BMF Press Release

[Sadie]

Hi all,

Here is an statement from the BMF regarding a situation regarding two BMF Directors who have been suspended. MCN are running with this story on the internet now, and are probably going to do so in Wednesday's paper.

I would just like to say that neither Mike Williamson nor Don Lewis are paid employees of the BMF. They are both volunteers who have put in many hours working for the organisation and neither of them is walking away from the BMF, Mike and Don's personal memberships still stand and the findings of the disciplinary committee regarding Mike are subject to appeal. Don Lewis has been suspended pending disciplinary procedures following a complaint, which may or may not prove correct.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you like, and I will try to address them. However, please also be aware that I will be working the Ally Pally show tomorrow and so will come back to this thread tomorrow night.

Thanks, Liz

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THE BMF AND ITS PROCEDURES - A BMF MANAGEMENT STATEMENT

Following recent conjecture and rumour, the British Motorcyclists Federation has issued the following statement.

The BMF can confirm that as part of its disciplinary procedures, two directors have been suspended from office, but first it is important to understand the nature of the organisation.

The BMF is an unincorporated membership association whose directors and chairman are all volunteers elected from, and accountable to, the BMF membership. The board of the BMF’s trading company, known as BMF (Enterprises Ltd), is made up of part of this management team.

The operation of the BMF itself is governed, like any large club, by a constitution, part of which includes a disciplinary procedure. Complaints of misconduct by two directors, BMF Chairman Mike Williamson and Administration Director and Deputy Chairman Don Lewis, have been received by the Disciplinary Committee and procedures duly instigated.

This has resulted in Don Lewis being suspended pending a formal hearing to be held in February and the Chairman, Mike Williamson, being excluded from holding any BMF posts for a period of three years. This followed a hearing, held by the BMF’s Disciplinary Committee on Saturday the 21st January 2006 at the BMF’s headquarters in Leicester. Loss of office automatically disqualifies them from their position on the board of BMF (Enterprises) Ltd.

In view of the fact that in the case of Mike Williamson an appeal is pending, and that the hearing for Don Lewis is yet to be held, no further details will be made public at this stage, however, all members of the 45 strong BMF Council have been informed.

No other directors or staff are subject to any disciplinary procedures.

BMF spokesman Jeff Stone said: “These matters are an internal constitutional affair. They do not affect the day-to-day operation of the BMF or its employees. Neither political lobbying work or the BMF’s events, including the May 20/21 BMF Show at Peterborough, are jeopardised by these developments.”

Further, the BMF wishes to state categorically that there has been no financial impropriety involved with these disciplinary charges. However, the BMF wishes to address speculation in some quarters surrounding a loss of money.

The facts are that during the period 1990 to 1999 the BMF was the victim of a systematic and extensive fraud carried out by an employee of the East of England Showground, owners of the annual venue for the BMF Show.

Their Company Secretary, Stephen Smith, systematically stole part of the gate takings from the BMF and from other major exhibitors who had hired the showground. He was discovered and suspended by the Showground management just seven days before the May 2000 BMF Show.

A full-scale police investigation then followed through to July 2001. BMF Show organiser Mike Fairhead and BMF finance staff checked files and a statement given by Mike Fairhead helped to eventually convict Smith.

Smith was arrested in September 2001. He appeared in court and pleaded guilty to 14 charges (3 of which concerned the BMF). He was duly convicted and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in March 2002.

In all it was estimated at that stage that over the nine-year period; Smith had stolen an estimated £90,000 from the BMF. In October 2004 a claim was then made by the BMF to the Showground for £177,000 representing the original sum plus accrued interest.

The Showground resisted the claim but eventually offered a compromise deal in return for dropping the financial claim. The Management Team approved this deal in January 2005 and it was signed-off by Mike Williamson on behalf of the BMF.

Last year then saw a successful year for all BMF events making healthy profits and this despite bad weather reducing the projected income from the BMF Show.

This statement is only a summary. When the BMF’s internal processes have been completed, the results will be made known to members.




ENDS



Issued by Jeff Stone: t: 0121 709 1040 m: 07802 763094 e: jeff.stone@bmf.co.uk


IMPORTANT:

No other directors or staff are subject to disciplinary procedures.

No money is missing from BMF funds.

And to repeat:-

All operations of the BMF are continuing as normal.
____________________
With experience comes age.

[cqueen]

wtf is BMF?

[Kickstart]

[R4nger]

Told a bad/racist joke in the office again?

Come on Sadie, spill the beans

[WR450_geezer]

[cqueen]

Well excuuuuuuuuse meeeeee! for not having herd of the british motorcycle federation

[Silver]

[cqueen]

who?

Im sorry I dont go in for all this old man goggle wearing motorcycle federation stuff.

[Walloper]

Who's MAG?
What's felatio?
Is there really a god?
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[instigator]

[dodsi]

Do you even ride a bike cqueen?

as you never seem to mention it if you do.

Mini moto's etc DONT count.

[cqueen]

No I dont actually ride a bike on the road. But what that has got to do with anything I dont know.

But even if I did, I wouldnt have any interest in joining any federations.

EDIT: oh and perhaps instigator, seeing as you went to the effort of searching my posts, you should look at how fooking old it is. Not far off a year ago I think...

[dodsi]

[cqueen]

[Rookie]

So what heinous crimes did these two scoundrels commit?

[Walloper]

They haven't got bikes!!!
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[dodsi]

Thing is your coming onto this site and then saying that motorcycle federations are a bunch of old men hanging around classic bikes bugs the living shit out of me.

Just shows what you know about bikes and biking. We need organisations such as the BMF to raise awareness and "fight our cause".

If you want to talk TVR's and photoshop etc why not fuck off to those sorts of forums and not hang around a biking website and insult things that people work for and really believe in as a insult tp them.

[Sadie]

[Rookie]

I just thought... you know... since we're a big family and all that....

...OK.

[Sadie]

[cqueen]

[Silver]

[Sadie]

Thanks, Dodsi and Silver!

It's nice to know that my work is not in vain!
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With experience comes age.

[cqueen]

Biking for me, is an interest, not a way of life - like it is for you.

And thats where we differ, so dont roll your eyes because I havnt therd of BMF or MAG.

What you really saying is 'your not a real biker'. Well shame on me.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not so much "not a real biker", more that without the BMF and / or MAG your chances of being able to get a licence to ride a bike would be about as high as your chances of getting a licence for a machine gun.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing