thought the second a good idea. Given the problems of using them, surely the last thing that is wanted is more folk who are not onsite getting in the way.