All,
I am a member of TVAM IAM and can not recommend it high enough.
The group rides do tend to attract the more sedate, beardy, GS1200/Pan riders and chances are this is what you bumped into at Foxes.
Granted there are a few beard sporting Pan riders, but in the main is a bunch of 20-40 year olds on blades, GSXRs and R1s hooning arond the Chilterns at an alarming speed. Although I can guarantee if you do end up with a beardy Pan rider he'll probably leave you for dead on anything vaguely technical no matter how many track days you've done
I joined a couple of months after getting my SV after pottering around on a 125 for 6 months previously. Gave me loads of confidence and more importantly made me far safer.
It costs very little and to be honest you'll make up any costs in saved fuel and tyres if you learn to ride smoother. The actual "training" is free. You play to join the club and your subscriptions to IAM, but trainers (observers) do not get paid and it'll cost you the proce of a cup of tea or bacon butty depending on where you end up.
Taster session (3rd Sunday at St Crispins) is free. You get taken out for an assesment ride adn offered the opportunbity to join unless you are a total hoolgan in which case you will be invited to consider your life exxpectancy and still invited to join if they feel you would actually listen to any advice.
If anyone is interested I'll happily go on for hours about what it's all about and will probably be there on 21st anyway.
Don't know if your TV group have a regualr social night like the Guildford massive (not so massive these days though) if you want I could come along and answer any questions as long as it's not miles away.
Cheers,
Mark