ORAGANISING DENT 2013
It all starts with the designing of the plaques for the event straight away, Furthest Travelled, Best Bike, Best Custom and this year we had two extra made up for the George and Dragon and High Laning Caravan and Camping Site. Once they are designed I place a copy of them online for approval.
I then start looking at dates and usually pick 3 or 4 as not all people who would like to attend can make it on a certain date. I then look at the majority of people that can make a certain date and go with that date.
I then post up the date on several sites so that everyone has the chance of seeing it, I then make the trip to Dent to arrange it with the campsite and the George and Dragon and the Sun Inn to make sure they have adequate staff covering the nights we are attending.
I post up the price of camping on the websites and a few quid to cover the price of the plaques to be made up. Hopefully I cover the price of the plaques as some years with low attendance this is not been so. This year we more than covered the price of the plaques and ended up with £50.00 extra which will go towards the making of next years.
Paul Hollis this year organised the patches with the wording “Dent – UK – 13” on, the T-shirts were organised through Redline T’s on Facebook and made it so you could pick from several designs. I advertise the meet to encourage new blood to the event as you can guarantee the same faces turn up every year without fail, they know who they are and it is appreciated.
When I am happy with the designs for the plaques I put them up on the sites to ask your opinions, and then go into production and get them made, the money comes from the payments received, hence why I ask for your payment to be as early as possible. When I receive payment from you usually in the form of a cheque I make a trip over to the bank which is around 10 miles away and put it into a separate account which is soley used for Dent. I put all the names down onto a spreadsheet and mark off who has paid and who has not, and also delete those that have said they cannot make it for different reasons.
Meeting places are arranged by Paul on the M6 down South, to coinside with the meet places that have become synonymous with Dent, which are the Lancaster Services on the M6, Bullbeck in Caton and the major meet which brings everyone together from North, South and East at Devil’s Bridge just outside Kirby Lonsdale.
As the date gets closer Chris (oldgimmer) and I will talk and Chris will arrange a time and a date to pick up the very large Barbque, this is all free of charge, he then keeps it until we go up the day before to put our tent up.
The day before the weekend Bonnie and I make the trip to Dent and put up our tent which is used as base for everyone to help themselves to a cuppa when arriving or take shelter if it is raining, waiting for a break in the weather to erect their tent. We take up with us Tea, Coffee, loads of cups and usually an array of food to cook on the Barbque incase someone has not had time to buy before they turn up.
The Friday, Bonnie and I make the trip to meet everyone travelling up from down South on the M6 and head over to Caton, after a cuppa and cig brake we make our way through to Devil’s Bridge, and meet up with everyone else for our trip through Barbon over the moore to Dent.
Once we arrive everyone puts their tents up and I walk round collecting monies from those that have turned up and not paid the fees.
After a good natter meeting and greeting old and making new friends we head off to the George and Dragon and the Sun Inn to have something to eat, we then mingle between the two pubs as the George has the Dent Brewery beer which is the beer of choice for the majority of us.
Saturday morning after we have all woke up(Sobered up) we arrange a ride out, this is usually organised by Chris and is usually a brilliant ride out taking in the beautifull scenary which is everywhere in the Yorkshire Dales. This is usually weather dependant. Breakfast if you do not cook your own is usually at meadowside the downside to this is they do not open until 10am.
Saturday night we have the Barbque and then head off to the pubs, all meeting up at 9pm in the George & Dragon for the handing out of the plaques. We then have a relaxed evening and talk amongst ourselves and play pool etc etc….
Sunday morning is usually chaotic as everyone is packing away their tent and loading stuff on the bike, the kettle is never off in our tent as people have packed away and want a cuppa before they ride off home. Everyone pops in to our tent to say thank you and goodbye.
Our work starts then as we have to pack away our tent and all the gear in the car which has been left there since Thursday. Chris packs his gear away and then attends to the Barbque. On arrival at home Sunday late afternoon the car is unloaded and everything is washed from the weekend the tent is dried and cleaned and put away for next year.
Chris will deliver the Barbque and then I have to make sure it is cleaned for the next time it is used. I can then relax and start thinking about designing the plaques for next year.
NEW FACES
This year we have had a few new faces turned up, and from what the reaction was like on the Sunday morning despite the weather being bad on the Friday evening and lasting until Saturday around 1pm they have really enjoyed themselves. Some of them travelling 300 miles to just be with us.
Bonnie and I thank everyone who turns up and makes the weekend what it is a success
