From the chair: November 2015

From the chair: November 2015

by | Nov 2, 2015 | From the Chair

With the Group AGM just under two weeks away, it is hard to believe it’s two years since I first wrote this column.  In truth, I wrote the first one over 10 years ago, but was interrupted by an unexpected chairmanship of the Guild of Motoring Writers. I couldn’t...

From the chair: October 2015

by | Sep 30, 2015 | From the Chair

Former WGMW treasurer Mike Orford probably won’t want to be reminded that he takes up his new job as head of PR for VW in the UK this week.  To say it has been a turbulent time for VW is probably something of an understatement but the group really wishes him...
From the chair: September 2015

From the chair: September 2015

by | Sep 1, 2015 | From the Chair

September already? The summer seems to have come and gone with alarming rapidity, not least the sun or absence thereof.  Just the same, the grass does not grow under the WGMW and September and indeed the rest of 2015 is already looking pretty busy.  I...
From the chair: August 2015

From the chair: August 2015

by | Aug 10, 2015 | From the Chair

I didn’t keep a running check of the showroom value of all the cars that I drove at the recent JLR driving event at Bowood, but it must have been well over £500,000.  Given that the Range Rover Hybrid was listed at £107,000, that was not a particularly difficult...

From the chair: July 2015

by | Jul 1, 2015 | From the Chair

Western Group PR Driving Day, the Guild Classic, Le Mans, The Festival of Speed… June is a month that accelerates almost as quickly as Jensen Button up the hill at Goodwood and the British Grand Prix will be the next fixture in the automotive calendar this weekend....
From the chair: June 2015

From the chair: June 2015

by | Jun 8, 2015 | From the Chair

Blue sky, balmy breezes, guests relaxing in the sun… Not quite the way that our annual PR driving day began at Castle Combe on 2 June.  Heavy showers washed the circuit and those on “zapping” duty, checking cars in and out, until after lunch....

From the chair: May 2015

by | May 4, 2015 | From the Chair

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: March 2015

by | Mar 2, 2015 | From the Chair

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

by | Feb 2, 2015 | From the Chair

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

by | Jan 12, 2015 | From the Chair

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: November 2014

by | Nov 3, 2014 | From the Chair

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

by | Oct 1, 2014 | From the Chair

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

by | Sep 1, 2014 | From the Chair

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

by | Aug 1, 2014 | From the Chair

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

by | Jul 1, 2014 | From the Chair

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

by | Jun 2, 2014 | From the Chair

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...