Information on the Auto-sleeper Owners Club

The information below is from me personally and NOT from the Auto-Sleeper Owners Club (ASOC) of which I am a member.

ASOC has no formal connection with Auto-Sleepers Ltd although the company kindly permit ASOC to use their premises as a postal address for the club.

ASOC was founded in 1989 as a club for current owners of Auto-sleeper motorhomes with objectives to arrange meetings, rallies and social functions for members; to facilitate exchange of information amongst members on all matters of mutual interest.

As a means of indemnifying individual ASOC members, ASOC was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 2002 and since then has been regulated by the Companies Act under the terms of its Articles of Association (these can be read on the club website at http://www.asoc.uk.com ). The Articles limit membership to current owners of Auto-sleeper motorhomes and they can only be amended by vote on a constitutionally valid proposal at a general meeting.

ASOC membership averages 1200 vans year on year. The club has a very well supported rally programme including an annual National Rally that includes facilities for meals, professional entertainment and the Annual General Meeting.

Each member of the club receives through the post a printed Newsletter every month. The Newsletter contains information about the club and details of forthcoming rallies. Members use the Newsletter as a vehicle to exchange information on technical and travel matters and also to air topics with a view to soliciting views from the membership as a whole. I can give two examples of this last scenario:

1 Several club members used the Newsletter to campaign for the Newsletter to be distributed electronically. The committee therefore set up a trial whereby members could take the Newsletter electronically. As I recall about 12 members opted to participate in the trial that proved there was no great desire in the club to change from the printed Newsletter.

2 During the 2011 AGM a member asked for a debate on whether the owners of Auto-sleepers new product, caravans, could be admitted to the club. Under the conduct of the AGM Any Business this was allowed as discussion only although an informal vote was taken indicating that the suggestion was not favoured by attendees. The instigating member followed this up by a piece in the next Newsletter repeating his request for a debate to the whole membership. Over the next couple of months there was one response for and one against.

ASOC is a very friendly club to the extent that if you come across a fellow member at a rally who you have met perhaps only once a couple of years ago, you tend to greet them as bosom buddies. That tends to give first time ralliers the impression that everyone else on the rally is part of a clique and they are outsiders. That is not the case but if you feel it is lift your bonnet and put your head under it – you will soon have a lot of new friends!

Peter

Marquis Branches and Motorplus of Derby all offer one years free membership of ASOC with vans they sell - so I guess you bought from one of them.

You will get copies of the club Newsletter that include details of forthcoming rallies. If you would like to try a rally without travelling too far there will be one at Guival Cricket Club near Penzance in May next year that I'm told was very popular this year.

There are others before then if you fancy a trip and the 25th Anniversary rally. 1st to 5th May includes a couple of nights free entertainment and hopefully a couple of treats for members who attend.

Peter

http://www.asoc.uk.com/rally_list.htm

You will find a provisional list of rallies at the link above. None are on CC or C&CC sites, most are on unlicensed land using the clubs paragraph 6 exemption certificate in lieu of a licence and planning consent.

The club membership has fluctuated between 1000 and 1400 units each year for the last 15 years or so.

The Newsletter that 15 years ago was a means of communication between members on technical, personal and camping matters is now a matter of concern. With the now common use of e-mail and the availability of internet forums it's use is as a means of 'broadcasting' information to members. Contributions from members on subjects other than rallies are very few.

The committee recognise the Newsletter needs to take a new direction and be of more use to current members. The current Editor retires in just over a year and that post has been well advertised but no member has come forward to take on the challenge of having a clean sheet to start again!

Any club is what the members make of it and ASOC is no different. There are vacancies on the committee and the committee are happy for prospective committee members to sit in on meetings and if still interested be co-opted. This is the chance to shape the club and not just criticise.

If you are a member of ASOC and interested in the future of the club, then put yourself forward for the committee. - A new Treasurer is also needed!

We joined ASOC in 2004 and (apart from attending our firsts rallies (with any organisation ) and being made so welcome we wanted to join in) noted the monthly pleas in the Newsletter for a new Editor.

We had no previous experience of camping, caravanning or motor homing but we knew how to put pen to paper so in the context of having no relevant knowledge made contact with the committee during the 2005 AGM. After a few months iteration I was advised it was a 'committee post' and asked to submit a cv and attend a committee meeting. I was co-opted to the committee at that meeting, I think October 2005. We took over producing the Newsletter a little early due to me predecessors house (literally) burning to the ground.

We happily produced the Newsletter for nearly 7 years until I moved on to the post of Treasurer.

So, in a nutshell, you shouldn't be established to be considered for the committee; what is needed is for people who have just joined to come forward an shape the club in the way of the future - but don't expect an easy ride!

Ricky wrote:

Can you advise please, are they all bookable, or just turn up if the weather and mood suits, and what sort of weekend or per night cost they are?

Many of the sites (schools, sports fields, etc) have limited capacity and the rallies are popular so the current ASOC requirement is that you to book when the rally is advertised in the Newsletter.

There are some rallies (and we run one in Lichfield Beacon Park each July) where capacity is not a problem and I am quite happy to take a telephone booking, even during the rally. If I didn't know you were coming you wouldn't get through the gate.

On a greenfield site the cost can be £6 to £10 per night, there is no mark up on the land owner's charge; plus a rally fee of £2 to £5 depending on what is provided, these site do not have electricity. On a licensed commercial site the cost is whatever the site charge, that is often heavily discounted to the rally attendees.

Traditionally Ralliers would be greeted with coffee and biscuits paid for by the rally fee but that is tending now towards wine and nibbles as an option.

ASOC give volunteer rally marshals a great deal of discretion as to how they want to run a rally so no two are the same.

Chris and I have been helping run continental rallies for several years now and there are still (possibly) two places for the Rudesheim rally in June/July (10 days) that includes the 'Rhine in Flames' (£20 rally fee plus campsite fees (paid direct) and £52 per person Rhine in Flames that includes river cruise. meal and several firework displays).

groundhog wrote:I assume they mean Gulval in Cornwall - I have never heard of Guival anyway!

Yes thanks for spotting the typo - I didn't! Now corrected.