The BLOA Revival: A controversial quagmire

In 2017 a new Lambretta club was formed and came to the public’s attention by way of Facebook. These days it’s not uncommon for a club or business to start this way and Facebook is the accepted platform for it. The club was named the British Lambretta Owners Association (BLOA) and sports a blue shield logo. To some Lambretta owners it was seen as something totally new, but to a lot of existing riders it was something they had seen before. Why? Well, BLOA existed many years ago and though it hasn’t been commercially present in general scootering circles for a long time, it is steeped in history. It also has a long-standing association with Lambretta Club Great Britain and this is where the problems started.

What the new club stands for

Formed in 2017 by Gavin Frankland, the new version of BLOA is a members’ club for Lambretta owners and enthusiasts and is open for anyone to join. Membership costs £10 per year and includes a membership card, newsletter/magazine, dating letter service, several rallies each year, and club merchandise is also available. The idea of the rallies would be to hold them at places where original BLOA rallies were held during the 1950/60s. They would follow the same format as back then, effectively reliving the old times. The club’s motto is: “A Lambretta club holding the values of the golden age in Scootering”. The club, though Lambretta-based, is open to people with any make of scooter and boasts several Vespa members. Originally, the only one involved in running the club was Gavin himself but since that time a committee has been formed. In 2018 two members’ rallies have been held in the UK and future ones are planned, including one in Europe.

Gavin was asked why he decided to resurrect an old name rather than create something new and his reply was: “BLOA was lost, gone in the mists of time. People, especially the original riders, have fond memories of BLOA, I felt