Code of Conduct

The Lunar Owners Club Code of Conduct

General

1. There are existing codes of conduct published by Natural England, The Caravan code, The Country code and the Seashore code. The Lunar Owners Club expects members to comply with these and other associated codes.
2. Rallies will be open to members of the Lunar Owners Club, in Designated Units.
3. Proof of membership should be carried during a rally and produced when properly demanded.
4. One named Rally Marshal will be responsible for the rally.

Visitors

5. Casual day visitors must report to the Rally Marshal on entering the rally field. It is the duty of the Club member to inform both visitors and Marshal beforehand.

Social Functions/Overnight Guests

6. Any guest accompanying a member in their vans must pay the full cost of the rally and functions they attend. The member must accompany the guest in the caravan / motorhome overnight. In all cases, the above to be at the discretion of the Rally Marshal.

Safety on the Rally Sites

7. Only qualified drivers holding a full license can drive on the rally field at a maximum speed of 5 m.p.h.
8. Each caravan and towing vehicle must be placed on the pitch indicated by the Rally Marshal or his deputy. On commercial sites the pitches will be delineated. On non-commercial and/or rally sites there should be at least 6m clear space between units, considering both awning and car, as laid down in the latest ACCEO / DEFRA 2015 Guidance.
9. Caravans should be sited so as they do not restrict access to, or exit from, the caravan or the rally field in case of emergencies. Emergency vehicles should be able to secure access to each caravan on site.
10. Open fires are not allowed. Barbecues, with the Marshals consent, must be away from cars/vans / awnings and any other structures. When communal barbeques are being held, all barbeques should be placed together a safe distance from the members taking part.
11. Caravans / Motorhomes should carry a suitable B.S.I. or other F.O.C approved fire extinguisher and everyone be aware of how to use them.
12. Fire blankets and buckets of water outside at the front of each unit are also useful as firefighting equipment.
13. It is advisable that each unit should have a First Aid Kit.
14. Where there are organized activities the Rally Marshal must ensure there is proper provision for the arrangements and supervision of activities.

General Behaviour

15. Respect should be shown to the landowner’s property, trees, fences, farm buildings, equipment and livestock.
16. All animals are to be kept under control and must not be allowed to run loose on the field. Dogs must be kept or held on a lead not exceeding 12 feet. Any person may, after due warning of a breach of this rule, be asked to leave by the Rally Marshal. All dogs to be exercised away from the caravans and all fouling to be removed by the owner.
17. In view of the possible damage to caravans, cars, awnings etc. the flying of kites, model aircraft, including small unmanned aircraft (SUA) i.e. Drones, the playing of ball games, the riding of bicycles (other than within the area designated by the Rally Marshal), the use of guns, air pistols, catapults and other dangerous toys is strictly prohibited.
18. A careful check should be made before leaving the field to ensure that no litter has been left behind.
19. Noise should be kept to a minimum from radios, televisions, and other sources.
20. The moderate use of leisure generators only, with due consideration of fellow ralliers between the hours of 9.00 am and 9.00 pm except in a medical emergency. The generator should be sited a least 2 meters away from any caravan, awning or other enclosed structure.
21. Members must exercise due care not to unduly damage the rally field during wet or muddy conditions. The Rally Marshal may restrict movement of vehicles or restrict access at any time to minimize damage to the field.
22. Care must be taken on rallies to ensure that local people can carry on with their normal activities and disturbance to them minimized. Complaints should be referred to the committee who will investigate and deal with the complaint.

Public Health

23. When more than one tap is available there must be clear differentiation between drinking water taps and water supplies for cleaning chemical toilets. The two uses must never overlap.
24. Members are expected to act responsibly with respect to the disposal of chemical toilets and waste water and take full account of the need to safeguard water supplies and prevent the pollution of rivers and streams.
25. On-site disposal of the contents of chemical and waste water should be in accordance with arrangements agreed with the site owner or manager. Neither chemical nor waste water should be allowed to foul the ground and must only be discharged at designated disposal points.
26. Refuse should be either taken home or disposed of in accordance with the Rally Marshals instructions or on-site arrangements. The Rally Marshal should be satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place.

Choice of Venue

27. Avoid arranging rallies on Certified Locations or on immediately adjacent land unless it is clearly impossible to avoid a clash of interest with members using a Certified Location field, and with people living locally. The use of Certified Locations is ultimately a matter for the land owner to decide.
28. Avoid arranging rallies on land adjacent to licensed sites, unless approved by the Local Authority. Also take reasonable steps to satisfy the club that the site proposed for an exempted rally is not subject to an order under paragraph 13 of Schedule 1, or an Article 4 direction, or one which planning permission has been refused or had enforcement action taken.
29. Avoid arranging rallies on prominent sites, sites close to particularly sensitive areas such as Nature Reserves, venues very close to houses other than the landowners, and on land where it is known that planning permission for caravans has been refused, or on land which has been the subject of planning consent refusal for development as a camping or Caravan site.
30. Care should be taken so that the siting of caravans / motorhomes does not unduly interfere with the activities of local people, their privacy, or their enjoyment of their properties. Care should also be taken not to interfere with the enjoyment by others of the landscape or the natural beauty of an area and the nature conservation value of areas. This is especially important in areas designated for their qualities of landscape or wildlife.
31. Rally Marshals are advised to avoid the over-use of any venue, taking into account its position and general suitability, impact on the locality of numbers of vans in National Parks, any advice given by the National Parks Officer, and in strict accordance with rally control procedures.
32. It is recommended that rallies should not be organized on successive weekends at the same venue, but there might be rare instances where Local Authorities would prefer the intensive use of a particular rally site as the best means of meeting demand.
33. It is also recommended that the arrangement of successive 5 day rallies in holiday areas at peak periods involving members moving on from one rally to the next is avoided, unless the movement is spread over a period to avoid nuisance to other road users.

Road Safety and Access

34. In popular holiday areas at peak holiday periods (e.g. Bank Holidays) it is suggested that movement of vans should be arranged, if at all possible, outside the periods of heaviest road use to avoid inconvenience to other road users.
35. Venues chosen should be sited on good access roads of sufficient width to enable member’s outfits to pass any other traffic which may be encountered without difficulty.
36. The access into the rally field should be of adequate width, easily negotiable and clearly indicated.
37. Where possible avoid selecting a venue where the access is directly on to a busy ‘A’ class road.

Club Administration

38. The Lunar Owners Club Committee reserves the right to refuse the use of rally sites to any member, or to request any member to move his/her caravan or motorhome.
39. The authority for the conduct of rallies shall be vested in a Rally Marshal, or an appointed deputy who, in the event of a member breaking these rules, shall be authorised to request such a member to remove his/her unit from a site and thereupon the Rally Marshal shall report the matter immediately to the Committee for such action as shall be deemed necessary.
40. All rallies commence and close at the times appointed by the Rally Marshal. Members will not be granted access to the site before the commencement time as this may invalidate the Club’s exemption certificate.
41. Unless previously paid, all rally fees shall be paid to the Rally Marshal, or deputy, on arrival at the site.
42. Members attending rallies may not reserve pitches.
43. At the expiration of the period of the rally, members units must be removed from the site, unless prior arrangements have been made through the Rally Marshal or the site owner.
44. Tents, other than awnings and toilet tents, will not be allowed on site without prior approval of the Rally Marshal.
45. In the case where electric hook ups are limited and insufficient for the numbers attending the rally, the Rally Marshall may, at his absolute discretion, choose to (a) require members to share EHU’s and take a lower power availability, or (b) operate a first booked first choice.
46. The receipt by the Rally Marshal of a rally booking at least twenty-one days prior to the commencement of the rally shall be a prerequisite to the supply of a rally plaque to a member.
47. No member shall be deemed to have attended a rally unless he/she attends the rally for at least one night in their own caravan or motorhome which then count towards the special plaques.
48. In the event of a rally being cancelled or altered in any way immediately prior to the rally, only members who have booked will be notified.
49. Members who have booked to attend rallies and are unable to do so, should notify the Rally
50. Marshal and may be held responsible for any costs incurred.
51. All members booking into rallies must include with their rally slips the deposit required by the Rally Marshal (for example, to cover deposits on commercial site fees, meals etc.) as published in the handbook or newsletter. Cheques should be made payable to the named Rally Marshal, as these amounts are likely to have been committed at an early stage in the rally planning, they will only be refunded at the Rally Marshalls absolute discretion.
52. Where Rally Marshalls agree to accept bookings on-line via the Clubs website, they may agree to waive any deposit. Under such circumstances, if the member does not provide at least fourteen days’ notice of cancellation they will remain liable for any costs incurred. Such costs to be determined at the Rally Marshalls absolute discretion.

Lunar Owners Club 1st October 2021