Although Treasure Hunts were organised for the staff's motorists before the Second World War, the Bank's Motoring Club was formed
in 1963, and ran for many years. The Club's activities also included organising Treasure Hunts, plus competing in competitions
based on the Highway Code; providing an Insurance Policy for small claims; providing a discount scheme through a car parts' wholesaler;
organising factory visits (breweries were particularly popular with members); mini-bus trips to car related venues such as the national
Motor Show; car maintenance classes; visiting organisations such as Police Headquarters; and advising members on general motoring
topics.
Film shows, relating to motoring topics, were popular; these were held in Head Office's Assembly Room, although an exception
was a memorable evening hosted by Albert Williams in his 'back garden' cinema in Shirley. This latter event featured footage of the
'R E Gillies Rally' - from 1971 onwards, the Motoring Club entered a team in the National TSB Annual Rally for the R E Gillies Trophy.
The
monthly meetings of the Club's Committee were held in a variety of venues, but latterly the facilities of the Union's Guild Club were
utilised on a regular basis.
Staff members who were most associated with the Club included:
Bernard Hayward
Bernard Endall
John Eyre
J W (John) Smith
Keith Haslam
Norman
Barnsley
Stan Gregory
Steve Pink
Chris Houghton
Bob Fernie
David Parkes
Brian Godwin
Tom Murphy
Steve Wright
Derek Horner
Reports of the Club's activities were included in the quarterly editions of the staff magazine, CONTACT, that are listed in the table
below.
Steve Pink, Chris Houghton, and Bob Fernie were the authors of many of these reports. As well as informing staff
of the results of treasure hunts and the R E Gillies Rally, Steve, Chris, and Bob often provided very useful tips relating to
car maintenance - these should definitely not be used on cars with today's modern technology!
Photographs of Motoring Club activities are included in the following pages of the IMAGES section of the website.
The Motoring Club's activities lapsed from 1968 to 1970