
First of all, let me point you to the changed start time for our September Group meeting. For this month only it starts at 7.00pm so that we can make the presentations for the 2026 Diploma Course. This is the culmination of 5 months intensive effort by the six candidates who completed the course with a Pass. They are to be congratulated on their efforts – which is what will happen before the September Group meeting. Steve Williams, our speaker, will begin his talk around 7.45pm. More details can be found on Page 8.
Apologies if this seems a little early but on Pages 15 and 16 there are menu details for our Christmas Dinner on 4th December. When we arrived at Bolton Old Links Golf Club over the last two years, we were thrilled to see the excellent presentation of the room for the Christmas season, it was brilliant. It was far better than any venue we have been to before, and the food was wonderful. We are still waiting for our planned entertainer to confirm. I hope that we can look forward to your support as we ideally need a minimum of 40 guests to make the evening a success.
Nowadays IAM RoadSmart publish all sorts of things in so many different places it’s difficult to keep up – or even to know where to find articles. I’m fairly sure that the link below was on Facebook, but can’t be sure. It’s part of the 70th anniversary series of articles, so if you haven’t already seen it, have a look. They look back at seven decades of road safety and see how IAM RoadSmart has evolved over the years – as well as what’s stayed the same.
What caught my eye at first wasn’t the full article but the black and white picture of the M1 motorway around 1960. Just compare that to what you see today. As well as hardly any traffic, there was no central barrier, no hard shoulder and never any lighting. Then I looked at the car nearest the camera, straddling lanes 1 and 2 – a Standard Vanguard Phase 2. My dad had one of those, 917 FRF, (bench front seat, column change, 3 speed gearbox) and I passed my driving test in it one week after my 17th birthday in 1960.
Anyway, after that digression, can I recommend that you click on the link below and look back on the IAM RS over the 70 years of road safety.
Young drivers and motorcycle riders have benefited from fully funded driving and riding training thanks to funds raised by IAM RoadSmart members and supporters. The participants, aged 17 to 26, attended the fully funded ‘Skills for the Road’ days at Thruxton Circuit on 5 & 6 August, where they received expert tuition designed to build confidence, improve vehicle control and encourage safer driving and riding behaviours. Let’s hope they can carry those skills through the rest of their lives – safely.
I’ll begin Secretary’s Scribbles as usual at this time of year by welcoming new associates to the August advanced driving course. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did mine and that you will soon be seeing its benefits. Of course we will most likely be asking you to drive in a different way than you do at present and some of you might find this difficult as your brain wants you to drive in a way that is familiar. To counter this you must drive in the new way whenever you are in the car, not just on a Sunday morning. And, if you do not drive many miles during the week you are going to need to go out and practise in between sessions. Some of your predecessors have found going out on a Sunday afternoon and driving over the same route you followed with your observer in the morning is a good way to cement the new driving in your memory.
If you practise enough you should find that by Session 5 you are seeing the benefits and you should feel that you can take your advanced test with confidence. However, if you are not yet in that position, discuss you situation with your observer or contact your mentor. The Group has been preparing associates for the Test for over 50 years so it’s likely that we will have the answer to your problems.
Next I am writing a few words about electronics in our cars. A Daily Telegraph reader had written in to “The Expert”, Mark Robbins, complaining that the speed limit recognition system in his Citroen C5 Aircross was “going crazy”. He said that he lived in a built-up area with speed limits of 20 to 30mph but several times the system had indicated that the limit was 60mph. Despite this, his Citroen dealer had said there was nothing wrong. “Had anyone else had the same problem or had he got the only dud car?” he asked.
Alex admitted he had also experienced the same problem particularly when test-driving new cars and he received letters about it “with depressing regularity”. He put this down to speed recognition systems not working very well. They are often based on rudimentary cameras which sometimes pick up information from speed limit signs on adjoining roads. They also may fail to recognise that the speed limit has changed if there isn’t a visible sign, which is common in a 30mph zone.
Some cars’ systems are supplemented by GPS data, which can be out of date or perhaps invalidated by roadworks. The system might not know which information it should trust – GPS data telling it a road has a 70mph limit or its cameras which have seen a temporary 50mph limit.
You used to be able to switch these systems off completely but, since 2024, newly registered vehicles must have speed recognition fitted and this must be automatically activated when the car is started. Note that a system must be fitted, not that it must work effectively. Cost effectiveness rules so manufacturers are able to fit systems that don’t do the job very well. There’s only one fix in this case and that’s turning it off every time you set off. If you don’t you’ll do well not to rely completely on speed limit recognition systems.
Gary Whittle
Ed; Just to add that some high performance cars are designed to run on E5 super unleaded.
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!
As I sit here typing this article for our September newsletter, it’s due to be over 30 degC today, we have certainly had our share of heat waves this year. September is the month all the schools, colleges and Universities start again for the next year. So, we can expect our roads to become busy and congested again, after the summer break. At the end of this article the details of our next advanced driving course are shown. It’s a great opportunity to come along and find out, just what advanced driving is all about and see if it can help you, with observation and enjoying driving more on the busy roads around Bolton and beyond.
Now what’s happening in the world of electric vehicles. Well, you may remember that some time ago, Honda launched an electric car called the Honda e. Put simply, it’s range was not exceptional, it was expensive and therefore did not achieve the sales needed to keep it in production. However, in Japan, there is a class of car called the Kei car (or small car) that has to have certain dimensions - they must be no longer than 3.4 meters (11.2 feet) and no wider than 1.48 meters (4.9 feet). Owners in Japan get lower car taxes, insurance and overall maintenance costs. Honda make a car called the “Super-N” it is small, has only about 150 miles real world range, and it is available for just under £19,000. If you are in the market for a small car maybe to replace as a second car, or just need a car for commuting then worth a look. Click the link to see what it looks like… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZYEaUButQ
We have mentioned before that cars seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Some call it “Carbesity” think Range Rover, Audi Q7 and Volvo V90. As you know we have mentioned cars like the, Kia EV9 and Hyundai ionic 9 that are very large. Well Skoda has now decided to launch one as well. Called the “Peaq”, it must be the largest car Skoda have ever produced and looks to be even bigger that the Kodiak SUV. We have read that it might be destined for the American or Australian market, but a right-hand drive model is available here for up to £60,000, at the top of the range. Have a look and see what you think… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDzAXruW70Q
The sales figures for July 2026 have been released, and it shows that there is no stopping the growth of new EV’s being purchased. In July EV’s accounted for 27.5% of new car registrations with 43,106 registrations. By comparison, Petrol cars accounted for 62,799 still in the leading position, but Diesel units were down again to just 6.596 being registered.
Top sellers were the Ford Puma, 3531, Nissan Qashqai, 3224. Kia Sportage, 3205. Jaecoo 7, 2709, MG HS, 2703, Ford Kuga, 2533, Jaecoo 5, 2481, VW Golf, 2413, Mini Cooper, 2350 and Vauxhall Corsa , 2326.
The most EV’s in Europe are still being bought by Norway, but Denmark is catching up with 97% of private buyers opting to purchase EV’s.
Getting an EV to travel over 4.0 miles per kWh used to be consider good, but now there is a class of car out there that’s achieving 5.0 miles per kWh. Car magazine “Autocar” has been testing over 50 EV’s, just to see how efficient they really are.
In the over 5.0 category are: Renault 5… Hyundai Inster…Honda Super – N… and BYD Dolphin.
Also, making the grade are the Renault 4 e-tech, MG4 EV Urban and getting to the magical 6.0 kWh is the Ford Puma Gen-E.
In the larger car bracket, honours were taken by The Cupra Born VZ and surprisingly, the Volvo ES90.
If you consider that, say, the Ford Puma has a usable battery pack of 43 kW, then if it does achieve 6.0 mpkWh then that would give it a range of 258 miles!!
As always 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 in November 2026, with an introduction evening on 29th October 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. Plus, we don’t bite, Honest!
News Items
Email to IAM RoadSmart Head Office 21 July 2026
It is now over 2 months since I passed my IAM RoadSmart Advanced test and I thought it opportune to write to you about my experience having previously taken and passed the test in the early/mid 1980s.
Approaching my 83rd year and with all the adverse publicity concerning older drivers, I thought it a good idea to check out my driving capabilities and duly enlisted as an associate with the Bolton and District Advanced Motorists Group.
For a start, what a difference from my previous experience. Instead of meeting on an outdoor car park adjacent to the old tax office near the Town Hall the present meet up is in a warm room in the University of Bolton complex.
The group was, and no doubt still will’ be amazing from top to bottom making for a welcoming experience on each meet up.
Due to holidays illness and a hip problem my course dragged out further than intended but the end result was eventually achieved with my Test pass on the 29th of April.
I would like to go on record in expressing my sincere thanks to all involved particularly the patience of the observers. Also the examiner Steven Peary who put me at ease and made the test a pleasant experience.
Beyond any shadow of a doubt the Bolton and District Group has vastly improved my driving capabilities. I recognise just how much calmer I am behind the wheel, far less inclined to curse other motorist's mistakes, even those who run amber and red lights, a shake of the head being sufficient.
With Kind Regards,
Paul Walker.
Ed; I remember the location well Paul!! I enrolled March 1986, as you say on an open car park with the only shelter being huddled against the buildings. We moved from there to car parks on River Street, then Chorley Street followed by Deane Road multi storey and finally to our current home, University of Greater Manchester. Thank you for our warm classroom Mr Uni!!
Do you have a VW with a high tech badge?
The Metropolitan Police are investigating roughly 70 incidents between 15 and 19 July in which victims claim the front badge of their Volkswagen models were stolen. The badge logos contain radar sensors required for driver-assistance features – potentially worth hundreds of pounds on the black market – and can reportedly be removed in a matter of seconds.
Yet while the badges are straightforward to steal, the means in which the criminals executed the thefts appears to be far more sophisticated. One victim told The Times newspaper that she spotted a drone over her garden, the day before the badge on her brand-new Volkswagen was stolen. “It was highly organised, they knew exactly where every car was, so they’d obviously scoped it out previously,” the woman added.
In a statement, a police lead investigator said: “We are aware of a number of incidents in south-east London over recent weeks in which car badges, including the vehicle’s radar sensors, have been stolen. At this stage, around 70 thefts are believed to have taken place.
Ed; If you have a modern VW, is your badge safe and secure? If I remember rightly even ordinary VW badges have always been stolen!! (I think this was in the 80's by fans of the Beastie Boys band. SDP)
GROUP TRIBUTE TO LOIS GERMAN
We were very sad to hear of the unexpected death of Lois German on August 9th. We offer our most sincere condolences to daughters Janet and Alison and all their families.
We don’t usually pay tribute to spouses of members, but Lois was a very special person to the group, being the wife of long serving and most loyal volunteer, Hugh German. Sadly Hugh himself passed away in December 2020. Behind every great man there is a great woman, and that was certainly true of Lois. Hugh lived and breathed IAM and the Bolton Group, and Lois was always there to support him – and therefore the group. Not only had Hugh served in every committee post (except Secretary), but for all those times Lois was there with him. Together they attended almost every Group Meeting, Dinner, Canal boat trips, Ride & Rambles, various visits to places of intertest, weekend tours organised by Norman and Dorothy Astley so everyone knew and loved Lois.
I always looked forward to being invited to Hughs for a chat or meeting, because Lois would always have baked some wonderful scones – loaded with butter and jam. Lois was an excellent cook, and there were always plenty of scones.
Though daughters Janet and Alison can paint a slightly different picture about the scones. Janet says “she can remember when we were young, committee meetings were held in our dining room and mum made cakes and scones for the members. Everyone smoked in those days and even if there were any cakes left over we wouldn’t eat them - because they tasted of smoke!! Mum was good at coming up with ideas to raise money when the group was short of funds and she often helped with the catering at events when the group had to do their own. The group meant a lot to her as did the friendships she and dad made there”.
In the early 1980’s the group was often short of funds, and it was only when Hugh became Chairman for the second time in 1992 that he was able to steady the ship, with Lois helping out in any way she could.
I have always missed the ‘wise old owl’ guidance of Hugh, and now I will have to live without the friendship of Lois. Sad though we may be, rest assured that Lois and Hugh are together once again, this time forever.
Rest in Peace both of you.
Roy Sammons - Chairman
Note; Lois’s funeral is on Sept 11th in Leicester, if anyone would like to attend and I haven’t already contacted you, please email roy_sammons@yahoo.co.uk for details.
Drivers face 4 years of M60 roadworks on Simister Island upgrade
Are you a regular user of the M60 at Simister Island? Then be prepared for a difficult few years of hold ups.
Work on the major M60 motorway upgrade at the notorious Simister Island junction has started, installing barriers and speed cameras etc. Five lanes of traffic and a new link road will be created at Junction 18 in a bid to ease congestion, following official confirmation by the Department for Transport (DfT) last year.
Simister Island interchange, which connects the M60, M62 and M66 motorways, has long been earmarked for a massive change under National Highways proposals. The scheme – estimated to cost between £255m and £296m – aims to reduce congestion, improve journey times and create a safer route through what is one of the North West’s busiest motorway junctions.
The upgrade is expected to take until 2030 to complete. New temporary safety barriers, average speed cameras and replacement road markings have all been installed around the junction.
The National Highways website said: “These measures are essential to ensuring the safety of our workforce and customers, and are aimed at also minimising disruption on the motorway during busier periods.
“From the week commencing Monday, June 1, 2026, there will be some additional noise in the area during these works as we do this vital safety work. The equipment we use means some disturbance is unavoidable, but we’ll make every effort to minimise any noise generated by the activities.
“We apologise in advance for any disruption these works will cause and thank you for your patience as we carry out this work.”
The project itself will see a ‘northern loop’ built to stop thousands of vehicles using the current traffic light controlled roundabout every day. A five-lane section on both sides of the M60 between Prestwich and Simister (junctions 17 and 18) has been touted as well.
The M66 on the Bury side of the junction would also be widened with new lanes introduced at the interchange and a second lane added from the M60 northbound link.
Ack; National Highways website
Drive, Rail and Sail Day – Saturday 3 October
Following the success of our previous Drive, Rail & Sail Day, the Group Committee thought it would be a great idea to organise another one!
It promises to be a really enjoyable day out, with some great scenery, good company and, of course, plenty of opportunities for food and drink!
The plan is to drive up to Haverthwaite Railway Station, where we’ll board the train at 9:50am and travel through the beautiful Lake District to Lakeside.
From Lakeside, we’ll then take the boat across to Bowness, arriving with plenty of time to enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon exploring, browsing the shops or simply relaxing and enjoying the surroundings at your leisure.
We’ll meet back in Bowness for our return sailing at 3:00pm, taking the boat back to Lakeside before catching the train back to Haverthwaite.
The cost of the Rail and Sail part of the trip is £29.00.
A few extra options to consider…
For those who fancy getting there a little earlier, the Haverthwaite Railway café opens at 9:00am and serves breakfast — so there’s an opportunity to start the day with a bacon butty and a cup of tea!
On the way home, we’re also planning an optional stop for an evening meal at a very nice pub, The Longlands Hotel in Burton-in-Kendal. Quite a few people joined us there last time and enjoyed a very pleasant meal, so it would be a lovely way to round off the day.
And for those who really want to make a weekend of it, a few of us are planning to stay overnight at the Premier Inn in Ulverston on the Friday evening. It’s only a short drive to Haverthwaite, and you’d be very welcome to join us for an evening meal and a bit of good company before the big day.
The Date? We are planning the trip on Saturday 3rd October. Interested?
If you’d like to join us, please contact Vince Dover and let me know which option you would like:
It would be fantastic to see as many of you as possible. It should be a great day out, so come along, bring your sense of adventure and let’s make it another memorable Group day!
Please let me know no later than Sunday 20th September.
Vince Dover
The days of the manual gearbox look to be numbered. Research from USwitch indicates that the next generation of drivers is focused on an automatic future. But is that a choice that comes at a cost?
UK government figures show that the number of automatic only driving tests has more than doubled in the past five years.
However, looking at USwitch's data from a survey of 500 learners, the prime motivation for choosing an automatic car isn't readiness for electric motoring – just 22% said that was the case. Instead, it's that most respondents (41%) presumed it would simply be easier to pass than in a manual, while 37% thought they would learn quicker.
Automatic regret
The reality has often proved different, however, with the driving test pass rate in 2025 being 10% lower for those in automatics than doing the full manual test.
What's more, an analysis of 1334 instructors from GetDriving.co.uk showed that an automatic driving lesson costs on average £5.05 more than a manual, adding around £225 to the cost of learning to drive, based on government estimates of the average length of time it takes to learn.
The costs continue to mount once a licence is obtained as USwitch points out that automatics are pricier to insure – from November 2025 to April 2026, quotes for automatic vehicles were on average 17% more expensive than manual ones.
Interestingly, almost one in five (19%) of survey respondents said they generally regret learning to drive in an automatic. Over a third (35%) also said they would consider learning to drive a manual car in future, while a quarter (25%) have already done so since passing their automatic test.
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
On 5th May 2026 the Chairman, Roy Sammons, welcomed everyone to the Annual General Meeting. He began by thanking two of our most loyal supporters, Steve Cottam and Steve Peary, who both moved on to pastures new in the latter part of 2025. Steve Cottam, who has been involved with the group since 2003, and for the last 19 years serving as President, is standing down as President at this AGM having moved to the North of Scotland. Steve Peary chose to become an Examiner and National Observer Assessor. This meant that he has had to stand down from being involved in running the Group.
Turning to the dedicated Observer Team who provide the foundation of our Sunday morning sessions the Chairman was proud to report that all of them attended 90% of our Sunday morning sessions – absolutely brilliant. That is a remarkable commitment to the Group which he truly appreciated. Members of the Training Team continue to give even more to support training new observers and Diploma candidates with their drives.
We began the year with 13 Observers, reducing by one when Steve Peary moved on. During the year we welcomed Pete Pritchard as a trainee and when he fully qualified as a National Observer we were back up to 13. We have four waiting to join our next training course.
The Chairman continued by talking about our test passes for 2025 which were more than disappointing at nine, though sadly this belies the fact that we trained many more. Our 2024 total, at 13 passes, was a marginal improvement over 2023 when we had 10 passes which was much lower than the 23 in 2022. We still ask for your help in recruiting new Associates, remember that personal contact and recommendation remains our best form of recruitment. Despite the price, there is still no better value for money, but people don’t realise that until they take the course.
Of those Associates who enrolled during the year, almost 40% did not take the course through to Test. It is discourteous that often they will not even speak to us to explain their reasons. 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. Sadly, we will never know – and neither will they!
He then asked what makes the Bolton Group ‘tick’? It is all down to all our 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. To the members who attend the Group meetings, and join together for our trips and other visits. There are too many to name individually – and it’s dangerous if he happened to miss someone from the list!! Whoever you are, whatever you do, your effort is greatly appreciated. Certainly we are, he believed, the only car group in the region to have a regular monthly meeting, along with other social events.
We now needed to follow up on the merger of East Lancashire Group with Bolton Group, the EGM’s having been held and the merger approved by both Groups. With our ASDM Dave Cox and Head Office the transfer process is underway for members, post code areas and any remaining funds. At present he did not have a timescale for completion, although he hoped it will be just two or three months.
Last year he reported on the unexpected cancellation by Dobbies Sports and Social Club of our room hire after 25 years. Lostock Parish Centre, and this very room, came to our rescue and he thought, with hindsight, it was a good move for us – and certainly him as he lived just down the road! We were pleased to be here.
The records kept by Lynn Jordan contribute significantly to the effectiveness and planning of our Sunday mornings. Along with Vince Dover and Dougie Phillips, our Sunday morning sessions run like clockwork, including drives for trainee Observers, and those training for National Observer.
We had sufficient numbers to start our 2026 Diploma Course in January, and we are very grateful for the assistance of senior instructors from the GMP Driver Training Unit in running the Roadcraft classroom sessions. The six participants are about to start their practical drive training before the driving tests at the end of June.
Katherine Whittle was standing down from the role of Group Contact, a role she had held for four years. This position is the first point of contact for anyone who has enrolled on a course, or an enquiry of any type regarding what we can provide. As such it can be seen as the ‘make or break’ point in the person enrolling on a course and is therefore a vital role to the Group. We thank Katherine for the time she has given this role over those years, and we welcome Committee Member, David Wilkinson, who will take over from Katherine – thank you David.
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. We thank 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 had to create a new website for the Group, having been abandoned by IAM RoadSmart. Our thanks go to Steve for saving the day.
The Chairman had now completed 29 years in office, and was required to make clear 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 too many groups are closing, just like East Lancashire, because they are unable to form a fully working committee. We are 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, with the support from the team around him. Noting that there is no ‘I’ in TEAM, he was very conscious that playing an active part in the Group was a hobby and for a hobby to be rewarding we needed to feel a sense of personal achievement. He hoped that everyone involved felt 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. He had worked harder than any other committee member and his dedication, devotion, enthusiasm and leadership skills inspired us all to remain one of the top IAM RoadSmart Groups.
The Advanced Driver course cost £204 between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026. It now costs £210.
We recruited 22 associates during the year compared with 21 last year and 15 in 2023-24. Twenty-two members didn’t renew their subscriptions. Our membership at the beginning of May 2026 consisted of 123 full members, 14 associates and six friends. These add up to a total of 143 compared with 152 at this time last year. We are currently sending out only 20 monthly Newsletters by post compared with 117 by email. Members who received it 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 for another year.
The Secretary closed by repeating what the Chairman had said many times, personal contact and recommendation continue to be very important in recruiting new associates. Sincere thanks were given to those who had encouraged friends or relatives to enrol this year.
The Treasurer reported another steady year. Continued use of online banking resulted in prompt payment of invoices but we still needed to encourage more members to pay their subs by bank transfer to eliminate cheque processing.
Another slight drop in members and associates coming through meant a slight reduction in Charity Account income. A diploma course was run during the year helping income after paying out additional room hire and the production/printing of course material. An advance purchase of stamps was made to negate some of the price increase due in April 2026 with the surplus shown in stock on the balance sheet. We need to encourage more members to receive the newsletter by email to bring down these postage expenses.
A good year for our meeting raffles and a slight profit on Xmas dinner helped our Social Account income. The surplus was more than offset by increased speaker expenses and one-off long service gifts to Steve Cottam and Steve Peary giving us an overall balance drop of £350. Cash in both accounts remains in a healthy position to cover all payments needed.
Roy was thanked for producing the balance sheet and liaising with the Reporting Accountant to have the accounts audited. Special thanks for Margaret and her band of helpers in organising the meeting raffles and her production of the committee meeting minutes. Thanks to Chris for organising the speakers and looking after the clothing and regalia account so expertly and to Vince and Lynn for the social events. Also to the Lostock Parish Centre for the use of the meeting rooms.
Those committee members who had to seek re-election were re-elected. All office-holders were also re-elected with Vince Dover filling the vacant Vice Chairman position. Contact details can be found on the inside front cover of the Newsletter.
Gary Whittle, Honorary Secretary
The following Associates have been successful in their Advanced Test since the last newsletter went to print:
Masters success:
Test Passes:
Paul Dunning
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;
Pete Pritchard
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.
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2026 Annual General Meeting Summary Report
On 5th May 2026 the Chairman, Roy Sammons, welcomed everyone to the Annual General Meeting. TBA
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.
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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
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