Hammond Collection Working Party 2012

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Friends of the Hammond Collection

Jean has asked me to organise two working parties before the Summer open day on 29 July

Jean and I have look at all the weekends between now and August and would like to get a team together to do all the usual things that need to be done like washing the cars, pumping up tyres, moving cars around, Tidying up the area around the museum, helping Michael with some of the building work, Doing a few repairs, perhaps a bit of painting, Sorting out the stores, what ever needs doing.

This year the Hammond collection will be open on the Jubilee weekend so we need to have one working day before the end of May.

The proposed dates for the first working party day are
28/29 April
12/13 May
19/20 May ( preferred date)
26/27 May

Can anybody who is available on any of these dates let me know so we can choose the weekend/day that best fits the maximum number of people

Saturday 2 June will be the day the collection will be open and Jean would like some help on that day with car parking and general marshalling. So if anybody is available can you let me know.

After the Jubilee weekend and the open day on 29 July  the available dates are
16/17 June
30 June/1 July
14/15 July
21/22 July ( preferred)

Again if anybody is available on any of these date please let me know on chris@rumcars.org

Once we have the best dates for the two periods I will then have to notify to see that can come of the dates along with a few people who are not on email. So the sooner you can let me know the better.

With weather like we have today this summer should be a scorcher, so a working day out in the country could be a good excuse to top up your tan.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

Chris Thomas

[Jean]

The first working Party date has been fixed for Saturday 19th May which is great.  Lesley and I will provide refreshments as usual , so bring your tools and some good weather.
I would like to take this opportunity to say we would very much welcome anyone else who would like to become a Friend of the Collection.  It really only involves one or two working parties a year and any help you can give over the weekend of our Open Days. 
The object of the Friends is to help the Hammond family to keep the Collection of cars together for just as long as we possibly can.  This entails cleaning and polishing the exhibits, pumping up tyres rearranging them now and again and generally making them look presentable for visitors.  They also undertake some repair work and general maintenance and with a few more willing hands may be other restoration projects could be got underway.  Our working party days always seem to be great fun, lots of banter and chat, a chance to get up close and personal with some very unusual cars and even a serious amount of work is completed.  If you would like to join us please either email me or give me a ring and you will be welcomed most warmly.
This year as part of the Jubilee Celebrations in Staplehurst we have been asked to open up to visitors for the day on Saturday 2nd June We are to be one of the dropping off points on the Vintage Bus route which will be touring the points of interest around the village for a good part of the day. If any of you could join us on that day to be on tap to answer the visitors questions  that would be great. 
Thanks for reading this   Jean

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Jean , Andrew, Michael, Lesley and Jamie

Thank you very much for the excellent lunch and refreshments served up during the day while the working party went about their duties to prepare the Hammond Collection for the first opening of the year on Saturday 2 June 2012 over the Jubilee weekend.

I would also like to thank all of you who turned up to help, especially Bob Purton, who managed to identify every one of the spares he moved in the spares shed.

Thanks again

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

It was a pleasure Chris and a great exercise in the application of the commandment thou shalt not covert thy neighbor's microcar spares! 

[Jean]

I would like to add my thanks to everyone who turned up to help for all your hard work.  Without you people I very much doubt that we could keep the cars together and certainly they would not be in a state to show them off to people as it is intended on the Saturday of the Jubilee weekend.    Staplehurst have arranged for a single Decker 1950's bus to tour the points of historic interest around the village at about hourly intervals.  There are to be two dropping off points, one is the Brittle Farm Museum of Things that some of you may have visited over our Celebration Weekend a few years ago and the other is the Hammond Collection.  It was a great honour to be asked to show off the cars and I am so grateful that the team spruced them and their surroundings up so well for the event.  I am sure their efforts will be much appreciated by our visitors.
The moving of the spares was another story.  The shed from which they had to be rescued from began collapsing many moons ago and the contents were silently rusting away.  To have so many identified at the same time was a bonus, sadly Edwin knew what they were but they never got labelled.
I should add that the numbers were rather depleted on this occasion as some of the Friends diverted to help Tony Marshall move some of his cars.  What a great team of Friends I have and I am sure they would welcome any one prepared to give a few hours of their time during the year to help them spread the load.  I think they are planning to have another Work Party to prepare for the Open Day in July, so should you be interested please get in touch with either Chris or myself.  Jean

[micro marshall]

when is the 2013 working party?

[Bob Purton]

HI Jamie. I think its your turn to organise it!

[micro marshall]

yes bob i will, i will sit down with jean this weekend and sort a date out.

[Jean]

Don't hold your breath for this weekend the family have a rather tight schedule of things to get through.  I will certainly give Jamie what assistance I can, but in the meantime if any one who would be interested in joining us at the Farm one Saturday or Sunday in March or April please make contact direct with me, at jean@rumcars.org rather than through the Forum, then Jamie can start to sort our the most favoured day.  We hope to make this early Working Party a time for actually doing things with some of the cars rather than just getting things tidy for the Open Day, we hope to have another one lateJune/early July for that.
If there are any of you who have not joined us before please think about it.  It is all very relaxed although a lot jobs get sorted out and everyone seems to enjoy the fellowship of like minds.  Light refreshments are offered at Lunch time as well as copious cups or coffee or tea during the day.  So come prepared in old clothes, and bring your own preferred tool kit and give us a few hours of your time to help in keeping the Collection viable for a few more years.