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THE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB HISTORY OF THE HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT ASSOCIATION (The Friendly Club) Hampshire District Association was founded in 1947, the inaugural camp being held at Pax Hill, Bentley on the 17th July of that year. Those present at that meeting were as follows: Mr & Mrs Mussell Mr & Mrs Burrough Mr & Mrs L Starkey Mr & Mrs May Mr S Starkey Mr Howarth The first general meeting was held at Pax Hill on 31st August 1947. There were twelve members present at this meeting at which the rules of the Association were drawn up and accepted. Progress until 1950 was slow and it is on record that the next general meeting was not held until the 24th September 1950 with thirteen members attending. 1951 was a year of improvement, 209 members being recorded as the D.A's membership, and the first D.A's Feast of Lanterns was held with an attendance of 40 campers. The D.A continued to progress and in 1955 the membership was recorded as 500 with the week-end camp meets being held once a month. The D.A 's first youth Officer recorded to be elected was Mr E Pritchett in 1955. In 1968 the membership of the D.A. was over 3,000 including 125 C.C.Y.members, camp meets were held every week-end throughout the season and a very full winter social programme was enjoyed. The average attendance of camp meets in 1968 (21 years after the D.A. was founded) was 50 units, including children approximately 150 campers. The D.A. Feast of Lanterns attracted that year over 350 campers. Although at that time the percentage of membership increase had slowed down. In 1968 the D.A. was the 7th largest in the Club. The D.A's 40th birthday meet was held at Fair View Farm Stockbridge,50th Birthday meet at Chawton, and the 60th Birthday Meet 2007 was held at Lower Farm East Meon. It has proven difficult to trace all of Hampshire D.A.'s history in the Seventies and Eighties due to lack of archive material. It is known that parts of the Hampshire D.A. area was taken with the founding of Solent D.A., the New Forest D.A and Waterside D.A. The founding of Loddon D.A did not affect Hampshire D.A. camping area. There are now some 6,000 members allocated to the Hampshire District Association, with an average of 30 units camping weekends throughout the camping season.
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History 
