Busy year for vintage motorhome club

The Holdsworth Owners’ Club is currently enjoying another busy year of meetings, excursions and social activities taking in many parts of the country starting with the AGM in Stratford-upon-Avon last April.

The Club is mainly for owners of Holdsworth vans although it also welcomes ex-Holdsworth owners and those on the lookout for one of the vans made by Richard Holdsworth Conversions at the factory near Reading in the three decades from the 1970’s.

The Holdsworth Owners’ Club is not a large club – everyone knows everyone else – and it is renowned for its friendliness. Technical information is exchanged along with help on finding replacement parts for Holdsworth vans while an excellent newsletter is another valued asset for Club members. The magazine is full of information and articles written by Club members on their adventures in their vans, where they went and where they stayed.

Holdsworth vans – which were based on Volkswagen, Renault, Ford, Fiat, Talbot and Mercedes-Benz – were renowned for their innovative design but also of the use of quality materials which along with the loving care of their owners is one reason why there are still so many on the road today.

Richard Holdsworth, who built up the company from a one-man band to the third largest in the UK, remains in close contact with the Club to this day including writing articles for each issue of the Club magazine.

Chairman is David Hannaford (e-mail: [email protected]) with Vice-Chairman, Frank McInroy. Other members of the committee include Iain Mackinnon who runs the Club Blog (holdsworthownersclub.blogspot.com) while the editor’s cap is jointly shared by husband and wife team of Roger and Maggie Taylor (e-mail: [email protected]), Membership secretary Penny Cox (e-mail: [email protected]) and Members’ Liaison Officer Janice Baldwin on 01635 863116 or e-mail [email protected].

Mick Mayes is Technical Member (e-mail. [email protected]) while Richard Holdsworth (E-mail: [email protected]) is Honorary President of the Club that represents the vans built by his company over a three-decade period until 1995 and exported to Germany, Japan and Scandinavia. 

Some of the meetings for this year include:

15 – 17 April.  The AGM weekend.  Riverside Caravan Park, Stratford upon Avon, Warwick. CV34 6NN. Site telephone number 01789 292312. The site is served by buses into the city and even a river taxi.

13 – 15 May.  Black Knowl Caravan Club site in the New Forest near Brockenhurst, Hampshire with more than 140 miles of paths ideal for walking, cycling or horse riding.

17 – 19 June.  Salisbury Camping and Caravan site Hudsons Field, Castle Road, Salisbury, SP1 3SA. The site is just one-and-a-half-mile riverside walk from the historic city which is home to the Magna Carta. It also hosts a very busy market in the town centre.  Bookings – 01722 320713.

15 – 17 July.  Chichester Camping and Caravanning Club site, Main Road, Southbourne, Hampshire, PO10 8JH. This is a very popular site with Club members and the site is convenient for exploring Chichester, Bosham and Portsmouth.

12 – 14 August.  Cotswold meet at Wysdom Touring Park, Burford School, Burford, Oxfordshire.  The site is an easy walk into the pretty town of Burford and Cotswold Wildlife Park. Book by phone on 01993 823207.

16 – 19 September. Cardiff. Pontcana Campsite is in the centre of the city parkland, just behind the castle. This site gets booked early and those interested in joining the Club on this weekend are recommended to book early if possible. E-mail: [email protected] or phoning 02929 398362. Access to the site is via Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

14 – 16 October. The Caravan and Camping Site at Redbridge at 426 Abingdon Road, Oxford, OX1 4XG. This is an opportunity for Club members to shop early for Christmas at the indoor market in Oxford. Book via the website or phone 01865 244088.  

Further information on the Holdsworth Owners’ Club can be obtained from the Penny Cox (e-mail: [email protected]). Annual subscription for the Holdsworth Owners’ Club, including the Club magazine is £12.

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