GUIDENCE NOTES FOR RALLY HOSTS

The Motor Caravanners' Club

Avon Group

Thank you for hosting a rally.  The duties are not too onerous, but nevertheless the committee and members appreciate that you have volunteered, we sincerely hope these notes help you enjoy the experience.  Assistance is always to hand, a committee member or experienced member can often help if needed.  As a token, hosts are allowed a fee free rally.

Before the rally, hosts need to collect the rally boxes and make themselves familiar with the contents.    They will include all you need from various signs, paperwork, raffle tickets to the snail stamp, general office supplies and the club mobile phone and charger.  Check the phone is fully charged and turn it on (topping up if necessary) for the duration of the rally.

A host must be on site at all times.  Naturally, we want you to enjoy the rally too, and it may be appropriate to have a co-host for this reason.  If you wish to leave the site and have no co-host who can remain in your absence, then you should make arrangements for an experienced Avon member to stand in for you.  In this case, a clear sign must be left directing members how to contact the stand-in.

The Rally Booking Sheet will give you the details about your rally.  When you can arrive (sometimes a few hours or the day before), and who to contact, when members can arrive, how much to charge, who to pay etc.  There will be a Risk Assessment, Insurance Certificate and Exemption Certificate which must be available to view at all times. 

It is usual to give members a Welcome Sheet on arrival, to let them know a little about the area, buses, vets, taxis and what plans there are for the rally.  Maybe a get-together, coffee morning etc.  Before members arrive, put out the direction signs and those for the freshwater and toilet emptying, the 5mph sign and the Stop Here board.  There is also a flag and pole you can erect if the ground is suitable.

Extend a warm welcome to each member and check that their membership cards are in date.  You can ask members to pay then, using the Booking In Sheet, or retain the card.  After parking up, they then return to collect their card and pay.  Ask if they are celebrating a birthday or anniversary and make a note on the form.  Extra vehicles, trailers, tow cars etc must be parked in a designated area and not adjacent to the motorhomes. 

Parking diagrams are attached via buttons below.  We are required to allow 6 metres between facing walls of motorhomes.  If habitation doors are facing, then an extra 3 metres is required.  This will then allow a 3m gap between awnings if they are extended.  If space on the site is very limited, the 6 metres can be reduced to 4 metres, but with no pup tents or awnings.  Gazebos and pup tents should be situated in the footprint left as if there is a wind-out awning.  Motorhomes must be able to exit the site by driving forwards.

At the current time, payment at rallies, is by cash.

It is usual to hold a raffle during the rally.  Hosts purchase the prizes to an agreed amount, and are reimbursed on production of receipts. Record the last ticket sold inside the front cover of each raffle ticket book you use, and complete and balance the Raffle Record Sheet.  After selling the tickets, currently £1 per strip of 5, fold, divide and put them in the embroidered blue raffle bag ready for the draw.

Prepare the Chairman’s Chat sheet ready for the chairman, and prepare greetings cards if necessary.  In general it is best to not personalize the card or envelope, the recipients sometimes do not attend the coffee morning and this saves wastage.

If possible we like to serve coffee but if an urn is not available, suggest members might like to bring their own drink, in which case we would just serve biscuits.  Please buy as appropriate (reimbursed on production of a receipt).

Avon members can collect Snail stamps to be exchanged for vouchers.  Stamp, ink and vouchers will be in the rally boxes.  Initial and date each stamp.

The final task is to pass all monies and balanced record sheets to the treasurer or a committee member, collect in the direction and other signs, repack the boxes ready to be handed to the next host.

If you want to arrange some entertainment or activity that involves expenditure, this must be discussed with the committee beforehand so that a suitable adjustment can be made to the rally costings.

It only remains to thank you very very much, we hope you enjoyed your experience.

Avon Group Committee February 2024.