JK's Hand-On Mechanical Training Days
Would you like to know a bit more about maintaining, repairing, and servicing your VW Camper or Beetle?
We're running a limited series of hands-on workshop days, which will be led by our on-site mechanic ‘Workshop Mark’ and Mark Reynolds, the founder of JK.
These JK Training Days will give you the information, experience, and confidence you'll need to go home and do some work on your own classic Volkswagen, whether you've got a decent understanding of basic mechanics or you've never held a 13mm spanner before!
Our First Few JK Training Days
We first launched a series of four JK Training Days, which took place in April and May 2024 and sold out really quickly! People travelled hundreds of miles to join us for a day of hands-on training, and we had some fantastic feedback for these initial events.
As well as helping dozens of people get to grips with how their classic VWs worked, and giving them the knowledge and confidence they needed to start doing jobs on their Volkswagens themselves, we also raised £2,500 for charity!
Since the first four events were to help us test the water and find what the best way to teach, we asked for a £100 booking fee to secure a place at one of the events, and then donated that money to either Cancer Research UK or Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care - depending on which charity the person booking picked.
We got through a lot of biscuits, covered several different topics, and helped a lot of people get a first-hand understanding of how their air-cooled VWs worked, which was fantastic!
More JK Training Days on the Horizon
Following the success and popularity of these first four JK Training Days, we definitely plan to run more of them in the future. We won't be running any more courses in the next few months, however, as everyone here at Just Kampers is busy over the summer months sending out orders, answering your phone calls, and celebrating 35 years of Just Kampers.
There will be more JK Training Days this year, though, and we hope to bring them back in the autumn with new topics, different options, and a more focussed style of teaching and training.
If you want to be the first to hear about our JK Training Days when they're relaunched later this year, then make sure you sign up to our email newsletter, and follow us over on Facebook and Instagram.
Mark Reynolds says:
"I'd love to come up with a fun and interesting way to pass on some of our combined 70+ years in the workshop, to fellow VW owners.
"I’ve amassed a huge amount of practical knowledge over the years, since working for Henley Beetles in the late 1980s, through running Just Kampers as a workshop when it first started, to still working on my cars, and it seems a shame not to pass that knowledge on.
"We’ve done a few dozen teaching days at JK in the past, and in the mid-1990s I was involved with some of the T2OC teaching weekends, so it would be great to find an engaging way to teach people how to look after their VWs."
More About the JK Training Days & FAQs
What will the day include?
Each day will run from 9am to 4pm, so please arrive by 8:50 so that we can get started on time. You'll need to wear appropriate clothes for a workshop, which you don't mind potentially getting covered in oil/grease/dirt/etc. The workshop is heated, but warmer clothes and layers are still recommended.
There will be breaks throughout the day, and a lunch break at midday. You'll need to bring your own lunch with you, although hot drinks and biscuits will be provided during the day.
When will the JK Training Days be held?
At the moment there are four different events scheduled to take place, on Tuesday 9 April, Thursday 11 April, Friday 3 May, and Friday 10 May.
Each event will start at 9am and run until 4pm, with breaks during the day. Please aim to arrive at 8:45 for a 9am start.
What will be covered in each event?
We've created these first four JK Training Days to cover some really important, easy-to-learn topics which will be useful for a wide range of people. You can see a full list of the topics above.
How many people can attend each event?
There are places available for six people to attend each event. We wanted to keep the numbers low as we get started with these JK Training Days, to make sure that everyone can see and hear everything, and they they don't feel lost in a crowd.
Why does it cost £100 to book a place?
We're asking for a £100 booking fee to secure your place on these events so that we can keep track of who is attending which event. Just Kampers won't be keeping any of the money, and 100% of this booking fee will be donated to either Cancer Research UK, or Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care (you can choose once you've booked).
How do I let you know which charity I want my booking fee to go to?
Once you've booked your place at one of the JK Training Days, we'll send you an email with a few questions like what you'd like to learn, what your favourite biscuits are, and which of the two charities you'd like your £100 booking fee donated to.
What do I need to bring with me?
You'll need to dress warmly, in clothing you don't mind getting oil/grease/dirt on. We'll be providing hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day, but you'll need to bring lunch with you.
We'll provide you with a notebook and pen if you fancy taking notes, and there'll be power sockets if you need to charge phones or anything during the day.
Who will be leading the JK Training Days?
The events will be led by Mark Burden (also known as ‘Workshop Mark’) and Mark Reynolds.
You may recognise ‘Workshop Mark’ from our YouTube channel and the how-to videos on our website. He’s been a professional mechanic for decades, and has helped work on a number of our project vehicles here at Just Kampers.
Mark Reynolds founded Just Kampers back in 1989, and has been running JK since then. Having owned and worked on more Volkswagens then he can remember, Mark has built up a huge amount of knowledge and helpful tips over the years, which he’s keen to pass on to others.
