Welcome from the Chairman, Mr Robert Lees
Hello everyone.
Well, here we are in spring 2022 and it is fair to say that it’s been a tough couple of years for everyone as we wrestled with the various restrictions and frustrations, and we had to cancel and amend our DA camping plans. One thing I suspect we will all feel now is a new level of appreciation of the freedom and social interaction that DA camping provides to us in the great outdoors. As we witness Spring unfolding around us, our thoughts inevitably turn to the camping year ahead and (pandemic permitting) what we might regard as a new beginning. In this spirit, I am delighted to be able to introduce what we hope will be a welcome return to a more familiar routine in 2022.
As you proceed to read this newsletter, I hope you can see that your committee has been working hard to put together a strong programme that will have that reassuring and much welcome familiarity, but we are also adding our new themed event “A celebration of vintage and classic camping and caravanning”, which will be the first weekend of our Darley Dale holiday site, 1st – 3rd July. This is a participation event so I hope you will all support and dig out your camping gear from yesteryear, bring it along for a nostalgic reflection on camping back in previous decades!
A quick word on bookings. We introduced the requirement to book due to the pandemic restrictions and in fact it has proved successful – it has allowed us to communicate effectively with members as plans had to change but also to help stewards reduce social contact and so help with safety. That said, we do not intend to require bookings for most of our meets going forwards; we will only use the online booking facility for selected events, primarily larger meets or meets that may risk becoming full, where bookings will enable the smooth running of the event and guarantee pitches for members. For holiday sites (THS) we will continue to take bookings because it allows us to monitor demand and communicate with members who are visiting us from far and wide, should the need arise; not only the obvious potential of the virus throwing us a curveball but also weather or even traffic conditions. I hope you agree that this is an appropriate way to proceed.
I will end this introduction with a request. I must remind everyone that we are a volunteer-based organisation and in these difficult times we are able to offer meets for as low as £6 per unit night, however without volunteers stepping forwards to help this is not possible. It is critical that we maintain a strong committee so please support the AGM on Saturday and ensure we secure this strength for the future of the DA, be that from members that are standing for re-election or others who wish to put their names forward for election. I do not apologise for also bringing up the topic of stewards because meets and holiday sites simply cannot go-ahead without stewards. We have become reliant upon a relatively small core of regular stewards (thank you, you know who you are) but for the first time I can remember we lost a meet at Marton last weekend due to lack of stewards. I do not want to have to cancel at the last minute because it lets down landowners and members, so please give some thought to putting your name forward to steward, it would be very much appreciated. If you wish to have a chat about what is involved, please contact any committee member, or drop us a message via the website. If you wish to ‘shadow’ a steward for a weekend, then we can arrange that too: I can assure you that you will receive the full support of the committee and the appreciation of campers for all your efforts.
There's a lot of camping ahead of us so please read on for details of the Sheffield DA 2022 programme. There's something for everyone so hopefully we'll see you soon.
Rob
Annual General Meeting
This coming weekend sees the Sheffield DA AGM, we do not have too many formalities but this is one of them and it is your opportunity as members to hear the officer reports, vote to elect a committee and be able to put questions or suggestions to the meeting to shape DA policy going forwards. We are blessed with a strong committee core but there are cycles of re-election for existing committee members and also the floor is open to new nominations. Sheffield DA deliberately schedules the AGM for a camping weekend with a social in the evening, this year including fun bingo, so please pop along:
2.00 pm this Saturday, 2nd April.
If you wish to submit apologies or table any questions in advance, please email directly to Trisha Lamb at secretary.sheffieldda@gmail.com.
Prize bingo in the evening. Participants should bring along and donate a handsome prize.. of approximately £1 in value :-)
Easter in North Yorkshire
Easter is just around the corner, and we are delighted to welcome members back to Hutton Le Hole having been forced to cancel for the past two years. This meet is now fully booked, so if you find you cannot make it please ensure you cancel your booking so that other members can take the opportunity. The team have put together a fun programme for all-ages including a positive omelette of eggy fun including: egg-hunt, egg-rolling, egg-throwing and egg-decorating; Easter colouring competition, family games, quiz and family walk. Hutton Le Hole is a beautiful village in the foothills of the North York Moors so the scene is set, let’s hope this good spell of weather lasts into Easter!
May Day at Osmaston
Sheffield DA is delighted to return to our traditional programme of family fun over the May Day bank holiday weekend, Friday 29th April - Mnday 2nd May. Evening marquee events including music quiz; Saturday afternoon family sports; CCY fundraiser featuring Sunday Penny Fair and Saturday afternoon tea and cakes; rounding off on bank holiday Monday with a family walk around the beautiful Osmaston Park.
Just £7.00 per unit night. Online booking is now open and is required for this popular meet.
Spring Bank sees us back once again at Hutton Le Hole. The site is located right in the heart of Hutton Le Hole, where Hutton Beck winds casually through the village green. In the village, the visitor can enjoy browsing artisan craft workshops offering unique hand-crafted candles, rugs, carpets and delightful chocolate. Ryedale Folk Museum tells the story of the area through the ages, including over 20 reconstructed buildings ranging from an Iron Age roundhouse to a Tudor mansion and many more.
The surrounding area of the North York Moors National Park provides a stunning environment, crossed by the North York Moors Railway with the ‘Heartbeat’ village of Goathland, before giving way to ‘Herriot Country’ to the North and the Vale of York to the south. Plus of course, there is the Yorkshire coast offering traditional seaside and fishing towns of Bridlington, Scarborough and Whitby - perhaps pop to Bempton Cliffs where puffins can be spotted in the spring and early summer.
To read more about this holiday site, click here
Summer holiday sites 2022
Looking ahead to the summer, Sheffield DA offers two fantastic holiday sites: Darley Dale is a popular spot close to home turf in the Derwent Valley and further afield we head for North Wales and Criccieth, which coincides with the school holidays is perfect for a great value family holiday with loads to do, literally mountains, coast and castles, all within half an hour from the site!
To read more about Darley Dale, click here.
To read more about Criccieth, click here.
The Darley Dale THS has an additional twist for 2022 because on the first weekend (Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd July) we are excited to get off to a rip-roaring start with our new themed meet. So dig out your gear from yesteryear and join us to re-live those memories of camping in past decades.
Sheffield DA was founded in 1934 so this is our starting point where we will celebrate camping and caravanning through the decades to 1990 with an expo of gear, pennons, memorabilia, camping games and competitions. With thanks to the Club archivist, Jo Cartwright, we are delighted to have secured the debut event for the Club’s new ‘mobile museum’ containing artefacts from the Club archives, which we will display alongside the Sheffield DA archives, which stretches back to 1934.
For the juniors, there will be fun sports and, for the 'once-were youth', there's an ex-CCY camp-out so find those Vango Force 10's, Itisa's, Blacks Good Companions or whatever you have hiding in the loft or garage and bring it along, however big or small, the more the merrier.
In the evening, Primus and Tilley skills will be put to the test followed by a 'through the decades' quiz night and music.
Since this is a THS there is the opportunity to stay on for a few days to enjoy the Derbyshire Dales: Darley Dale is a superb base for exploring the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, from Matlock to Bakewell and beyond. Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall are within fifteen minutes drive, with buses serving all locations within walking distance of the site.
£10.00 per unit night.
A Day at the Races
Sheffield DA invites members to this 5-day meet in the beautiful village of Bishopthorpe. This meet offers a flat field with excellent public transport links to the City of York and beyond.
The Sustrans York to Selby cycle route passes close to the site on a mainly traffic-free path using the old East Coast Mainline railway tracking through the Vale of York towards Selby. A perfect route for families and novice cyclists.
The village of Bishopthorpe is home to a small group of shops and pubs. As the village name suggests the grade 1 listed Bishopthorpe Palace is the official residence of the Archbishop of York, with successive occupants in residence since 1241.
Bishopthorpe offers an opportunity to enjoy a day at the races: The John Smith’s Cup Meeting on Friday 8th & Saturday 9th July 2022 is a key event in the York racing calendar. The Friday highlight is the William Hill Summer Stakes, with events culminating on Saturday with the 63rd running of the John Smith's Cup, where the field will be aiming to take the unique Wedgwood trophy.
£12.00 per unit night
For your diary
Boules Competition: This year the annual boules competition resumes at Parwich, 10th-12th June.
Yorkshire Region Meet 2022: The Region meet is back at Grange Park, Wetherby; Thurs 23rd to Sunday 26th June. To book please fill out the booking form and either send to the address on the form by 30th April or via SDA secretary, Trisha Lamb on/or before May Day. https://www.sheffieldda.co.uk/yrm
Cheese and wine tasting evening: This year at Tansley, 17th – 19th June, we are planning the return of our popular annual cheese and wine tasting evening in the marquee. We might need to make a few sensible adjustments as we emerge from the virus situation, but we are confident we can put on a safe and fun evening, so make a note of the date and more news will follow.
Feast of Lanterns: The theme for this year at Ashover, 23rd–25th September, is ‘Countries’, so get your thinking caps on as we compete for the Blatherwick Cup, as we have done since 1935.
Photography competition: Categories are announced as follows: Animals, Graffiti, Leaves, Camping, Hand Crafted and Unique. Keep that camera or phone ready for some sharp-shooting this season and remember the CCY and CCJ are open category, so encourage them to get creative and ready to show off at Ashford-in-the-Water, 14th - 16th October.
That's all for now, I did say there was a lot going on! Thank you for your ongoing support for Sheffield DA and I look forward to seeing you out and about this Summer.
Rob
Chairman,
Sheffield DA.
Comments