Hello, members, and welcome to 2025.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas break with the expected overindulgence and days of leftover turkey curry.
As we close 2024, I would like to thank you, the club members, for the ongoing support and the degree of support that has been offered to date. The big event of 2024 was the EGM, in which a change of the committee breathed some new life into the running of DAM. I would also like to personally thank the new committee, which comprises existing and new members, for their support. I also thank our ADSM, Steve Ellis, for offering support and guidance, which has eased the transition to a new committee. My thanks also extend to the neighbouring IAM clubs NAM (Nottingham) and SAMM (Shropshire), plus Derby RoSPA, which is likely to continue as we look to support each other and not work in a silo. The back end of 2024 was about identifying our strengths and weaknesses in preparation for 2025.
Highlights since the EGM have been the venue change to the more suitable Red Cow, Derby. The club nights will remain on the second Tuesday of the month and will continue to do so heading into 2025. The re-introduction of guests and themed club nights has also prompted more interest from the membership, and we are starting to see a larger turnout of numbers. Hopefully, the upward trend will continue into 2025 as we continue with the speakers (more on this shortly). We welcomed Derbyshire Bloodbikes in October and followed this up in November with a discussion and use of MyRouteApp, which our Rideout coordinator introduced as the group’s route planning tool. Regarding ride-outs, we also arranged a schedule alternating between an “all-dayer” and ‘Dave’s Mystery tour’.
We also confirmed how the club will communicate with the membership, confirming email as the primary tool of choice, continuing the use of Facebook, and introducing the DAM WhatsApp community, which is open to all members. Let us not forget the Website, too.
The committee agreed to end the use of Groups.io.
So, what do we have to look forward to in 2025? A year of stability with plans for growth. As mentioned, the club night will continue on the second Tuesday of the month at the Red Cow (unless advised). The committee has been working hard to get an action-packed start to the year, and we have the following evenings to look forward to:
- Jan – Supremecoat (details already sent)
- Feb – Powerslide motorcycles at Powerslide, Raynesway.
- Mar – BikeTrac
- April – Helite
- May – Pirelli
This is not the conclusion of our events; we have several more speakers and topics planned. The committee has decided to open our events to other safety organisations; the first will be our upcoming trip to Powerslide, including Derby RoSPA.
In 2025, we will organise more regular ride-outs, and the schedule of weekends will be shared with the membership. We will continue the tradition of an “all-dayer” and a mystery tour, along with additional ride-outs as they come up. These rides will be advertised via email, Facebook, and within the ride-out group in the WhatsApp community. We will also launch a club calendar for members to subscribe to during 2025. Other events are being planned, including skills days and potentially a weekend trip.
With regards to observing, there has been a shift away from Local Observers within the IAM and a moved to only National Observers, which intends to standardised the delivery of training to the associate. Currently, the club has only three National Observers, but there is a training program in place, concluding in February/March, where DAM should have at least seven NOs.
The committee has also been working on IT initiatives, which, like all IT projects, have proven challenging. Communications from other committee members will be available soon, so please keep an eye out for those updates. Additionally, the Website is being revamped and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
Stabilising the club has also highlighted the need to get our governance in order, and one of the side projects within the committee is to ensure DAM complies with the IAM and the Charities Commission. This will see a review of exisiting club policy and the introduction of policy where missing. Additionally, we are taking data seriously, and I would like to ensure our members that we will have an ongoing exercise of “checks and balances” to ensure our membership list is correct. Your data is secure and in line with GDPR.
The committee has agreed that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will return to its original schedule in April 2025. Our club secretary has experience organising these meetings, so we have everything prepared for a successful event. This is your club, and we encourage you to get involved. There are positions available on the committee, and if you want to help shape the club’s future, joining us is a great way to do so.
We also welcome your suggestions for events. If there’s something or someone you’d like to see, please let the committee know, and we will do our best to arrange it. Additionally, we invite you to share your ideas for ride-outs or even lead a ride yourself. The more people who lead rides, the greater the variety of routes and destinations we can explore together.
I am sure you will all agree and join me in thanking our committee for their hard work, and in no particular order – Dave Macgregor (Secretary), John Froggatt (Social Media), Jason Wynn (IT), Richard Clauson (Treasurer/Membership), Rob Collet (Ride-Outs), Pete Macrorie (Cheif Observer) and Paul Abram (General member).
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