December club news

Chair’s Chat 
December already.  Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun!  My season finished in great style with the Walter Hayes meeting at Silverstone, good racing, no-one in front of the Stewards and lots of orange overalls in view with everyone seeming to enjoy the day.  I know there are a few winter meetings to come, notably the Plum Pudding meeting at Mallory on Boxing Day (a meeting I regularly supported when I lived closer).  If you have not tried it, I urge you to go, it’s a great way to get over the excesses of Christmas Day with some fun car and motorcycle racing.
I know the rally members are in full action at present with the RAC rally just completed.  If you have not tried rallying, I would also urge you to have a try at marshalling one.  You will find them very welcoming and the sight and sound of cars in the forests is superb.  Just ensure you wrap up warm and take sufficient food and hot drinks with you.
December 7^th sees our AGM at MSUK Headquarters in Bicester.  Please come along to hear the reports from the National Officers and Regional Chairs, together with our plans for the forthcoming year.  I hope we will be able to present some important changes to the club rules together with proposed amendments to the Articles of Association that will help us find a new National Chair and Vice-Chair to take us forward into the future.  We will so be looking for volunteers for other National Roles, IT Coordinator, Communications and Branding and Bookkeeper.  
Our club is unique in that it is run purely by marshals for marshals, all committee and National roles are held by volunteers, working to ensure you, the members can enjoy your discipline in the sport safely and enjoyably.  Without volunteers the club cannot exist so please, if you think you can help, get in touch so we can discuss the opportunities.
Don’t forget to get your names down for the various training events that will be happening in the New Year.  We all need to refresh our existing skills and learn the new ones needed to enable us to perform our duties as officials.  
May I take this moment to wish all of you a “Very Merry Christmas” and a safe and enjoyable New Year.  I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at events throughout 2026.

Secretary’s Noggin
Where has this year gone? Does not seem 5 minutes ago I was attending training in February followed by my 1^st race weekend at Silverstone for the CSCC. Since then 43 marshalling days up the end of October at Silverstone, Donington, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park, Goodwood and Le Mans. Next year’s calendar already beginning to be populated. Let us hope that 2026 shall be a very safe year for both marshals and drivers.
There is still time for you to register interest in assisting to run the BMMC, the posts were advertised last month’s newsletter for Chair, Vice Chair, IT Coordinator, Brand and Communications, IT Coordinator and Bookkeeper. If you are interested and feel you would like to help, then please contact me on nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk
Over the weekend of the 21^st to 23^rd November you will have noticed that the BMMC email system and any other club systems that depend upon email were unavailable. This was so the IT Working Group could transfer the BMMC email system to a new server. All went very smoothly and the new email server is up and working. Congratulations to Derek and all the team for all your good work. It took a lot of preparation and planning before the switch over in order for it to go so smoothly. 
How many of you either attended the 2025 Roger Albert Clark Rally over from the 21^st to 24^th November, or did you like me watch it live on U Tube? The sight and sound of Mark Higgins in that glorious Triumph TR7 V8, or the sad sight of a rare Skoda Octavia Super on a trailer looking rather sad and sorry. Only to see it resurrected. Ford Escorts, BMWs, Rover, Volvo, Lancia, Mini and even a Jaguar. A great event, full of exciting racing, looked a bit nippy though. Next one in 2027, can’t wait. Thanks to all the competitors, marshals and spectators for making a memorable event. 
Finally, may I wish all members a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous, Happy and Healthy 2026 and hope to see as many of you on the bank in 2026 as possible at various circuits around the UK. 

Membership Renewals 2026
Despite increased running costs of the club, the subscriptions rates for 2026 are being held the same as 2025 and previous years and renewals for 2026 are now open. For members who already have Direct Debits set up, the funds are due to be taken from your bank during the 1^st week in January 2026 (around the 6^th January).
Online payment is also available, if you go to the BMMC website, log into your account and go to Members and then click on Membership Renewal and follow instructions. 
Your digital membership card will be sent to your email address before the Season Starts.
 The club year runs from the 1^st of January to 31^st December. To stay covered by our insurance make sure your payment is made.
As in previous years for members renewing by the 31^st January 2026, all will be entered into a Prize Draw, the prize being a day at the Palmer Autosport Bedford Autodrome. A big thank you to MSV and PalmerSport for their continued support to all our marshals.

Treasurer’s Report 
There have been various articles in the media about how the government spends the money it raises, how little income pubs receive from the cost of a pint etc. In addition, with renewal season approaching, I have been asked by several members “what do I get for my £20 membership fee?”
I thought that I would put a brief article together to give you a summary of the club’s annual income and expenditure and illustrate the incredible value that the membership fee provides.
The annual accounts for the club have been filed at Companies House where they can be inspected for free by anyone. 
To save you time in this hectic period I have summarized the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The numbers have been rounded up or down for ease of reference.
Income £127,000
The income came from:
Membership £54,000
Overalls Sponsorship £32,000
Training Income £22,000
Race/Sprint income £11,000
Regalia Sales £4,000
Misc £4,000
Expenditure £128,000
The club spent:
Overalls subsidy £47,000
Training £23,000
Race/Sprint £12,000
Regalia £1,000
Running/Admin costs £45,000
The actual deficit was £403.
The draft accounts for this year are showing similar headline numbers although there will be some exceptional costs such as the upgrade to our IT systems, the digital membership database etc.
The other main area of expenditure are the costs incurred in running the club. These costs are under constant review but, like any other organisation, we are faced with increased costs from our suppliers such as insurance, licenses, travel, IT, professional fees etc. Without the goodwill of volunteers our administration costs would be a lot higher so my heartfelt thanks to everyone who gives their time and expertise willingly to the club.
The membership is continuing to rise which is an encouraging sign. It is expected that the membership will be around 3,500 by the end of this year. Some of the members are life members and so do not pay a membership fee. The estimated membership income for 2026 will be around £70,000. Whilst this is a healthy annual income the growth in membership does place huge pressure on the overalls subsidy fund. Without the generosity of our sponsors, donations etc. the club would be in a different financial state.
So, going back to the original question, “what do I get for my £20?” It is hoped that the above has given you an indication of the incredible value that your membership gives you.
Make sure you renew for 2026!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send them to me at nat.treasurer@marshals.co.uk.

Draw Winners 



Regalia

Training
With the 2025 season drawing to a conclusion it can be quite difficult to turn your mind to training, but the Regional Training Coordinators are already ahead of you, and by the time you read this they will have submitted their bids to the British Motorsport Trust (BMT) / Motorsport UK for grant aid to support the 2026 training season.
It is fair to say that for the coming year there are a number of financial challenges to the BMT which will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect in the amount of training funds available however, despite this, your BMMC / BRMC committees are working hard to endure you receive the highest quality training available.  When all the bids have been submitted, a list of training events and dates will be published and all marshals are encouraged to sign up as early as possible, as places will be limited and will be taken up fast.  Please remember, if you cannot make your local training event consider travelling to your next closest one, or look at the BARC training day list (as an alternative of course).
Motorsport UK has asked the BMMC / BRMC to remind their membership that if you wish to maintain your grade over time you need to attend training events.  The marshals pathway for all disciplines can be found here
As per last year your National Training Coordinator, Alan Page, will be visiting various training events during 2026 and looks forward to meeting you. If you wish to contact Alan directly you can do at nat.training@marshals.co.uk

Regional News
Midlands Region
The BMMC Midlands Region has released the dates for its 2026 annual training, 

1. Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11th January 2026. – Resue Training
2. Saturday 24^th and Sunday 25^th January 2026. – Marshal Training Grades 1, 2 and 3 Track and Off Track including fire training for those grading to Grade 1 

More details email Steve Allison at  m.training@marshals.co.uk
South West Region 
Kop Hill Festival (from Rachel Cobley)
Kop Hill, near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire “became” a hill climb in 1910 when motorcyclists discovered the “sinuous and steep road” (description as per the Kop Hill website). Cars joined the bikes a year later and it then became a key feature on the motor sport calendar. However, in 1925, a spectator accident (not adhering to marshal requests to move) caused the end of all high-speed contests on UK public roads. 
Today the event is a charity festival for road going vehicles to climb the hill, albeit under Road Traffic Act conditions. 
Over 300 vehicles each year register to “Run the Hill” and then return to the paddock through the town centre. The cars and bikes are mainly older (prior to the 1980s) but with some modern vehicles and supercars. The entrants often dress in period costume and there are usually special features. This year included the centenary of Brough Superior motorbikes and 7 of these early superbikes took to the hill as a cavalcade. Other features in 2025 included MGA, a French feature, Lancia and Japanese cars. 
My husband Phil and I first went to Kop Hill in 2015 and I have been in the paddock each year. It’s a friendly, hectic place, and occasionally chaotic too. For the most part the drivers are not used to motorsport events and the timetable is vague (Hill opens at 9.45 and closes for lunch at 1pm) so there are a lot of queries along the lines of “what time do I need to be at my car?” 
As the event isn’t timed most incidents for the marshals on the hill involve either turning round struggling cars and bikes or giving them a push to get going again; sometimes with the help of the car’s passengers. Fortunately, the steam powered car never seems to struggle no matter how low its revs get although it can be hard to see it in the cloud of steam as it comes up the hill.
This year we were visited on the Saturday afternoon by the local policeman in his patrol car – asking if he could run the hill. After a discussion with the organisers to complete the necessary paperwork, and having been given a driver briefing, the car took to the hill with lights and sirens (and 2 paying passengers in the back). 
Not to be out-done, one of his colleagues from the neighbouring beat turned up on the Sunday in her car and applied to take the car up the hill. Again, spectators paid the charity to go up the hill in the back of a police car. It was quite entertaining for both Marion Quarrington and I to remind serving police officers not to break any traffic laws as they went up the famous hill. 
A ride in the 1923 Alfa/Ferrari was auctioned for charity (pictured below) – what an opportunity!
As well as the cars running the hill, there are static car displays, music, stalls selling vintage and modern items, a children’s soap box competition, a funfair, food and a bar. The paddock is open to the public for them to admire the vehicles at close range (unlike at some events) and to talk to the drivers about their pride and joy. 
For the past few years, there has been a Lancaster Bomber fly past at lunchtime (weather permitting) and the sound of the engines flying relatively low overhead brings the event to a standstill. 
It’s a brilliant, friendly event and I’ll definitely be back next year.  

Membership 
The membership currently stands at 3259 as of 27/11/2025.
New Members 
A very warm welcome to the following new marshals. I hope you have a long and enjoyable marshalling experience and remember everyone is willing to help you along the way.

Marshal Upgrades
Congratulations and well done to the following marshals who have successfully upgraded:

Upcoming Events 
Rally

Volunteers Wanted 
Rally

1. The Historic Rally Car Register (HRCR) is holding its annual Open Day at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire (Junction 12 on the M40) on Saturday 10^th January 2026 from 09.30 to 15.30. The 2026 theme will be Works and World Rally Championship Cars. A selection of factory rally cars will be on display charting the history of British Rallying. The HRCR will also cover everything from Scenic tours through road rallies to full blown stage events. The Museum will also be open for an additional charge. 
2. Applications are open for marshals and radio crews for the Brands Hatch MGJ Engineering Winter Stages organised by the Chelmsford Motor Club to be held on Saturday 17^th January 2026. Please register on https://brandshatchstages.co.uk/marshals
3. The Weaver Brothers Ltd Island Stages Rally on Saturday 15^th February 2026 on the Isle of Wight is in need of additional marshals. There will be a Marshals pack with decent merchandise and goodies available. Contact Rob Highmore via IOWCC. co.uk if interested
4. The organisers of the 2026 Plains Rally wish to advise competitors, volunteers and supporters of a revised date. The rally shall now take place on 13^th June 2026, moving from the originally planned date of 16^th May 2026.  The change has had to be made due to the organising team being unable to secure a suitable service area for the May date. The event shall still be based in the Balaas.