Fakenham Auto Club AGM 4th March 2026
Chairman’s Report
Thank you to you for coming to the Fakenham Auto Club 2026 Annual General Meeting
Let me start with a reflection on 2025:
The Club Website – it was decided to redesign the website. Tim is our IT expert and stepped up to the plate. Tim and Deana have done an excellent job in doing so. I hope that you have seen it and are enjoying its updates and immersive involvement.
Events – I counted 37 on the 2025 list. A large amount to administer but as ever, all were expertly handled by our committee and volunteer members.
Charity – we raised £2,080 for The Norfolk Accident Rescue Service. NARS gave excellent presentations at last years AGM and the cheque handover evening in January. Following the presentation we received a lovely letter of Thank You from NARS.
Talking of “Thank You’s” can I extend the following to the Committee and volunteers, specifically:
Rob – For his impeccable organisation of the Club tour to the Cotswolds
Ian – his excellent Secretarial role in keeping the Club’s committee meetings and records up to date
Tim and Deana – for their help with the Website as previously mentioned
Lyn – For her role as Treasurer. Lyn has stood down from the committee and the role has been picked up by Tim. Thank you Tim.
Brian – for his mentor advice to myself, for organising events and specifically for securing our tenure in the market place
Tony – for his role as membership secretary. Tony has stood down from the committee. Thank you for your efforts Tony and accordingly we are looking for a member to fill Tony’s shoes. If there are any willing volunteers please speak to a member of the committee.
To David, Mike, Dennis and Vanessa –for their help in organising and coordinating events throughout the year. Dennis has stood down from the committee and is Thanked for all of his efforts.
To member volunteers – To Heather, Jean Colman, Judy, Ann and Jean Stebbing for their help with charity raffles at events held throughout the year. To club members Barry and Valerie Southerland for the use of their lovely farm in Burnham Thorpe for the Fun Day held at the end of June.
Committee
We have a solid and strong committee. You will see that three committee members have stood down. We are always looking for new committee members. New blood has fresh ideas and new initiatives that work really well. If anyone would like to help the Club then please let us know.
Events:
Etiquette for attending events – once an event has been booked please can attendees make sure that every effort is made to attend the event. Our event organisers go through a tremendous amount of effort to book the venue to arrange the event. We understand that extenuating circumstances necessitate the requirement to withdraw from a previously booked event but all we would ask that you are mindful of the venue and the fact that they will have ordered in the provisions to accommodate our visit. A last minute advice causing a deviation from attendance is very frustrating for the venue and our event organiser alike.
Some of the most successful events in 2025:
As previously mentioned, our Club visit to the Cotwolds
The Mike Tomlin Run
Visit to Gressenhall Farm/Workhouse
Visit to Bugz Butterfly & Invertebrate park
Visit to Barry and Valerie Southerland’s farm in Burnham Thorpe for the ever popular car and fun day . Thank you Barry and Valerie.
Evening drive to Sculthorpe Mill followed by bar snacks
Quiz Night at Q’s cafe
Club Christmas dinner
Looking forward to 2026:
The first “major” event is our Market place meeting on 28th March. We have sent members the procedures for this event. We would ask that members adhere to the instructions therein. From now on we are under scrutiny by both the police and the Town Council.
We have listened to the membership – change of strategy – posh diners club, new events – auction, always looking for members to help – not needed to be committee members, e.g. auction Iain Salmon. New ideas and initiatives.
We have some interesting events lined up for 2026 a few of which are listed:
Thursford Open Gardens and Museum – this arose as an invitation to the Club from the venue
Seal Watching – being organised by Vanessa
Kings Lynn car auction, as previously mentioned – this has been a difficult one to organise but we finally have got there. I daresay it will be very popular and will be a very interesting visit
County School station visit, talk and guided tour
Our ever popular rallies – Night run in May and the Mike Tomlin run
Our Club tour. We were proposing to visit Northumberland next month. We recognise that this is a long distance and so have decided to alter the timing and the area to visit to September when the roads will be less busy after the summer holidays. We would invite suggestions for an area to visit. As a committee we have been musing Yorkshire Dales, Kent, Hampshire, Suffolk but the world, as they say, is our oyster.
Membership – The Club membership stood at nearly 100 members in 2025 and I see no reason why this should be any different this year. We are a not for profit organisation. However we have seen our administration costs increasing, such as insurance and now with our increased responsibilities for our eight market place events we are incurring extra costs in the guise of general safety, first aid and fire safety. With this in mind we will have to increase subs in 2027. If we were to increase the subs to say £20 this would still only represent a monthly subscription of just under £1.70 a month for what amounts to a membership for two people. I would say that I have seen no increase since I have been a member, so probably ten years or so.
I am greatly excited about the new year and also better weather where we can extract our “sleeping” cars:
So let’s get out there in our jalopies and make the most of our beautiful County and beyond.
Jim
Chairman