News and Events

AGM 2026 - Wednesday 1st April

Beckington Village Hall

We are delighted to announce that our next AGM will be on Wed 1st April at 7.00 for 7.30 at Beckington Memorial Hall (Bath Rd, Beckington, Frome BA11 6SH).

Our speaker is Vicky Lovell who will be talking about her work as Director of Carma Drivers Ltd. Vicky is an inspired Advanced Driving Instructor whose career has taken her into many unusual situations. Her talk will supplement and build upon our previous talk on Road Rage, and Vicky will introduce us to positive driving choices in negative situations. More information will follow closer to the event

Driving with a disability or following medical diagnosis

If you are concerned about yourself or a relative following a medical diagnosis or incident, DVSA drive mobility offer driving assessments. Likewise, if you are concerned about yourself or a family member, an assessment can be offered via link below.

Find out more

IAM Member's Advanced Driving Refresher Course

This course is designed to help existing members refresh their Advanced Driving or Riding skills through 3–4 Observed runs. There’s no pressure and no test—just supportive, confidence-building sessions with an Observer. Participants also receive a soft copy logbook (with an option to request a hard copy) and a certificate of completion.

One member who took part shared:

“It would be difficult to improve the support and advice I received from the two excellent observers who went out with me. My knowledge and confidence is now greatly improved.”

For further information, please email our Chief Observer, David Major chiefobserver@swam-iam.org.uk

Our first Treasure Hunt event was a real success!

What a terrific night we had at our first SWAM Treasure Hunt event in June, with our illustrious President - Dave Edwards and his wife Nicky - coming through the challenge with a full-house of correct answers. Congratulations you two; It was all very close on the night.

The only disaster was one couple, whose car broke down halfway round. Guys, you know who you are and we all hope you were rescued quickly and safely!

The general vibe was that it had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and "can we do it again sometime in the future?"

It looks like we're going to have to put our thinking caps on...

Helen Schofield's Obituary

We are very sorry to have to tell you that our former President, Helen Schofield, sadly died early in May.

Helen was a staunch supporter of SWAM and, prior to the merger with Melksham group, of the Bath & District Group of Advanced Motorists (BADAM). Helen had a long career in the IAM and was an active member of BADAM. She was Regional Co-ordinator for the South West in the early 2000s, and became Secretary of BADAM in 2005. When she retired from this position, she became President of BADAM, and subsequently President of SWAM on its foundation in 2020. We are fortunate to have had the benefit of her expertise over many years.

There will be a celebration of Helen’s life at Bath Golf Club (Claverton Down, BA2 6JG) on Tuesday, 3rd June, to which Helen’s friends and acquaintances are invited. There will be a Buffet Lunch at 1.30pm, and an opportunity to share memories. The dress code, as requested by Helen, is Colourful and Cheerful.

New President announced for SWAM

We are delighted to announce that Dave Edwards has become our new President. As one of our National Observers and a driver for 4x4 Response, Dave comes to this role with a wealth of driving experience. Dave is a strategic thinker and also handy with IT. It is with great excitement that the Committee welcome Dave into this role.