North East England

This year saw the Hull & East Yorkshire Centre achieve a couple of firsts. Namely it was the first time the Centre visited a works outside the UK and secondly it was the first time the Centre Chairman had driven the coach.

Twenty-odd members and guests were privileged to visit the state-of-the-art production facility of Ginetta Cars in Garforth, near Leeds, at the kind invitation of Mike Simpson, Ginetta's head of sales and test driver.

After an excellent presentation last year by the Managing Director of SOMI Trailers Ltd, Pauline Dawes, more than 20 members and guests of the Hull & East Yorkshire Centre took a tour of SOMI Trailers' design and production facility in Scunthorpe.

Thirty-five members and guests attended this year's Student of the Year Awards, presented by SOE President Mr Garry Gilby at the Village Hotel in Priory Park.

Centre Chair Mike Waudby and Gary Russell provided a last minute presentation on accident investigation, featuring some interesting, if at times quite grisly, accounts of accidents, illustrated with pictures and anecdotes.