With scorching sunshine, blushing brides, cheese & wine parties and scooters as far as the eye can see, Cleethorpes 2017 turned out to be a spectacular weekend for all who attended. This was despite a grim weather forecast and some controversy leading up to the weekend.
In this report we’ve got almost 200 photos in the Ralleries, by SLUK regulars, Booga and Col, additional photos from Sticky, as well as a view from the ‘other side’ and a Rallery by Iggy who has been part of the Cleethorpes organising team since it began 20 years ago. Have a read, then a good look through the photos and feel free to share the feature on your own social media, or comment with any thoughts on issues raised.
1500 campers are overlooked by the control tower
The history of Cleethorpes
Back in 1997 our club, the Mansfield Monsters, started thinking about putting an inland rally on at Alfreton, Derbyshire. Everything was organised and looking good – then the police stepped in and made it very hard for us to continue. We suddenly weren’t allowed camping and the bar would have to close at 11. We cancelled. At the same time, our rally-going friends from the Olympics SC were also looking to put on a rally and thought Cleethorpes would be a great location. In 1998 we joined forces and put the first Cleethorpes Scooter Rally on for just a few hundred people. Despite being a fairly small rally it was a huge success and forged a working partnership between the clubs that has lasted ever since.
The post NSRA days
Back in the late 1990s scootering was on its arse, a National Rally would only attract 600 people and the rally scene was just starting to find its feet again after the sad demise of the old NSRA. For those of you who don’t know, the National Scooter Riders Association were the people behind rallies before the BSRA (British Scooter Riders Association) was born.
Over the last 20 years the rally has grown and grown. From its original tiny campsite at the old Showground (next door to the current campsite at Meridian Park) we’ve expanded as the rally has grown in popularity. The Linden Club was our home for a few years but we outgrew that and parking was an ever-bigger issue, as were the motorhomes, cars, vans and camper vans people wanted to bring on site. We’ve also moved venues a few times, our original home, the sweaty but atmospheric Winter Gardens was knocked down. The Pier closed, opened, closed and turned into a fancy chip shop, we had a second soul do in the leisure centre one year to cope with the extra numbers, we also used a nightclub in town (in desperation one year after the Pier closed again) and in recent years we’ve settled in comfortably at The Beachcomber campsite where they can cater for around 1500 people; an ample amount for most rallies.
£1Million scooterist pounds
As the rally has grown the scooterist friendly town has jumped on board, we bring an estimated £1Million pounds into the local economy over the weekend so you can’t really blame them. Aside from the businesses, many ordinary locals also look forward to our visit, it’s a spectacle and brings life to the East Coast resort. Every B&B, caravan and campsite is booked up as soon as the date is announced for the following year. The official rally campsite at Meridian Park has between 1500-2000 campers on it. There’s no room for camper vans or cars on there but there is plenty of legal parking space close by and a scooter only site looks so much better.
As the numbers rise so do the risks and the associated costs involved. Our public liability insurance has been increased to cover up to £5Million. The site rent has risen astronomically, as have the costs for bringing in an extra shower block, employing the services of overnight campsite security, registered SIA door staff, first aiders both on site and in the do and of course our stewards. None of those things were a consideration back in 1998, life was much simpler.
The pubs and clubs naturally make a killing, as do the restaurants, fast food outlets and local seaside attractions. We’re big money. Many of the local bars have jumped on the scootering bandwagon, you can hear more Jam songs played live in one weekend at Cleethorpes than the Jam ever played themselves. Scooter-themed discos reverberate from every sound system and in an ever-increasing battle to capture the scooterist pound some establishments have started to get a bit too greedy for their own good.
Scooterfest In the weeks leading up to this years rally a local newspaper reported on ‘Scooterfest.’ An area of the town around the market place and some local bars had gained council approval to close the roads, fence the area off and have live entertainment outside. It’s something they’ve been working towards for a few years, every year it gets bigger and bigger but this was the first time it would be fenced off. Security would be in force and wristbands given on entry. As an organiser this caused us an issue, the rally was in essence being hijacked. A fenced-in area, open to locals and scooterists is always going to become a potential flashpoint. At least when we’re running our event we employ some local security who can keep the local idiots out; they complement our own security to keep the known scooterist idiots in check. It works and any hassle is nipped in the bud before it escalates. After posting the newspaper article on to the Cleethorpes Facebook rally page a backlash against the ‘Scooterfest’ organisers saw a partial u-turn. They quickly made contact with us, dropped the ‘Scooterfest’ name for starters and realised that scooterists will stick together. Biting the hand that feeds you For us ‘Scooterfest’ or any over-the-top takeover of a scooter event can dilute what we do, it can cause added issues with resident complaints and ultimately scooterists will get the blame if it all goes wrong. It’s not about getting more people into The Beachcomber either, most have already got a wristband to get in the do anyway. Hopefully in the future the greedy people will think twice about biting the hand that feeds them. Let us do our own thing and people will still drink in your bars, try and herd us and we’ll rebel. Anyway on to the weekend…
Thursday set up
Back in the day both clubs would ride to Cleethorpes en-masse on the Friday, enjoying a leisurely breakfast stop on the way. We’d meet a load more friends and arrive at the campsite around lunchtime just before the gates opened. Just a couple from each of the clubs would arrive earlier in the morning to get the site set up. It seems hard to comprehend that it was even possible to run the event in that way.
These days half the club members have both the Thursday and Friday off work and arrive on the Thursday afternoon/evening to start setting up. Showers are towed in, skips and bins distributed, signs put up, fencing put in place, fire access cordoned off, toilets and facilities checked, disco equipment brought in and set up both at the campsite and The Beachcomber. Needless to say, a few pints are sunk later on. It’s the most relaxing part of the weekend for us.
Friday
With fantastic weather replacing the gloomy forecast the site gradually fills up with campers. You can never predict exactly how many campers will arrive. With good weather you can guarantee it will be a busy one though and it is. The scooter riders ride in and set up, relieved of just £15 for the weekend. It’s all-inclusive – camping, evening do both nights, custom show and parts fair. We try to keep prices to a minimum and encourage people to ride their scooters there, not to discriminate but it’s a scooter rally, the clue is in the title. We’re not out to become a sad part-time weekend festival for over-the-top Union Jack suited, never-sat-on-or-intend-to-sit-on a scooter middle-aged bandwagon jumpers, or members of the Mod re-enactment society. This is a scooter rally. Anybody not arriving by scooter pays £20 for the weekend and carries (or wheels) their massive tents, gazebos, deck chairs and kitchen sinks in from the car parks. That’s the way we roll and make no apologies for it. We welcome everybody who comes to have a good time but encourage the use of two wheels wherever possible.
The town fills up nicely as well and as the evening draws in our free rally coaches start ferrying people into town, back to the Beachcomber and also to the campsite. These coaches are free to scooterists but actually cost the clubs £1000 to put on for the weekend. It means it’s easier for our visitors to get around and they always know they can get home, without having to try and get a taxi late at night.
Some members of security will jump through hoops to work at Cleethorpes
The Beachcomber is very busy for a Friday night, with a great atmosphere, both rooms are bouncing and life is good. There’s nothing better for an organiser than seeing people enjoying themselves. It makes the hard work before, during and after an event worthwhile. Even a minor kerfuffle towards the end of the night doesn’t ruin the good feeling.
For us the party continues until around 4.30am back in the caravan, we’re middle-aged but at weekends we’re forever young and daft. Just time for a few hours of restless micro sleep before we start work again on the campsite. The site itself runs 24-hours, manned by scooter-riding professional security overnight, keeping undesirables out (local travellers had blagged their way on earlier in the day) and the scooterists safe as they sleep.
Sophisticated? You’d better believe it
Saturday Another hot one on the campsite, almost 40 traders are set up, including our friends over at ScooterNova who were celebrating the arrival of issue two of their new magazine with a cheese & wine party. Editor, Andy Gillard was reputed to have eaten his own bodyweight in assorted dairy and vineyard produce. The custom scooters also gathered for the show, a fine selection of machines, to be judged later by one of our old Monsters club members, Fletch who had ridden up for the day for old times sake. You can see the results on a photo in the Rallery, best of show went to Midnight Oil, he also won a £50 voucher from Chiggy at Lambretta Upgrades. Campers start arriving early, along with a thousand or so extra day-trippers, eager to see the custom scoots, sign on for the various championships, peruse the stalls or just soak up the chilled out atmosphere. Local scooter club, Stateside SC organise the ride in every year (it’s like a ride out but the opposite way around). They meet in Grimsby and ride in to town. This year almost 800 scooters are part of the ride. The numbers swelled by hot weather and the tribute to Little Lam, Craiggy from Dinnington SC who sadly passed away a few days before. His heavily modified luminous green Lambretta was displayed at the custom show as a mark of respect. Craig may have been small in height but he was big in character and larger than life.
The happy couple, just before the bridesmaids did a mass pile on
Shotgun wedding During the afternoon a posse of regular rally-going ladies appeared wearing bridesmaid dresses, along with a blushing bride. It’s a regular occurrence at Cleethorpes, last year they dressed as dirty old men, the year before old ladies behaving badly. This year they decided to celebrate my other half, Linsey’s upcoming 50th Birthday by getting her ‘married.’ It’s fair to say the girls created mayhem around town for the rest of the day and no doubt cheered a few people up along the way.
Backyard Dog: Turn it up loud
Saturday night
Town was heaving, all the bars were chock-a-block and no matter what your musical persuasion you were catered for. We stuck to the slightly less commercialised pubs and bars, rather than queue for hours and fight our way through the crowds in the town centre and a good night was had by us all.
Despite laying on the free coaches we ended up on public transport down to The Beachcomber where the venue was busier than it usually is but not too overcrowded and getting to the bar wasn’t a long job. Despite the weekend £2 a pint lager promotion having gone down very well, as had the feeling of solidarity between scooterists.
The main room dance floor was kept busy by various DJs, as was the soul room, hosted by the Twisted Sisters and assorted reprobates. None of whom take life too seriously. A northern room playing wall-to-wall vinyl classics can sometimes come across as a bit elitist to an outsider but not at this event. See Sticky’s video above, where a final record as the lights went up caused the room to go off big style and the revellers sent off to bed with a smile of a magic moment.
Most of the scooterists behind the Cleethorpes rally
Sunday morning
With many a hangover we arrive on site to start the breakdown and clean up process. Thankfully this year our campers have been lovely, most of them used the bin bags, skips and bins provided, which makes our job much easier. Our resident womble, Mad Dog is an early riser so he spent a couple of hours cleaning up with Jez very early on Sunday morning before we arrived.
Arrests and hassle
It’s many years since a rally report included arrests as part of the statistics but on Sunday morning a couple of scooters had to be carried off the campsite. They were both secured with disc locks, not quite as secure as their owners though who had been arrested and detained in town the previous night (in a non-violence related incident apparently).
Trouble can happen anywhere but try to mix lots of locals into an environment they may not understand, add in lots of excitable rally-goers, some heavy-handed security and a high police presence and it causes friction.
The future?
Since the weekend we’ve had numerous messages from local businesses wanting to work with us (note work with, rather than against) for Cleethorpes 2018, we’ve also had plenty of people asking if the rumours that the rally might not be on are true. As it stands we will be quite happy to work alongside publicans and local businesses if they have the interests of genuine scooterists at heart and if they want to ensure that the rally weekend goes ahead without unnecessary issues. We’ll also be speaking to the local council to ensure that the National Rally isn’t likely to be taken over by outsiders, or steered the wrong way. As long as we’re happy with the outcome you’ll be able to party at one of the biggest and best National Rallies in it’s 21st year.
Words: Iggy, Photos: Iggy, Booga, Col & Sticky, Video: Sticky
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Rallery by Iggy/Sticky
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ScooterNova – issue 2 | MAGAZINE
£5.00
With scorching sunshine, blushing brides, cheese & wine parties and scooters as far as the eye can see, Cleethorpes 2017 turned out to be a spectacular weekend for all who attended. This was despite a grim weather forecast and some controversy leading up to the weekend.
In this report we’ve got almost 200 photos in the Ralleries, by SLUK regulars, Booga and Col, additional photos from Sticky, as well as a view from the ‘other side’ and a Rallery by Iggy who has been part of the Cleethorpes organising team since it began 20 years ago. Have a read, then a good look through the photos and feel free to share the feature on your own social media, or comment with any thoughts on issues raised.
The history of Cleethorpes
Back in 1997 our club, the Mansfield Monsters, started thinking about putting an inland rally on at Alfreton, Derbyshire. Everything was organised and looking good – then the police stepped in and made it very hard for us to continue. We suddenly weren’t allowed camping and the bar would have to close at 11. We cancelled. At the same time, our rally-going friends from the Olympics SC were also looking to put on a rally and thought Cleethorpes would be a great location. In 1998 we joined forces and put the first Cleethorpes Scooter Rally on for just a few hundred people. Despite being a fairly small rally it was a huge success and forged a working partnership between the clubs that has lasted ever since.
The post NSRA days
Back in the late 1990s scootering was on its arse, a National Rally would only attract 600 people and the rally scene was just starting to find its feet again after the sad demise of the old NSRA. For those of you who don’t know, the National Scooter Riders Association were the people behind rallies before the BSRA (British Scooter Riders Association) was born.
Over the last 20 years the rally has grown and grown. From its original tiny campsite at the old Showground (next door to the current campsite at Meridian Park) we’ve expanded as the rally has grown in popularity. The Linden Club was our home for a few years but we outgrew that and parking was an ever-bigger issue, as were the motorhomes, cars, vans and camper vans people wanted to bring on site. We’ve also moved venues a few times, our original home, the sweaty but atmospheric Winter Gardens was knocked down. The Pier closed, opened, closed and turned into a fancy chip shop, we had a second soul do in the leisure centre one year to cope with the extra numbers, we also used a nightclub in town (in desperation one year after the Pier closed again) and in recent years we’ve settled in comfortably at The Beachcomber campsite where they can cater for around 1500 people; an ample amount for most rallies.
£1Million scooterist pounds
As the rally has grown the scooterist friendly town has jumped on board, we bring an estimated £1Million pounds into the local economy over the weekend so you can’t really blame them. Aside from the businesses, many ordinary locals also look forward to our visit, it’s a spectacle and brings life to the East Coast resort. Every B&B, caravan and campsite is booked up as soon as the date is announced for the following year. The official rally campsite at Meridian Park has between 1500-2000 campers on it. There’s no room for camper vans or cars on there but there is plenty of legal parking space close by and a scooter only site looks so much better.
As the numbers rise so do the risks and the associated costs involved. Our public liability insurance has been increased to cover up to £5Million. The site rent has risen astronomically, as have the costs for bringing in an extra shower block, employing the services of overnight campsite security, registered SIA door staff, first aiders both on site and in the do and of course our stewards. None of those things were a consideration back in 1998, life was much simpler.
The pubs and clubs naturally make a killing, as do the restaurants, fast food outlets and local seaside attractions. We’re big money. Many of the local bars have jumped on the scootering bandwagon, you can hear more Jam songs played live in one weekend at Cleethorpes than the Jam ever played themselves. Scooter-themed discos reverberate from every sound system and in an ever-increasing battle to capture the scooterist pound some establishments have started to get a bit too greedy for their own good.
Thursday set up
Back in the day both clubs would ride to Cleethorpes en-masse on the Friday, enjoying a leisurely breakfast stop on the way. We’d meet a load more friends and arrive at the campsite around lunchtime just before the gates opened. Just a couple from each of the clubs would arrive earlier in the morning to get the site set up. It seems hard to comprehend that it was even possible to run the event in that way.
These days half the club members have both the Thursday and Friday off work and arrive on the Thursday afternoon/evening to start setting up. Showers are towed in, skips and bins distributed, signs put up, fencing put in place, fire access cordoned off, toilets and facilities checked, disco equipment brought in and set up both at the campsite and The Beachcomber. Needless to say, a few pints are sunk later on. It’s the most relaxing part of the weekend for us.
Friday
With fantastic weather replacing the gloomy forecast the site gradually fills up with campers. You can never predict exactly how many campers will arrive. With good weather you can guarantee it will be a busy one though and it is. The scooter riders ride in and set up, relieved of just £15 for the weekend. It’s all-inclusive – camping, evening do both nights, custom show and parts fair. We try to keep prices to a minimum and encourage people to ride their scooters there, not to discriminate but it’s a scooter rally, the clue is in the title. We’re not out to become a sad part-time weekend festival for over-the-top Union Jack suited, never-sat-on-or-intend-to-sit-on a scooter middle-aged bandwagon jumpers, or members of the Mod re-enactment society. This is a scooter rally. Anybody not arriving by scooter pays £20 for the weekend and carries (or wheels) their massive tents, gazebos, deck chairs and kitchen sinks in from the car parks. That’s the way we roll and make no apologies for it. We welcome everybody who comes to have a good time but encourage the use of two wheels wherever possible.
The town fills up nicely as well and as the evening draws in our free rally coaches start ferrying people into town, back to the Beachcomber and also to the campsite. These coaches are free to scooterists but actually cost the clubs £1000 to put on for the weekend. It means it’s easier for our visitors to get around and they always know they can get home, without having to try and get a taxi late at night.
The Beachcomber is very busy for a Friday night, with a great atmosphere, both rooms are bouncing and life is good. There’s nothing better for an organiser than seeing people enjoying themselves. It makes the hard work before, during and after an event worthwhile. Even a minor kerfuffle towards the end of the night doesn’t ruin the good feeling.
For us the party continues until around 4.30am back in the caravan, we’re middle-aged but at weekends we’re forever young and daft. Just time for a few hours of restless micro sleep before we start work again on the campsite. The site itself runs 24-hours, manned by scooter-riding professional security overnight, keeping undesirables out (local travellers had blagged their way on earlier in the day) and the scooterists safe as they sleep.
Saturday night
Town was heaving, all the bars were chock-a-block and no matter what your musical persuasion you were catered for. We stuck to the slightly less commercialised pubs and bars, rather than queue for hours and fight our way through the crowds in the town centre and a good night was had by us all.
Despite laying on the free coaches we ended up on public transport down to The Beachcomber where the venue was busier than it usually is but not too overcrowded and getting to the bar wasn’t a long job. Despite the weekend £2 a pint lager promotion having gone down very well, as had the feeling of solidarity between scooterists.
The main room dance floor was kept busy by various DJs, as was the soul room, hosted by the Twisted Sisters and assorted reprobates. None of whom take life too seriously. A northern room playing wall-to-wall vinyl classics can sometimes come across as a bit elitist to an outsider but not at this event. See Sticky’s video above, where a final record as the lights went up caused the room to go off big style and the revellers sent off to bed with a smile of a magic moment.
Sunday morning
With many a hangover we arrive on site to start the breakdown and clean up process. Thankfully this year our campers have been lovely, most of them used the bin bags, skips and bins provided, which makes our job much easier. Our resident womble, Mad Dog is an early riser so he spent a couple of hours cleaning up with Jez very early on Sunday morning before we arrived.
Arrests and hassle
It’s many years since a rally report included arrests as part of the statistics but on Sunday morning a couple of scooters had to be carried off the campsite. They were both secured with disc locks, not quite as secure as their owners though who had been arrested and detained in town the previous night (in a non-violence related incident apparently).
Trouble can happen anywhere but try to mix lots of locals into an environment they may not understand, add in lots of excitable rally-goers, some heavy-handed security and a high police presence and it causes friction.
The future?
Since the weekend we’ve had numerous messages from local businesses wanting to work with us (note work with, rather than against) for Cleethorpes 2018, we’ve also had plenty of people asking if the rumours that the rally might not be on are true. As it stands we will be quite happy to work alongside publicans and local businesses if they have the interests of genuine scooterists at heart and if they want to ensure that the rally weekend goes ahead without unnecessary issues. We’ll also be speaking to the local council to ensure that the National Rally isn’t likely to be taken over by outsiders, or steered the wrong way. As long as we’re happy with the outcome you’ll be able to party at one of the biggest and best National Rallies in it’s 21st year.
Words: Iggy, Photos: Iggy, Booga, Col & Sticky, Video: Sticky
Have you discovered SLUK’s revolutionary SLUK Clip Lambretta bridge-piece fitting kit yet?
Rallery by Iggy/Sticky
I can only hope you guys come back and run this in 2018. Cracking rally, well organised and a whole lot of fun.
I remain opposed to all this nonsense surrounding what happened in the market place, whether it had a name or not, its just an excuse to try and make more money by a small number of people who are trying to ride on the back of the work you guys put in. Many other businesses in close proximity were no happier about it than we were.
In the end it didn’t detract from a great rally, that was very well attended. You should all be proud of what you’ve achieved here.