Ayr 78

HOW IT ALL STARTED…

Ayr Vespa Club (VCB Branch No. 78)

Towards the end of 1956 a third Scottish branch was formed. But, hampered by the petrol rationing throughout the country (at the time of the Suez crisis) and a serious lack of spares and servicing for Vespas being available north of the border, Ayr Vespa Club didn’t last much beyond winter.

Three years later though, with the number of active clubs in Scotland having doubled (Stirling and Perth had joined Edinburgh and Glasgow), the VCB appointed Margaret Farquhar as Vespa Club of Britain Representative in Scotland and she wasted no time in getting the Ayr club back up and running - as well as helping to revive the dormant Aberdeen branch and overseeing the formation of two new clubs in Dumfries and Falkirk.

The revived Ayr club met weekly at the Labour Hall in New Bridge Street, often exchanging visits and “at homes” with the Paisley branch twenty miles up the road. For how long Branch No. 78 existed, that’s another challenge to find out over the coming months. But that’s how it all started, stalled, and got going again and I reckon the club must have called it a day some time in 1962.

More homework for the winter nights then. Anyone got any information or even just the odd photo of Branch No. 78? If you do, please feel free to share it this way.

Oh, and with the VCB recently reviving its ‘regions’ there’s been a lot of interest in reforming dormant clubs. All it would take for the Ayr Vespa Club to be resurrected, again, is for three VCB members from the area to want to and get agreement from the VCB committee. If you’re keen, do give’s a shout. 

Paul Hird