Chairman's Chatter February 26

Secretary's Scribbles February 26

Electric Avenue December 25

It seems that something is being announced almost every day at the moment in the world of electric vehicles, with mainstream internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturers giving details of new models and upgrades to existing units, so we want to keep you up to date with all this new-fangled electrickery techy thingy, as only your dedicated newsletter team can!

 

Over the weekend of 8 and 9 November we learned of the death of the motoring journalist and TV presenter Quentin Willson.  He was a passionate advocate for the change to zero emission vehicles, and certainly put his money where his mouth was when he bought a Tesla Model 3 and drove it from the UK to Bordeaux in Southwest France.  He co-wrote ‘The Little book of EV myths’, which this column has quoted from on occasions.  One of the best videos available is of him driving to South West France and it can be seen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHV1Bi1WTQ&t=22s  

RIP Quentin…….

 

There has been a lot of speculation about pay per mile being introduced . By the time you are reading this, after the budget on 26 November 2025, we should know the answer.  The issue revolves around the reduction in fuel duty being collected by the chancellor due to the take up of electric vehicles.  She has already imposed Road Tax on them at £195 per year with the extra “Luxury Car Tax” also being applied if the cost is over £40,000.  The cost of charging on overnight tariffs for those who can charge at home has a significant saving, but as we have stared previously, if charging is done at a commercial station, then the cost is similar to petrol or diesel.  Incidentally, the diesel vehicles that produce an emission of less than 111g/Km can be taxed for as little as £20.00 - might they now be subject to a more realistic tax to bring them in line with EV’s?

 

Renault has launched new EV models this year, the Renault 5 being praised by many car reviewers, along with the Renault 4 and now news of another small electric model due for release next year, the electric Twingo.  It is rumoured to cost around the £17,000 price point, the 27.5 Kw/h batter pack should give a WLTP range of around 163 miles, so work on about 140 miles in real world conditions.  But as a city commuter car, that would be acceptable.  It will be going head-to-head with the likes of the BYD Surf, and Nissan Micra, and maybe the Hyundai Inster, all of which have been launched in the last year.

 

In Septembers’ sales figures recently released, it was shown that EV’s have taken nearly a quarter of all new car sales.  The number one EV for sales being the Renault 5 outselling the ever-popular Tesla Model Y.  Interesting though was the sales of the Jaecoo 7 SUV, a petrol-powered SUV from the Chinese manufacturer that was unheard of here in the UK just a couple of years ago.  There were more than 2,600 examples registered in October alone.

 

If you would like to see something a little different in the EV world, rather than almost every car being launched being an SUV, then Hyundai have the answer in the form of the Ionic 6. Now they have given it the Hyundai N treatment, this being the performance version that will set you back around £66,000.  However, if it is essential for you to get from a standing start to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds, and have a top speed of 160 mph, then this is the car for you.  You might need to wear a neck brace or at least purchase a number of sessions with a fully trained osteopath to cope with the acceleration injuries that may result.

 

Yet another Chinese SUV has been launched here in the UK.  This time it is the Geely EX5, coming in at around £33,500.  It is loaded with tech and has a respectable 60.2 Kw/h battery pack, giving it a range in the region of 255 miles.  All the other stats are as you would expect, so why give it a second look?  Well, personally, I have not seen one close up, but from the reviews, the comfort level inside, and the layout are excellent, although many of the functions do have to be operated from the touch screen.

 

Sometimes you just have to have a vehicle about the size of a small removals van.  But, you would like to drive it around in comfort, and it just has to be an EV, hmmm  what to have?  Well, step forward the new Hyundai Ioniq 9 (the sister car to the Kia EV9), this can now be ordered as a Long-Range Ultimate All Wheel Drive version.  You need to have £72,000 available or a very friendly finance company that will look after that issue for you.  However, you do get to go around 376 miles at 100 per cent charge, plus it will haul itself to 62 mph using its two electric motors in just 6.7 seconds.  Not sure if I would fancy taking it up the ramps on Bath Street Multi storey car park though!

 

Finally, It’s the December issue, so what to get for the person who has everything this year?  Well, how about some Bentley Become Zenith colognes?  You would smell like you actually own a Bentley for a lot less that the cost of a Continental GT.  Even so, you would need to part with £80.00!  Now who wouldn’t like their very own wind tunnel?  Well, for just £180 you can have a FUN-TECH-LAB windsible wind tunnel that allows you to check the aerodynamic qualities of your toys (Matchbox or Hot Wheels models), you can even use a special fogger fluid that will blow over the cars just like a full size unit.

 

Well folks, that’s about it for the December edition, we hope you like the world class, award winning, journalism we bring you, not just this month, but every month, so look forward to seeing you again next month.  Until then, drive safe and remember to tell everyone about our fantastic, advanced driving course, the next one starts on 5th February with an introduction evening at the usual venue, Lostock Parish Centre.  If you know of anyone that you think might be interested, then invite them along for a hot drink and a biscuit or two, we don’t bite.  Honest!

 

Remember, if you’re thinking of “upgrading” to electric, please let us know, we would love to hear what you are thinking of changing to, plus if you have any questions, or want to relate any experiences you have had, just shout out!

 

Barry Sloan – Publicity Officer

 

..

Government announces its first Road Safety Strategy in over a decade, with a plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035.

Launched 7 January, the Government says the strategy will save thousands of lives on the nation’s roads by tackling drink driving, improving training for young drivers, and introducing mandatory eye tests for older motorists.  It also includes a target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 70% for children under 16 years.

 

Approximately four people die on Britain’s roads every day, with thousands more seriously injured each year, but through targeted action on speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seat belts, and mobile phone use, thousands of these tragedies can be prevented, the Government says.

 

As part of the strategy, the Government will consult on lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe.  

 

In 2023, one in six road fatalities involved drink driving, but a consultation will explore the use of preventative technology, such as alcohol interlock devices, and new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink or drug driving offences.  

This could mean that, in future, some drink drive offenders might be required to have one of these devices fitted to their vehicle as a condition of being allowed to drive again. 

 

Drivers aged 17-24 years represent just 6% of licence holders but are involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions.  To address this, the Government will consult on introducing a three or six month minimum learning period, giving learner drivers more time to develop their skills in varied conditions such as night driving, adverse weather, and heavy traffic. 

 

With the number of older drivers continuing to rise as Britain’s population ages, a consultation on mandatory eyesight testing for those over 70 will be launched, while options for cognitive testing will also be developed to protect all road users. 

 

New measures will also target the growing problem of illegal number plates, including ‘ghost’ plates designed to fool camera systems, while also cracking down on uninsured drivers and vehicles without a valid MOT. 

 

Heidi Alexander, secretary of state for transport, said: “Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities. For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point.  We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone, from new drivers taking their first lessons to older motorists wanting to maintain their independence. The measures we are announcing today will save thousands of lives over the coming decade.” 

 

Motorcyclists account for just 1% of motor vehicle traffic but 21% of road deaths, while children from the most deprived neighbourhoods face four times the pedestrian casualty rate of those in the least deprived areas.  To address these disparities, the strategy includes consulting on reforms to motorcycle training, testing and licencing; and supporting trials to improve motorcycle safety on rural roads. 

 

Nicholas Lyes, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards, said: “After what can be described as a lost decade in terms of reducing the number of killed and seriously injured on the roads, we welcome the Government’s commitment to ambitious targets and robust policies to make our roads safer. 

 

“The strategy focuses on all key aspects including behaviours, training, vehicle technology and enforcement – all of which play a crucial role in keeping us safe on the road. An emphasis on younger drivers and motorcycle safety is particularly positive, considering these are some of our most vulnerable road users.”

 

Ed: 2035? – that isn’t exactly getting a move on, more like ‘kicking the can down the road’.

 

 

    

A Visit WH1ich we never expected

Sometimes, just a simple question gets unexpected results.  As you know, it’s not easy for your award winning, world class, top of their game newsletter team to keep coming up with ideas that are “ahead of the curve” in motoring journalism.  Yet we do this just so you, dear reader, can have literary enjoyment each month.

Recently, we started to wonder about the history of Bolton’s most famous car and it’s WH1 number plate.

It just so happens that the current mayor is also an IAM member having done our course a number of years ago.

So, following this train of thought we sent an email asking if we could photograph the car, and learn of the history of the number plate, and the cars that have worn it.

After a few email exchanges and telephone calls we were very kindly offered a visit to meet the Mayor and Mayoress plus a tour of the Town Hall along with photos of the car alongside the Mayor and Mayoress.

A group of us arrived on a cold and chilly breezy January day but we were greeted very warmly by the Mayors Civic officers along with the Mayor and Mayoress.  We were given a brilliant talk and explanation of the Mayoral Chain of office as well as the gifts which the town has received over the years.

The origin of WH1 comes from Lord Leverhulme who was William Hesketh Lever (WH1), this being the number on his personal car purchased in 1918 when he was Mayor.  He gifted the number to the town, and it has been worn on many cars ever since.  The current one is a fully electric Lexus.

Looking back: From around 1955 the Mayors’ car was a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, subsequent models include two Jaguars (one after the other), a “Stretched” Coleman-Milne Ford Scorpio, (Coleman-Milne being a Bolton based company), followed by a Lexus hybrid then up to the current, fully electric Lexus.

We offer our most sincere thanks to The Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton Councillor David Chadwick and Mrs Valerie Chadwick as well as the Mayors Civic officer, David Hayes and Richard for the hospitality and behind the scenes tour of Bolton Town Hall.  

It was really enjoyed by everyone who took part.

 

 

Barry Sloan – Publicity Officer

 

 

A message to new Associates

If you are one of our new associates on the August 2025 course, I’d like to give you a big welcome to Bolton Advanced Motorists.  I hope that you will enjoy your time with us as much as I enjoyed my course.  We will be asking you to change some of your driving habits so that you can pass your Advanced Test.  Some associates find this difficult.  If you are one of these please persevere.  You must attend consistently; if you go out with an observer on one Sunday and then miss the next two, when you next have an observed drive you will have forgotten much of what you were taught during the initial session.  During the week you must practise what you are learning on a Sunday morning.  Then you should find that around Session 5 it all starts to come together and you can see the benefits of driving using the System of Car Control, IPSGA.  If you find that it takes longer, don’t worry.  Tell your observer and, if necessary, speak to your mentor.  The Group has over 55 years’ experience of preparing drivers for their advanced test and, whatever your problem, I’m confident that we will have the answer.                                                                  Gary Whittle

Christmas Quiz 2025

We work hard all year to bring you  cutting edge, award winning, world beating journalism.

At Christmas we work extra hard and bring you our famous Christmas Quiz!

So, after the Kings speech, and you’ve eaten one mince pie too many, relax and get the brain cells going with 20 motoring related brain teasers.

 

1. COM 1C                                  This year it’s all about Number plates

2. MAG 1C                                  (Yes, you read that right, Number plates)

3. WH 1                                       Who do these belong to??

4. F 1

5. VIP 1

6. JAY 1K

7. T3 NOR

8. 6 HEF

9. B33 FYS

10. BOX 111G

11. AMS 1

12. 100 VJ

 

1. 25 O                                           How about what you might pay for that elusive plate

2. F 1                                               to grace the front and back of your treasured

3. S 1                                               set of wheels?

4. 1 D                                              Have a guess at how much these were bought for?

5. M 1

6. VIP 1

7. S1 NGH

8. GS 1

9. 1 RH

10. K1 NGS

 

All as per the number plate clinic website…  no peeking!  Have a guess!

 

All answers in the January 2026 Newsletter…. 

 

Test Passes and Masters and National Observers July 25

The following Associates have been successful in their Advanced Test since the last newsletter went to print:

Masters success: 

 

Steve Peary (3 year reassessment passed with distinction)

 

 
Test Passes:

 

Congratulations to: Anny sharples, Alan Eden, Garry Thomas 

 

 

We now have fifty fsix IAM F1RST passes in the Bolton & District Group since the F1RST award was introduced.

Congratulations on your achievement and we hope you will enjoy your driving and continue to support the Bolton & District Group for many years to come. 

Your next challenge is to maintain (and build on) the skills you have achieved during your course.

National Observer:

 

Congratulations to IMI National Observer Passes

 

We offer our congratulations to the following who have recently taken their National Observer Assessments and passed;     

 

We now have a full complement of National Observers in the Bolton Group and are ‘leading the way’ in our region of IAM RoadSmart in completing conversions from Local Observer status to National Observer.

This follows many months of training, both classroom and driving assessments, and we are delighted with your success and proud of the results.  We now have an additional five National Observers on the books, with the possibility of two more interested and who will soon be starting training.

This his places the Bolton and District Group in a strong position with fifteen National Observers and we intend to celebrate this success.  This includes three of our current National Observers who recently took their N.O. five yearly reassessment.  Geoff Baker, Dougie Phillips and David Wilkinson all completed their assessment and passed without issue.

Many congratulations to you all on these fantastic achievements and thank you for ensuring the continued and future success of the Bolton and District Group.

It will help if you buy a badge for the front of your car – it will give you a ‘conscience’ to drive behind!  Also one of the Bolton Group window badges helps to advertise the Bolton Group.  Please speak to Chris Knowles.

 

.

2025 Annual General Meeting Summary Report

2025 Annual General Meeting Summary Report

 

On 6th May 2025 the Chairman, Roy Sammons, welcomed everyone to the Annual General Meeting. He began by thanking the brilliant Observer team, and in particular members of the Training Team who had enabled us to establish a fully Qualified team of IMI National Observers within the timeframe set by Head Office, out of the blue, just over two years ago.  We began the year with 16 Observers (nine National and seven Local) and closed the year with 15 national Observers. 

Turning to test passes, he reported a final total for 2024 of 13 which was a marginal improvement over last year.  The good news was that of those 13, five were F1RSTS.  In 2023 we had 10 passes which was much lower than the 23 in 2022.  That year was up from 10 in 2021, a number which was in itself a significant improvement over the two passes achieved during the Covid year of 2020.  For comparison during 2019 we had 27 passes, which was 50 per cent more than 18 in 2018, 35 passes in 2017, then 31 in 2016, 47 in 2015, and 43 in 2014.  In 2013 we had 41 passes, 51 in 2012, 38 in 2011, 35 in 2010, 52 in 2009 and 70 in 2008, all short of our best ever year, 2006, when we reached 76 test passes. 

Covid had changed the climate for people enrolling on courses – or was it all down to the cost of the Advanced Driver course, which was increased to £204 by IAM RoadSmart on 1st April 2025?  Will that further deter people from joining a course to improve their driving?  We enrolled just five new Associates in February and four so far on our upcoming May course.  Despite the price, there is still no better value for money, but people don’t realise that until they take the course. The reduction in Associates over the years is not unique to the Bolton Group.  Nationally the numbers have reduced for cars, with only motorcycle groups ‘holding their own’ though even they no longer have the waiting lists they previously had.  So he made no apology for repeating that your Group still needs you to spread the word and encourage recruitment.

Of those who enrolled during the year, almost 40 per cent did not take the course through to Test.  Whilst this is very disappointing for us, we hope that the sessions our Observers undertook with Associates were not wasted and improved their driving standards.

At this point he thanked all the volunteers and members, without whom the Group would not exist.  From the Committee who give their time unstintingly, attending meetings and planning all our courses and events, to our dedicated Observers who support our courses, training needs and Diploma.  The members who attend the Group meetings (though we could always do with a few more regular ones), and those who join together for our Ride and Rambles (would anyone like to organise a couple?), trips and other visits were thanked.  There were too many to name individually but whatever you did, your effort was greatly appreciated.

He then talked about the shock of the year, the sudden and unexpected cancellation by Dobbies Sports and Social Club of our room hire after 25 years.  Having originally been invited to use their facilities, it appeared that we were no longer welcome, despite the fact that we paid for the full year ‘up front’.  Our payment for 2025 was rejected with just one month’s notice given, and only reluctantly extended until the end of February 2025.  He believed that they no longer wanted to plan around the bookings we made most Tuesdays, preferring to be able to do what they wanted when they wanted.  But change isn’t always bad, often bringing other benefits (like the new venue being closer to where he lived!), and now we had a much warmer room and at a venue which appreciated us.  We were pleased to be at Lostock Parish Centre.

Last year a Bolton News reporter enrolled on a course at our expense, with an agreement that we would receive newspaper articles covering his course experience.  Sadly, some difficult personal events, along with ongoing car problems meant that the course and articles could not be completed.  In return last weekend there was publicity in the paper for our May course, including pictures.  It will be interesting to see how many readers enrolled on the course after reading it.

We continued to have excellent records, kept by Lynn Jordan, Vince Dover and Steve Peary, which have contributed significantly to the planning and effectiveness of our Sunday mornings.  This included drives for trainee Observers, and those training for National Observer. 

Owing to lack of numbers, we did not organise a Diploma Course for 2025, but we hope that we will have sufficient numbers for a course to start in January 2026. 

Barry Sloan, our Publicity Officer, has continued to maintain the Group’s presence with vigour on all forms of social media, with our own public Facebook page.  The Chairman thanked Barry for his enthusiasm in maintaining and co-ordinating our presence, and equally to Steve Peary for keeping our website up to date and relevant.  Steve has been given a further task for the next few months to create a new website for the Group, IAM RoadSmart having given notice that they will no longer host a website on behalf of 39 Groups.  It just shows how vulnerable we are to the whims of Head Office; just 10 years ago we were actively encouraged to join the main IAM website with the benefits of free hosting, support and loading of IAM promotional material!

The Chairman had now completed his twenty eighth year in office, and members were aware that in previous years he had quoted the IAM guidelines recorded in the IAM Group Handbook. These state; “It is very strongly recommended that the post of Chairman be held for no more than three years and that there be a break of at least one year before being nominated again”. He did not wish to prevent anyone who would like to take the role from doing so, yet he was also conscious that many groups were closing because they were unable to form a committee.  We were very fortunate to have a dedicated Committee of 13 people to keep the group together, and with the necessary varied skills to do so.  He was happy and honoured to be Chairman of such a strong, active and enthusiastic IAM RoadSmart group.

He was very conscious that playing an active part in the Group was a hobby to us all – and for a hobby to be rewarding we needed to feel a sense of personal achievement. He hoped that everyone involved feels just that and closed, as usual, with the biggest possible ‘Thank You’ to everyone.”

The Secretary thanked the Chairman for his work during the year.  As always, he had worked harder than any other committee member and his enthusiasm, devotion, dedication and leadership skills inspired us all to remain one of the top IAM RoadSmart groups.

The Advanced Driver course cost £200 between 2nd April 2024 and 31st March 2025. It now costs £204.

The Group recruited 21 associates during the year compared with 15 last year and 19 in 2022-23.  Thirty-five members didn’t renew their subscriptions.  Our membership at the beginning of May 2025 consisted of 129 full members, 14 associates and nine friends.  These add up to a total of 152 compared with 163 at this time last year.  We were currently sending out only 28 monthly Newsletters by post compared with 126 by email.  Those who received theirs by post, were asked to think about transferring.  They would get access to the Newsletter’s web links and save the Group printing and increasing postage costs.  Special thanks were due to those who sent postage stamps for their newsletters.  The Group subscription remained at £10.

The Secretary closed by repeating what the Chairman had said many times, personal contact and recommendation continued to be very important in recruiting new associates and sincere thanks were given to those who had encouraged friends or relatives to enrol this year.

The Treasurer reported another straightforward year, continuing the management of the accounts online, allowing prompt payment of invoices etc.  We still needed to progress to more members paying their annual subscriptions online. The number of new associates coming through continued to be low despite our extensive advertising through social media and recommendation.

A slight drop in both members and new associates contributed to a drop in income in the Charity Account.  Expenses were lower mainly because we had not paid room hire in advance as we have in the past.  The current slightly larger bank balance will decrease over the year as we pay room charges.  Turning to the Social Account, Ride and Rambles and Raffles brought in a similar amount to last year, but not having the surplus from events we had last year meant a drop in income.  Speaker expenses were similar but the Xmas dinner subsidy was greatly reduced.  These led to an overall drop of almost £200 in the account.  Overall cash in both accounts remained in a healthy position to cover payments needed.

Thanks were due to Roy for producing the balance sheet and liaising with Warran Bolton for the audit of the accounts.  Thanks were also given to Margaret and her band of helpers in organising the raffles.  Chris was thanked for organising the speakers and looking after the clothing account as were Vince and Lynn for the social events.

All office-holders and committee members, who had to seek re-election were re-elected along with Dougie Phillips who rejoined the Committee.  Contact details can be found on the inside front cover of the Newsletter.

Group Required Contract Statement to Members

Here at the Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists we would like to thank you for renewing your membership with us, as part of your membership contract with us, we will contact you with information on training, committee, and social events, together with newsletters/magazines relating to the group and Road Safety.

Pictures, videos and written updates of Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists, events such as training, committee and social events at which you may be in attendance or referred to, will also be regularly published on Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc, group newsletters/magazines and group related websites.

Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists also shares your information with IAM RoadSmart in order to administer membership activities.

Option to Withdraw from the above

You have the right to withdraw from receiving or participating in any of the above, by contacting Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists.

 

I DO NOT WISH TO:-

□   receive information on training, committee, and social events, together with newsletters/magazines relating to the group and Road Safety.

□   to appear in or be referred to in or on any group social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc, group newsletters/magazines and group related websites.

Signature:                                                                          ______________________

Name (in capitals):                                                            ______________________

Date:                                                                                 ______________________

Membership Number                                                        ______________________

 

 

Please notify the Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists by email to gkwhittle@btinternet.com or by letter to:-

Gary Whittle,

Group Secretary

Bolton & District Group of Advanced Motorists,

50 Albert Road West

Bolton

BL1 5HG

 

If you do not return this document with your Subs renewal form we shall continue to communicate with you as we do now.

 

..

Reg Local - a series of video’s on How to Pass an Advanced Driving Test

There are 9 modules and can be found by clicking the following link; 

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/RegLocal/playlists

 

Introduction

System of Car Control

Steering

Braking

Acceleration Sense

Cornering

Overtaking

Signalling

Commentary

.

News Item

You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the...

News Item

You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the...

News Item

You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the latest information about our company here. You will find the...