Sorry if this issue of Open House is a couple of weeks late, but I'm sure you'll understand when you see what a fabulous three or four months we have had since the last issue. Lottery Grant:

As you may recall we applied for a grant from the National Lottery 'Community Fund' earlier this year. We were confident that we had put the application together in a very professional manner, and the project we required funding for (that of employing a full time office administrator) was within the scope of the present round of grants. Having done all this we could only wait and hope, as getting a grant from the Community Fund can be something of a lottery in itself, with far more applications than there is available funding to grant.

Then in July the news came. We got it! £43,000.00+ to employ an admin worker for 3 years! (Though we do have to get a small proportion of the funding for year two and a slightly higher proportion for year three from other sources. This is aimed at it being fully funded from sponsors once the lottery grant runs out at the end of three years).

July and August were just so busy we couldn't really tackle the problem of finding our new office administrator until September, when we advertised in the Job Centres, local press and numerous web sites. We had a good response to the adverts, and it took a while for Byrnie (Treasurer) and myself to whittle them down to a short-list of nine. It was a close run thing in the end but the job went to Shirley Hauxwell, who not only had the necessary office admin experience, but she has also a lot of experience of working for disability charities. Shirley has been a member of NABD for several years, and is an active dedicated biker. Manna sent from heaven you may say.

Shirley started at the beginning of October and the difference is already very noticeable. So if you need to contact the office, do so between 10am and 4pm, Mon - Fri, and you will actually get your enquiry dealt with (without talking to a machine). I can even find things in the office now (takes some getting used to that does).

TV Documentary:

This was the next bit of good news, not only had Granada Men & Motors set a date for the 1 hour documentary 'Disabled Bikers' about the work of the NABD (8pm, Wednesday, October 29th) but Billy Connolly had agreed to present it. (I can only apologise for not getting Open House out in time to let you all know these details so you could watch it. But it has been in much of the motorcycle and national press, and on our web site and many others). As if this were not enough good news, we then had a call from Men & Motors to say that Billy Connolly had asked them to donate his fee to the NABD. I have just watched a preview copy of the program and it is nothing short of brilliant! It really

shows the true spirit of the NABD, with a lot of footage from the You've Been Nabbed 12 Rally, and features interviews with a number of members, giving their own story of how the NABD has helped them. In addition to this there are interviews with two of our patrons, Neil Hodgeson and Mik Scarlet, both of whom are so supportive of the NABD it brings a tear to the eye. Those of you who didn't get to see the program can contact the office and we will try to supply you with a copy of it. (Hopefully with the option of video or CD). It also occurs to me that if enough people write to or e-mail Men & Motors they may even schedule a repeat of it in the not too distant future. (Hint...)

GWOCGB:

More good news! The Goldwing Owners Club Of Great Britain at their AGM in October voted unanimously to adopt the NABD as their national charity. This is a fundraising project is done over a period of two years and will be a major boost to funds. We have been lucky enough to have been the GWOCGB national nominated charity once before, when they raised a staggering £10,000.00 all of which was used in adaption grants and services.

NABD Folk:

We have recently welcomed five new people to the ranks of NABD reps. Bob Lippet (a long time NABD activist) has become assistant rep in Somerset. John Dean has taken up the gauntlet as rep for Shropshire. John Lance has agreed to put his unique character into the post of North Wiltshire Rep. Sean Edwards has taken on the post of rep for Essex. And last but by no means least, we welcome Kailah Eglington as Hertfordshire Rep. Kailah is very active on the racing scene (an area where NABD is less well known than we would like), and we have great hopes that her promotion of the NABD will bring a whole new aspect to our association. Kailah is also a very talented freelance photographer and journalist. (You can see an example of her work on pages 10 & 11 of this issue). To all of these new folk I bid you welcome.

Unfortunately for every gain there is a loss. At the NABD AGM in June, Paul Crudge from Kent took on the post of Sponsorship Co-ordinator. Sadly due to pressures in his personal life and the not inconsiderable demands of holding a national committee post, Paul has resigned the post recently. I know Paul will remain a staunch NABD supporter and will continue his active role in the Kent area. Our thanks go to him for giving it his best shot. The post of Sponsorship Co-ordinator remains vacant at present. But wait, there's more. I have just been informed that Roy Harley's health has improved and he will soon be once again taking up his post of NABD rep for Scotland. More good news, don't you just love it?

Blue Badge Holder:

The project to have a 'user friendly' blue badge holder for disabled bikers, is now in full swing. Salford University School of Art & Design have undertaken a project working closely with the NABD to produce a badge holder. We have managed to get funding for the project from the Department of Transport and we expect a final result by the end of January 2004. There Is another badge holder in development by an NABD member in Scotland, which is showing great promise. I can think of no finer outcome than to have two options available so people have a choice and I will keep you all informed as things progress.

Motability:

The latest update from Motability is that things are still on track for the introduction of bikes and trikes in the early part of 2004. This long awaited, much needed, addition to the Motability scheme will without doubt open up the world of triking to large numbers of disabled people. This has been yet another huge achievement of the NABD in what has already proven to be a momentous year for us. We will publish full details of the scheme on the NABD web site and in Open House as soon as they are available.

Pretty in Pink:

This year's national draw, with the fully refurbished, original 'Beach Bastard' trike as first prize has been going from strength to strength. The Draw will be made at next year's national rally in May, so if you have not sent in your ticket stubs yet, do it now. For those of you who would like to improve your chances of winning this uniquely spectacular machine, (and for those who have joined us since the last issue of Open House) there should be a book of tickets in the next issue of Open House (due out at the end of January). If you would like to get some before then, just ring the office and Shirley will send you some. The more you can sell to family and friends, the more money we will raise for NABD funds.

NEC National Motorcycle & Scooter Show:

We have managed to get free stall space at the NEC Bike Show this year. The NABD stall will be in hall 17 on stand T62. If you are visiting the show, call in and say hello, the Beach Bastard trike will be on show in all it's glory, together with an impressive display of the work done by the NABD. Questionnaire:

The questionnaire included with this issue of Open House is part of a campaign to curb the excessive profiteering of the insurance industry when it comes to bike insurance. The project has the full backing of the NABD and MAG so I would ask that you all take the time to fill it in and send it off. We all will benefit if the government can be forced to address the issue of unfair and immoral insurance costs.

Out and About:

As always NABD stalls have been present at all sorts of events over the last few months, including; The Pissed Indian Rally, The Rock & Blues, The Bulldog Bash, Stormin The Castle, Stafford Classic Bike Show, and many, many, more. Various groups of NABD members have also been out and about doing a multitude of activities, from conferences, to fund-raising, to sailing trips (see Gary Tompkins article on the sailing day on page 23). And we already have a couple of Xmas parties planned, one in Lancashire (see page 22), and one in Wiltshire (see page 13). Keep a close eye on the NABD web site www.nabd.org for news of any others, which may crop up. It is worth remembering that many things can crop up between issues of Open House, so it is well worth checking the web site at least once a week to check for updates and event information, even if you don't have a access to the internet, I bet you know somebody who does, so ask them to check for you.

Events:

Our Autumn Nabd'ness Rally at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire was a tremendous success. We had a noticeable increase in attendance this year and the atmosphere was exceptional (see page 16 for more detail) all credit to Juley Simmonds (National Secretary) for her magnificent effort in organising such a brilliant event.

Unfortunately the 'Grab Your Goolies' Rally in Somerset has had to be cancelled when, due to a sudden change of ownership, we lost the site for the event, and we didn't have enough time left to find an alternative site.

I am presently investigating several possible sites for next year's national rally, You've Been Nabbed 12A (OK I know it's a silly superstition, but organising an event of this size is already fraught with problems without sticking a number thirteen on to it). Full details of the event will be in the next issue of Open House.

And Finally.....

The over-riding feel of the last four months (or the last nine months for that matter) in the NABD has been one of optimism. We have made some huge strides forward lately, and our reputation as Europe's leading authority on motorcycling for disabled riders has really come into its own. We are well set to meet the challenges that 2004 may bring with a positive and confident outlook, which should make all of us proud to say, "We're with the NABD!"

I wish you all, a good festive season, in whatever form you take it (personally I'm going to ignore it as usual, maybe I'll go fishing......or drinking......or both......can you drink fish?).

Rick