Malvern Motorhome Show 2018

Malvern Rally  August 2018

          This year twentyfour IH vans plus a Burstner and a Hymer and their various occupants descended on the Three Counties Showground at Malvern for the Warner’s Western Motorhome Show.  Two other IH's were too late to park with the group but were very close by and it was lovely that the couples were able to join in with the activities and general fettling chit chat.  So in total I think there were at least five new couples attending for the first time.           Friday was mostly a day for attending the show and milling around the campsite peering into one another’s vans to find out what had been newly done. Ray Pym showed off the very useful door pockets he had put in the bottom halves of the rear doors on his van, certainly making useful storage in this otherwise empty space.  He had neatly finished the pockets with interior trim “carpet” to match the original IH trim.  He had also tidily organised his awning poles and pegs on the IH panel across the back of his RL model.  Trevor Pilbeam had a problem with his awning leg but plenty of help was on hand.          Late afternoon we had a get together with drinks and nibbles and a hotly contested paper plane race. The windy conditions led to some planes landing before the take off area!  Those who waited for a lull were rewarded and the prize for the longest flight went to Keith Fowkes whose plane was consistently good over several flights.  The winner of the children’s race was Owen (House).          We drank a toast to absent friends, in particular Graham Thompson, Kath  Conlon and John and Ann Holt.

          Later that night, we found a group of campers had braved the sheriff at the door in one of the entertainment venues.  Weapons checked, they were enjoying the music and the spectacle of a constant parade of cowboys and their ladies in weird and wonderful costumes.  The Indians were definitely outnumbered.  We didn’t spot any of our number dancing though.

          Live music was laid on every night Thursday to Sunday in each of the 3 venues.

          Saturday was a day when many of us were waiting in great anticipation for the emergence of Martin the miracle worker from his caravan. Poor man, he was pounced on by a gaggle of owners with things to sort.  Up to the task, he worked methodically down the line fixing things from solar regulators to trim pieces.  On our van he performed a great bit of detective work to find the source of a leak and also diagnosed a faulty toilet pump and replaced it with a new one that we managed to source at the show.

          In the aftrnoon, we gathered to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversaries of both Rosemary and Barry Rosedale and Tina and Martyn House. Tina had brought some lovely wedding photos and I was struck by how little she had changed.  Martyn on the other hand.......... .......  of course the world was black and white in those days as our children used to say.  The couples were presented with some beautiful cards, hand made by Mary Sutton, and signed by those present and also a small gift each from the IH Owners Club of a pair of lighthearted Mr and Mrs mugs.  Then we all tucked in to a piece of the celebration cake made by Cathie Cowan.          Saturday evening we strolled over to the main event hall and, even though we didn’t have tickets, we very much enjoyed the Everley Brothers tribute from a bench outside.  Trevor and Margaret Pilbeam were amongst the lucky ones inside and reported that the supporting band were also brilliant.  Earlier, a small group including Ann Mcgarty and Myrtle had joined in a line dancing lesson.

          On Sunday, we had a group meeting chaired by Mary Sutton.  Mary reminded us that the club is run purely on an informal basis and that  there is no committee.  It was agreed that Oswestry would be a good venue for the winter meet as the ground has a room that can be used for get togethers and also there is a good bus service from the site.  Charles and Jen Deverill have kindly volunteered to organise this.  Mary asked us to all be on the lookout for new sites suitable for meetings in the future.

          Mavis and John Bird were thanked for being Rally Marshals at this Malvern show and presented with some lovely flowers. They were asked to select a charity for the annual donation from the IHOC and Prostrate Cancer UK was chosen.

          Jen Deverill took advantage of the lovely weather and climbed the nearby hill.  She rang Charles from the top and we all stood to give her a wave.  I hope she knew what Charles was promising in her absence!  Later she admitted that our efforts were in vain as she hadn’t seen us.

          Finally, prizes for the anagram quiz and the human bingo.  The House’s won the draw out of the hat for the anagram quiz, the Pilbeams won the Human bingo and Neville Pither won the most interesting fact - it was his birthday that day!

          We were sad to leave the showground on what turned out to be the most beautiful evening on Sunday.  It is such a lovely setting and we have made great friends with other owners.  Apart from heavy rain on the Wednesday night, luckily after we had laid out the marker flags, we were blessed with fine, if a little breezy weather.

          Roll on next year.

                    Mavis and John Bird