Monday 29 November 2010

Shirley late Knights Ladies Night 6th November 2010

Jill and I joined Shirley Late Knights to support Jon Meadows, Club chairman at his Ladies Night. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all, with dancing until the early hours. Thank you to everyone who made us both feel so welcome.

Wimbledon 41 Club Gaugin Visit Friday 5th November 2010

Jill and I joined Wimbledon 41 Club  for an evening of culture at the Tate Modern to see an exhibition of the works of Gaugin.

The evening started off with a talk from one of the guides, followed by a tour of the gallery which included many of his main works and some that had not been on display before.


A good evening was rounded up with a pizza and wine and plenty of chat.

Shirley Late Knights Charter 4th November 2010

Along with the Associations International Officer and a contingent from Malta, I enjoyed a Reunion and Celebration evening in Solihull, which was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Shirley Kate Knights and the 55th Anniversary of the Chartering of Shirley Round Table,



It was an informal evening, short on ceremony and an excellent evening in which to catch up with old friends. The Guest speaker was David Gunson ( past Air Traffic Controller) who entertained us for about an hour.

A good evening.

Area 13 41 Club AGM Wick Saturday 23rd October 2010

A long trip north to Wick for a meeting of Area 13 41 Club where we were joined by members from as far away as Stornaway and Inverness.


A really good evening was had by all, with too much good food and whiskey. Despite this, it was good to see that the club has increased its numbers, set out a programme of where/when to meet and to top it all they are looking into the possibility if forming a new 41 Club in Wick.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Newton Abbot Charter Dinner 17th September 2010

I spent a very enjoyable evening at Newton Abbbot for their Charter Dinner. It is a tradition that they invite the Vice President to speak about the current position in Round Table and 41 Club after which it was good to hear the many humorous stories from their RT days , you could see they obviously had fun.



There were many there that I knew from my days in Round Table and it was good to see those present that attended when I visited Newton Abbot when I was Round Table President and spoke at the Round Table 5oth Charter.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Isle of Wight RT 5th Charter 9th October 2010




On a beautiful sunny weekend, Jill and I had the pleasure of supporting Isle of Wight Round Table on the night of their 5th Charter

A superb meal was followed by dancing and playing the Roulette and Blackjack tables until 1.00 in the morning.

The Isle of Wight now has two tables one of which is one of newest tables in the country (Isle of Wight 1277) and also one of the oldest (Ryde 16). They were joined by Coburg 151 RT from Germany, who came across to help celebrate the twinning of the clubs and publicise the Old Tablers Germany meeting in 2011 which is to be held in Coburg. I have details if any one is interested, we both hope to attend.

In all a good night of fun and fellowship, and also monies were raised to support the R.N.L.I. – National President RTBI John Kilshaw’s charity, to include an auction of tabler’s Jewels or anything they had left unattended on the table !!

Leicestershire 41 Clubs Cluster Meeting 17th September 2010

I had the great pleasure in joining in and supporting Leicestershire 41 Clubs first ever Leicester Cluster meeting hosted by Leicester De Montfort 41 Club at Leicestershire Golf Club.

President Malcolm was there, with guest speaker John Spence. The evening went very well and it was good to see so many enjoy the fun and fellowship on the evening and I am sure it was good for them, to meet up with old friends and catch up on times past.

Seaford and Newhaven Round Table Golf Day 8th October 2010




A beautifully warm sunny afternoon saw me joining guests and members of Seaford Round Table (hosts) and Seaford 41 Club for an afternoon’s Golf at Seaford Head Golf Club for the Seaford and Newhaven Round Table Charity Golf Day.

The golf course was in excellent condition being an undulating, downland course with magnificent views of the Sea and the South Downs especially those from the 14th Hole onwards which had panoramic views of the famous Seven Sisters towards Beachy Head with an exhilarating shot to finish the round; the tee is nearly 300 ft up on Seaford Head cliffs with a drive down to sea level.

Woking 41 Club Gourmet Night October 5th 2010

I had the pleasure of attending Woking 41 Club’s Gourmet/Charity Evening and a cheque was presented on the Night for The Ocean Youth Trust.



The superb evening comprised of a specially prepared 5 course meal with accompanying wine and port tastings with expert commentary on their origins together with tasting notes.
Woking are a very Active 41 club and are fortunate to have an active Round Table in their town and it was good to see the close liaison between the two with an active joint programme.

Yellow Belly Ball 25th September 2010




Along with Malcolm and Yvonne, Drew and Moira Cochran, Allan and Sally Pattinson , Donald and Doreen Watson, Jill and I joined in at the Region 9 Lincolnshire Yellow Bell Ball. Together with almost 100 others, we enjoyed a superb meal and evening of dancing at the Assembly Halls in Boston and also learnt many of the reasons of the term Lincolnshire Yellow Belly, the favourite of which was that many yeas ago the Lincolnshire Regiment included a tunic with a yellow front. It also happened to coincide with Lincolnshire Day. A good night was had by all with a large contingent coming up from Welling to enjoy the hospitality.

Sunday 26 September 2010

1741 Donkey Derby 12st September 2010



A warm and sunny Sunday aftenoon took me to the Muswell Hill
Festival and Donkey Derby.





There I helped 1741 Club, together with Hornsey RT and other
Tablers (together with various family members) to run the Donkey
Derby and Donkey rides . It was good fun and very funny to watch. The afternoon was spent with some very stuborn donkeys which were more interested in eating grass.








All this was part of raising monies for the London Centre for Children with Cerebal Palsy. The day was attended by several thousand people who all enjoyed the attractions which included circus skills, food courts, bouncy castles, inflatables and many other stalls.


Hopefully a lot of money was raised and it certianly raised the profile of RT and 41 Club in the local community.

Friday 17 September 2010

Bexley 191 RT Re-Charter 11th September 2010






It is a long time since I have been invited to the re-chartering of a Round Table, but I joined with several members of the local 41 Clubs who had sponsored and supported the re-chartering of Bexley Round Table No 191 in South East London.



Over 100 enjpyed a memorable evening when 11 new members were inducted into Round Table by RTBI National President John Kilshaw. It was particularly good when you consider that the age range of the new Tablers was 18 - 22 and you could only wish them well for the future. It was good to see that the old regalia had not been lost and it was presented to the new Chairman.



Another highlight of the eveningwas listening to Milwall legend Tony Cascarino who was the guest speaker, who entertained everyone with his football stories.





As this was a "new" table (and particulary young) the evening was "themed" along those lines with "pass the parcel" (with a small bottle of whiskey as the prize); and a meal with a main course of fish fingers/chicken nuggetts, chips and alphabetti spaghetti.

Hopefully, this is the start of a bright new future for the organisation, but not withstanding this, it was good to weelcome the new members in, in true table style.















Monday 13 September 2010

Bristol 41 Club 7th September 2010

After driving to Bristol, I had the pleasure of enjoying the evening with Bristol 41 Club. As well as meeeting the members and enjoying the hospitality of the Bristol Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, the highlight of the evening was listenig to the speaker, The Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Mrs Mary Prior. She talked about the history and her life as Lord Lieutenant, as well as sharing many amusing anecdotes from various Lord Lieutenants over the years.

My thanks to Chairman Steve Davies for a very pleasant and enjoyable evening.

Monday 6 September 2010

Wimbledon 41 Club Presidents Summer Party 8th August 2010



Jill and I were invited to join in at Wimbledon 41 Club President’s Summer Party. The afternoon was hosted by President Graham Hunter (who prepared most of the food) assisted by his wife Sharon ( and many others). Considering it had rained the day before, Graham was very lucky with the weather and we all thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

The Club has recently twined with Paris 41 Club and it was good to see two Club members had come over and joined Wimbledon for the afternoon.

A great afternoon in which to relax in the company of old friends.

Region 15th Golf Day 3rd August 2010


A really enjoyable days golf was had by all at Olton Golf Club. The weather was glorious, the facilities and the food in the clubhouse excellent and the club could only be congratulated on the condition of the course, especially the greens.

There was a 41 Club National Executive team comprising of myself, Richard Matthews, Barry Durman with Peter Willkie from Tamworth 41 Club joining us. Peter had the honour of winning nearest the pin.

Even though we thought we had played well, winners on the day were Tamworth 41 Club, who will go on to represent the Region in the National Golf Finals.

Congratulations to Barry for organising the day,

Friday 25 June 2010

Medway 41 Club Cluster

A very enjoyable “cluster evening” was held at The Hastings Arms, Gillingham, where upwards of 30 members from various clubs in Region 25 were hosted by Medway 41 Club.

It was a true evening of fun and fellowship, with the banter and buzz of conversation continuing throughout the evening. The food was superb, with more than ample portions; so much so that I could not manage any desert!

The guest speaker was David Hatcher, an ex-Chief Superintendent and ex-Crime Watch presenter. He was excellent, keeping us all quiet for the best part of an hour as he recounted on his recent work as a voluntary aid worker in Haiti after the earthquake. I am sure he could have talked for longer, but unfortunately time was against us.

Off now to practice my darts for my next visit later this week

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Active Black Country 41 Club

I have been very busy in the preparation stage since becoming elected National Vice President of 41 Club and have attended various committee meetings, meetings with some of the Round Table Executive as well as attending all of my own clubs in May, East Grinstead, Costa Blanca and Calpe 41 Clubs.

My diary is starting to fill up and invites are coming in for 2011/2012. If you have any type of event you would like representation at, be it a monthly meeting, social or sports event, cluster or helping your Round Table, if Malcolm cannot attend this year and I am free I will try to be there. Please check my diary on the web site this covers both this and the next 41 Club year.

I have just come back from a lunchtime social of Active Black Country 41 Club. This club formed approximately 20 months ago and appears to grow from strength to strength with numbers now in the 30’s, with its membership drawn from ex-Tablers from the local area, who wanted to continue the fun and fellowship and yet still have an active club; with its meetings ranging from laser quest to scuba diving in a local swimming pool.

The meeting on Sunday was organised to celebrate Fathers Day. It was a joint meeting with wives/partners and many came along with their families to help celebrate the day. The venue was superb, the food excellent and it was good to see many old friends. A really pleasant way to spend a Sunday Lunchtime.

Most of the members also belong to other 41 Clubs (many of which they call “dining clubs”),but this club pledges to continue to remain active, which can be seen by their programme of which the next two meetings are Archery and Clay Pigeon Shooting.

Off now to a Cluster meeting in Region 25 in Gillingham, more about this shortly.