POLAR NEWS   -  No. 43 September 2007

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FROM YOUR EDITOR

It was great to get some copy from ordinary members last month - so do remember that the rest of you can send in photos and/or text of significant events in your life - new car, birthday, wedding, anniversary, holiday. You don’t even have to write lots (unless you want to) - just a photo is enough to keep in touch! Many thanks to those who contributed to the cost of the Polar News and if it’s the first time you’ve been ‘nabbed’ then you can relax - I only ask you once a year! So, thanks to Mike and Fiona Davies for A5 envelopes, to Harvey and Wendy Cooke for 4 reams of that better quality paper that I can use back-to-back and to Andrew Carrie, Keith and Ann Davison, Jeff and Mary-Jane Ferris, Peter and Jackie Werfel whose donations covered 2 colour cartridges, 1 black cartridge and 100 stamps. Fantastic! We should be OK until the end of the year, then we’ll have to think seriously about funding the Polar News. Last year, it cost £220 to print and post 11 Polar News and this year it will cost £280 to print and post 8 Polar News - I’ve taken the route of fewer but longer editions. The cost has gone up due to a big increase in members from under 50 to nearly 70 - which is heavy on the stamps. So, let’s have your opinions - do I keep asking people for contributions, ask head office for funding, raid the raffle money or go for the e-mail option? That isn’t as straightforward as it seems - the people who regularly donate all have e-mail - but then who funds the Polar News for those who don’t have e-mail and don’t contribute? Let me know your views on this. Meanwhile, as an economy measure, I’m going to email the News to those at the farthest south of the Polar Bear range and hope that’s OK.

--- Helen

BRODIE CASTLE Mike, Fiona, Brian and myself braved the wet weather and travelled up to the Historic Wheels event at Brodie Castle. We celebrated Fiona’s significant birthday, had two car runs in the rain and an enjoyable SUNNY afternoon going round the car display and meeting other Polar Bears. Ed and Alison were up with the Cobra Club, Dick and Pat Nortcliffe had entered their Scimitar and we also met Jim and Mandy Rogers (with kids Katie and Sam above) who recently moved up north from Lincolnshire.

OTTERBURN LUNCH

24 Polars enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch, plenty of chat, parted with lots of money, collected lots of raffle prizes and generally had a good time, before settling down to the meeting. Extra money was raised by Nimal Jayaratna (£40) who gave neighbours rides in his Etype, Fiona donated her £10 lottery win and George and Sheila collected £120 at the Coldingham Gala Day. We also raised £125 with the lunchtime raffle and book auction. We currently have 65 members who qualify as Polar Bears and the Christmas Lunch is on December 9th at Auchen Castle. The next Otterburn lunch is February 17th - so make a note of those dates in your diary. Peter and Jackie asked if the James Rennie School in Carlisle could be included in our approved charities list. The Bear Facts editor is having major problems with his software not being compatible with the printers (XP and Vista were mentioned but don’t ask me exactly what the problem was - it’s Microsoft and that IS the problem as far as I’m concerned!) and he hasn’t got the time to sort things out, so a new editor is needed. Mike suggested splitting the job - one person does the editing/writing and another does the ‘putting the words on the page in a form acceptable to the printer’ stuff.

SELKIRK SHOW

Firstly, we must thank George Dodds for sponsoring the stand, George and Sheila for judging the one-make clubs and all those who turned up in appalling conditions in their exotic cars - some of which lack even rudimentary weatherproofing! As you’ll have gathered, Selkirk was very, very wet. In spite of that, we had Andrew Carrie and David Bruce in their TVRs, Philip in the Lotus, Harvey and Wendy Cooke in their MGB GT V8 (it's got a roof!), Keith and Ann and George and Sheila in nice modern waterproof Mercs, Gerry and Lee Mulligan’s Aston, Sid Palmer in Mike Webber's Porsche Spyder replica (below), Phil and Jackie Roberts in the Morgan, John Vance with his NG and the MR2 and MGA of Mike and Fiona. So, a good range of cars for the public to look at - those that had braved the weather that is. Well, it started off wet, looked like it might clear but was just fooling us - that was when Phil was using his bear as an umbrella - then the rain got heavier, until by midafternoon, we had strong winds as well. All in all, a thoroughly awful day weather-wise. However, several brave souls like Andrew stood out under a brolly and rattled the collecting cans and we even sold a few bears - raising £236. This was quite a result, considering the conditions and the lack of members of the public. So, thanks again to everyone and hope you all got home safely. Nimal was unable to attend because of adverse weather and the leakiness of his E-type but sent £62 collected from Manchester University Students and a further £38 from himself. If anyone has any advice on waterproofing an Etype he would be grateful to receive it!