First and foremost, thank you for volunteering as a steward for this meet - without a steward there can be no meet. It follows, therefore that you and you alone are in charge of all aspects of the meet and your decision is final. You may, of course receive advice (solicited or otherwise) from others but yours is the ruling decision.
1. Pitching your unit
It is important that the stewards unit is pitched where it is of most benefit to both the members arriving on site and to the flow of traffic on or near to the site. It is usual for the steward’s pitch to be the first one on the field and this should be followed as a general “rule of thumb”. However, It is sometimes preferable to pitch your unit further onto the field, thereby creating a “holding area” for those times when a number of unitsarrive on site together. There are no strict rules on where to pitch but please bear in mind what effect it will have on the general traffic flow in the area.
Please note Units are pitched at 11 metres where possible from tow bar to tow bar (Depending on the rules of the landowner and /or sites with pre-measured pitches) this will allow for any awnings errected by any unit.
2. Welcoming members to the meet.
One of your most important duties is to make all members feel welcome to the meet. A cheerful, smiling steward greeting members and explaining a) where they should pitch, b) where the water supply is, c)where the lat disposal point is and d) what events are planned during the meet is the best advertisement that the D.A. can have. We claim to be 'The Friendly Club' and should try to live up to that claim at all times, but especially when we are the D.A's and the club's ambassador in our role of a meet steward. This is particularly important when dealing with 'strangers', be they visitors from other D.A's or members that are new to D.A. camping - remember that their impression of the D.A - gained from you - may well determine whether or not they camp with the D.A. again!
Please Check all Membership Cards
3. Signing the route to the meet.
There are no hard and fast rules about signing the route; it is simply a case of common sense. Try to put yourself in the place of someone strange to the area trying to find the meet and place signs to enable such a person to find their way. Make sure that the signs are sited so as to be clearly seen by someone driving and don't forget to collect the signs back in once they are no longer needed - usually from Saturday lunchtime for a weekend meet.
4. Steward's Sheet.
The sites officer will have provided steward's sheets for the meet. These need to have the details of all units attending the meet entered on the front of the sheet. The 'code' column should use the codes listed on the bottom reverse of the sheet. The fees collected from each unit are totaled and the total transferred to the summary at the bottom reverse of the sheet.
At the end of the meet please fill in the Event Attendance Form and
Pass it on to the Chairman by the Wednesday following the Meet.
This can be done in 4 ways.
1. By giving it to the Chairman (If on Site) 2. By post. 3. By Email & 4. By Text
5. Paying the landowner.
Your steward's information sheet will indicate the fee to be paid to the landowner. This will normally be a 'per unit night (P.U.N.)' amount which should be multiplied by the number of unit nights to determine the figure to be paid. If the figure is plus or including VAT, please be sure to obtain a VAT receipt. for the treasurer. This should show the landowners VAT registration No., trading address, the date and the amount. Even when VAT is not involved please obtain a receipt and attach it to the steward's sheet.
6. Site Rules.
You will have been given a list of rules applying to all D.A. meets (see Big Sites Book page 22) and, in addition, you will have been notified of any restrictions imposed by the site owner on your steward's information sheet. Please ensure that the rules and restrictions are abided by. If it is necessary to bring a member's attention to them, this should be done in a firm but friendly manner. If you should receive a complaint from anyone, either from within or external to the meet, regarding any member or group of members attending the meet, please assure the complainant that the matter will be looked into and every action will be taken to remove the problem. If the complaint requires action, you are empowered to take whatever action is required, within reason, to ensure that the rules (see Big Sites Book page 22) are applied. Ultimately you may order an offending unit off site and report the member involved to the D.A., however, with diplomacy and discretion, the matter can usually be resolved amicably and without recourse to such measures. There can be many sources of nuisance on a campsite, whether it’s a weekend meet or holiday meet. A general rule to be applied, and this is applicable to any source of nuisance (i.e. generators, foul language, etc.), is that individuals and groups should always show full consideration as to the comfort and well-being of fellow campers. The steward has the right to request that an individual or group of members causing such a nuisance behave with more reason and consideration.
7. D.A. Pennon & Fire Buckets.
The D.A. Pennon should be flown for the duration of the meet and the associated fire buckets should be maintained filled with water. Additionally, all units should be encouraged to have a filled fire bucket outside their unit for the duration of the meet.
8. Coffee Morning.
It is usual at weekend meets to host a 'coffee morning' at the steward's unit. Tea, coffee & biscuits will be provided by the steward for up to 10 units any units over 10 units then the DA will refund the cost of the coffee morning on production of a receipt up to the value of £5.00. 30 units or more the DA will refund the total cost on production of a receipt will be D.A. A receipt for such purchases should be attached to the completed steward's sheet and the amount entered under expenses beneath the site owners fees. Coffee mornings usually take place at 11 o'clock on Sunday and are signaled by the ringing of the bell contained in the steward's kit. At the coffee morning, the steward informs the meet of the attendance by D.A. or group and dispenses any other information to the campers.
9. Closing the meet.
The stewards would normally be the last to leave the site, however, as with opening a meet, they may deputise someone willing in their place. The site should be checked to ensure that it has been left in a similar (or better) state to that in which it was found and that no damage has been occasioned. If any damage has been caused, this should be noted and attached to the steward’s sheet. Particular attention should be paid to closing all gates etc. that may retain livestock.
10. After the meet.
The completed stewards sheet together with any surplus and all receipts should be forwarded to the treasurer as soon as possible, either directly or via any committee member.
11. Accident Form.
In the unlikely event of someone having an accident at the meet, please ensure that all details are recorded on the accident sheet, including the member’s details and those of any witnesses. The completed accident sheet should be returned to the treasurer with the steward's sheet. Finally, thank you again for volunteering to steward a meet - we hope you enjoyed it and will want to do it again.