P.S. Bill & I will be on holiday next month - the first time ever I have had a holiday outside the main school holidays - what a luxury !!

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CALAIS RAID  -  8th June

Readers may recall that a couple of Madhatters represented the Southern Clubs at an Easter camp organised by the Calais local group, les 62^ches du calaisis.   Andrew Jack & David Shove were there all the weekend, and Bill & Gill very kindly made a guest appearance.   In May a larger convoy travelled down to Le Mans for the French International meeting, where we met the group again.   Somehow, we managed to invite ourselves, or get ourselves invited to one of their club nights, so that's what this month's piece is about!

Our contact at the Calais club works for Eurotunnel, & was able to facilitate our visit by kindly providing the vouchers which enabled us to travel at reduced rates.   At first it seemed like a crazy idea  -  does anybody fancy an evening in Calais to raid the French group & meet them for a drink?   But when you look at it from another angle, opportunities like this don't come every day, so why not make the most of it?   That's how it all started, & one thing led to another, as they say.

Although the idea had been up in the air since Easter, things really only got going at Le Mans, as it gave us an opportunity to canvass support amongst those present.   All those consulted agreed in principle, but in some cases a wiser counsel prevailed, & in the end a small group was left.   After some discussion, & a great many 'phone calls, a plan was finally agreed upon.   The usual suspects were rounded up & at 15h40 on Tuesday 8th June a short convoy left Clacket Lane for France, consisting of Tony & Shirley White, Bill & Gill with Dick Roberts, and finally David & Andrew in David's car.   David caused a bit of a stir when it was discovered that he had left home without one of the most important bits of his C.B. radio  -  the aerial!   At Cheriton his car was selected for a security examination, allegedly on the strength of the eye-catching blue & yellow colour scheme.   We travelled out by the 17h06 Shuttle, which allowed us an hour or so to find somewhere in Calais town centre for a quick meal before meeting the group at their venue near the station at Calais-Ville.   It appeared that a very reasonable 3 course meal could be had for about £10 a head,  so seven of us sat down to eat at a rather nice restaurant in the main street.  

If experience is anything to go by, I think we did well to get in & out of the place in reasonable time, considering the size of the group.

The bar, when we got to it, was at first sight an ordinary street corner tavern, but a large meeting room behind serves as good place for club meetings.   A discussion was in progress regarding the forthcoming re-elections of the club's officers, but we were immediately introduced & made welcome.   Gill & Shirley did good business with a selection of wares from the club shop, & some interest was shown in the mounted prints Bill took along.   Photographs of the French International event were handed round, & Dick presented the club with a portfolio of information taken from the Madhatters website.

A number of interesting suggestions were put forward for future joint events, including a beach barbecue somewhere in southern Kent in the autumn, & a rally near Boulogne later in the year.   There will be another Easter camp next year, & a good turnout is confidently expected for the 8th French International meeting, which will be held in or near Avignon.   All present agreed that the visit had been worthwhile & enjoyable, and we are looking forward to building on the contacts we have made.   The success of the trip confirms what we had suspected for some time  -  an evening raid is possible, but at the expense of one of our own club nights.   The important thing is that we were able to do something different  -  we enjoyed going & they enjoyed having us!   That said, there remains an opportunity to do a similar thing again  -  watch this space!   Although not everybody who wanted to participate this time was available, if you are interested in helping us to take this new friendship forward, please contact Gill for more information.

Something else you didn't know you didn't know  -  62 is the département of Pas de Calais, & calaisis is the town & its environs.

And finally  -  sincere thanks are due to Veronique & her friends at les 62^ches du calaisis for making our raid possible, & for welcoming us again to their town.

                             Andrew

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On the Move

As many of you know already Barry, Gloria, Peter & Louise are on the move to Lincolnshire - just north of Peterborough. Barry has been a Madhatter since the beginning. He has kept many of our cars on the road with his usual sense of humour, expertise and loving care. To say goodbye and thanks we are planning a Sunday lunchtime picnic at Newlands Corner on Sunday July 25^th at 12:00. Bring your boules, family games, photos of Barry at past events etc. Just a bit of nostalgia ! Let’s make this a BIG club event. We are all going to miss them but we need to say a cheerful 2CV au revoir.

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An Evening in Calais

Thanks to Véronique we had cheap tickets through The Tunnel to visit 62deuche de Calais. We managed to get seven Madhatters/Fils de Vitesse in three cars to meet at Clackett Lane at 3.30 on Tuesday afternoon. We convoyed to The Tunnel, dashed round Duty Free and onto the 5.20 service. For Dave Shove and Andrew it was their first trip in a car, as it was for Dick, our passenger. Dick, photographer par excellence, took a picture with flash and was promptly warned not to as it would set off alarms !

We got to Calais and smoothly onto the A16. Tony White & Shirley led us to a big square in Calais where we parked and strolled out to choose a place for a meal. We all sat down, chose the ‘Tourist Menu’ and ate 3 courses ... and drank a beer or wine. It was a lovely preamble to finding the bar where the club met. There was a huge ‘Parking’ opposite the bar and Véronique was there to meet us. They were having an A.G.M. of sorts but it seemed to stop once we got there. I set out the club shop and the fun began.

We have some dates ... Sept 4^th & 5^th a meeting at Berck-sur-Mer. Sept 19^th  a “Rallye” is taking place at Guines near Calais. The theme is the circus so if you dress up and join them it should be a day of fun. If you fancy a 2CV in France on that Sunday then let’s arrange it. I have also said that before the clocks go back we will arrange a BBQ or picnic near Folkestone for them to come to. I have my spies out seeking a suitable venue so watch this space.

The barman could not believe that we were only visiting for the evening, thus confirming his belief that the English are mad.

We headed for The Tunnel after saying our farewells and were on board at 11.20 pm French time. One of the tunnel staff spent a long time talking to Shirley and me about our cars - and she was Polish not French. Although we were late home we felt it was worth it to make friends just over The Channel. Oh, next Easter is another camp, so think about it ...

                             Gill

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 Shoreham Airshow 1999 - 4th & 5th September

Attentive readers will have noticed this event appearing in the diary for some months. Well now the time has come for decisions! Ray has volunteered to act as the central contact because the organisers wish to deal with clubs to reduce their administrative costs. Obviously the event is open to individuals as a ‘good day out’ but if we go as a club and put on a display of our cars we can also benefit from reduced entry prices. If you want to be part of the club display on the Sunday you will need to complete an application form and supply the appropriate entry fee. This is £1 for the car and driver plus £3 for the first passenger. Second and subsequent passengers are priced at £5 in advance, £7 on the day. Children under 16 are FREE.

Ray tells me that in previous years the show has been thoroughly good entertainment. Obviously the main attraction will be the (noisy - bring ear defenders ?) flying display which has included Harriers, Phantoms and the Battle of Britain Flight. This will be supplemented with many side-shows, stalls and fringe events which have previously included static aircraft displays (you might even be able to touch some of them !), a funfair, food outlets, Classic car displays (could include 2CVs !), book stalls, car boot sales. clothes sales and helicopter rides.

At the moment we’re still looking for a place to meet before the show but we need your application form and money by the meeting on Tuesday 13th July. Ring me for more details.

 

                             Ham

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