Platinum Member V Posted February 13 Platinum Member Share Posted February 13 Jeep Owners Club is affiliated with the Green Lane Association. As a member of JOC, what would you like to see the Green Lane Association and JOC do to get more from that relationship? I am one of the Green Lane Association's directors, so your comments will be considered by the board. Affiliate clubs are not my direct responsibility, but I am working on a number of relevant process improvements and new ideas. Here are some ideas that are already on the association's list: - Membership bundles, affiliated club membership bundled with a discounted Green Lane Association membership - Basic off-road and Green Laning driver training with a training provider - Small group easy laning trips for newbies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludders Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 How about a cheaper support membership option. (I.e. without Trailwise, does everyone want/need access to Trailwise)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member JimC Posted February 13 Platinum Member Share Posted February 13 How about how JOC could contribute to GLA? By this I mean that GLA should have more of a connection with all of the national / regional / social media clubs so that GLA can reach out more The green lane association seems to be a bit like the Boys Brigade/Women's institute kind of establishments, (not that I have a problem with these great organisations) but for me GLA is a bit distant from the members, groups and clubs who should be involved. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 13 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 13 2 hours ago, Ludders said: How about a cheaper support membership option. (I.e. without Trailwise, does everyone want/need access to Trailwise)? That sounds reasonable. A magazine only membership. I will add that to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 13 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 13 2 hours ago, JimC said: How about how JOC could contribute to GLA? I would like to see that too. The simplest way is to contribute to TW2 lane comments after driving a lane. Some clubs that are more localised (not national) have organised volunteer lane maintenance days. This does require a lot of work in preparation with the local authority and often contractors. It would be nice to see partnerships between affiliated clubs to organise laning experiences for newbies. A Land Rover club did this for me many years ago. I wasn't a newbie, but I was a new Jeep driver in the area. I gained new friends within a few minutes walk from home. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 13 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 13 2 hours ago, JimC said: The green lane association seems to be a bit like the Boys Brigade/Women's institute kind of establishments, (not that I have a problem with these great organisations) but for me GLA is a bit distant from the members, groups and clubs who should be involved. Improving member engagement is one of the things at the top of my list. For me personally, the loss of the association's web forum last year, left me feeling disenfranchised. Those on social media didn't notice, so that aspect appears to be more of a generational thing. The 'distant' criticism is valid. We are trying to change that, some localities are more successful than others and we are bringing in new people with skills and personalities that will help us achieve closer contact. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Black_box_jeep Posted February 14 Platinum Member Share Posted February 14 (edited) We appreciate that most local reps are using their spare time to do what they do, and our local rep covers three counties I think so we don’t expect too much from him and appreciate his efforts to keep us up to date and involved with local consultations and surveys etc when required. We recently did a local loop with him and a few others and shared a few stories and experiences and it was good for all. I think he has arranged some engagement events at local “hot spots” with local police and obviously other user groups which seems to have gone well. A bit like JOC, I think people are happy to be involved and help out if they can, and get the opportunity to. I think more engagement is a key thing. People seem to tend to care more about something they have an input with, rather than expecting a “service” Edited February 14 by Black_box_jeep Typo 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Black_box_jeep Posted February 14 Platinum Member Share Posted February 14 I think trying to steer away from the “them and us” attitude of user groups would be beneficial too. Some recent additional signage on a local lane to advise motorists to take care and give way whilst also showing others that it is a legal lane for motorists to use seems to have made everyone more aware and maybe a bit more considerate to each other. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 14 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 14 24 minutes ago, Black_box_jeep said: our local rep covers three counties I think so we don’t expect too much from him and appreciate his efforts to keep us up to date and involved with local consultations and surveys etc when required. Your Area Rep is doing a lot covering three counties. Having support from Assistant Area Reps would make things easier but we don't get enough members volunteering to do so. I have some ideas to improve this situation and so do my colleagues. How do you think we could encourage more local members to support their Area Rep? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 14 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 14 42 minutes ago, Black_box_jeep said: We recently did a local loop with him and a few others and shared a few stories and experiences and it was good for all. Meet-and-greets are great. I wish we could do more of them particularly for newbies. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Black_box_jeep Posted February 14 Platinum Member Share Posted February 14 48 minutes ago, V said: Your Area Rep is doing a lot covering three counties. Having support from Assistant Area Reps would make things easier but we don't get enough members volunteering to do so. I have some ideas to improve this situation and so do my colleagues. How do you think we could encourage more local members to support their Area Rep? I think maybe if members (or potential members) realised all that goes on behind the scenes, and is involved then they may be more willing to put in some time, whether that’s turning up to support a “we’re not all bad” type presence at a contentious spot, or help with maintenance days (which I appreciate are a logistical nightmares with local authorities/ land owners/ the public etc) or just offers to check up on lanes or run a group trip (but I know that’s also full of potential hassles). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 16 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 16 On 13/02/2024 at 20:22, Ludders said: How about a cheaper support membership option. (I.e. without Trailwise, does everyone want/need access to Trailwise)? I have asked some questions about this and I have discovered that TW2 cannot be unbundled from the membership due to the organisation's not-for-profit status. The two are forever entwined. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member jerryg Posted February 16 Platinum Member Share Posted February 16 Have GLA directors considered obtaining Charity status such as a CIO? It would improve the perception of the public and lead to funding opportunities. Amplify that it is for the benefit of all folk who enjoy the countryside and not like Ramblers who only think of themselves. Just a thought. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted February 16 Platinum Member Share Posted February 16 Is GLASS calling itself GLA now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member jerryg Posted February 16 Platinum Member Share Posted February 16 2 hours ago, TimC said: Is GLASS calling itself GLA now? Why not, it's less to type. LOL. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted February 16 Platinum Member Share Posted February 16 44 minutes ago, jerryg said: Why not, it's less to type. LOL. ……..it is more syllables to speak though swings and roundabouts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 17 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 16 hours ago, TimC said: Is GLASS calling itself GLA now? I am in a meeting with the board of directors this morning and have confirmed that the usage going forward is: Green Lane Association GLA The use of GLASS has been dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Whenever I here GLA I assume it is a reference to the Greater London Authority 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Surfer Posted February 17 Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 On 13/02/2024 at 23:39, V said: Improving member engagement is one of the things at the top of my list. For me personally, the loss of the association's web forum last year, left me feeling disenfranchised. Those on social media didn't notice, so that aspect appears to be more of a generational thing. The 'distant' criticism is valid. We are trying to change that, some localities are more successful than others and we are bringing in new people with skills and personalities that will help us achieve closer contact. Besides myself I am sure that there are others out there who would like to participate in the forum and read about green lane adventures of others, but have no interest in participating. I belong to the forum for the excellent technical advice and help, not that I can repair a car, but I then know that I am not going to get ripped off. Last year I wanted to advertise wind deflectors that I was giving away free, but could not unless I paid a membership fee! Seemed silly to pay £25 just to give away something free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Black_box_jeep Posted February 17 Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 38 minutes ago, Surfer said: Besides myself I am sure that there are others out there who would like to participate in the forum and read about green lane adventures of others, but have no interest in participating. I belong to the forum for the excellent technical advice and help, not that I can repair a car, but I then know that I am not going to get ripped off. Last year I wanted to advertise wind deflectors that I was giving away free, but could not unless I paid a membership fee! Seemed silly to pay £25 just to give away something free? I think you may have misunderstood, the green lane association is seperate to the JOC. The membership costs of JOC surely cover the cost of hosting the forum and other associated costs. I would have thought an offer of free parts to clear would have been acceptable in a general chat post, and I don’t see why anyone would object to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Surfer Posted February 17 Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 7 minutes ago, Black_box_jeep said: I think you may have misunderstood, the green lane association is seperate to the JOC. The membership costs of JOC surely cover the cost of hosting the forum and other associated costs. I would have thought an offer of free parts to clear would have been acceptable in a general chat post, and I don’t see why anyone would object to that. I do understand that it is separate. My point was would you pay a membership fee to a forum and you do not participate in any green lane events. As mentioned in other threads, the forum needs to increase membership. I appreciate that there is a cost in running a forum and I am happy to make a small donation each year, but at the time I thought the lowest membership fee was not worth for my use which was very occasional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Black_box_jeep Posted February 17 Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 (edited) Well, green lane association is not a green lane event provider. It is an association concerned with the protection of keeping access to lanes, the promotion of responsible use, providing information for members about the lanes to enable safe/ responsible use and advise of issues or restrictions etc, fighting or advising local authorities, amongst other things. As a lot of the people involved are volunteers, I personally think that the cost per year is worth it and given the work done in our area alone, quite good value. Of course if you don’t get enough from it to justify the cost, then you can choose not to be a member. But if everyone went for base level donations and got full access the funding would not be there when needed to save lanes, notify people of issues to avoid, and so on, so everyone would eventually lose out. a recent trip with a green lane rep which combined a recce of lanes for him and a chance to explore with someone that knew the local lanes for the rest of us, had a few people asking when he’d take them on another tour of different areas etc. He had toexplain that it was a voluntary thing and he couldn’t afford to do “free” tours all the time, so to contact the local company that offer tours etc or plan your own with the info available etc. https://www.glass-uk.org/about/who-we-are.html Edited February 17 by Black_box_jeep Added link to GLASS’s info of what they are about 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted February 17 Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 5 hours ago, Surfer said: I do understand that it is separate. My point was would you pay a membership fee to a forum and you do not participate in any green lane events. As mentioned in other threads, the forum needs to increase membership. I appreciate that there is a cost in running a forum and I am happy to make a small donation each year, but at the time I thought the lowest membership fee was not worth for my use which was very occasional. I know everything is relative, but I would have thought 25 quid a year was a small donation. I paid my 45 quid a year not for what I could get in perks but because I thought it was worth it to help the club and the forum keep going, I do the same with my GLA membership ( although personally, for me I think it’s worth it just for the TW2). Still, you pays your money, or not, and takes your choice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted February 17 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 17 8 hours ago, UKTJ said: Whenever I here GLA I assume it is a reference to the Greater London Authority Sadly, it does for me too. Amongst colleagues within the Green Lane Association, I just use the term 'the association' and use the full name now with everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman Iain Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I've recently been looking for a new car for my girlfriend. So GLA is a Mercedes model in my mind. We settled on a Vauxhall Mokka e in the end. 2p per mile on a smart electric tariff, which is rather better than the 21p per mile i spend on diesel for my WK2..... sets the mind cogs turning.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.