The Western Group of Motoring Writers held its 2022 AGM at the end of November and after successfully re-launching the Western Group Driving Day, staged at the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset this autumn, the Group is now looking forward to celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. A date for the 2023 Driving Day has already been provisionally arranged for the first week in June.
At the meeting the Group re-elected its current committee with John Kendall as Chairman, Kieron Fennelly as Vice Chairman, Steve Grant as Secretary and John Kerswill as Treasurer.
“Re-launching the Western Group Driving Day after the cancellations caused by the pandemic was an important event in the Group calendar this year”, commented John Kendall, “As we begin our 40th anniversary year, we are planning to mark it in style with a celebration dinner and 40th anniversary themed Driving Day in the summer.
“Much has changed since 1983. We’ve witnessed the evolution of diesel power, the emergence of hybrid drive systems, the rise of the SUV and the beginning of the transition to electric drive systems.
“The way we work as journalists has also changed completely. Gone is the clatter of typewriters on press day, as computers revolutionised the way that copy is produced and processed. The World-Wide Web and the rise of social media have also brought great transformations, with digital publications replacing many print magazines and journalists responding to the demands of 24-hour journalism.”
In 1983 most Western Group members were regional newspaper journalists, whereas current members include bloggers and online writers, as well as print journalists and photographers.
Western Group AGMs also give the group a chance to decide on the charitable donations the Group makes with any surplus from the Driving Day.
This year, the Group is pleased to be supporting Women on the Move Against Cancer (WOMAC) and in memory of former chairman Leigh Robinson who died earlier this year, the Group will also be supporting the Blue Cross and the British Heart Foundation.
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