Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood has paid tribute to Andy Pennington, local councillor, campaigner and assistant to Nigel Jones, on the tenth anniversary of Andy's tragic death. Andy was killed on 28 January 2000 in the attack in Nigel Jones's constituency office, which also left Nigel himself badly injured.
'The last time I saw Andy was at a meeting of the local Alzheimer's Disease Society' said Martin. 'I was then working for the charity's national office and came back to Cheltenham to meet with the local branch who I knew well. Andy was at the same meeting, supporting yet another good cause and briefing everyone on the local political situation. He was his usual irrepressible self. He worked really hard for the local community and although he was an effective campaigner and politician, he never stopped being a real human being.'
'I remember hearing about the attack on the news and the awful realisation that it had been in Cheltenham and that someone had been killed. At first, they didn't say who and it could have been any number of people that I knew. When the details emerged, it sounded more and more nightmarish. I'm pleased that Andy's courage in those terrible moments was later recognised with the George medal. Nigel was very lucky to escape with his own life, although he has had to live with the memory of the event and the loss of such a close friend and colleague ever since.'
'All MPs now have to take care in the layout of their offices. The new Cheltenham office is no different and I hope we now have all the precautions in place that we need to ensure the safety of everyone there.'
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Andy Pennington Remembered
Thursday 21 January 2010
Take Up Slot Car Racing with Dowty Slot Car Club
Slot racing is the quickest indoor sport and as with any sport, it takes time and practise to get to the top. The Dowty track has a lap length of over 46 metres and is the longest four lane track in the country. It has a large variety of bends and long and short straights. If you can learn to drive around this track you should be able to tackle any other track. We have club cars and controllers that you can borrow but they are very basic, and it is best to buy your own as soon as possible. If you have any questions or problems the club members will be glad to help you out.
GETTING STARTED
Controllers
The controller is your only link to the car. Even though there is only a thin wire connecting you to the car you will find that after a while you can ‘feel’ what the car is doing on the track. An electronic controller will cost from £90 upwards, but you can adjust the controller to suit the car and your driving style. It is important to learn to set your controller up for the car during practise. Usually you have a few laps before a race starts to make sure it is OK.
Braking Probably the most important adjustment to start with. The car will be easier to drive if you turn down the braking because it gives more room for error. When you have learned to drive consistently you will find that you will be quicker around the track with more brakes, because you will be able to go at full speed on the straights for longer. Some motors brake very well and the braking will have to be turned down to make them drivable.
Ohms or resistance. This allows you to adapt the controller to different types of motors. Generally the more power the motor has, the lower ohmage the controller needs to be set at. This has different terminology for different controllers, but the easy way is to think of it as the ‘go-faster’ knob because as you turn it up the car will go faster for any given setting of the trigger.
Choke. This makes the motor easier to drive by slowing the acceleration slightly, therefore is the ‘go slower’ knob.
Cars
Your first car should be a 1/24th production car. They are the cheapest cars that we race, motors are relatively slow and the cars are fairly stable. There is a club shop with everything necessary for a club car. A new one will cost about £45 for the parts, although there are usually second hand ones for sale. It is probably better to get someone to build the first one for you, although if you can use a soldering iron, they are not too difficult. Dave can build a ready-to-run car for £60
We also race 1/24th saloon which is the same as 1/24th production but with a faster motor and a different body, but you can just change the body and race that car. The good motor will cost over £50, so a complete car will cost £85 - £100 or ready-to run for £20 on top of that price
Your second car should be a 1/32nd production car. These use the same motor as the 1/24th production, but in a smaller chassis. 1/32nd scale is the same size as you race at home (Scalextric, Ninco etc). An r-t-r will cost £62.50 because the 1/32nd scale chassis is dearer than the 1/24th
The fourth class is 1/32nd saloon. These are much more complicated chassis but the motor is the same as the 1/24th saloon. If you want a new top of the range one it will cost £300, but again there are usually second- hand ones around for about £50 upwards, or you can change the body on your 1/32nd production car and race that.
Driving
Driving a slot car is similar to driving a real racing car. To get to the top you need to go as fast as possible on all parts of the track. You need to brake as late as possible for each corner without coming out of the slot, carry as much speed as possible through the corner and accelerate as soon as possible onto the straights. It is best to stay in the slot because you will lose at least 2 or 3 seconds every time you come off. It takes a long time to learn these skills and you shouldn’t get too disheartened when the existing club members go much faster than you to start with. Watch the best drivers to see how they do it. It may help to hold your controller and pretend you are driving their car to see where they are braking and accelerating.
The track
The track is cleaned and ‘gooped’ every few months. When it has just been done the grip is good, but after a while dust sticks to the track surface and reduces the grip. This is why the track is less grippy at the start of the night and the tyres need to be cleaned several times early in the evening. You will find that you may need different settings on the controller when the track is grippy than when it is slippery and you have to adjust your driving to suit the track conditions.
Moving on
Eventually you may want to go to try racing on other tracks. You will find that experience on other tracks will help at Dowtys as well. The first step is probably the Cotswold Challenge. Dowty & Swindon clubs race on each others tracks on alternate months throughout the year.
After that is the Southern 32 which is a one day meeting on a Sunday at various tracks around the southern half of the country including Dowtys. Some of the tracks are quite close, although others are a long way away. The nearest are Oaklands Park (in Birmingham), Dudley and Swindon. Classes raced are 1/32nd production in the morning and a team race for 1/32nd saloon cars with sports car bodies in the afternoon.
The next step up is the British Open Championship. There are classes for Premier drivers, Main Grade and Novice so although you will be competing against the best drivers in the country, you will have different finals and trophies at the meetings. There are 6 rounds in the 1/32nd scale BOC and four rounds in the 1/24th scale BOC, spread all over the country and the meetings take two days. You would need more cars for this and they are expensive. You also need to stay overnight somewhere which will add to the cost.
Then there is the 1/32nd production weekend, which uses the 1/32nd scale production car for individual races on the 8 lane Nationals track. The club team race is also held on this weekend.
Finally there are the 1/32nd & 1/24th national finals which are 3 day meetings, also held on the nationals track, and at the top is the world championships which was held in England last year, but can be anywhere in the world, and is held over 9 days of racing.
I would recommend that you wait at least a year before you attempt anything other than club racing, Cotswold Challenge, a few of the closer Southern 32 rounds, although production at the 1/32nd nationals would be good experience. You would already have a car for that and you are only racing against other novice drivers.
Before you try anything more than the Cotswold Challenge & Southern 32 you will need to be able to do your own car preparation and repairs. Club members will always be willing to help you, and may even lend you cars, but time is usually tight at meetings and if they have any problems of their own they will want to do that work first.
There are several slot racing web sites. The best ones are http://www.slotracing.oxyhost.com/ which lists dates and venues for races, race reports, and there are pages of hints for building cars, tracks, lap counters, controllers. The other main site is http://www.bscra.fsnet.co.uk/ which has all the rules for the various classes as well as links to the main suppliers of slot racing bits and other sites. Both are worth checking so you can get an idea of what is involved.
The results of the club nights, best times and a history of the club can be found on http://www.cheltenham4u.co.uk/community/dowtyslotcarracing.asp
We hope you enjoy your racing .
If you decide to race at Dowtys you will have to join the Dowty Sports & Social Society. At the moment the cost is £20 for one year, although that may go up in 2010. There is no membership fee for the slot car club, but adults pay £4 per week or £10 per month and juniors £2/week. This covers the cost of hire of the room, maintenance of the building, track, the club cars and controllers. We encourage everyone to join the British Slot Car Association as well. The fee is £19 for adults and £9.50 for juniors.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Meet Your MP Martin Horwood in Cheltenham This January
Martin Horwood is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cheltenham. If you need to discuss any matters with your local MP, you can arrange an appointment at his advice surgeries on Friday lunchtimes or evenings. Appointments can be booked by phoning the office on 01242 224889 or e-mailing martin@martinhorwood.net.
You can also meet Martin at various events taking place in and around Cheltenham.
Tuesday 19 January 2010
Martin is sitting in Flood and Water Management Bill Committee stage sessions from 10.30 – 13.00 and 16.00 – 19.00
1.30pm
Martin is meeting Faye Hatcher from BBC Radio Gloucestershire at 1.30pm to help with her ‘Day in the life of an MP’ piece, which will be broadcast across Gloucestershire to give people an insight about what goes on in Parliament.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
At 1pm, Martin is meeting up with the Shark Trust, local media and a young constituent, Jake Batty, to celebrate the work he has done in alerting politicians to the plight of sharks having their fins removed in UK waters following a school lesson on the issue, which has been recently halted by the government. This will be taking place in committee room 13.
Thursday 21 January 2010
Martin is sitting in Flood and Water Management Bill committee, on its last day, from 9.00 – 10.30 and 13.00 – 17.00. Martin is hoping to raise important issues such as water affordability and insurance worries with the Minister in the new clauses he has tabled, which will be reached if time permits in the committee.
Friday 22 January 2010
6:45pm
Martin will be visiting Whaddon Bowling Club in Whaddon Road and meeting members to discuss a rent increase on their premises which could jeopardise the club’s future.
7:30pm
Cheltenham and District Samaritans will be holding their AGM at their office in Back Albert Place. Martin will be attending and the guest speaker will be Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hurley, on his role as a Hostage Negotiator and also as a trainer for ASSIST.
Sunday 24 January 2010
2:00pm
Martin will be attending a meeting of Friends of Nowder (http://friendsofnowder.org/) at the Friends Meeting House in Cheltenham.
Monday 25 January 2010
10:00am
The Heritage Lottery Fund have arranged a constituency visit so that he can find out more about their work in Cheltenham. Martin will be visiting Cheltenham Lido and meeting Julie Sargent, the Chief Executive of the Lido as well as representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund so that he can see the work that has recently been carried out there.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
6:00pm
Martin is speaking at an energy security debate entitled ‘Keeping the lights on: separating fact from fiction on energy security’ in committee room 17 as part of his role as Shadow Environment Minister, alongside Labour and Conservative spokespersons.
Thursday 28 January 2010
5:00pm
Cheltenham College have invited Martin to speak to sixth form Politics students.
Friday 29 January 2010
7:45pm
There will be a screening of ‘The Cove’, a film about protecting whales and dolphins and the hunts that take place in Japan, at the Guildhall in Gloucester. This event has been endorsed by Ric O’Barry, an activist involved in the film, and Andy Ottaway from Campaign Whale will be attending the screening. Martin will be there and will say a few words, as he has been active in Parliament on this issue. Please see http://www.thecovemovie.com/richardobarry.htm for more information about The Cove and contact Paul Smith at Paul.Smith@metron.co.uk for more information about the screening.
To keep up-to-date with Martin's Horwood's appearances in parliament please visit our website.
Thursday 14 January 2010
Deep Roots Music Night at The Frog & Fiddle
12 February 2010, 7.30pm - 11.30pm, The Frog & Fiddle
Rather than being genre specific, Deep Roots aims to explore genres and build a reputation for always bringing something fresh to its audience. Deep Roots is supporting artists with original tracks that have an edge, don’t expect your typical rock gig. All artist will get involved in a lively jam session toward the end of the night.
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Cheltenham MP Urges Bigger, Bolder Floods Bill
Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood, who is Liberal Democrat floods spokesman, has called on the government to strengthen its 'timid' legislation on flooding. He and Lib Dem colleague Roger Williams have tabled the first 14 amendments to the government's Floods and Water Management Bill which is due to start detailed consideration in the House of Commons soon.
Martin is the only Gloucestershire MP to table any amendments.
The amendments cover water bills, flood defences, insurance and planning. New Clause 1 would give the Secretary of State powers to introduce 'social tariffs' for water bills, to help the least well-off customers just as similar special tariffs currently help energy customers. New Clause 2 would set up an extra fund for flood defences paid for by diverting extra profits from water companies. New Clause 4 would tackle many of the issues Cheltenham people have raised with Martin over insurance - including punitive premiums and excess charges, imposed even when new flood defences had been put in place. New Clause 6 would force ministers to act on making new homes in flood risk areas flood-resilient while New Clause 8 would effectively give local authorities the power to refuse planning permission to new developemnst in flood risk areas.
Martin commented 'Many of these amendments tackle issues that Cheltenham constituents have brought to me over the years since our floods in 2007. I called for more first hand accounts last year and I'll be taking this opportunity to put the concerns of Gloucestershire centre stage during the passage of the bill. I'm very grateful to everyone who responded. Many of these issues are still outstanding. Although the normal pattern is for government to use its majority to refuse such opposition amendments, it can then substitute its own on the same subject or the minister can make policy statements that address the issues. This is an important way to put pressure on government to achieve real change. These are issues that haven't been tackled in this timid little bill so far. Two and a half years after the floods that devastated Gloucestershire, we expected better. I really hope the government listens to the evidence of peoples' real experiences and understands that these problem need to be tackled.'
The first day of the bill's committee stage is on 12 January with an initial scrutiny stage on 7 January.
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