RREC Hunt House Vs sections
Discussion
From the Club at the Hunt House: there's the Annual Rally (£40 to attend, and no brass band), a shop selling over-priced books and tat, every couple of months a collection of press releases and errors (to be fair, this may improve now), some out-of-date printed adverts, and, well, that's about it. The one technical seminar I went to was a waste of £100. All the historical and technical records belong to the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (membership £20, cf £75)
From the Section: while I'm not into the "choose your Sunday lunch a couple of months ahead and send a big cheque" side of things, there are plenty of other friendly and informal summer events, local technical sessions, and the occasional winter talk.
From the Section: while I'm not into the "choose your Sunday lunch a couple of months ahead and send a big cheque" side of things, there are plenty of other friendly and informal summer events, local technical sessions, and the occasional winter talk.
Absolutely! I have:
- obtained my car's build records from the archives
- had new keys cut
- looked up some technical drawings in the archives
- researched motor shows of the 1950's in the library's complete collection of the Autocar
- had my car valued for insurance
- obtained my car's original number plate back from the DVLA because the club could authenticate that it was original to my car
- attended events there (it is an impressive venue)
- taken visitors there to show them around
- enjoyed reading the bulletin and the advertiser
I'll stop there. I look at the HH as the centre of all the official RR/B stuff but our week-to-week enjoyment of the club does, it is fair to say, come pretty much solely from the local section and the hard work the volunteers of the section put in to organising the events we like to go on.
As for comments about the "Sunday lunch" above, I had to laugh. Yes it may look like that but our section tends to have the lunch after a morning's drive around an area of the section. We like to drive our cars and do for most events. The more technical meetings are also very interesting. Off to Aston Martin soon; learnt everything I know about catalytic converters from a technical visit; and have toured many car manufacturing establishments (as well as other industrial plants).
Bottom line is the club can be great but it is what you put into it. The more involved you get the more you are likely to get out of it.
- obtained my car's build records from the archives
- had new keys cut
- looked up some technical drawings in the archives
- researched motor shows of the 1950's in the library's complete collection of the Autocar
- had my car valued for insurance
- obtained my car's original number plate back from the DVLA because the club could authenticate that it was original to my car
- attended events there (it is an impressive venue)
- taken visitors there to show them around
- enjoyed reading the bulletin and the advertiser
I'll stop there. I look at the HH as the centre of all the official RR/B stuff but our week-to-week enjoyment of the club does, it is fair to say, come pretty much solely from the local section and the hard work the volunteers of the section put in to organising the events we like to go on.
As for comments about the "Sunday lunch" above, I had to laugh. Yes it may look like that but our section tends to have the lunch after a morning's drive around an area of the section. We like to drive our cars and do for most events. The more technical meetings are also very interesting. Off to Aston Martin soon; learnt everything I know about catalytic converters from a technical visit; and have toured many car manufacturing establishments (as well as other industrial plants).
Bottom line is the club can be great but it is what you put into it. The more involved you get the more you are likely to get out of it.
Hi Stephen
Just playing Devil's advocate, but you've listed the archives, which may be owned by the Foundation, key-cutting, which I'm fairly sure Theo Hendrickson does, valuation (which isn't done on site), the advertiser (outsourced), the Bulletin (which can be written from anywhere in the World), the number plate (can't the FBHVC do this) and the venue itself.
I wonder what use the HH actually is, other than a venue in it's own right (it's owned by the Foundation)? I am active in my Section and go to as many Section events as I can, whilst I agree with you that the more you get involved, the more you use it, I've been a member for 10 years and have been there twice. I think we're paying for a central overhead that exists almost to preserve itself!
Just playing Devil's advocate, but you've listed the archives, which may be owned by the Foundation, key-cutting, which I'm fairly sure Theo Hendrickson does, valuation (which isn't done on site), the advertiser (outsourced), the Bulletin (which can be written from anywhere in the World), the number plate (can't the FBHVC do this) and the venue itself.
I wonder what use the HH actually is, other than a venue in it's own right (it's owned by the Foundation)? I am active in my Section and go to as many Section events as I can, whilst I agree with you that the more you get involved, the more you use it, I've been a member for 10 years and have been there twice. I think we're paying for a central overhead that exists almost to preserve itself!
Andy,
I think you and Stephen both make very valid points however the Club is a world wide enthusiasts club. You don't have to own and or drive a vehicle and it is open to both Rolls Royce and Bentley. I personally can not understand why the SHRMF and RREC are separate yet Im sure there is a good reason. The Hunt House is a museum, archive and educational facility as much as the clubs HQ. Over they years they have been of great help especially with researching some of the archive material relating to various cars I have had.
As with any club it is very much you get as much out of the club as you put in. in the last 20+ years I have been to numerous wonderful events both on a local and national level and met some extremely interesting people and seen even more interesting cars.
I do however think with allot of Car related clubs including the RREC and BDC the membership tends to be older and the "public" perception and image is far from how the Club really is.
I do strongly feel that the club should do as much as it can to encourage a new and younger membership so weather you have a £5k Spirit or a £500k Ghost it is affordable and you feel welcome.
I would very strongly suggest that anyone who has any "Special car" weather it be Rolls Royce or Bentley and or any other make of Car and considers themselves an enthusiast they should join the appropriate club to there car not just to go on a few rallies but for the information both historical and technical that clubs can offer as without an active membership there is no Club.
I think you and Stephen both make very valid points however the Club is a world wide enthusiasts club. You don't have to own and or drive a vehicle and it is open to both Rolls Royce and Bentley. I personally can not understand why the SHRMF and RREC are separate yet Im sure there is a good reason. The Hunt House is a museum, archive and educational facility as much as the clubs HQ. Over they years they have been of great help especially with researching some of the archive material relating to various cars I have had.
As with any club it is very much you get as much out of the club as you put in. in the last 20+ years I have been to numerous wonderful events both on a local and national level and met some extremely interesting people and seen even more interesting cars.
I do however think with allot of Car related clubs including the RREC and BDC the membership tends to be older and the "public" perception and image is far from how the Club really is.
I do strongly feel that the club should do as much as it can to encourage a new and younger membership so weather you have a £5k Spirit or a £500k Ghost it is affordable and you feel welcome.
I would very strongly suggest that anyone who has any "Special car" weather it be Rolls Royce or Bentley and or any other make of Car and considers themselves an enthusiast they should join the appropriate club to there car not just to go on a few rallies but for the information both historical and technical that clubs can offer as without an active membership there is no Club.
I believe that I did have a year in the RREC when I first bought the Silver Shadow. As a young owner, with a less than perfect condition "only" car, I felt very much that I "wasn't one of us". I didn't renew.
You're right that the club should be all-encompassing, but the spirit (no pun, honest) of the club in no way represents a youngster who does all of his own maintenance. Indeed, the ethos is just about as far removed as it can get.
Incidentally, I would have liked a BDC membership, but the sheer cost of that put me off. One year's membership equates to more than a quarter of what I paid for the car. Not a great bargain
You're right that the club should be all-encompassing, but the spirit (no pun, honest) of the club in no way represents a youngster who does all of his own maintenance. Indeed, the ethos is just about as far removed as it can get.
Incidentally, I would have liked a BDC membership, but the sheer cost of that put me off. One year's membership equates to more than a quarter of what I paid for the car. Not a great bargain
Fair comments about where the services I listed are done but on every one I call the HH to get the service. If your question is about the HH as a physical entity then I would just say that you need to house permanent staff somewhere as well as the archives and the historic artefacts held there. The place is heaving with valuable "stuff" which is interesting to browse. Also, I didn't list the classes they hold there (as I haven't been to one - save one our section did there). They need housing.
Bottom line I think that it is a super facility (I think you guessed that) but I am lucky as I am so close to it and go there whenever I need to.
As for the SHRMF and the club, there were good economic reasons to found a charity and have it own the buildings back in the day, hence the SHRMF which has now grown as a charity. Personally, I do not seperate the two entities as they are both from the same HH stable (pun intended!)
What has always annoyed me (after years of being a section treasurer) is that not one penny of our annual subscription goes to the sections whereas it is the sections that organise over 90% of the events for members. So, to support your conjecture, why do I need a central club if most of my activity around car ownership is with the section? I think that is not correct.
Bottom line I think that it is a super facility (I think you guessed that) but I am lucky as I am so close to it and go there whenever I need to.
As for the SHRMF and the club, there were good economic reasons to found a charity and have it own the buildings back in the day, hence the SHRMF which has now grown as a charity. Personally, I do not seperate the two entities as they are both from the same HH stable (pun intended!)
What has always annoyed me (after years of being a section treasurer) is that not one penny of our annual subscription goes to the sections whereas it is the sections that organise over 90% of the events for members. So, to support your conjecture, why do I need a central club if most of my activity around car ownership is with the section? I think that is not correct.
Hi Stephen,
All points taken.
The stick finger days could all be done locally by motor engineers. My question really is what is the HH used for if everything can be outsourced? Do we need the permanent staff and hence the building to house them in? Why can't the club just be a group of local sections that meet to decide strategy etc. via their chairmen or a designated person for each section, on skype? Could the building then be turned into a museum, or the valuable stuff moved entirely to Beaulieu, or Gaydon?
You are luck to live locally, but most people don't (that same would be the same irrespective of where in the World it is, however!) I live in South Bucks, about an hour away, but have been there twice. Why? Because my club activities are done at section level and the HH isn't open on a weekend!
Rgds
Andy
All points taken.
The stick finger days could all be done locally by motor engineers. My question really is what is the HH used for if everything can be outsourced? Do we need the permanent staff and hence the building to house them in? Why can't the club just be a group of local sections that meet to decide strategy etc. via their chairmen or a designated person for each section, on skype? Could the building then be turned into a museum, or the valuable stuff moved entirely to Beaulieu, or Gaydon?
You are luck to live locally, but most people don't (that same would be the same irrespective of where in the World it is, however!) I live in South Bucks, about an hour away, but have been there twice. Why? Because my club activities are done at section level and the HH isn't open on a weekend!
Rgds
Andy
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