Birmingham Civic Day Lunch - – 3rd November 2011

With many distinguished guests, including the Mayor of Birmingham, I had the pleasure of joining many tablers and 41 club members at the City of Birmingham Civic Day Lunch. It was a really enjoyable lunch hearing about the many good things that are going on in the city and relaxing afterwards with a beer or two. 

Great South Run – 30th October 2011

Ten miles might not appear to be too far, but I assure you it seemed too long to me. The atmosphere was fantastic at the beginning with approximately 25,000 runners and walkers. All was going well until 8 miles, when we turned into the wind for the final leg along the seafront. My legs seized up and the last two miles was a serious struggle. I completed it though in 2hours 54 minutes, which was in my own personal target of 3 hours. My thanks must go to Jill and Martin and Maria Green who encouraged me to complete the course; especially to Maria who accompanied me for a mile and encouraged me round that last corner!

Norton Radstock 41 Club’s Ladies Night – 29th October 2011

Both Jill and I were invited to join Norton Radstock 41 Club at their joint Ladies Night with the local Round Table, Ladies Circle and Tangent. It was a good evening with lots of laughter and good food and after the speeches from each of the Chairmen, the evening ended with dancing to the music.

Chepstow and Offa’s Dyke 41 Club Charter – 28th October 2011

Chepstow and Offa’s Dyke 41 Club were celebrating their 35^th Charter and it was held at the famous St Pierre Hotel and Country Club and I must say that they looked after us very well – both the service and the food were excellent. It was a really enjoyable evening and was finished off with a really funny comedian. A very good night.

Northwich 41 Club – 27th October 2011

I had the pleasure of joining Northwich 41 Club for their International Evening. It really is a good format. There were five courses from all parts of the world, for example the starter was from Tunisia and the dessert from Sweden. All you had to do was to enjoy the food and answer 3 “simple” questions on the dish, which normally included what country you thought the food was from and the main ingredients. When the dish was cleared away you were asked several more questions about the country. A really good evening and one which any club could include in its programme.

Farnham 41 Club – 25th October 2011

Farnham 41 Club held an excellent social evening, which was also attended by several guests and several members from the local Round Table. It was a wine and food matching evening to which you were invited to taste and compare the wines, evaluate their quality and see how well they matched the food dish being served. Each wine was presented by a 41 club member and he outlined why he believed that his chosen wine went the best with the course in question. There was a chance at the end to discuss the wines and select the preferred choice. It was an excellent evening.

Inverness 41 Club – 22nd October 2011

 A long drive north took me to Inverness (a really beautiful part of the country) to join in the Area 13 41 Club AGM followed by a really enjoyable evening and dinner with Inverness 41 Club. There was lots of laughter and good banter (as well as whiskey, wine and beer) and I look forward to seeing the members again when I visit Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis.

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 50^th 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 50^th 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 40^th 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.

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 14^th 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.

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 50^th 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 60^th 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 50^th 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.

Ladies Circle 75th Anniversary Ball – 24th September 2011

There were over 400 in Birmingham to help celebrate the 75^th 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.