Civil Service Motoring Association
Encyclopedia
The Civil Service Motoring Association (often referred to as CSMA, but recently rebranded as CSMA Club) is a British motoring and leisure association.

CSMA was established in 1923. Its membership of around half a million is restricted to past and present members of the UK Civil Service and organisations that were formerly part of the British Civil Service, for instance Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...

 and BT. Relatives of existing members may also join.

History

CSMA Club is a non-profit making organisation. It was founded in 1923 by Frank Vernon Edwards, an executive officer in the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...

 who had an interest in motorcycle trials. Edwards died in 1924.

CSMA Club was designed to be a small motorsport organisation of around 300 members, but by 1930 the membership was over 5,000.

Services

Originally concentrating on the sporting and leisure activities associated with motoring, CSMA has developed into primarily a provider of membership benefits in motoring and leisure areas. Today its member services include insurance, banking, travel , leisure and roadside rescue, providing these through relationships with Approved Partners, notably Frizzell Insurance, with which it has worked since 1923.

Britannia Rescue

CSMA Club formerly owned and operated a vehicle breakdown rescue service for members and the general public, branded Britannia Rescue. In 2007, CSMA sold Britannia Rescue to Liverpool Victoria, the owner of the Frizzell Insurance brand (now known as LV=
LV=
LV is the UK's largest friendly society with approximately 1.1 million members.-History and legal constitution:...

). There was considerable anger at the AGM which authorised this disposal, since it became clear that members using a postal vote had not been permitted to vote against the proposal but were obliged to delegate their vote unconditionally to the chairman; with the aid of these thousands of votes, however, the proposal was approved.

Hotels, Cottages, Leisure Parks

CSMA owns and operates a number of Leisure Retreats. These currently include

- Ghyll Manor Hotel & Restaurant , a Country House Hotel in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...



- Wheel Farm Cottages , self catering holiday cottages in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...



- Cotswold Cottages , self catering cottages in Gloucestershire

- Whitemead Forest Park , a leisure park in Parkend
Parkend, Gloucestershire
Parkend is a village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley, in the Royal Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England, and has a history dating back to the early 17th century...

, Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...

.

Although the general public can use these facilities, members and their families and guests receive a considerable discount on tariffs.

For a considerable period the CSMA also had a country house in the Trough of Bowland in Lancashire, called Eaves Hall. By 2006 this was no longer part of the Club's estate, and although discounts were offered to CSMA members by the new owners, they were insubstantial.

Cotswold Motoring Museum

CSMA Club is owner of the Cotswold Motoring Museum
Cotswold Motoring Museum
The Cotswold Motoring Museum is a museum located in the Cotswolds village of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England, which features motoring history of the 20th century.- Collection :...

 in Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

, Gloucestershire.

Magazine

CSMA's magazine, called CSMA Club magazine, was formerly known as Motoring & Leisure, and is the largest circulated motoring magazine in the UK. The magazine used to be distributed to members who paid a subscription. From 2009 the magazine is included in the yearly membership fee and distributed to all members.
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