A somewhat belated update following our post-Rally meeting, and a few reminders too!
General verdict and finances
- The team were all really happy with how the Rally went – there’s still a list of improvements for next time (including better dishwashing facilities, and more reliable caterers!) but overall we think it went pretty well. We’re also making plans to reduce the physical toll on volunteers, especially when setting up the site.
- We did make a modest loss on this year’s event, but it was easily covered by Rally reserves and includes some one-off expenses for equipment which will last for many Rallies to come. It’s possible that the rainly weather in regions around York put off some campers from coming, accounting for most of the shortfall. But the committee agreed that we can’t count on better weather in future years, so we must plan carefully to ensure that the Rally is in profit again next year and remains viable for years to come. As well as trimming costs we will be looking at attracting other funding and sponsorship.
- Fundraising should be easier once we are a charity. The CIO application process is ongoing, and we are currently answering some queries from the Charity Commission.
- We are very happy to have a few new faces on the committee but we could still use more active members! If you’re free to attend meetings every few months in York and could take on an active role, do please get in touch! Your Rally needs you…
- Finally, we are still awaiting confirmation from City of York Council of our tentative 2017 dates: 24th-25th June 2017. They cannot definitively confirm until the (horse) racing calendar is firmed up.
Photo competition closing in a week!
- Many thanks to all who have entered this year’s photo competition! Entries close a week on Sunday (on the 31st July) and thanks to the generosity of our traders we have plenty of prizes to give away. Under 16s entries are especially welcome! Please just send your images to publicity@yorkrally.org – if they’re too big to email try the free Wetransfer file transfer service (just hit ‘skip’ if it nags you for the paid version).
- There’s also an initial work-in-progress collection of images from the 2016 Rally here.
Badges galore
As some of you may have spotted in the info tent at the Rally, we were kindly gifted a large number of badges from previous Rallies (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999,2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, & 2012). These are now for sale on our merchandise page for just £1 each plus £1 postage for up to 8 badges.
Children’s drawing competition 2016: congratulations to the winners!
- Over 12
Winner: Anthony Harris
Runners-up: Bridie Harris & Kieran Bramley - Over 8
Winner: Elizabeth Reid
Runners-up: Holly Harris & Lewis Jackson - Under 8
Winner: Rosalind Sophie
Runners-up: Hannah Sharp & Thomas Robert Graham
We’ll do a new post showing the winning entries shortly!
Our next meeting
- Our next meeting is set for the 17th September 2016 at 10AM, upstairs at Cycle Heaven, Hospital Fields Road, York. Please just let us know if you need a lift from the station. As ever, all are welcome!