September Club News

I would like to begin by thanking the many members and wider stakeholders who have taken the time to speak with me in person or send messages of support as Adrian and I step into our new roles within the Club. It is important to remember that we are all volunteers, and that marshalling is our hobby, your good wishes genuinely mean a great deal.

My first month as National Chair has been both busy and encouraging. I have been working to understand the current position of several key projects, including the development of the new Membership System and the reinforcement of our Safeguarding procedures. The work of the Club was recently profiled in Motorsport News on 6 August, and as a result a number of organisations have already approached us for support in 2027. More information on these opportunities will follow in due course.

I am also pleased that we have concluded the Vice Chair election process with the appointment of Adrian Liddiment. I look forward to working closely with Adrian, our Regional Chairs, and our National Coordinators to ensure we continue to deliver what you, our members, want and need from your Club.

To support this, we have launched a Membership Satisfaction Survey, giving you the opportunity to share your views on the Club today and, just as importantly, your expectations for the future. The survey should take no more than three minutes to complete. Please do take part, without your feedback, we cannot improve the service we provide. We commit to openly sharing the results with you, along with our plans to address any issues raised.

I hope you find the information below useful, and remember that regional updates will be shared through your local newsletters. Our next National Council meeting takes place on 10 September. If there is anything you would like us to include on the agenda, please email me with the details.

Finally, we will be launching our new offer “An Hour to Chat with the Chair” initiative in September. This will be an open opportunity for you to speak with Adrian and me, ask questions, raise ideas, or simply share your marshalling experiences. Further details will be issued nearer the time.

Enjoy your marshalling, and stay safe.

John Edwards

Meet your new National Vice Chair

First and foremost, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who voted in the recent elections. It is a genuine honour to be elected as your National Vice Chair, and I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me to help guide the future of our club.

For those who may not know me personally, I am currently in my 16th year as a marshal. Like so many of you, being out on the bank is my happy place. Over the years, trackside marshalling has given me an invaluable perspective on what makes our community so special, as well as an understanding of the challenges we face. Away from the circuit, my background is in commercial leadership, process improvement, and team development. Since 2022, I have had the privilege of serving on the National Council as National Regalia Coordinator, leading initiatives such as our digital membership cards, expanding sponsorship partnerships, and launching our online merchandise platforms.

Stepping into this new role, my primary goal is to work hand-in-hand with our new Club Chair. Under John’s guidance and leadership, I look forward to serving as a dependable sounding board, supporting the delivery of the Council’s strategic vision, and ensuring our operations run smoothly across all levels.

During my tenure alongside John, I am focused on delivering key improvements across the club:

• Enhancing member engagement: Ensuring clear, transparent communication between National Council and the bank, creating accessible channels for your feedback, and ensuring every volunteer feels valued and recognised.
• Regional Collaboration (One Club. Seven Regions): Providing our regions with better tools and reduced administrative burdens, allowing them to thrive locally while fostering seamless cross-regional teamwork and consistent standards.
• Modernisation & Sustainability: Continuing to streamline club processes, build commercial partnerships, and drive long-term succession planning to secure the BMMC’s position as the leading body representing UK marshals.

I am immensely proud of this club and passionate about the vital work we do across British motorsport. Please feel free to come and say hello if you see me trackside, or reach out anytime with your ideas and feedback.

Thank you once again for your support. I look forward to working with John, the Council, Regional Committees, and all of you to make the BMMC stronger than ever.

See you on the bank!

Adrian Liddiment

Safeguarding news

Robust safeguarding is a responsibility the club takes seriously. We have been reviewing our processes and have decided to split the role. We now have 2 safeguarding officers, Tim Chittleburgh (safeguardingsouth@marshals.co.uk) and Jayne Poston (safeguardingnorth@marshals.co.uk).

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Margaret Simpson who has done a wonderful job in this area for all her hard work – it has been much appreciated.

Tim will cover South East, South Mids and South West regions whilst Jayne will cover Mids, North West and North East. NI continues to stand alone as they have their own Safeguarding rules. Similarly, the BRMC will signpost any concerns depending upon where the event was held in the UK

Please raise any concerns to safeguarding@marshals.co.uk, then depending the location it will be picked up by either Tim or Jayne.

Any concerns whilst at events should always be raised with the respective event safeguarding officer – the BMMC will be informed on a need to know basis.

A new safeguarding policy will soon be uploaded to the website, and existing safeguarding policies are currently being reviewed.

Training news

It’s likely that during September the British Motorsport Trust will once again open up the bidding process for funds to support the winter season training events.

At present, your regional training teams will be planning what they can deliver, be that grades, modules, or specialist training for groups such as Rescue, First Aid or snatch recovery.

If you have any ideas or suggestions as to what you would like to see delivered, please get in touch with your Regional Training Coordinator.

Are you an existing Motorsport UK Trainer who qualified some time ago and would like a refresher in training delivery? If so, please let me know as I am looking to organise a one-day session in the Birmingham area on the 29th of November.

Please contact nat.training@marshals.co.uk for further details.

Rally news

The BRMC are still  looking for a Training Coordinator, please check last months newsletter for more information and contact nat.training@marshals.co.uk if you’d like to support on this.

Marshals practical fire training at Shelsley Walsh

The Association of Midland Motor Clubs and the British Rally Marshals Club will run a practical fire training day on Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, Worcestershire.  

This training is aimed at trainee marshals looking to build their essential fire safety knowledge, or for experienced marshals wanting to refresh their skills. It is not discipline-specific and completion of this foundation module is required for all marshal upgrades.

The training covers both Fire Theory (GE01A) and Fire Practical (GE01B), exploring how fires can start and develop, fire classifications, the selection and pre-event checking of extinguishers, onboard fire systems, teamwork when dealing with a fire and the importance of appropriate PPE.

Participants will put their learning into practice during a practical session, gaining hands-on experience in the safe and effective use of fire extinguishers. 

The training will be delivered in small, interactive groups over a half-day session. Delegates can choose either a morning or afternoon session when registering via the online form. Places are limited so please book early.

September Upgrade News

It’s been a bumper month for upgrades! Well done to all our marshals who have achieved an upgrade, if you’re inspired and thinking about upgrading take a look at our guide to upgrading.

In memorium

Recently the SE region lost Mildred Wiltshire. For those who knew her, she was the marshal’s friend and coordinator for many clubs at Brands Hatch and on the telephones back in the day, and later the radios.

The region have put together a memorial book for the family, and they are keen to hear about stories and memories of Mildred as they have no idea how many lives she touched doing her role. If you would like to add a story, comment or photo to share with the family, can you please send these to se.chair@marshals.co.uk where they will be added to the book.

The aim is to present comments to the family at the GT cup at Brands Hatch in September where the family will be present. We will also be launching a new trophy at this meeting with further details to follow.

The NW Region recently lost Richard Hodgkiss. Richard was a prominent marshal across all disciplines and received the Bellini Trophy for marshal of the year earlier in 2026. Although Richard took a step back from marshalling this season due to ill health, it had been arranged for him to attend the Historic Gold Cup where he would have been awarded the Barrie Williams Trophy for BMMC Marshal of the Year. The award was presented to his family at the Gold Cup during the bank holiday weekend.