(05 Jul 2015, 4:53 pm)Malarkey wrote As I discussed with Aureolin last year on our way back from Seaburn Rally I think something needs to be done with the Rallies to make them more enjoyable, i.e. bringing different Vehicles as we see the same ones every year, although it was nice to see FTN 708W & 33101 at Durham the other week as it was something different to Photograph, I think perhaps merging the Smaller Rallies such as Whitley Bay, Durham & Seaburn together at a Location which is Central to where everyone is travelling from, and is easy to travel to via Public Transport, so then your not doing a Jimmi spending 6 to 7 Hours on Buses to and from the Rally, that is some dedication to the Hobby right there mind, and having the Event at a bigger site such as Herrington Country Park at Penshaw, with the adage of other Vintage Vehicles such as Cars and Trucks etc would make it more interesting, I would also like NEBPT and CDBPG to have an Enthusiast Open Day at there Respective Yards.

So you would have as an Example:

MetroCentre - May 
Tyne Tees Run - June
Shildon - July
New Merged Rally - August

There's already a rally that is central to everyone, and easily accessible - the Metrocentre one, and it's by far the biggest one up here.

Having thought about this for some time now, I don't think merging rallies is the answer. The Howlands one this year was a cracking turn out, for what is considered one of the smaller rallies, and Whitley Bay didn't have a bad turnout today, considering the condensed space available. Perhaps the answer is in the suitability of the sites?

Some owners made reference at Howlands to how cramped the buses were together in the car park, and there was concerns that vehicles could be accidentally knocked or bumped because of the limited turning space. You have to bare in mind that 99% of these buses have no form of power steering. If Durham was considered cramped, then the Whitley Bay site would have come as a shock.

Given that the P&R doesn't operate on a Sunday, it would perhaps be better to situate the Durham rally at Sniperley instead. A bigger space, and a horse shoe layout, so it'd actually be better for lining buses up. That way the rally still exists, but it's just moved the same distance in the opposite direction.

Regarding Herrington Country Park. I'm pretty certain that the hefty hire fee still applies, so the chances of NEBPT using that for a rally are massively slim. It'd need a wealth of trade stalls, and a massive buy in from preservationists around the country, to even begin to make it viable. Not to mention they'd have little choice but to charge people an entrance fee, which is something that on the most part they've avoided doing. Instead relying on donations. I wouldn't have an issue paying into a big rally, but I know that it would price a lot of people out of attending.

(05 Jul 2015, 5:02 pm)Jackamcardle wrote I somewhat agree, it didn't feel half as good as the MetroCentre rally(which was my first one) as I did see some buses that I never have before and I can imagine that you have probably seen those before. At times I got a tad bored where there was no free bus journeys on and resorted to sitting on a bus waiting for something to happen, whereas at the MetroCentre bus rally there was never a dull moment as there were much more different buses and a more exiting atmosphere with more people too.

I may not attend next year to this rally as it was a bit dull, but I may change my mind when it comes to the time as it was nice weather and was better than sitting in the house.

You'll not find better than the Metrocentre in the North East. It's the biggest up here, and the most likely to see a wider range of vehicles. Not to mention Riverside is round the corner, so GNE always pull the stops out in terms of modern attendance!

It's worth heading over to Seaburn if the weather is nice. The area around the park is good for photos, and you could probably fit a trip into Shields in there too.