UK & Ireland exclusive: Ladies of Harley (December 2018)

ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE LADIES OF HARLEY

2018 has been an amazing year and one that has left me with many wonderful memories to reflect upon.  I’m not sure how many thousands of miles I’ve clocked up this year after covering pretty much the length and breadth of the country....and a bit more in France & Belgium.  Not all of these have been enjoyed on my Classic Springer either. For some of them I’ve enjoyed an opportunity and taken pleasure in a riding a couple of Street Glides from the rental fleets of Reading Harley-Davidson® and Edinburgh Harley-Davidson®. 

I have met many H.O.G.® cousins during the past year and forged many more friendships. There’s something unique about the H.O.G community – it doesn’t matter where you go, you never really feel like a stranger. That was evident on a recent trip to Milwaukee where a vast amount of time was spent chatting with fellow Harley-Davidson enthusiasts.

Attending the Cider Rally at the beginning of the season was like a large family gathering and with so many recognizable faces from the southern H.O.G. chapters I was never without somebody to catch up with.  My experience of attending the Heart ‘n Soul rally a few months later was very different. Not knowing quite so many members from the northern H.O.G. chapters there was far less familiarity, but the northern hospitality knew no boundaries. I left knowing the names and faces of  many more H.O.G cousins.  A few months after that, I travelled even further north to take part in Sparkle Tour Scotland and, the ladies that I rode with that weekend were amazing.  Exceptional memories were made and there was no doubt in my mind that they will be H.O.G cousins that I will catch up with on the road again.

So whether I have ridden solo, with my husband, a buddy from down the road, at ease with the familiar local Chapter faces, exploring new regions with unfamiliar Chapter members, or with female riders within the H.O.G. LOH community - I have been able to simply ‘Ride & Have Fun’. And, that’s what I enjoy most – the complete Harley-Davidson experience. 

For some of these experiences I have been fortunate to catch up with fellow National Associate LOH Officer, Lorraine Seedhouse; we have enjoyed meeting up at every opportunity that came our way, even in Milwaukee for the 115th Anniversary celebrations.  Between us we have been privileged to meet a lot of ladies on our travels and countless stories and experiences have been shared.  With their H.O.G membership, whether they have been members of a Chapter or not, these ladies have always shared a story that has grabbed our attention and lit yet another ‘spark for sharing’ on another day.  These gatherings haven’t all been at rallies either.  The variety of H.O.G training courses & Chapter Officer meetings always provide opportunities to network and meet others from the H.O.G community too.

Roll on 2019, looking on the H.O.G calendar there’s clearly a lot more in store to benefit from.

'Share the Spark' 

Elaine Shepherd
National Chapter LOH Officer, UK & Ireland
ChapterRepLOH@harley-davidson.com

 

---

 

This year seems to have just flown by, and as I reflect, I can’t quite remember a year going sooooo fast! It only seems five minutes ago that I was putting finger to keyboard and looking forward to what the year had in store. 

This year I feel like I can compare myself to the Harley-Davidson that I ride pillion on. The Directors meeting in London being the ignition and the spark that began my journey for 2018, transporting me with a huge appetite towards the first of many rallies throughout the season, both at home and in Europe. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them and they gave me the opportunity to catch up with fellow National LOH Officer Elaine Shepherd often and share experiences. 

Travelling in the USA for the 115^th Anniversary Celebration, while taking part in the H.O.G. ABCs of Touring contest, was both hard work and rewarding. We travelled more than 4,500 miles in 17 days. It also gave me the opportunity to meet up with fellow LOH ladies from across the pond, who I am still in contact with and enjoy reading all about what they are up to, although I’m guessing their Harleys are now hibernating for the winter after the first snowfalls.

Attending and presenting at Harley Officer Training (H.OT.) in Brighton, where there was an LOH specific workshop, enabling ladies and gents to share and exchange ideas from different regions was truly inspiring and was one, among many, workshops on offer during the weekend. 

The National LOH meeting held at the Harley-Davidson HQ in Oxford is always a fun weekend, growing year-on-year with the number of Chapters being represented and the sharing of experiences and ideas, giving us all food for thought.

So, what will 2019 bring? One thing is certain, the Twinkle Tour will be taking place again. There has been some interest shown already, so why not join in? This is a unique weekend for Ladies of Harley pillion riders and partners to come together and share the tour experience with other likeminded couples from across the UK and Ireland. 

Remember this is not a Chapter-specific event, but a national event where both participants must be H.O.G. members. If you are interested in arranging a tour please get in touch with me, or if you would like to take part in one then watch out for future updates.

From the Rear Saddle,
“The Dudette”
Lorraine Seedhouse
National Associate LOH Officer, UK & Ireland
chapterrepassociateloh@harley-davidson.com 

 

---

 

Halloween party 2018 – Plymouth Chapter
On the afternoon of the party some of the ladies met at the Inn on the Green to spend a very enjoyable couple of hours putting up Halloween decorations. After much chair-climbing, balloon-blowing and drawing-pin pushing it was looking pretty good. Only one slight mishap - never put a severed foot on Emma’s shoulder while she is holding a cup of green tea, it can only end badly. Ask Debz.

So onto the evening – a wonderfully gory start at Helen and Sumo’s house with poor Alex ripping his big toe nail off in the shower (not intentionally). Ouch! After some TLC from Lisa and the use of a first aid kit all was well. On another note, with the help of some safety pins from Helen we were all saved from a truly terrifying sight, Chris (Hux) must have lost weight since buying his costume. His trousers were a little big around the waist. Enough said!

There was a great atmosphere at the party and some fantastic costumes. Ghosts, ghouls, witches, vampires, zombie brides, evil doctors and Mexican Day of the Dead, plus a whole lot more. I’m a little concerned by how comfortable George is in a dress and fishnets though. May be time to get a padlock on your wardrobe Jayne. Winner of the best fancy dress? Congratulations to Adie and Julie for their amazing costume.

A very tasty hot and cold buffet was provided with lots to choose from, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, plus some lovely homemade chocolate cakes courtesy of Sherrell.

There was also a raffle with loads of prizes, all kindly donated by chapter members, Uncle Fester did a superb job calling out all the winning numbers.

Great music from DJ Pabs kept the dance floor filled from the beginning of the evening until the very end, but if you want Penny to stay on the dance floor Pablo, please don’t play any ABBA.

A brilliant night with memorable moments, some very energetic dancing from Chris Jones and Alex (oh to be young again), Simon (I’m sure with the help of a few others) getting a bit carried away with fake blood, Brian’s wig ending up quite a bit lower than on his head, the previously mentioned severed foot finding an enviable resting place in Sherrell’s cleavage and trying to catch a taxi in Paignton at 1am appears to be as rare as hens teeth, so a very chilly walk back to Goodrington for some of us.

Also, among all the scary fun, thank you to Clive for the auction of a rugby shirt, as well as a generous donation from Pabs. Money from raffle ticket sales and donation from ticket sales raised £450 for Woodside Charity, thank you everyone!

Big, big thank you to our lovely Lady of Harley officers Sherrell and Penny for all their hard work in making this a fantastic night, great music, great food and amazing company.

Already got my fancy dress for next year ladies. Just waiting for a date to put in the diary.                                                                                            

Clare Huxtable
Plymouth Chapter