The Rallies... Run to the Hills 2000 Do you attend any national/regional rallies? I have attended three regional rallies. The first one was Morecambe 19th/21st of November 1999 I think we drove down in Jonny Bollons car with a couple of my club member mates:-Tesco, Caroline Tesco's partner, Daz and Jonny. When we arrived it was a shock to me to see the amount of people that attend rallies as well as this one being the last one of the Century the people I met were great easy going guys and girls and I don't know why I had reservations about coming to a rallybefore. On this particular rally I ended up doing part of the security on the door the night of the big do on the Saturday night I think we spent most of the day drinking and larking about. Blackpool 2000 The second rally I attended was one the one to Blackpool March 10th/12th 2000 this was one that we rode to on our Scooters , I met Daz and Jonny at the petrol station at Ardwick and we rode to Blackpool along the back roads and stopped and chatted to the Salford Knights lads in Manchester and then rode on to Blackpool . Once in there we checked into our B&B and then went into Blackpool and went to the Pleasure Beach and hit the pubs and went on the rides. At night me and the lads from our club went for a meal and then on to the night do , which if I remember rightly The Jamm were playing and that was a good gig and then I remember leaving fully inebriated and collapsing on my bed until the morning call of my hangover. The third and final rally was the Run To The Hills which was 21st/23rd July 2000. As well as the Blackpool one we also rode our Scooters to this one , this one was just a campsite next to a Pub (Of all things) The weather was warm , the sun was out on the ride up there so the ride was good. We pitched our tents and headed for the beer tent and the entertainment , with a version of the pain men swallowing swords and us drinking lots of alcohol a fantastic day was had by all , then I did about two hours on the gate just hanging around and the night time do was in full swing around two rooms of different sounds and then another beer fuelled night of fun and games .The last day on the Sunday myself and Tesco and some other people stayed and cleared the site and had a meal in the pub and left on our Scooter's …

How/when did you get into scootering?
This could be anything from 60's mod, mod revival; you liked the image etc… or whatever? I got interested in scootering in the mid-80's, around 86/87. My brother was a Mod so it progressed from there I think. But unfortunately I never owned my own scooter until 1998.

You don't have a scooter at the moment but tell us about previous scoots

I had a Vespa T5 Classic 125cc in 1998 bought from Phoenix Heinze Scooters at a price of £1200.00 and an Li150 Series 3 from Cambridge Scooters at a price of £695.00 in 2003 as a Restoration job.

I sold the Vespa to buy a Black Cab & Plate. The Li150 was a restoration job so spent lots of time fixing the scooter up, got the scooter going I played merrily on the scooter for a while and then sold it because my epilepsy stopped me riding the Scooter legally.

Club Details...

Stockport Crusaders: I've been on the Vfm local rallies at this time though. The club leader, Jonny Bollon, organises the Vfm ones with a lad called Steve Foster and the club always muck in with different jobs while away on the rallies i.e. Myself doing security on the door in at one of them and at Run to the Hills in 2000 some of the members cleared the campsite of rubbish after the rally .

Do you read any scootering magazines?

Yeah I always read Scootering Magazine that used to be called Scootering International way back. I find the Scooter features most interesting and lately the Into the Sunset feature's on the back page a good giggle. I started reading The Shed Magazine when it came out but with it being focused on your neck of the woods I don't bother.

What's the best thing about having/riding a scooter?

The best thing of riding a Scooter would have to be the friends that you make within the scene and the camaraderie you form with your fellow Scooter Club members .I also think the best thing about having a Scooter would have to be the feeling of being free and riding your Scooter alone about having time on your own. I mean don't get me wrong I love my Wife & Kids but a weekend away Riding your Scooter there and back and letting your hair down once their with your club members certainly blows the cobwebs away.

And the worst thing?

The main thing I think all Scooterists hate is bad weather on the day of a ride out or a rally and if the site is a campsite, having to put your tent up in the rain or in the dark.

If money was no object, what scooter would you have?

An Li150 Series 3 fully restored and a full-on sixties Mod machine; chrome mirrors, chrome stems, chrome leg shield, spot lights, horns - every thing must be chrome and outstanding. Very much ostentatious to let people notice me and turn their heads when I pass by!

What would you say to your daughter or son if they said they wanted a scooter?

I would say as my Dad said to me, 'do everything by the book, your theory test and your CBT and then your test and then your covered.

A lad turns up on a scooter to take your daughter out. How would you react?

I'd be fine as long as my Son/Daughter is happy and they're careful on the scooter then that's cool with me.

Does your partner share your enthusiasm for the scooter and all that goes with it?

No unfortunately she does not but there again I don't think many wifes do because the main reason being trust but there again she trusts me and I trust her and she fully supports and understands that once you've got the Scootering in your blood it's there for life.

Your Favourite Rally

I have to say my favourite rally would be my last one Run To The Hills , why because it was a great ride up to the campsite. To ride up to the site in a group of Scooters there's no other feeling like it , also the weekend itself was so easy going we had the sun out and the weekend itself was so relaxing .There was lots of entertaining things to see and do they had a custom show and a bungee run for pints of larger and a excellent location for the rally itself.