Arriving early at CMHC campsite (1 Viewer)

[2657]

Are you absolutely sure about that? You get a cheque each year do you? I guess they've accidentally forgotten to return the £18million odd cash reserve they're holding to the members?

I don't know the turnover of the CMHC, even though as a member I get sent the figures every year, but I assume it is many times larger than your figure for their cash reserve which I assume to be correct, is this simply not good business practice. Every business needs reserves of some sort, many relying on borrowing and bank overdrafts.

I think the point that @DaveandJen was making is that profits are used for the members by way of reinvestment in the infrastructure of the club.

As an aside to this point I would like to take you to task on a comment you made in an earlier post about 'seemingly endless rules'..........I find this very strange from someone obviously deeply passionate about a sport that has so many rules that most players don't even know all the rules and is constantly stopping and starting for some technical infringement of a rule that most ( well me anyway ) did not even know existed

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I assume it is many times larger than your figure for their cash reserve which I assume to be correct, is this simply not good business practice.

Of course it is for a normal profit making business which everyone claims the CMC isn’t. If it was genuinely a “for the benefit of the members” operation there are specific rules that cover things like that. Any surplus over a certain small amount has to be returned to the members. Basically “for the benefit of the members” means not for profit. Perhaps an over simplification but that’s the general idea.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

As an aside to this point I would like to take you to task on a comment you made in an earlier post about 'seemingly endless rules'..........I find this very strange from someone obviously deeply passionate about a sport that has so many rules that most players don't even know all the rules and is constantly stopping and starting for some technical infringement of a rule that most ( well me anyway ) did not even know existed

Laws actually not rules

The whole point of playing the game is to cheat break as many laws as you can without getting spotted by the referee.

That’s why there are so many - to give us something to work with

 

[peterc10]

I think this thread has probably run its course now.

If anybody doesn't like what the Caravan Club (as far as I am concerned they are still that deep down) has to offer, then they don't have to join it. If they do like it then they join.

No point in debating endlessly why.

 

[2657]

Of course it is for a normal profit making business which everyone claims the CMC isn’t. If it was genuinely a “for the benefit of the members” operation there are specific rules that cover things like that. Any surplus over a certain small amount has to be returned to the members. Basically “for the benefit of the members” means not for profit. Perhaps an over simplification but that’s the general idea.

That would depend on your definition of 'normal', there cannot be many, certainly that have read this discussion, who do not know that the CMHC is a limited company as are many clubs for various reasons.

I am no expert on company law but I do not think that in your particular case of a Rugby club trading at a profit that you would expect those profits to be shared amongst the members and would be used instead to improve the facilities of the club, after keeping a suitable sum in reserve.

That, to me, is the difference between a 'normal' limited company with shareholders and a club trading as a limited company.

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[cornish boy]

The sites were never part of any members club operation.

Are you absolutely sure about that? You get a cheque each year do you? I guess they've accidentally forgotten to return the £18million odd cash reserve they're holding to the members?

Just had a look at the Articles of association and it clearly puts liability (limited to £1 each) at the foot of each member, conversely, in the event of winding up the company, any proceeds after settling liabilities are distributed back to the members in a clearly laid out manner.

A quick dive into the company accounts (extract from account notes below) shows the sites are stated within the company accounts so included within the 'club' operations.

Accounts for 2016 show a profit of £147K for the year after tax and pension remeasurement on a turnover of £112m which is 0.001% of turnover!
So it would appear that the site fees for 2016 were right on the money!

In terms of cash reserves, the company is holding just over 20% of turnover as reserves (£27m) which wouldn't seem unreasonable for a members club especially when a number of sites are leasehold. In fact without seeing the renewal profile you could infer that they are not holding enough reserves at the moment to renew the entire leaseheld estate and therefore need to build up the reserves by a further £6m.

Then bearing in mind that out of those reserves would need to come any capital investment and improvements of the freehold estate, that £27m looks to be a fairly thin figure.

All in my opinion of cause...

 

[peterc10]

So it is a company limited by guarantee and therefore has guarantors rather than shareholders. Many member organisations are like that with each member acting as a guarantor up to a certain, usually small, limit.

 

[cornish boy]

So it is a company limited by guarantee and therefore has guarantors rather than shareholders. Many member organisations are like that with each member acting as a guarantor up to a certain, usually small, limit.

Yep, you are right, I should have said that in my other post.

 

[Alex Black]

Google the Sibson Inn .. we have stayed and eaten there a few times.

It's in the Britstops book... We have used it and many others in the area. If it's only a night or two they (Britstops) usually accommodate you no trouble at all.. and FREE

C&MHC?? Not sure theses days. Charged my lad £47. for a night at crystal palace.

 

[two]

I passed a CMHC site yesterday at noon. There were queues of vans waiting outside & jostling for position. I guess the wardens were not letting them in until the appointed time. Maybe they should charge extra for those arriving in the first hour (early arrival premium)? That might reduce the size of the rush.

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[sueandjohn]

Perhaps they should offer speedy boarding

 

[Howard H]

I passed a CMHC site yesterday at noon. There were queues of vans waiting outside & jostling for position. I guess the wardens were not letting them in until the appointed time. Maybe they should charge extra for those arriving in the first hour (early arrival premium)? That might reduce the size of the rush.

Far from it for me to stick up for what I think are petty rules and have always thought what is the point of the 13.00 hrs rule but at the weekend i had it explained to me and can now see the point on certain sites . We arrived at the Windermere site (staveley)on Friday night no problems for us but to get to it you go down a single track road for about a mile now if you got mh and caravans leaving the site and the same trying to enter ,there would be imo carnage so I can see to a point the staggering of the times and rigidly sticking to it .

 

[TerryL]

Far from it for me to stick up for what I think are petty rules and have always thought what is the point of the 13.00 hrs rule but at the weekend i had it explained to me and can now see the point on certain sites . We arrived at the Windermere site (staveley)on Friday night no problems for us but to get to it you go down a single track road for about a mile now if you got mh and caravans leaving the site and the same trying to enter ,there would be imo carnage so I can see to a point the staggering of the times and rigidly sticking to it .

And that's one of the main reasons for the rules! Many CMHC sites have narrow approaches!

 

[kelv]

I recently joined the caravan and camping club at Malvern never used any of there sites but was given two vouchers for two free nights you can only use one with each booking.
So having to go to oxford on Friday I booked two nights paid for one and was told to give the free night voucher on check in
I arrived at 12.20 and was greeted by the commendant who said you can not arrive until 1 o'clock ok I am sorry I did not read the email confirming my booking and I am new to the club I thought it was midday to be given a lecture on the club rules.
Made me feel like I was back at school there are ways of making People who are new to the club more welcome and aware of the rules without a lecture
To make things worse when I did eventually check in her in doors had lost my free night vouchers