Car Wash Association

[CShel]

The Car Wash Association has its own e-newspaper which is sent to members each month. I hope we can work with them to publish an article about the huge opportunity to service motorcaravans. There is no info I can find on an editor’s name, although an advertisement sales person is shown, however, I’m avoiding being led in that direction at the start.

To advertise contact Rachel@lewisbusinessmedia.co.uk 07879 440948

There is not much information on this association, such a number of members, but I presume it must be an important group to contact, with thousands of members, as there are usually several businesses in every town nationwide.

Car Wash businesses are the perfect partner to build a network of motorcaravan service points across the UK.

The association is based in London near Regents Park and is tied up with the Petrol Retailers Association.
Gordon Balmer is shown as the Executive Director.
Another person there is Alexander Russell, the Director of Strategy.

The website is https://www.carwashassociation.co.uk/. Tel. No. for RMIF is 020 7580 9122

Today, I used the only means of contact available, and asked for a phone call from Mr Balmer.

Here is a copy of my email…

“I see that Gordon Balmer is the Executive Director, and would like to speak with him.

I am with CAMpRA, a motorhoming group with over 35,000 members (representing over 400,000 DVLA registered owners of motorcaravans) who are working on building a supportive infrastructure for Motorhome Tourism throughout the UK.

With a huge boom in ownership during Lockdown in 2020 we saw that there needed to be more touring stopover availability, our own ‘Aires’ (safe, off-road stopover parking spaces near civilisation), and Service Points in towns (off camping and caravan sites), as they are hard to find off-season (October to Easter, half the year), which are needed every 3-4 days to empty on-board storage waste tanks and replenish with fresh water.

As Car-Wash businesses have popped up everywhere and have existing plumbing for water and waste on site, and are perfectly placed for easy access, it seems a simple job to adapt them to service campervans and motorhomes as they tour. A self-service facility as is common across Europe would bring in £3-5/time every day, all year round. Plus many would need a clean too after weeks away from home.

I’d like to explain how this works, what the Association could do, how it would benefit, and how we can promote each business on the popular SearchForSites website/app for free.

Now that it is coming to the end of October, and sites are closing for winter, leaving the Motorhome tourists stranded from Service Points, the need for service you could easily provide is more desperate than ever before. This is a Golden Opportunity for the Car-Wash industry to step up and benefit from a new compatible income stream!

Please call me soon”

The form allowed me to give my name and contact details.

CS

Let’s see what response we get and what we can learn about their ways, soon.

[Madwitch]

Nice one Charles - fingers crossed.

[CShel]

Well, it’s a week or more later, and I’ve received no response.
So, I have resent the email to an email address I found on their website - gordon.balmer@rmif.co.uk
And had no reply there, either!

So, today, I’ve resent the email to the Director of Strategy - Mr Alexander Russell, Director Of Strategy, Car Wash Association
alexander@batcombehouse.co.uk

Let’s see if he responds. It’s more his department, I think

[CShel]

2 Dec ‘23 - Approached this association again, this time via their Adv Sales Dept, Rachel, who turns out to be located in deepest Portugal - she works on the Newsletter with the editor called Anne Bruce ~ annebruce@rocketmail.com

Rachel suggested I contact Anne asap as it is soon deadline for the December issue. She asked to be copied in on my email, and that she would chase up the Chief Exec too, Mr Gordon Balmer.
I emailed them both and suggested an article to go in the Dec Newsletter to all members.
No response… really?
I emailed Rachel again, asking if she’d got my email. Immediately I got a response saying ‘Sorry’, she had personal matters to deal with, and a deadline, and that both Anne and Gordon were away on holiday (?,? Together?,? )
So I’m still waiting, having sent Rachel a reply including the page on the website detailing ‘How to set up a Service Point’. So, if they need to fill some space in this issue, they could use that. Not perfect, but I also suggested she calls me for a quote and photos, too. Let’s see….

[CShel]

After nothing back again, I re-contacted Rachel (Sales, with Media Company for the e-newsletter), and I think she finally got my 2nd email to the right place. Christmas intervened too…
Then on first day back at work, 2024, I finally received a letter from the Director of Strategy, to agree to a phone chat about it all, though he was quite despondent that there would be much joy from the members. After a quick reply from me and date suggestion for a conversation I got a second detailed email response which explained the situation, and the efforts they are making to legalise and improve the practices in the business.

2/1/24
Dear Mr Shelbourne,

Motorhome Tourism on Car Wash sites

May I begin by apologising for the delay in replying to your e-mail below that was originally addressed to Anne Bruce and eventually landed on my desk via a circuitous route.

I would be very happy to discuss this with you when convenient for you but should also let you know that I am not too hopeful that this concept could work with even a small number of car wash operators.

My reasons for saying this are based on 39 years of direct hands-on experience in the car wash sector where a fast and unimpeded throughput of customers on sites is critical to all such operations. A large proportion of typical customers are impulse buyers who are easily discouraged if they see a slow-moving queue waiting to go through the wash.

Secondly a very small proportion of car washes have any spare space available on their sites that would enable them to accommodate even one motorhome, let alone a greater number waiting for their turn to be cleaned.

I’m sorry to sound discouraging and would be happy to talk through this with you. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if that would be helpful.

With kind regards,

Alexander Russell

Alexander Russell
Director of Strategy
The Car Wash Associtation
Mobile: 00 44 (0) 7881 502581
Please note my new email address: alexander@batcombehouse.co.uk
——-—. ——————. ———————- ————————. ————————

I responded, swiftly, as follows:

Dear Mr Russell

It’s very good to hear from you, at last! Even though you’re rather despondent at present! It certainly would be useful to have some more information about the way it all works, though I do know that several local to me car wash businesses look to be able to help us out and open a new income stream.

I’ve spoken to a couple (one in Beccles) who’ve been enthusiastic but need to know more about setting up a toilet waste disposal unit (which we at CAMpRA assist with), and would think that some encouragement from your association would help enormously.

So an article in your e-newsletter would be a place we can then refer them to, and an endorsement from you on top would be ideal!

I’m away in a moment in our motorhome for 6 days (for a family event in north Devon) so won’t be able to ring you till Tuesday 9/1 - is there a good time next week?

Cheers
Charles

——————————- —————-——————. ————————————

Dear Charles,

Motorhome tourism on Car Wash sites

Many thanks for your reply. Let’s definitely speak on your return from Tuesday 9th January…I’m available most days barring Monday 8th and Wednesday 10th.

In the meantime, one thing to bear in mind is that a majority of hand car washes unfortunately are failing to comply with applicable regulations particularly as regards trade effluent discharge which by law has to go through a foul drain but regrettably in so many cases is illegally being discharged to a storm water drain. This then allows polluting detergents and toxic chemicals to flow into nearby streams, rivers and beaches to the sea.

In addition, these sites often also fail to abide by employment regulations with employment abuse of trafficked immigrant labour and even modern slavery taking place in addition to neglect of H&S regulations and fiscal laws as well (‘cash-only’ payment).

I am pointing this out as, at the Car Wash Association, we are working closely with regulatory and enforcement bodies such as the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the National Crime Authority (NCA), the Police and HMRC to address such abuses and it would be unfortunate for your organisation and members to have any dealings with such operations.

There will of course be law-abiding exceptions to such cases and we can happily discuss the above and how best to identify such problems when we speak next week.

With kind regards,

Alexander

I suppose that any prospect car wash business, that agreed to become an ‘official CAMpRA approved Service Point’, would be obliged to be inspected (in the same way we check out prospect sites for Aires) beforehand with a checklist, including legal trading regarding waste discharge of waste water on site?

[CShel]

This morning, I held a zoom meeting with Alexander Russell, Director of Strategy at the Car-Was Association.

This resulted in CAMpRA being invited to write an article (max 350 words) to introduce the idea that car wash businesses can cash in on Motorhome Tourism by becoming Service Points. And that it is with the approval and encouragement of the Association.

The association is doing its best to wipe out slavery in the business (linked to drug dealing and laundering the profits), and to stop pollution from their sites by installing waste control, and to ensure the boom in new businesses are setting up legally, with Planning…. etc. They are lobbying the government with their campaign, and working with several organisations to solve all these issues.

Alexander says he is happy to work with us and monitor our progress, indeed our members can approach their members in future, and monitor businesses to see if they are operating correctly.

I will draft an article for approval before submission to Mr Russell.

[CShel]

The article has been submitted and will be published in the March edition on 14th March.
I hope to obtain a copy at that time, or before.
Get ready to follow up afterwards by visiting your local fuel station and car wash business and suggest they get going, referring to the backing of this association.

[CShel]

The Car Wash News article has been published today!

We have a full page piece, with 3 photos, and links to CAMpRA - Business Hub.

The newsletter link is here… on page 5. https://cloud.3dissue.net/40773/40641/4 ... html?19364

Now is the time for our CAMpRA members to visit their local car-wash business and urge them to set up these essential services for passing motorhomers.

Leaflets to leave there with the manager are available from CAMpRA (pay for postage only) at https://campra.org.uk/funding-order-form-entry/

Keep us posted on developments!

Talk to your local press and Tourist Office and Councillor for Economic Growth and Development, and get their involvement - make it a good news local story, that’s going to help Motorhome Tourism enormously, particularly when campsites are closed; many are shut half the year, from October to Easter, whilst motorhoming and campervanning continues.

Help us build a fantastic nationwide network of Service Points, a supportive infrastructure that, along with Aires, will entice foreign motorhomers to come and spend their good money in our local economy.

PDF file available to print onto A4 paper, to take to show to your local carwash:-

CAR WASH NEWS.pdf

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