11 July 2026
A new home for the club online
The club website has been rebuilt. Events now carry one-tap directions for every venue, and past events tidy themselves away automatically.
Founded 25 January 1967 · 84 founding members
Our club
Nearly sixty years of trials, green lanes, caravan rallies and mutual recovery — run entirely by volunteers, and still going strong.
From Rover's shadow
The Rover Company once ran its owners' clubs itself, in four regions — Southern, Midland, Northern and Scottish. When the company let go of the reins, the Midlands enthusiasts picked them up: on 25 January 1967, at the Garrick Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, eighty-four members founded the Midland Rover Owners Club.
Gordon Collins, Jim Quinton, Fred Archer, A. B. Smith, Felix Scrivens and Dave Frisby set it rolling — after a long correspondence persuading Rover to let the new club wear the green oval. The club became a limited company in 1981, and has been one of the largest in the ALRC since the association began.
Trials, treks and floods
The early years belonged to Series Is, IIs and IIAs — caravan rallies, trials and treasure hunts, with tours reaching Italy, Norway and Ireland. In 1998 the club hosted the ALRC's 50th National Rally.
When Tewkesbury flooded in 2007, members and their vehicles waded in — and MROC 4x4 Response was born, now part of the national 4x4 Response network. The club has raised money for Macmillan and others along the way, with bike trials, gymkhanas and treasure hunts.
A family concern
The Majors — the two-day interclub trial — remains the fixture of the year, alongside the annual dinner dance and awards. More than a few members met their partners in a muddy field; second and third generations now drive the same hills their grandparents did.
The committee
All volunteers. For anything general, start with committee@mroc.co.uk.
| Liz Welch | Chairlady | chair@mroc.co.uk |
| Richard Banks | Vice chair · Scrutineering | vice@mroc.co.uk |
| Phil Rock | Treasurer | treasurer@mroc.co.uk |
| Stuart Vickers | Secretary | secretary@mroc.co.uk |
| Paul Muir | Membership secretary | membership@mroc.co.uk |
| Martin Pittaway | Competition secretary | competition-secretary@mroc.co.uk |
| Russell Cook | Trials coordinator | trialscoordinator@mroc.co.uk |
| Matt Morgan-Cettler | Green lane coordinator | greenlaning@mroc.co.uk |
| John Kesterton | 4x4 Response | response@mroc.co.uk |
| Matt Boyce | Recovery officer | recovery@mroc.co.uk |
| Sam Sharp | Social secretary | social@mroc.co.uk |
| Jonathan Jones | Web editor · Press & publicity | web@mroc.co.uk |
Questions, answered
What can I actually do with my Land Rover here?
Off-road trials (Tyro, RTV, CCV), green laning on public rights of way, camping and caravan weekends, and spectating at any of it. Members also arrange trips to pay-and-play sites between events.
Why "Rover" and not "Land Rover" in the name?
The club was founded in 1967, eleven years before Land Rover became a company in its own right — and Rover car owners were members too. The name stayed.
How big is the club?
Typically over 250 members a year — one of the largest Land Rover clubs in the UK — with around a hundred regularly active at events.
Do I need a modified vehicle?
No. Tyro trials are designed for completely standard vehicles, and plenty of members never modify anything. The kettle is standard equipment, though.
Is there a green laning calendar?
Green lane runs are arranged through the green lane coordinator and the Facebook group — email greenlaning@mroc.co.uk to get started.
What is MROC 4x4 Response?
Volunteer members who provide four-wheel-drive support to emergency and community services, formed after the club’s work in the 2007 Tewkesbury floods. It has its own site at mroc4x4response.co.uk.
Is there a club magazine?
A quarterly journal goes to all members by email — club news, event reports, results, photos and classifieds.
Who runs all this?
A volunteer committee, listed below — and there is always room for more hands. If you can spare occasional time, mention it to any of them.
Club news
1 May 2026
The Majors 2026 — dates confirmed
The Majors returns to Green Hall Farm, near Llanfyllin, Powys, over the weekend of 11–13 September 2026.
