A word from the VCB

The introductory piece from the VCB, as part of our new and ongoing Vespa Club updates.

The back story

Just to set the scene and get the ball rolling, here is an abbreviated history of the VCB which was formed in 1952 and has seen many changes since then.

In May 1952, with the start of Vespa production in the UK, the first branch of the Vespa Club of Britain was formed in North West London by William (Bill) Mitchell Bond. New branches were gradually started and by the early 1960s there were a number of rallies being held. Eurovespa Rallies were held annually with Britain hosting the 1960 Annual European Regularity Championship. They also organised an Annual Super National Rally with branches organising many more national rallies. A total of 13 regions and 140 branches were in place by this period. The VCB moved its office to the Douglas works in Bristol in 1961 and by the 1970s it had become self sufficient and continued to organise rallies through the 70s and 80s. In 1996, the 50th Anniversary of the Vespa was celebrated by a rally held at Billing Aquadrome, Northampton. Then, 2006 saw the last Eurovespa held in Turin, Italy; the following year saw the first Vespa World Days, held in San Marino. Membership of the club is now growing again and we currently have more than 3000 members spread over 15 regions. Each region has a regional representative who promotes the VCB across their region. Vespa World Days are now held every year and 2018 sees The Vespa Club of Britain and Ulster Vespa Club hosting the event in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast in June.

Moving forward with VWD

Although planning for VWD in Belfast is taking up a lot of time, planning is already under way for British Vespa Days 2019, which will be taking place in the picturesque town of Llangollen in North Wales. There is always plenty going on within the VCB with many regions putting on their own events. The committee has expanded recently with a dedicated events team. This ensures the smooth running of events and also helps to stop events clashing. The VCB are also firm supporters of the BSRA and will not promote any events that clash with the national rallies.

Some regions have their own regular meetings, such as the South West region who have breakfast club meets at The Haynes Museum on the first Sunday of every month. They are also hosting the popular Two Channels Dash which started last year and takes place in September. Both Yorkshire and the North West also organise monthly meetings throughout the summer with the North West region also hosting the Cheshire 100 rally which includes a 100 mile ride around the beautiful countryside of Cheshire. Another popular North West event is Dancing in Your Wellies, which is hosted by Wigan Vespa Club in May and is in its third year.

It’s for local people

Along with VCB events, many branches take part in other local events, for instance Blackburn and Burnley branches joined up with SOS scooter club to take part in the first East Lancashire toy run in December. Another popular event is the AGM. This is when any important decisions are put to the members’ vote and various trophies are handed out. There are trophies for the Attendance Award, The Regional Riders Competition, which involves travelling around 1500 landmarks across the country with points

earned for each one, and also some other special trophies for individual members. This year’s AGM was held in January in Coventry with a good attendance from all over the country, both in the daytime and also for the evening do. The next AGM will be in November to allow people more time to make plans earlier for the following season. More details of this will follow nearer the time.

Club membership… what’s in it for me?

People often ask, ‘What do I get if I join the VCB?’ This is a fair enough question to ask before parting with your hard earned money. Initially you will be sent a membership card, a cloth patch and a sticker. The membership card gives you discount at a range of retailers across the country. You will also receive six copies of Vespa News at bi-monthly intervals. There are three VCB members-only events spread across the year, along with lots of smaller regional events.

Added to these are the popular Attendance Award/Signing On competition, the Regional Riders competition and for anyone wishing to travel further afield, there are plenty of European Vespa Club rallies to choose from too. There is also a reasonably priced Vespa dating service. Last but not least is the club shop where you can buy a huge range of Vespa clothing and merchandise as well as information and tickets for upcoming events. This is all for £16 a year individual membership or £26 family membership.

There are now over 300 cogs within the VCB, which are a mix of VCB branches and affiliated clubs. One particularly active cog is Valley Scooter Club from Rossendale who recently celebrated their 30th anniversary. I’m sure they had a great time reminiscing over old times with a few beers thrown in for good measure. One of their members, Stephen Halstead, took time out of his busy riding schedule to write a few lines about how they became involved with the VCB (see above).

Hopefully, this starting feature gives a good insight into the VCB and its history. The VCB has members of all ages from teenagers right up to riders in their 70s and is open to anyone with an interest in Vespas. Anyone wishing to join the VCB can do so at www.vespaclub.uk. Alternatively, look out for the VCB stall which will be at all the national rallies. Russ Machin