R31 Porschettes

[FionaB]

One of our objectives this year was to encourage more female members to participate in Club activities in their own right. It's been great to meet so many of you over the past months and hear your views as to the type of activities that you would welcome. There seems to be a consensus that 3 or 4 outings a year would provide good opportunities for us to socialise. Suggestions received to date cover a variety of venues and locations across our region, being distinct from the regular car-based events.

The ideas include:
- Afternoon tea run
- Women only track-day
- Hidcote - walks and gardens
- Backstage tour of Swan Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon
- Christmas market
- Family picnic with games/activities

As we're currently putting together the Region's 2015 calendar, your further input on this would be very welcome.

FYI, it was spontaneously decided at last night's monthly meeting we would use 'Porschettes' to identify R31 womens' activities which we've now officially adopted [].

Look forward to hearing from you.

Fiona

 

[FionaB]

Although it's short notice, thought you might like to know about two Christmas market events....

Burford Garden Centre Christmas Shopping Night, Burford - 20th November

Dalesford Farm, Kingham - Now until Christmas Eve
Would anyone like to meet up there on Saturday 29th November? Just let me know if you do.

Fiona

 

[dereksharpuk]

Fiona,

I'm not sure it is acceptable to run 'Women's only' events in this Club. Very sexist. Su would be particularly annoyed if I had run 'Men's only' events when I was RO.

 

[sjdahd]

Hi Fiona, Sorry I missed last nights meeting.
I am delighted to see new diverse ideas that were clearly lacking in previous years. A breath of fresh air that was seriously needed in this region - 3 cheers for the new RO's!!!

Alison Drummond

 

[FionaB]

To be clear, this initiative has been taken as a result of feedback received from many members over the past 6 months highlighting the need for activities that appeal to ALL. Far from being 'sexist' as you put it, we are aiming to widen the range of events that can be enjoyed by the 200 plus members of the Region and not just a handful. This is embracing diversity NOT enacting 'apartheid' as you so inaccurately describe it.

We welcome any constructive suggestions that will help us retain and attract members, irrespective of gender or lifestyle.

Fiona.

 

[dereksharpuk]

ORIGINAL: sjdahd

Hi Fiona, Sorry I missed last nights meeting.
I am delighted to see new diverse ideas that were clearly lacking in previous years. A breath of fresh air that was seriously needed in this region - 3 cheers for the new RO's!!!

Alison Drummond

Good morning Alison,

I read your post with interest. As you and Stephen have only just joined PCGB, and your first R31 meeting was 4 months ago (correct me if I am wrong), I am little puzzled by your remarks.

Both previous ROs constantly asked for ideas for Regional events, but a common response was that they were doing a great job. As you did not join the Forum until a year ago, you would not have also noted such valedictory responses. For your information, this is just a taste of what your previous ROs arranged.

1. Isle of Man touring holidays (I think over 14).
2. Cotswold Rally (more than 15?).
3. Countless Drive n Dines.
4. Wings n Wheels events where R31 members had the opportunity to fly, drive, dine etc. Please see the Porsche Post article Aug 13 (best day of his life, unquote'). R31 has done a few of these. See PP Oct 11. Both large articles.
5. Visits to the Mini, Morgan and Jaguar factories. I can supply the write-up references if you wish.
6. Many more diverse events.

Shall I go on? I think I have made the point that your comments are sadly invalid.

 

[FionaB]

Hi Alison, We missed you and Stephen too. Thanks for the endorsement.

Lots of ideas have been put forward, so it shouldn't be hard to find 2 or 3 things to do.

Fiona

 

[dereksharpuk]

Fiona,

I applaud your initiative to encourage more women to take part in R31 activities. Good luck on that. I suspect they will by definition appeal to perhaps only women. Moreover, when we have in the past arranged underwear parties at national events, though very popular with the ladies, men were prevented from attending.

However, I cannot see how a women's only track day would appeal to all. []

Finally, your comment 'we would use 'Porschettes' to identify R31 womens' activities', did seem to me to be segregation. Sorry if I have mis-read the tone of your post.

 

[FionaB]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

Sorry if I have mis-read the tone of your post.

Apology accepted, Derek.

A ladies track day is just that, as some women are intimated in a mixed company.

We hadn't thought of a lingerie party, but that's a great idea and one we'll throw it into the pot! Perhaps you'd model for us?[]

Fiona

 

[Fred Hindle]

ORIGINAL: FionaB

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

Sorry if I have mis-read the tone of your post.

Apology accepted, Derek.

A ladies track day is just that, as some women are intimated in a mixed company.

We hadn't thought of a lingerie party, but that's a great idea and one we'll throw it into the pot! Perhaps you'd model for us?[]

Fiona

Fiona,

How to loose all chance of female members attending R31 events in the future. Derek maybe many things but 'male model' he is not! []

Sorry if I have offended you Derek but sometimes the truth is a hard pill to swallow.[]

Cheers,

 

[dereksharpuk]

Fred,

What a good idea, me being a male model....[]. But surely you will have to supply the smelling salts when they all swoon at my magnificent physique [][][]

 

[dereksharpuk]

ORIGINAL: FionaB



A ladies track day is just that, as some women are intimated in a mixed company.

We hadn't thought of a lingerie party, but that's a great idea and one we'll throw it into the pot!

Fiona

Fiona, when you get a date for the lingerie party, I will be inviting along my local rugby team. Is that ok? []

 

[rob.kellock]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

1. Isle of Man touring holidays (I think over 14).
2. Cotswold Rally (more than 15?).
3. Countless Drive n Dines.
4. Wings n Wheels events where R31 members had the opportunity to fly, drive, dine etc. Please see the Porsche Post article Aug 13 (best day of his life, unquote'). R31 has done a few of these. See PP Oct 11. Both large articles.
5. Visits to the Mini, Morgan and Jaguar factories. I can supply the write-up references if you wish.

Please don't take this as a criticism to previous RO's, it is genuinely not meant to be. There are some cracking events on that list that I have attended personally and others I would love to attend. My wife has thoroughly enjoyed the Cotswold Rally too. However, my wife's perspective on Derek's list would be as follows:

1. Boys driving cars quickly
2. Boys driving cars
3. See 1 and 2
4. Boys' toys
5. More car stuff

Plenty of R18's active members have wives who get on well socially but have no interest in car based activities. Whilst we are, after all, a car club, I do applaud Fiona's efforts to make a conscious effort to create different types of events that are appealing to female members of the Club.

I also applaud the aim behind the female only trackday as I accept that sharing track space with veterans when you are a complete novice can be intimidating to the point where some if not many existing male Club members are already too afraid to attend.

Whilst I agree with Derek that promoting a female only track day is probably not very PC or all embracing, there could be way of promoting such a type of event perfectly legitimately as a wider member benefit.

It can be difficult for Motorsport to fill some track days open to all. However, if a business case was put forward where it was known in advance that, say, 30 participants formally agreed and paid to attend a "novices only" type event with an abundance of instructors available, it may be that a high proportion of female members would find this attractive and the rest of the places could then be easily filled.

Apologies that this proposal is somewhat patronising to experienced lady racers!

If a business case is put to Steve Kevlin or Paul Grainger, they would happily work with Fiona to put something together I'm sure. I'm not sure we could lawfully exclude the boys though these days or as a Club would necessarily want to! Previous events at Blyton Park spring to mind too.

Good luck R31, you can please all of the people some of the time or some of the people all of the time! I wish you every success.

 

[sjdahd]

Morning Derek,
We have actually been members for 2 years. I think the new RO's should be given the chance to find their own feet. As members we should embrace all new ideas and suggestions. Big pat on the back for everything you have a achieved in the past, but this is the future.

Alison Drummond

 

[pauldacosta]

Times change, people change and interest change. A interesting club whether it be Porches MGs or Fiats have to keep up otherwise
memberships and attendance will dwindle.
There must be a good percentage of members that join up for the 'social' side of things and not just belting it round a track!
Many individual clubs and areas of big car clubs have died due to no interest, owners not that bothered or boredom of doing the same thing
year in year out. Its not easy to do new things all the time because the choices are not infinite but we have to make a effort in trying to see what the club
members would like.

Not saying it wasn't good in the past or anything but new blood and all that.

So keep up the good work ROs

Paul

 

[dereksharpuk]

In response to all:

Paul: good points. I personally have grown out of rushing round a track and prefer the social side more. But this is a car club. If a group of ladies want to visit a garden centre so be it. One lady member has just telephoned me to say that this is not the WI... her words not mine!! [] In a car club, she personally would want car orientated activities.

Rob: I doubt if you will get sufficient lady novice members to cover the economic cost of a track day. But by all means do try. However, if you have just a couple of experienced fast lady drivers, and there are many, they will intimidate the novice ladies just as much as an experienced man. As for your comments about my suggestions being:

1. Boys driving cars quickly
2. Boys driving cars
3. See 1 and 2
4. Boys' toys
5. More car stuff

What one earth do you expect from Porsche Club? Members driving cars, shock horror! PCGB is certainly not the WI. Moreover, you totally misunderstand the IOM event. It is not all about going fast! There is much to do on the Island for ordinary folk. Ask Geoff how fast I went in my Morgan! Moreover, it is a great event so don't knock it.

 

[su924s]

I have just read this thread with a certain amount of interest, and also disbelief; firstly, yes, whereas I agree in principle that involving as many members as possible is to be encouraged, as has already been stated, one cannot hope to satisfy everyone.

Secondly, this thread would appear to have deviated from the original discussion point raised by Derek (which was the correctness or otherwise of gender specific events) and developed into a discussion/comparison of "˜old versus new' styles of regional organization and whether new ideas should be tried or not.

Returning therefore to the original contentious discussion - I joined the club in 2006 as a member in my own right shortly after I bought my very first Porsche, a guards red 924s, of which I was rightly proud; it was my interest in the car, and other Porsches, my love of driving and the desire to meet people with the same interest that motivated me to join the club. Of course the club offered much more than just a chance to meet up with other Porsche owners - there were plenty of events, particularly the drives with other Porsches, shows where I could see models one would be unlikely to see on the road, plus a wealth of information and technical support for each model and the excellent magazine. Granted I possibly may not be representative of the majority of the female membership within the club, but nonetheless, the point I am making is that I did not join expecting to be catered for separately, with gender specific events.

"˜Afternoon tea, walks and gardens, picnics etc. for women only'? Surely if you want that sort of thing, there must be plenty of women's groups who already offer those things "" this is, for the sake of argument, a car club! If those kinds of events are wanted and someone is prepared to organize them, then they should be at liberty to do so in their own time totally independently "" what I don't agree is that they should be run as a separate sub-group of the club that excludes what must be the vast majority of the membership.

And lastly, the proposed name for the women's group "˜Porschettes' feels just a bit patronizing and demeaning to me.

 

[Fred Hindle]

ORIGINAL: dereksharpuk

Fred,

What a good idea, me being a male model....[]. But surely you will have to supply the smelling salts when they all swoon at my magnificent physique [][][]

Derek,

I have contacted Actavis UK Ltd in Barnstaple. They produce Mackenzies Smelling Salts. They are stepping up production as I type to meet the anticipated demand from the Cotswolds area sometime next year.
May I suggest that if you are going to appear in your 'birthday suit' that you at least iron it beforehand.

Cheers,

 

[rob.kellock]

ORIGINAL: su924s

"˜Afternoon tea, walks and gardens, picnics etc. for women only'?

Please read the original post from your RO.

That was not proposed.

 

[BartyB]

Su, as a female member, it's good to have your input and we thank you for that.

This is about understanding why members don't support many of the existing club events and activities and we believe there is an imperative to address that. It is also about retaining existing members and attracting new ones. That is what we've been trying to do, along with many other ROs and the Club as a whole.

The issue, and the subject of this thread, is therefore about promoting additional activities which many female members in the Region themselves have suggested. You may be satisfied by the status quo but other women members apparently are not. Why shouldn't women members decide to participate in a 'tea run' as a region event in the same way that male members decide go along to a 'car show'? They're all members of the Porsche Club GB like you and me seeking opportunities to socialise. There's no difference. The Club has become a far broader church than it ever was meaning we have to embrace diversity and change for it to survive.

Regarding the name, whilst you may find it "...a bit patronizing and demeaning" the women members in the Region who proposed the name do not believe that is the case.