Club trip

The D&DGCS FAQ

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Where is Dagworth?

It's in Suffolk, just north of Stowmarket, but not as far north as Haughley or Old Newton.  It's a bit small, so it's easy to miss it.

What is the D&DGCS?

The Dagworth & District Gentlemen's Cycling Society.  It's a cycling club with outings that tend to be quite leisurely and nearly always feature public houses.

What sort of cycles do D&DGCS members ride?

Any sort.  Society members have a penchant for the traditional black roadster and the old-fashioned delivery bike - but cycles of all types are seen and welcomed on D&DGCS rides.  Occasionally, there will be a run aimed at a particular kind of bike; we have held a Trade Bike Time Trial and a Two wheels good, three wheels better ride.

Where does the club meet?

Club HQ is currently the Five Bells at Rattlesden.  When the society was formd, it adopted the nearest pub to Dagworth - Haughley Railway Tavern - as its HQ.  However, since the pub closed in November 2003, we have had to move elsewhere.  After briefly flirting with Elmswell Railway Tavern we have settled upon Rattlesden Five Bells as our new HQ.  Our Quarterly meetings are at the HQ.  Our monthly meetings during the winter are also at the Five Bells.  However, they wander around a bit during the summer months.  To find out where they are, have a look at the calendar.

Who can join?

Anyone.  None of the words in the title implies any sort of restriction on membership.  Obviously, it does help if you live locally and ride a cycle, otherwise you're going to miss out on a lot of the Society's events.  A cat joined once; Smudge was the guvnor's cat at Haughley Railway Tavern and was the only society member who could be relied upon to turn up at the monthly meetings.  He didn't turn up at the AGM, though; I think he had heard that we would have made him Vice-president if he had.

How do I join?

Turn up at a D&DGCS event.  That's all there is to it.  No forms to fill in.

How much does it cost to join?

Nothing (or, in new money, nothing).

Is there a newsletter telling me about D&DGCS events?

Yes.

How do I get a copy?

Well, if you're reading this FAQ, you must have some sort of WWW access.  You'll find the newsletter on the same Web site as you found this FAQ.  Alternatively, an e-mail version of the newsletter is also available.  This is a PDF document - just ask the if you want to be added to the mailing list.

Is there a paper version of the Newsletter?

Yes.

How do I get the paper newsletter?

You can collect it from the Social Secretary, or at a D&DGCS event.

When are newsletters published?

Every three months.  The D&DGCS has a quarterly meeting on the first Thursdays of March, June, September and December.  The purpose of these meetings is to decide the programme of events for the next three months.  The newsletter should appear a week or two after each meeting.

Who runs the D&DGCS?

The members do.  All events are decided by whoever turns up at the quarterly meetings.  There are club officers to do specific jobs, but there is no organising committee.

Tell me more about the society's officers.

Officers are elected at the AGM, which is part of the March quarterly meeting.

They are:
the Foreman - who chairs the meetings
the Social Secretary - who writes the newsletter
the Treasurer - who looks after the money
the Recorder - who maintains scrap books of the things we have got up to.

We also have:
a President - an honorary post with no duties, and
a Vice-president - who has the honour of collecting our prize (assuming we win one) at Stowmarket Carnival.

If there are no joining fees, where does the money come from?

Our habit of winning prizes in Stowmarket Carnival has been the mainstay of Society funds.  There is also a system of fines that can be levied by the treasurer (for instance: if the newsletter asks you to bring a scary object on a ride, and you fail to do so, a fine can be imposed).  I think the usual amount is two shillings.  Our treasurer has been extraordinarily lax in imposing these fines; in fact, I can't remember it ever happening.

What else would fines be imposed for in the unlikely event of the treasurer actually getting around to it?

Turning up on a ride without a pair of ICA trouser clips springs to mind - note: you don't have to wear them, bringing them will suffice.

What does ICA stand for?

Ivan Codd approved.  Ivan Codd used to run a really splendid cycle shop in Stowmarket: a mysterious place that appeared to be a lot smaller inside than outside, yet contained more things than could be reasonably expected to fit.  There were severe congestion problems if more than two customers attempted to enter the shop.  The counter was about 3 inches deep in a jumble of cycle bits; nevertheless Ivan could extract the most obscure parts for archaic cycles from this chaos within seconds.  A wheel-truing jig sat, unused, in the corner because Ivan alway trued his wheels in an old pair of front forks.  I could go on, but I think you've got the picture...

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Last Modified 5 March 2007