Wednesday 26 October 2011

White Rose Dinner – 21st October 2011

A really good evening was enjoyed by over 190 members of 41 Club and Round Table at the White Rose Dinner, which was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Members came from all over Yorkshire and wider afield (some clubs even came from Lancashire) to participate in the event. As you would expect, there was a great atmosphere that night, with the guest speaker Sir Rodney Walker – “Yorkshire Man of the Year” and Past Chairman of Wakefield Round Table. It was also good to see Round Table there to support the evening as well.

Exeter 41 Club – 19th October 2011

Jill joined me for a relaxed meeting of Exeter 41 Club. It really was a most enjoyable, sociable evening which involved lots of laughter, wine and good food. A good evening amongst many old friends.

Sidmouth 41 Club 50th Charter Anniversary – 18th October 2011

To a town that I had not been to before, I was invited to take part in Sidmouth 41 Club’s 50th Charter Anniversary Dinner. It was superbly organised in a very good venue overlooking the sea and the food was excellent. The Club was well supported by many local clubs and it was good to see so many people that I knew from my travels in Round Table. The guest speaker was Tony Rowe, Chief Executive of the Exeter Rugby Club (I had first met Tony in 1995 at the Eastbourne National Conference), which was very apt as the Rugby World Cup Finals were on. An excellent night.

Ramsgate 41 Club 40th Charter – 17th October

I had the pleasure of joining Ramsgate 41 Club to celebrate their 40th Charter. It was a really good evening and they were joined by lots of the local clubs. It was planned to be quite an informal evening, with plenty of time to meet up with old friends and new – the plan worked with everybody having a very memorable and enjoyable evening.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Red Rose Dinner – 7th October 2011

A large turnout for the Red Rose Dinner (upwards of 100) ensured a great evening was held in Lancashire for what was billed as the 14th Annual Dinner and it was excellently organised by Bentham & District 41 Club.
It was a very good evening with good food, a brass band and listening to John Spence.  A really enjoyable evening which was full of good humour and lots of laughter. An event to put into your diary for next year

Chorley Rural Charter Night – 4th October 2011

Accompanied by Regional Councillor David Yardley, I had the pleasure of attending Chorley Rural’s Charter Night. It was really pleasant evening held in a lovely pub. It was a relaxed evening even though we were all in DJ’s, but it was a good evening remembering old times in Round Table and catching up with old friends.

Monday 10 October 2011

Boston 50th Charter -3rd October 2011

I was looking forward to this Charter as it nice to visit the County of Lincolnshire where I was born – not many miles away from the Charter Venue.

The occasion was Boston’s 50th Charter and despite a relatively small turn out, everybody enjoyed the evening and the fun and fellowship were there in abundance. At the beginning of the evening I was presented with cheques for the Shelter Box appeal from both the Tangent and 41 Clubs which they had discussed after the email  . I look forward to a swift return.

Both Jill and I had the pleasure of joining City of Birmingham 41 Club at their 60th Charter Celebration Lunch. It was good to meet them all and enjoy a very pleasant lunch. The event was held at the very historic St Paul’s Club and it was very nice to hear of some of its history from one of its members.

National Council Meeting – 30th September and 1st October 2011

My thanks must go to Duncan Kennedy (Region 12 Councillor) who organised the National Council meeting in Cardiff. A lot was discussed as well as enjoying social time. Thanks must also go to Mike Tulley and Chris and Mary Harness who together with Duncan organised the social side. It was especially nice for me to hold the meeting in Cardiff, as it was the venue for my Conference when I was Round Table President and all the “organisers and helpers” of the weekend were the principal organisers of the Conference.

41 Club National Golf Finals – 29th September 2011

On a glorious sunny day, the 41 Club National Golf Finals were held at the Longcliffe Golf Club near Loughborough, and is now established as one of the leading golf courses in the Midlands. A record number turned up to play for The Cochran Cup (team) and The John Wood Cup (individual). An excellent day which was really well organised by Donald Watson (Region 1 Councillor) and we were excellently looked after by the Golf Club. The eventual winners were Newport 41 Club (Shropshire) and the individual winner was Mark Ashton from the same club. The event will be held there next year.

Moseley 41 Club 50th Birthday Dinner – 28th September 2011

Moseley 41 Club celebrated their 50th Birthday Dinner at the magnificent Highbury Hall, a Grade 2 listed building and former home of the Chamberlain family. It was very good evening and the food was excellent. The highlight of the evening for me was to present their Affiliation Certificate (only 50 years late!) to Stan Cheeseman, a founder member of Moseley Round Table and then their 41 Club as well. A really good evening, with lots of laughter and banter.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Ladies Circle 75th Anniversary Ball – 24th September 2011



There were over 400 in Birmingham to help celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Ladies Circle. There was a good turn-out from all the Round Table Family Clubs, with every Association represented. After a few brief speeches and greetings, we all enjoyed a fine dinner followed by dancing into the small hours. A really good night and a nice way to celebrate 75 years.

Swadlincote – 23rd September 2011

There was a great turn-out for the celebration of Swadlincote Round Table’s 60th Charter and Swadlincote’s 41 Club’s 41st Charter. There were many guests there, including many “08” Tablers from across Europe.


The event was excellently hosted at the Branston Golf and Country Club and we all entertained by Colin “Fingers Henry. A really good night and it was especially nice to see the two clubs closely supporting each other.

Shelter Box – 22nd September 2011

“Following my appeal for funds in support of Shelter Box in the aftermath of the Japanese Earthquake, I am pleased to say that a good number of clubs responded and we raised a considerable sum which we are to donate to Shelter Box on 22nd September 2011 at their London Offices - 37 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London SE1 7TL between 12.30 and 1pm ...”
Malcolm Lockey, Immediate Past President, 9th September 2011.

I participated in this presentation, with:
National President, Vaughan Harris
National Treasurer, Mike Turner
Alan Pattinson, former National Councillor, led the introduction of ShelterBox to 41 Club and initiated the International Collection in the wake of the earthquake in Japan.
Peter Bolt, Treasurer of Feltham & Hounslow 41 Club

I was particularly interested because my club, Faringdon & District, made the first contribution to Malcolm’s appeal: the full value of a ShelterBox.

We were entertained by Tim Bunting, Head of ShelterBox Great Britain & Ireland, and John Leach, Head of ShelterBox Operations.

Tim briefed us on ShelterBox with a DVD presentation illustrating its activities in various regions. The full ‘ShelterBox’ weighs 55kg (more than 1cwt in old money) – heavy even as a two-man lift – we saw ladies walking away balancing them on their heads!

John described the operations side from recruiting, assessing (rejecting if necessary) and training volunteers, to deployments and methods of working. Headquarters in Cornwall is the focus for selection, training and operations; the twenty or so overseas ShelterBox agencies are dedicated to fundraising.

The team philosophy is to provide immediate shelter to enable families to survive and remain together. The contents of the ‘ShelterBox’ provide shelter, bedding, stove, water purification, children’s activities, tools, water carrier, etc, for 10 people (see illustration). The most important feature is that the team will not affect adversely the activities of other agencies, nor will it suck in any of their resources. “When available food runs out, the team does not eat.” John has a good track record of getting teams in against vested interests; telephone calls and emails to the British Embassy and Universities in Japan got vital contacts and, even more vital, a dedicated translator.

‘Boxes’ have been sent to practically all major disaster areas over the last decade. Amongst the recipients were Haiti, 30,000 ‘Boxes’, the Indonesian Tsunami areas and Pakistan.

These are just recollections of a fascinating hour spent with these guys; no doubt you can find chapter and verse for all this and more on the charity’s website: shelterbox.org.

Oh, by the way, a cheque for £10,125 was handed over. Well done everyone!

 Report by Frank Venables, Faringdon & District 41 Club. Region 20 National Councillor



 

Welwyn 41 Club – 19th September 2011

Having won the Elsan Trophy (a ceremonial toilet seat) last year, it was the turn of Welwyn 41 Club to organise the event this year. The event is held in Region 19, and clubs are invited to attend to compete in a competition of the host’s choosing. This year Welwyn organised a series of games which required a wide range of skills, but the nice thing is that they were all designed so that every member could take part in the evening.


There was a good turnout with many clubs represented. I played for Hoddesdon 41 Club with strict instructions that they were not to win – in the end there was no danger of that. The winners were Baldock 41 Club, who will have to organise the event next year.

A good fun and fellowship evening with a great format, which was finished off with a nice, sociable dinner.

Scottish Tangent Luncheon – 17th September 2011

Jill and I joined members of Tangent at the Scottish Tangent Luncheon, held in Turriff near Aberdeen. Approximately 90 Ladies turned up to enjoy the lunch, which had been superbly organised by the local Turriff Tangent Club. After a very enjoyable lunch, we heard from the guest speaker Agnes Stevenson, a journalist specialising in gardening. A really enjoyable time and I look forward to visiting Tangent again at the South East Luncheon.