British Driving Society
Scottish Branch
June 2008 Newsletter
Congratulations
Our congratulations and best wishes to Margaret Lupton from Annan who has been selected to be part of the British Para team to Para-Equestrian World Driving Championships at St Martin Greven-Bockholt in Germany on 27-29 June 2008. Also to Catriona Murray AC for Dumfries who is the back stepper/transport manager, etc.
The qualification and training arrangements for this team require a big commitment very early in the season, which reflects the determination and commitment that are necessary to compete at this level. Now you are ‘there’ you can concentrate on enjoying yourself.
BDS Tests - Congratulations to:
May Bank Holiday weekend saw BDS tests in several venues:
Molly Atkinson, Colin Whitear, Morag Russell all passed their Preliminary Test and their Road Driving Test in Aberdeen. Ann Raeburn also passed the Road Driving Test.
The following members passed their Road Driving Test in Fife – Lyndsey Brown, Ann Small, Zoe Saunders and Jean Durie.
Claire Armet, Hamish Reid, Susan Whiteford, Yvonne Anderson and Ronnie Soutar all successfully completed their Road Driving Test at Seacliffe.
Claire Armet and Baxter ready for their Road Driving Test in the sunshine of early May, near North Berwick.
Probationer Judges for Scotland The committee is concerned that Scotland is beginning to get short of list judges. We do not have that many judges to start with and others are reaching that ‘certain age’. Quite a number have come off the list in recent years. This situation is only going to get worse.
We are inviting applications from Scottish members to attend Scottish Shows as a probationer judge. If successful, this will qualify them to join the Scottish panel but hopefully, if they wish, they can then apply to join the National scheme with some experience behind them. Our scheme will not give automatic rights to join the National scheme nor to get onto that judges panel.
Scotland is fortunate in having quite a few senior judges, such as Jane MacInnes here judging at Hopetoun, who are willing to share their experience with our new judges.
Lowther Private Driving These classes take place on Saturday 9 August.
There are Private Driving and Exercise vehicles classes. The Scottish BDS tent will also be at Lowther on the Trade Stands. If you are there go along and see George. Maybe you could give him some help for a little while. For further details of the driving classes contact John Cowdery – see contact details.
Hopetoun BDS Private Driving classes have taken place alongside the driving trials at Hopetoun ever since this competition began. We thank the SCDA for and the organising committee for their kind invitation to use their showground and beautiful main arena. Last year the entry was so big we appreciated that we needed to do something different. This year we ran the classes as something of a club show with Private Driving class in the morning and Club classes in the afternoon. Again we had a good entry and some lovely turnouts including 2 donkeys. We have quite an audience with lots of visitors and HDT competitors watching our classes.
Hopetoun Private Driving Champion was Ann Rushton Green with Mickey. Joyce Simpson was reserve and also the Club Champion.
BDS Scotland Summer Show at Thirlestane Castle 16/17 August
Our summer show runs alongside the Horse
Trials and this year this includes an International Championship for Young Riders. There will be lots of overseas visitors. Usually our classes get just as much interest as the event (if not more.) Now that so many of you have ‘had a go’ and know what to do, please keep our driving ring full and busy by putting in your entries and coming along. The classes on the Saturday are specifically arranged for you and are much the same as happened at Hopetoun. Sunday classes are more formal but there may be something in there for you too. If not just come along and enjoy the show. Contact Ann Rushton Green for the schedule Tel: 07775827101 and enter – we would really like to see you are Thirlestane.
BDS Scotland Committee It seems a long way from the AGM but we need to be thinking about the future now. When the Autumn newsletter comes out, it is too late. We have new 2 nominated Committee members on our committee, Alan Millar and Ann Small. (Ann we wish you well after recent surgery.) There will be other members who will be standing down in the usual rotation of members.
If you would like to consider joining the committee and standing for the Autumn Election alongside these members, you have time to think about it. Committee members have to take some responsibility and are expected to do some work but it is not that demanding or time consuming! Nomination forms will be available from the secretary and on the web page.
Usually the committee meet 4 times a year. However, it has been decided to reduce these to 3 meetings as this will reduce costs.
Anthea Greenleas Scholarship
Young drivers or would be drivers 10 – 18 are invited to attend a day of training and fun activities on Sunday 6 July at High Newton, near Arbroath. At the end of the day a scholarship for a day’s tuition with an LHHI is given to the most promising junior. You do not have to be a BDS member to attend. If you are interested contact Audrey Baron Tel: 01241 872579 ASAP and she will give you full details. She needs to know you are coming so the she can organise the day.
With the cost of fuel seemingly increasing daily, we will all have to carefully consider the activities we are going to attend. If you are going to a drive, show or anything organized by your BDS Area, please have the courtesy to telephone and let them know that you are coming. We all learnt from the Foot and Mouth crisis that once you stop going to shows/competitions/drives you get out of the habit and it becomes very difficult to ‘pick up the reins’ again. If you are not careful there could be nothing left for you to go to in the future. If people who organize things get tired of people not turning up, they will quickly find other things to do. Please, just use the phone and confirm that you will be there, even if it to help.
Chairman’s notes
As you can see from other parts of this newsletter, there is a lot going on in the Scottish Branch of the BDS. The recent spell of summer weather has encouraged members to get out and support the many shows and other activities organized by our hard working secretary and the area commissioners. The Lothian and Borders areas has made the greatest improvement in recent months thanks to the enthusiasm of their new area commissioner, Yvonne Anderson who was instrumental in organizing their area show which ran in conjunction with Hopetoun HDT (and a lot of assistance from Ann.)
Tests are going brilliantly at the moment and we will soon have the most qualified in the UK. It is encouraging that so many new members are coming to the various meets that ACs organize and are immediately keen to do the tests – which must start with the road driving assessment.
I am lucky that, as Chairman, I have such a hard- working bunch on the committee to back me up and to drive forward the plans that we have for driving in Scotland. If you can spare a couple of hours 3 times a year, please put your name forward for election and let us hear your voice in the committee.
John Cowdery