CL or not?

 Just seen in the latest magazine that the site in question is now no longer a CL. It's a pity because it is a nice place in a good location, even though the hard standings used in wet weather are very close together. The grass pitches have plenty of space between them.

We'll never know the reason why they have left the club but I suspect they may be hoping to attract customers from a wider catchment which is why they didn't put "CaMC members only" on their booking website.

I guess that CaMC did get in touch with them following my report and they decided to take the action that they did.

At least the site is still there, John, and if it's now operating under its own auspices, it won’t be risking the club's right to issue exemption certificates so won’t endanger the existence of CLs in general.

It is much easier to get a licence to convert a CL/CS into a commercial site that could take more LVs than to get a licence from scratch, to run a commercial site

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

we used three CLs on a tour last month and, although i gave my details over the phone when booking, our cards werent checked on arrivial.

a fortnight ago we were at a C&CC THS temp site and the cards were checked on entry.

after that we moved to a CS and again i gave details over the phone but we just arrived and set up and although the owner was about most days, our cards werent checked.

As stated before its mainly a cash business.  Nil control on members/non members. If the business is there the owners will take it.

Perhaps then, when booking a pitch, the CL owner could take membership number off the enquirer then, after the call, check with HO as to its validity.

Then if a non member is on site it is down to  Grimstead Towers to sort it out with the owner. 

As a CL owner who has always asked for the CAMC membership number when someone books, I understand this question and why members might be concerned.

For information

• The membership card only contains a name and a membership number.  There is no Photo ID element.
• CL Owners can check (if they wish) that a membership number is 'valid' ie within date via a text number provided by the club.  No other information is provided.
• Some online booking systems used by CL Owners allow a question to be added that can capture the club number.  There is no 'API' provided by the club to allow this number to be automatically verified.

Observations from my perspective

• Without a photo on the card of the member, the card itself is pretty worthless as proof of membership.  We know that families will purchase one membership card and use it among themselves.  A photo might discourage such activity.
• The club could provide some additional information on the Text Check facility such as the postal code of the member.  This may help with some verification.
• The club could provide an 'API' so that those CLs with online booking could instantly confirm if a membership number was valid - and perhaps matched the post code given.
• Some CL owners I know routinely check every booking and also ask for membership cards as people arrive.  Others just do the occasional 'spot-check' on dodgy-sounding bookings, others still are grateful for any booking and have probably never asked for a membership number or had the time to check it, or look at a card on site.
• I have yet to understand the new 'digital' membership card and the implications it has for CL owners.

Ted. As with the majority of membership cards for any organisation I can't think of ones which have a user photo (unless you count bus passes in the same league.) I think an API might be beyond the known planetary reaches of CAMC at present but you never know it might happen?! Had they intergrated everyone into the system at the start it might have been possible?

Thanks for the informative input.