Hello from the Midlands

[TimChilde]

OK so I've been lurking around the forum waiting for something to happen, but it's quite quiet in the sections I can see, so I thought I'd finally jump in and say hello.



Hello!





I've not joined any 4x4 Response related thing yet, other than the forum, but I'm considering getting involved.



What do you want to know in an intro....?



I'm based in Halesowen.

I have a '96 Discovery with virtually no bling.

I've just started green laning (been once, going again this weekend)





err what else vaguely relevant...



I'm a Group Leader / instructor for a Duke of Edinburgh Award group

I'm a member of the IAM

I'm an ex-member of RAYNET, left when moved location due to job change.

I went to 1 meeting of Dartmoor rescue, then moved (as above) so never actually joined ;)

I have a parrot so I must be a pirate :D

[BobWessex]

Hi Tim,



Welcome to the forum.



I don't think we actuslly have a team in your area. I think the nearest are either Herefordshire or Gloucetsershire & Worcestershire.



So you might well find yourself with yet another role, if you have any friends/colleagues in your area.

[Tony Ferrari]

Hi Tim



You are more than welcome here!



We have had a bit of interest from the West Midlands / Warwickshire area in the past but doesn't seem to have come to anything, maybe some of the others will reappear following your post.



Tony

[TimChilde]

We have had a bit of interest from the West Midlands / Warwickshire area in the past but doesn't seem to have come to anything, maybe some of the others will reappear following your post.





I'll admit that was part of the reason for finally posting an intro. I've seen a few mentions from the area, but all separate, and at different times. Just wondered if a load of other people would pop up.





There aren't groups round here for anything. eg IAM nearest is Kidderminster, or Solihull, or Worcester - but not near here :(

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Hi Tim



Welcome to the forum.



There was someone at the North Wales training this weekend from Kidderminster area but although there are a few laning and off roading clubs in the West Midlands round Cannock etc there doesn't seem to be anything going on with 4x4 Response.



Herefordshire group meet in Hereford but that's quite a way from you, but if you want any details let me know.

[TimChilde]

I think I saw the training was on this weekend.



I would have tried to blag my way on to it, but I was out doing Strata Florida, Happy Valley et al this weekend :D





BTW I work in Kidderminster, so now I count that as quite close ;)

[Teresa Herefordshire]

I'm sure I recognise that rock! :D Who did you go out with, was it a group thing or just a few of you? Some of us doing the Wales weekend went off and did a day's laning in North Wales - if only I knew the names of the lanes I could tell you where. Sarn Helen was the only one I can spell ... :shock: Some great views up there and we had a really good day, just challenging enough without any damage apart from lots of gorse scratches.



If you're interested in coming along to the next Herefordshire 4x4R meeting, drop me a PM and I'll give you some info on the group.



We're hoping to get a site shortly where we can do some basic off road training in a non-damaging environment (i.e. not too many trees to slide into!) so that might be worth you getting involved with.

[peter willis]

hi tim and welcome to the board if your looking to join as bob say gloucestershrie and worcestershire are one of your closeesd



groups we have a few members in the Worcester area feel free to pop along to one our pub meets on the thrid tuesday of each month just of jun 11 M5 all details and more about the group on our web site take a look



www.gloucestershire4x4response.co.uk (http://www.gloucestershire4x4response.co.uk)



or pm me for more details



pete

[TimChilde]

I'm sure I recognise that rock! :D Who did you go out with, was it a group thing or just a few of you? Some of us doing the Wales weekend went off and did a day's laning in North Wales - if only I knew the names of the lanes I could tell you where.



I can't remember all of them, but we did Strata Florida, the Wayfarer, Happy Valley and some others.



That rock was towards the end of Strata Florida - it had to be done :D





If you can survive the forum they call LandyZone, there's a thread with all the pictures/videos etc on it. (Usual landyzone warnings apply - ie bad language and abuse is common - so check thickness of skin before entering :D)



http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f13/strat ... 86949.html (http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f13/strata-florida-photo-fred-86949.html)

[TimChilde]

hi tim and welcome to the board if your looking to join as bob say gloucestershrie and worcestershire are one of your closeesd



groups we have a few members in the Worcester area feel free to pop along to one our pub meets on the thrid tuesday of each month just of jun 11 M5 all details and more about the group on our web site take a look



http://www.gloucestershire4x4response.co.uk



or pm me for more details



pete





Looks like I'm in demand ;)





There's 3 possible groups I think;



Hereford - my house was in Hereford and Worcstershire I think, before they moved the boundary a mile up the road.

Gloucestershire - not far

Wales - the way we all go when playing



Which is actually closest and / or best I haven't yet worked out......

[Teresa Herefordshire]

There's 3 possible groups I think;



Hereford - my house was in Hereford and Worcstershire I think, before they moved the boundary a mile up the road.

Gloucestershire - not far

Wales - the way we all go when playing



Which is actually closest and / or best I haven't yet worked out......



Nothing to stop you going to both meetings and seeing what you think before you join. And Wales training events are also advertised to other groups so you can go to those when you fancy travelling further if they have spaces. But things do get booked up pretty quickly lately!



I actually live nearer to Worcester now than Hereford but haven't ventured down the M5 to Gloucestershire group yet!

[Andy Harvey]

Theresa.



Come on down, you'll be made very welcome - we don't bite down in Gloucestershire - well not too hard anyway.

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Let me know when your next meeting is and I'll try and get over there.



Would be interesting to find out who the other Worcester members are as well. Herefordshire also have some Forest of Dean members so we overlap quite a bit I think on the borders.



Shall I collect Tim on the way and we can fight over him?! :twisted:

[TimChilde]

Shall I collect Tim on the way and we can fight over him?! :twisted:



:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o







Anyway, now I'm confused - which group covers which area?



I always think of Hereford and Worcestershire together, but it looks like it's Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.



I ask because Worcestershire would be nearest to me ;)





You guys know where you are, and where you spend most of the time - so which is nearest to me in Halesowen??

[Andy Harvey]

Tim, Theresa.

Gloucestershire now covers Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and is now actually Gloucestershire - Worcestershire 4x4 Response. We actually are part of the Worcestershire Communitee Volunteer Emergency Committee (CVEC).



Next Meeting is a week on Tuesday (20th October) at the Aviator pub on Staverton Airport. You can get directions on the Gloucestershire Website (still gloucestershire4x4response.co.uk but son to be gw4x4r.co.uk)

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Gloucester, Cheltenham and Worcester all run along the M5 so I guess that's why they're connected together that way. And I think a few people from Worcester joined Gloucestershire group so they spread up that way. (Is that correct Andy?)



Herefordshire joins onto Wales so there's some overlap between those two groups - mainly me! :D



The meetings for the two groups are probably a similar distance from you so I think you should go to both, then you could set up a West Midlands group, fill in the gaps and join us all together!



At the moment Herefordshire are planning on having members meetings quarterly with training and events in between so not due for another one for a little while but will keep you informed.



I'll do my best to get over there to the meetingnext week as I've been meaning to for ages.

[Darmain]

Hi Tim,



Whats your user name on LandyZone then?



Cheers



Dave aka Darmain on LZ.

[TimChilde]

Hi Tim,



Whats your user name on LandyZone then?



Cheers



Dave aka Darmain on LZ.





I like to be anonymous so I picked the most obscure user name I could - Tim.C :lol:

[Darmain]

Arr Harr, so you be the Radio Ham chappie then.... :D :D :D

[TimChilde]

Arr Harr, so you be the Radio Ham chappie then.... :D :D :D





Oh dear - you've seen that thread and reputation here is ruined right from the start :D



Yes I do have a ham licence, but my radios have been in a draw for 10+ years. Keep meaning to use them again properly.

I used them a lot when I lived in Plymouth, but hardly at all since I moved back north.



Tim.C

[Andy Harvey]

Gloucester, Cheltenham and Worcester all run along the M5 so I guess that's why they're connected together that way. And I think a few people from Worcester joined Gloucestershire group so they spread up that way. (Is that correct Andy?)





Teresa.



Yes you are right but also one of the first users of Gloucestershire 4x4 Response was the out of hours doctors service in Worcestershire. As no-one else was covering Worcestershire we stepped in. After this we got some members from Worcestershire and the CVEC there started to engage with us and that's pretty much how it all came about. There are a lot of similarities in the areas and easy connections between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire (the M5 mainly) except during the floods (took me 5 hours to get from Birmingham to Gloucester on that friday.

[Teresa Herefordshire]

I remember it well! :shock: Took me 3 hours to get home from Worcester to Bromyard and luckily got through before a landslide blocked the A44. I was in a petrol Shogun Pinin and that was the day I decided I needed to buy a Discovery and get a snorkel! :D Don't think the snorkel would have helped much with the landslide though. :oops:

[Andy Harvey]

There were bits of the inside lane on the M5 that a lifeboat would have been more appropriate!.

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Tim, Theresa.

Gloucestershire now covers Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and is now actually Gloucestershire - Worcestershire 4x4 Response. We actually are part of the Worcestershire Communitee Volunteer Emergency Committee (CVEC).



Next Meeting is a week on Tuesday (20th October) at the Aviator pub on Staverton Airport. You can get directions on the Gloucestershire Website (still gloucestershire4x4response.co.uk but son to be gw4x4r.co.uk)



So ... has Tim made a decision yet?



Andy - does this pub do coffee/food as I'll probably be going straight from work?

[Andy Harvey]

Theresa.



Yep the Aviator does Coffee and food, it is a restaurant as well as a pub with a good range of pub food.

[TimChilde]

Next Meeting is a week on Tuesday (20th October) at the Aviator pub on Staverton Airport.



Ahh just realised that this is tomorrow :o :o



If I can get a baby sitter, I'll try and get down. Unlikely, but I will try ;)

[TimChilde]

90% certain it's a no for this time. Wife goes out on a Tuesday and I get to look after the kids.



I'm sure you'll meet again, and I'll try and get down then.







:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

[peter willis]

Theresa.

nice to see you last night was very nice talking to you



and like we said see we don't bite :lol: :lol:



see you again sometime soon i hope



pete

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Thanks to you all for making me feel welcome. :D Hopefully we can work together on some of the shows next year and it's good to exchange ideas. Seems silly not to when we're so close. I think getting the CRB-checker in to do the forms on site is an idea I will definitely steal from you if I can organise it as they know what they're looking for better than we do.



Also will have to come to another meeting as they do nice toasties! 8-)



Don't know about not biting, but I did overhear a conversation about disciplinary procedures which was a bit perturbing! :twisted: That's Gloucestershire folk for you I guess ... ;)

[TimChilde]

Sorry I couldn't get down this time, maybe the next one as I'll have more notice to get a baby sitter....



When is the next one???

[peter willis]

17th november same place

[TimChilde]

17th november same place



I've put it in my diary, and am crossing my fingers ;)

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Just do it. :D



They're very scary but have nice orange jackets so well worth joining! 8-)

[Teresa Herefordshire]

By the way Tim, your avatar picture looks too much like mine! :evil:

[TimChilde]

By the way Tim, your avatar picture looks too much like mine! :evil:



Except my Disco doesn't have so much bling on the front :D

[robin-baldwin]

Touche

[Teresa Herefordshire]

Bling??????! :evil: You accusing me of being a chav? I'm deeply offended! :cry:



Just cos I've got pink Burberry seat covers .... :oops:

[TimChilde]

17th november same place



I've put it in my diary, and am crossing my fingers ;)





Not this month either I'm afraid.



Having the house rewired in a few days - much packing of things into boxes to do.



Next attempt December !!!!