What do we do?

The club was formed in 1991 to bring together people with an interest in Land Rover Series 3 vehicles. Later on, due to popular demand, we spread into coil sprung 90 and 110 vehicles as well. Do we confine ourselves to these particular vehicles? No we don’t. In fact you don’t even have to own a Land Rover to belong to the club. You just need to have an interest in them.

The National Rally

We run a national off-road event each year, usually in a different location around the country. We take over a suitable site, with a field that we can camp in, for a long weekend. We lay out an off-road course suitable for all levels of driving experience. We have trained marshals to help novices and to keep the site running safely over the weekend. There are drivers briefings to inform every one what is happening. The events are run according to Motor Sports Association (MSA) rules and we have liability insurance. In the evenings we organise various social events. We have had charity auctions, bar-be-cues, dances and live music where we have rented a marquee for the event. It’s an off-road event, but we still have to think about the rest of the family that attends as well, so we have toilets and waste facilities arranged as well. Not bad considering that we have taken over an open field for the weekend.

The Holiday Rally

We run a holiday rally each August. This is purely a camping / caravan holiday. It’s much cheaper than going it alone on a camp site and you have the bonus of being among friends as well. It’s a very relaxed event in that you can do as you please. We try to organise some group outings to various local attractions and we also sometimes experience the local greenlanes too. We also show films for the children during the evenings and have kid’s games during the day. It’s a chance for club members from around the country to get together for a relaxing week.

Road runs

Twice per year we organise road runs. These take place in Yorkshire and the West Country. They go though some fantastic countryside and always seem to include a pub! The last Northern run had over 50 vehicles attending. Just about every Land Rover vehicle was represented from Series 1 to Range Rovers. In fact only the forward controls were missing from the lineup!

The main thing about all our events is that we help each other. If anyone has a problem, be it vehicle, caravan, tent or some personal difficulty, the other members will rally around to help. That’s the kind of people we are. All of our events are family oriented.

Land Rover Shows

We attend various Land Rover shows throughout the year. At the shows we have a club stand which is manned by club members and organisers. The object of the exercise is to promote the club, give members a chance to meet up and to help people with Land Rover related problems if we can.     

What else?

Every member is sent a colour magazine each month. This has details of club events, maintenance tips and other useful items and articles.

As a member you can get a discount on your premiums from many car insurance companies. Also, we have negotiated discounts from parts and accessory suppliers and other services.

Immediate family automatically become included by the club as we are very family orientated.

We support various charities and organise a charity auction to support them. We also carry out vehicle rebuilds for charitable relief work.

Local areas

Although this is a national club, it also operates locally as well. This is to enable members to meet locally on a monthly basis for a chat and to organise smaller local events such as Greenlane runs and off-road days. If a member has a problem with their vehicle, there will be plenty of advice and they quite often get together to help repair it.

Foundation of the club

In 1991 Frank King, the founder of the club, realised that there were clubs for nearly every model of Land Rover, except the Series 3. So he wrote an open letter to Land Rover Owner magazine to see if anyone else might be interested in starting one. The response to this letter was overwhelming and he decided to start the series 3 Owners Club. It could never have prepared the King family for what it was to become.

A trip to the LRO show at Billing proved to be the next turning point for the club. The King family and the handful of club members went to the show with some leaflets in the hope of recruiting some more members. Once at the show, LRO convinced Frank that it would be a good idea to have a stand. And so, reluctantly, the family packed up their campsite and moved to the trade stands. Using what supplies and displays they could find, the first Series 3 Owners Club stand was built. By the end of the weekend the club had gained over 100 members. Not bad, considering that they only had 50 membership forms with them!

Over the years the club has grown consistently. Many members drive  different types of Land Rover these days. Some members don’t even own one, but they are as enthusiastic about the vehicles as those that do.

The club magazine was next on the agenda. From humble beginnings as an A4 piece of paper printed on both sides, it  very quickly turned into a multi-page publication with news and articles coming from the newly found members.

The club also arranged a few small events, off-road days, social gatherings and even trips around the Land Rover factory. The club has been on live radio and has even been interviewed for a TV show.

Pub meets, socials and regional club nights were set up so that the increasing number of members around the country could get together. As the years went by, more people joined and more friends were made.  We are pleased to say that they are all made welcome by the members at our events who are happy to give any advice or assistance they can. People always get home from our events - even if we have to tow them back!