Welcome from the Chair

On behalf of joint hosts Lincolnshire Land Rover Club and Peak & Dukeries Land Rover Club I would like to extend a warm welcome to friends old and new to the ALRC 2012 National Rally at Belvoir (pronounced locally Beaver) Castle near Grantham by kind permission of The Duke and Duchess of Rutland.

The site for the 2012 event is set in the grounds of Belvoir Castle and comprises rolling countryside featuring, unusually for P&D at least, a flat pasture camping field of some 200 acres overlooked by the Castle. The venue is well located for the M1 in the heart of the UK and is located just 6 miles from the A1 at Grantham.

Having been a member of P&D since 1988 I am very proud to have been invited by the Clubs to Chair the organising committee and co-direct the event along with Sam Kirk from Lincs. This will be the third National I have been involved in as Event Co-ordinator/Director (Shottle 94 and Carsington 2004 being the first two) and, by the fact I am here doing it again, have really enjoyed being part of what is a fantastic annual event.

The National Rally shines out not just because it remains one of the foremost off-road competitions of the year attracting the top drivers but also is a heartwarming gathering of friends, families and like-minded people from all over the UK and, indeed, the world. We want it to be a fun event for the whole family and it will have something for everyone, young and old. Childrens' activities are already booked including something for any budding young chefs out there. Look out for the dog show! Updates will appear on the website as we finalise bookings.

We welcome your ideas of what makes it 'your National Rally'.

We will also be celebrating Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Bank Holiday weekend includes Tuesday so your camping fee will include 6 nights and be great value. The camping fee equates to £7.50 per night. I challenge you to find cheaper camping at a Bank Holiday event anywhere in the country in 2012.

I would like to extend our thanks to long standing club member Pete Wilford who has, once again, drawn a fantastic logo for the event. I think you will all agree it really sets the scene.

There will be the usual Forum running later in the year and I invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can stay in touch.

New for 2012 is online booking. We actually received a booking on the day entries opened and already have bookings for the Comp Safari and CCV!

Our mission statement is “We're Eager for Belvoir” and we mean what we say. There is a real buzz about the event already. Get Eager for Belvoir and be part of it!

Dave Banner (Chair) and Sam Kirk
Event Directors ALRC National 2012

Dave Banner Sam Kirk