Although I'm no longer an active posting member on here, I do keep an eye on things from time to time. I was always told that if you can say nothing nice, then say nothing at all and the vast majority of posts and topics really sadden me with the way the forum has gone and how ownership of these cars is now seen, so in the main, I've said nothing rather than been derogatory or negative. I know this is the feeling of a few of the co-owners and this is one of the reasons you don't see myself, Carl, Darren and many others around now.
However, some time for the truth regards the badges:
Firstly, the design was not finalised - some people wanted the old style badge replicating, others wanted a 10 year anniversary edition. Some wanted a red background, others blue. As Spike rightly says, there's a minimum order of 300 units, so we had to decide on one design, which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
Secondly, there was the issue of finances:
For many years, the co-owners have been in discussions as to the best way to handle the club finances, which were then and are now handled solely by Ben. We came to the decision that there should be 3 members able to sign off on money related projects (me for badges, WoolyA2 for clothing and Ben for ongoing hosting costs) and Carl and I even signed the papers to enable this to happen. However, nothing has happened in the interim (around 2 years), so the finances are solely with Ben still.
As it took well over 2 years to recoup the costs of the first badge run, then no-one in their right mind would fund a second run out of their own pocket, as the costs would approach £1000. I am now in a position to fund the badges myself, but as there's no consensus as to what people want, then I'm not going to take the risk of being left with 250 unsold badges and being out of pocket. As it was the last time, I funded the postage out of my own pocket and have seen nothing back for this.
Whatever Ben, Carl or I have done in the past, the profits have going back into the club and I would hope that any future badge project would be run in the same way. I don't think the solution to this badge problem lies in new blood and would urge anyone who is thinking of getting badges made to be careful and to respect the club.