From the chair: May 2015

As I write, we have just one month to go before the PR Driving Day on 2 June at Castle Combe. So far, we have had a number of press offices register for the day but there are plenty more to come.  So if you have yet to do it, make it a priority when you return...

From the chair: April 2015

Surprise news for the group this month is that we are about to part company with Liz Turner, who only took up the reins as group Honorary Secretary at the AGM last November.  It is not because Liz has given up on us already, but because she has been offered a job...

From the chair: March 2015

We held the first Western Group meeting of the year at the RAC control centre at Bradley Stoke on the edge of Bristol, courtesy of the RAC.  PR Manager Simon Peevers explained that the site was opened some 20 years ago and handles insurance and administration...

From the chair: February 2015

Plans for a new London Motor Show were first revealed by Prince Michael of Kent at the Guild of Motoring Writers Annual Dinner and Awards at the beginning of December.  It would be the first time that a full-scale show has been held in the capital since the...

From the chair: January 2015

A Happy New Year to you and I hope you had a good Christmas break.  Even before the year was out came news of several press office changes, including a reorganisation at PSA Peugeot Citroën UK. This sees Andrew Didlick becoming Director, Communications, Events...

From the chair: December 2014

The AGM is behind us and we have a new Honorary Secretary.  Liz Turner is already fizzing with ideas, so watch the website for further developments in the coming months. Many thanks to our retiring honorary secretary Glen Smale for a good job well done, over the...

From the chair: November 2014

There are just two weeks to go before the Western Group AGM, again kindly hosted by Mitsubishi at its Cirencester head office, right in the heart of Western Group territory.  The AGM means that we will see a small but significant committee change. After several...
From the chair: October 2014

From the chair: October 2014

I’ve just spent a most enjoyable day at the Western Group’s favourite racing circuit, Castle Combe, watching 62 racing teams battle it out through three race series to secure a place at the next round, to be staged at Goodwood on Sunday 11 October – two...

From the chair: September 2014

It’s 1 September as I write, a subtle reminder that summer is sliding gently into autumn and from a motoring scribe’s perspective, the round of autumn motor shows will be on us soon, with accompanying launches.  Thanks to VW for hosting our August meeting at...

From the chair: August 2014

Did the Western Group Driving Day trigger the continuing fine summer weather?  I doubt we can claim that although Alyson Marlow did such an excellent job of organising it and it would be typical of her if she had sorted the weather out too.  We knew...

From the chair: July 2014

Wednesday 25 June brought the curtain down on yet another Western Group of Motoring Writers PR Driving Day at a sun-drenched Castle Combe Circuit.  A year of planning and hard work from organiser Alyson Marlow meant that the day ran like clockwork, even though...

From the chair: June 2014

There is just over three weeks to go to this year’s Western Group PR Driving Day and the SMMT annual test day gave us a good opportunity to remind all the industry press offices we could find that the clock is ticking and there are still places to be booked for...
From the chair: May 2014

From the chair: May 2014

Last month I was about to head off to Castle Combe for a meeting and I will be going there for another to meet the id-pr team who will be operating a new and improved key handling system for the Group at our PR Driving Day on 25 June.  It’s not the first time...