News

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2021

 

New club contact details

In last months special newsletter the club said a fond farewell to Gail Tuley and introduced new secretary roles to pick-up the workload Gail has left behind.  This month we are introducing new email addresses to enable you to make direct contact with key committee members:

Andrew Walker	Club Chairman, ESTC Ltd Director & Joint Trials Secretary	estctrials@gmail.com
Aaron Marklew	Joint Trials Secretary & ESTC Website	estctrials@gmail.com
Paul Wareing	Membership Secretary	estcmembers@gmail.com
Neil Jones	Training Secretary	estctrainers@gmail.com
Mark Lamplough	Club Treasurer	estctreasurer@gmail.com

 

Next event & clearance sale of trials parts & clothing

The clubs next event at the Yennards is the Flintlock Trial on Sunday 26^th September.  Entry is via the ACU on-line system which is already open so don’t forget to book yourself a ride.

Also at this event will be local Trials trader & ex centre championship rider Alan Wright.  Alan was the driving force behind the Telford Classic Bike Show.  He also has a mail order Trials shop, which he’s decided to close down.  Alan will be setting up a stall & holding a clearance sale of trials parts / clothing so you’ll be able to grab yourself some real bargains, but it’s going to be cash only. There’ll be plenty of great deals on offer, with boots, pants, gloves, helmets etc from brands including Airoh, Gaerne, Hebo & Alpine Stars.  There’ll be plenty of bike parts too all at prices as low as 50% off list. 

Don’t forget it’ll be CASH ONLY on the day.

 

Working party call for volunteers Saturday 9^th October 2021

Are you able to lend a hand with ground works to clear some new areas for sections at the club practice ground?  If you are then please come down to the Yennards on Saturday 9^th October from 09:00 onwards & join our working party.  You’ll be clearing bushes & vegetation, so if you are able to bring any suitable tools & equipment with you it would be much appreciated.

We are especially keen to hear from club members who have access to, or skills using, ground work / earth moving equipment – if that’s you then please let us know via email: estctrials@gmail.com

 

Fun run passing through the Yennards Saturday 9^th October

On Saturday 9^th October a charity run is being held which will see up to 250 runners using the footpath through the Yennards throughout the morning.  Please take extra care if you are planning to be at the ground practicing that day, especially when riding under the motorway bridge.  The ‘Croft Canter’ is an annual 10-mile X country event which raises money for worthy causes such as the Leicestershire Air Ambulance and children’s charities.  The organisers have set themselves a target of raising over £3,500 this year. Individual runners have timed starts between 09:00 – 11:00 so expect to see individual runners rather than large groups passing through the site. 

 

Long-term plan for the Yennards

The club would like to create a long-term plan for the continued development of the Yennards.  Over the years ahead it is hoped that new features can be constructed and the effects of long-term soil erosion be reversed.  As finances permit the club will continue to make improvements at the ground so the site can reach its full potential for the promotion & enjoyment of motorcycle trials. During the months ahead, the site will be surveyed and proposals drawn up for the next phase of ground improvement works.  Finances permitting these are likely to begin in 2022.  The club will keep you updated about this exciting development through future newsletters and via the web site.

If you have any suggestions about how you would like to see the ground improved for the purpose of trials riding (at an affordable cost), then why not let the club know via

email: estctrials@gmail.com  

 

Training update

The club is hoping to resume a programme of Trials training events before the end of the year. Our own club trainers are in the process of renewing their ACU Trials training licences which have lapsed during the Covid lockdown.  As soon as this is done a new schedule of training sessions will be published on the club website: www.estc.co.uk 

A new contact email address: estctrainers@gmail.com has been set up which can be used if you’d like to know more; this address is also to be used to book training places in future.

 

Updated club constitution (club rules)

 In 2015 ESTC was registered at company’s house as a limited company, with a board of directors and a members committee to run the club jointly for the benefit of its members.  To recognise that the club directors have a legal responsibility to run ESTC Ltd in accordance with UK company law, the club constitution (club rules) has been updated.  At a committee meeting held on 9^th September these changes were unanimously approved.  At the same meeting updates to the clubs GDPR (General Data Protection Policy) were also approved.  These updates were necessary as the club now intends to hold its membership details on a cloud-based computer server.

Updated copies of the new club rules & GDPR policy can be found on the ESTC website.

 

ESTC Newsletters

It’s unlikely we’ll be able to keep up the frequency of club newsletters you’ve seen during recent months but we’ll try & make sure you get to read something at least every quarter from hereon.

 

2022 AGM

A note for your diary: The club AGM is scheduled to take place on Thursday 27^th January - 19:30 at the Earl Shilton Constitutional Club, Station Road, Earl Shilton.

All club members are encouraged to attend, especially those who have any interest in becoming a club committee member or providing help to the club in any other way.

NEWSLETTER JULY 2021

Hi all,

We have successfully completed our first trial since February 2020 and will be sending £1000 to the Air Ambulance. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the weekend go so smoothly, the section setters, observers, riders and Ann Thurman who as well as baking her wonderful cakes to help us raise money for the charity observed both days in the sun and the rain!

The next trial will be on the 1^st August and we hope to see as many of you there as possible.  We are going to keep some covid precautions in place for the time being and would ask that all riders respect the organisers decision, all we ask is that you remember the hands, face, space message that the government were asking us to comply with.  There will be hand sanitiser, masks and gloves available at the trial for anyone who would like them. Entries are open on the ACU online entry system from now until Thursday 29^th July or the limit of 60 riders has been reached.

PLEASE READ NOW!

I would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that I will be standing down from all my positions within the club from the end of this financial year (30^th November). I am announcing this now as the committee would like to invite anyone interested in getting involved with the running of the club to get in touch to discuss the roles that I hold (Director, membership secretary, trials secretary and treasurer), we envisage that these will now be split out into separate roles to make the tasks less time consuming. I have a system which I use for the work and will pass it on and appreciate that new blood coming in will have their own methods which may make the workload simpler. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us either by the usual email or phone and we will give you more information.

We will be holding a committee meeting to discuss the way forward and would like to invite all members to attend.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to attend so that we have an idea of the numbers to ensure that we can hire an appropriately sized room.  The date of the meeting will be sent out via email to all members who express an interest in attending and published on the website.

Without new committee members coming in the club will not be able to function as it has over the last fifteen years. If you don’t want to lose the facility, please consider how you can help!

NEWSLETTER JUNE 2021

Hi all,

I hope you are all keeping well. 

We are pleased to announce that we will be running the two-day trial on the 3rd and 4th July (so long as the government don’t have to make any changes to the rulings that they announced at the beginning of the week). The trial will start at 4.30pm on the Saturday and 10.30am on the Sunday.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WILL HAVE TO BE ONE OR TWO CHANGES TO THE USUAL FORMAT OF THE WEEKEND:

1. Entries will be via the ACU online entry system with payment made via their site, entries will open on Friday 18thJune 21 at 9am and close once the total limit of 60 riders has been reached or Thursday 1st July at 10pm whichever is the sooner. Riders will only be able to enter to ride both days. The trial is closed to club, which means that you need to be a member of ESTC to be able to ride.

2. Rider number boards, pens, disposable gloves and face masks will all be available at the signing on desk individually wrapped and set out for collection.

3. Observer sheets, pens, disposable gloves and face masks will be available at the signing on desk individual wrapped. Observers will be contacted a little nearer the date to confirm that they are still available.

4. Hand sanitiser will be available at signing on.

5. There will be no toilets on site over the weekend and no camping.

6. The conducted route is in need of a new leader now that Luke’s son has moved up to the main trial. We are looking for someone to take over this role if we are going to run the route at the two day and beyond. If you can help with this, please let either Gail or Andy know as soon as possible.

7. Anita’s burger van will be on site on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.

8. As usual a portion of your entry fee will be donated to the local Air Ambulance charity. We are unable to hold a raffle this year due to restrictions regarding taking cash but would be happy to receive donations via the collection tins available at the signing on desk, these will then be passed on to the Air Ambulance after the event.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020

Hi All,

Well that is another year nearly over and I’m guessing there will be a lot of you out there that will be glad to see the back of it in the hope that we will be able to return to some kind of normality in the new year! 

Along with this newsletter I have attached a 2021 renewal form which I understand some of you may feel unable to complete at this time (either due to personal circumstances or restrictions in place) but we look forward to receiving it when you are ready.

I would like to thank you all for your patience and understanding over the rulings that we have had to put in place this year due to the virus threat.  These haven’t been easy decisions to make and have all been made following government announcements, consultation with the ACU and our insurance company, this all takes time to sort out and get into place.  The latest restrictions that we have had to put in place have been well received by most of the membership, a couple have queried what they see as our interpretation of the government and ACU advice but I can assure you all that once we had read through it all we went back to the ACU asking them to clarify our interpretation which they did. 

The process of booking in to practice appears to be working well and we will need to carry this on  to ensure that there aren’t too many riders at the ground at any one time and to enable us to have a track and trace system if needed.  This system is for your safety, if we were ever notified by a rider that they contracted the virus we could then alert riders who may have come into contact with the infected person so that you have the opportunity to get tested and/or isolate where needed.

IMPORTANT NEWS

We have been granted our usual full calendar of events for 2021 and the dates for all of the trials are on the membership form and will be on the website shortly, these may be subject to change if any of the current guidelines are increased again (hopefully not though!). 

We have made the decision for 2021 to use the ACU’s online entry system for our trials, entries will open three weeks beforehand and will close on the Thursday before the trial.  When using the online system, you will complete an entry form and pay your entry fee directly to the ACU who then reimburse the club after the event.  This system will save time on the morning of the trial, you will just need to sign the signing on form and collect your numbers (no standing in a queue in the rain with your soggy form waiting to pay your fee).  The only things that I need to point out about this are:

1. You won’t be able to turn up on the day and enter you will have to have done it online beforehand.
2. In the event of you cancelling your entry the ACU will retain an admin fee of £3 before making any refund to you.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

1. The new lock will be fitted to the gate on the 10^thJanuary at the end of the trial so please continue to use the old key until then.
2. Earl Shilton Trials Club Ltd AGM will hopefully take place at The Earl Shilton Constitutional Club, Station Road, Earl Shilton on Wednesday 27th January 2021 at 8pm. If you would like to attend, have any issues that you would like to be discussed or if you feel that you would like to be involved in decision making on how the club is run, please contact us at the usual email address.  The date and venue may be subject to change depending on any government restrictions that may be in place after Christmas. 

2020 GROUND IMPROVEMENTS

In July site access was improved through the construction of a concrete base at the entrance to the ground.  Taking four days to complete this work was undertaken following feedback from members concerned about the ease of using the site gate, especially in wet & muddy conditions.  It is hoped that members using the gate will find this improvement worthwhile. 

Repairs have also been made to the fence surrounding the lake adjoining the ground.  These repairs and new signage are intended to discourage any unauthorised access to the lake which is a part of the club’s property.  If you notice damage to any part of the fence on the ground, please let us know so that we can arrange for any necessary repairs to be made.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family, we look forward to seeing you all soon.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2019

I think that I say this every year but where has the time gone, it really doesn’t seem five minutes since I was sending out the renewals for 2019 and here is your 2020 one!

It has been another good year for the club, the new ground is looking quite established now and being enjoyed by everyone.

This year saw the club hold its first youth national trial which attracted the top youth riders from all over the UK, the event went very well, and we had very positive feedback from the riders, parents and the ACU.  Unfortunately, we could not get a date for 2020 that fitted around our club trials so we will not be holding one this year.  We would like to thank everyone who helped to make this weekend a success, there were many jobs that needed to be done, sections set then changed on the Saturday night and cleared away afterwards, observers for both days, machine examiners, Anita and John for providing food and drinks for everyone all weekend (if you did a job that I have forgotten to mention I apologise and thank you).

The 2-day trial this year was to be sponsored by Dunlop with tyres for prizes but unfortunately due to a change of personnel at Dunlop these didn’t appear.  Thank you to everyone who supported the trial we raised £675 for the Air Ambulance.  If there is anyone that you know of who would be willing to sponsor the event in 2020 please contact us to discuss.

The training days have been well supported again this year and dates for 2020 will be on the website shortly, these will be open to riders of all ages and abilities.  Please email us to book a place.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

1. Vintage Taverners Trials Club will be holding a trial at the ground on Sunday 29^thDecember 2019, this is only open to vintage bikes. If you would like further information about this trial, please contact Roger Monk or Mark McEvoy.
   
   
2. Earl Shilton Trials Club Ltd New Year trial has changed its date, we will now be running on January 12^thstarting (10.30am as usual). This change was made to allow the first round of the Centre Championship at Lincoln MC&CC to move date, this will now run on the 19^thJanuary and Loughborough will be run on the 26th.  If you were planning on riding any of these trials, please note the changes (if you were selected to provide an observer for our event please be aware that you will be asked to do it earlier than expected). 
   
   
3. The new lock will be fitted to the gate on the 10^thJanuary at the end of the trial so please continue to use the old key until then.
   
   
4. Earl Shilton Trials Club Ltd AGM will take place at The Earl Shilton Constitutional Club, Station Road, Earl Shilton on Wednesday 29th January 2020 at 8pm. If you would like to attend or have any issues that you would like to be discussed, please contact us at the usual email address.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family, we look forward to seeing you all soon.

NEWSLETTER MAY 2019

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING

Just a quick reminder that there will be NO PRACTISING at the ground from Friday 24th May until Monday 27th May due to the youth national rounds that are being held at the ground. Preparations are well under way but we could still do with a few more observers for either one or both days, if you would like to give a hand please let me know as soon as possible by emailing estcmembers@hotmail.co.uk or calling on 0781 5565285 this would count as your observing duty for the year and you won’t be asked to help at a club trial (there will be the usual burger voucher as a thank you for your help). Entries are coming in for all of the classes from all areas of the country, this trial will give the club an opportunity to showcase the excellent facility that we are lucky enough to own.

DUNLOP TYRE 2 DAY CHARITY TRIAL 29/30 JUNE 2019

This year we have had a change of name for the trial as Dunlop have offered to support us once again by supplying tyres as prizes for class winners. We will be supporting the Air Ambulance charity again so please dig deep in your wallets for this very worthy cause, the entry will be increased as it has been for the last few years the difference going to the charity along with any monies raised from the raffle. If anyone would be prepared to donate a prize for the raffle, please let Gail know. The trial will start on the Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm, the Sunday will begin at 10.30am. Camping will be available within the car parking area and paddock so please enter through the usual gate this year not the camping field that we have used in the past. Toilets will be on site all weekend but no running water. Anita’s burger van will be on site from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. Please see the website and Facebook for updates when available.

GROUNDWORKS

I hope that you will all join me in thanking Mick Moore from Havenfine Ltd and his drivers Pete and Tom, Andy, Dave and Luke for the time and effort that they have put in to transforming the ground from the flat area of wasteland that we purchased three and a half years ago into what we see today. A huge thank you also to everyone who turned up at the working party day where we managed to get the trees and hedge planted that were donated to the club by the Woodland Trust in conjunction with Leicestershire Council. Unfortunately part of the hedge was removed over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, this has been reported to and logged by the police who have said that they will patrol the area as and when they are available and have asked me to keep them informed if we have anymore problems. The youths who did the damage have been spoken to by members of the committee and told that the ground is private property, there is no public right of way to the lake (the footpath through the ground does not go that way), we also explained that the water is not safe, we have had the fence erected and planted the hedge to prevent people getting into danger.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018

I can’t believe it is December already, this means one thing, no not Christmas, club membership and ACU licence renewals. A copy of the 2019 membership form accompanies this newsletter, as soon as I receive your completed form and payment, I can issue the ACU code that you need to renew your licence.

2018 has been another good year for the club, the work at the ground has been progressing and hopefully we should soon have full use of all the land, we will let you know as soon as we have a completion date until then please don’t ride on the side where the work is taking place.

We have been offered a large number of hedging plants from the Woodland Trust which will be delivered early next year. We will be holding a ground working party to prepare the area and then another to complete the planting once they are delivered. If you have indicated that you would be willing to help us with work at the ground, I will drop you an email once we have a definite delivery date to let you know when the work days will be taking place (many hands make light work!).

The club has agreed to run an ACU Youth National Trial on the 25/26 May 2019, this will mean that there can be no practicing over this weekend. We will also be needing observers and helpers for this event, if you would like to volunteer to observe over this weekend (either one day or both) this will count as your observing duty for 2019 meaning that you wouldn’t need to miss a club trial to fulfil your duty! Please contact Gail if you would like to discuss how you could help. Anita’s burger van will be on site all weekend. We are also hoping to hold a youth training day on the Monday following this trial, please watch the website for details of this if you would like a place.

Our monthly training days have been well attended again this year and we will continue to run them in 2019, the dates will be on the website as soon as they are available.

The AGM will take place on Wednesday 23rd January 2019 8pm at the Earl Shilton Constitutional Club, Station Road, Earl Shilton. Please contact Gail if you would like to attend or have any matters that you would like to be discussed.

NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2017

Time certainly does fly, it doesn’t seem five minutes since I was doing the renewal letters for this year and here I am doing them for next year! You will see from the renewal form that we have held all the membership prices at the same level, trial entries will also remain the same as this year. Please don’t forget to complete your name and address details on the form! As soon as I receive your form and payment I will issue the ACU code that you need to renew your licence by email (or letter if you don’t use email), and then send out your membership cards and key, the lock will be changed at the trial on 22nd January.

The presentation of 2016 awards will take place before the start of the trial on 5th February, winners will be notified beforehand. We will be running our usual trials in 2017 including a round of the East Midland Centre adult and youth championships at out trial on 22nd January (please don’t be put off attending this trial it will be set out as usual, we may just get a few extra riders). Please support the Centre championship which this year will be run over six rounds spread throughout the year. The championship dates are: 8th January 2017 – Lincoln Motorcycle and Car Club 22nd January 2017 – Earl Shilton Trials Club Ltd 29th January 2017 – Sheffield and Hallamshire 8th October 2017 – Sutton Falcons 26th November 2017 – Lincoln Motorcycle and Car Club 10th December 2017 – Mansfield Maun.

The club has had another good year, with many new members, and our trials have been well supported. A big thank you to everyone who plays their part in the smooth running of the trials, setting out and observing (without you the trials wouldn’t run). Many people feel nervous when they come along to observe but then find that once they get started it is nowhere near as daunting as they expected and many report back that they have enjoyed the day, seeing the different riding styles and what is possible with a little practice!!

As you will have seen the groundworks plans are starting to come together we have made a start on shoring up the existing hill and have had to barrier off an area to allow the soil to compact down before we can ride on it, if we don’t do this the new soil will just wash out. Once this area is ready to ride on we will remove the barrier and move along. On the “new” ground there has been a lot of clearing out and new soil brought in and work is progressing well. We would like to stress that at present there is no fence around the lake so we need you to avoid riding in this area, the fence will be erected when all the clearing around the lake edge is completed as obviously, it can’t be done whilst the machinery still needs to get there.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.