IBM Retirees Club (Midlands)  

                                  (www.retireesmidclub.org.uk)

 

May 2012 Newsletter 

Editorial 

We have had two events since the last Newsetter - firstly the trip to Arras (see report later) and lunch on the Great Central Railway.  Lunch on the train is always a pleasant experience so thanks to Phil for organising this; hopefully the weather didn't dampen our spirits too much. 

There are one or two changes to the schedule of events to note this month.  The PC Group have had to cancel their 18th May meeting, mainly due to access problems at IBM Warwick; hopefully all will have been sorted by the time of the next meeting which is scheduled for 20th July.  Also note that the trip to Denby Pottery and Crich has been cancelled as there have not been enough bookings to make it viable; however, other events are booking well so make sure you don't miss out if you want to go on any.

At the request of Peter Short of the IBM Hursley Museum, I have included a piece about their activities and a request for help in locating various items. Looking at their web site shows that whilst they already have quite an interesting selection of items (including a 3279 colour screen - I remember them when they were new!) there are quite a few gaps  - in particular CE tools (do any of you ex-CEs have a chute blade bender? or perhaps a circlip tool?)  Contact Peter via their web site if you can help. 

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Brian Wilson, Newsletter Editor. Telephone: 01926-777710 e-mail: brian_h_wilson@msn.com

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Events 

Click here to see the list of the events which are planned for the current year.  The following is the status of those which have been announced. 

  

There are two other events to take note of which will be announced shortly:-

Booking Conditions  Click here to read the terms and conditions.             

Photographs from Past Events  Click here to view a selection of photographs from past events.

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Review of Recent Events

Arras - 16-20 April 2012

22 members and guests braved the April showers to visit Arras and the surrounding area.  It is difficult to avoid WW1 cemeteries in this part of France and that in itself makes it a moving experience but we did include other areas which I hope kept a balance.

We first visited the Wellington Quarries which is a network of tunnels underneath Arras itself and a most impressive tribute to the men who did the tunnelling. After lunch in Arras, there was time to look round the town - sadly the weather was rather wet, although this meant that we took up the French philosophy of  having an extended lunch and Arras seems to be a good place to do this.  

Our first stop the following day was the glass factory at Arques just outside Saint Omer.  Accompanied by an informative guide, we had a tour of part of what is a very large factory and were able to see some of the highly automated processes from the viewing gallery.  The output from this factory goes all over the world - have a look at a glass and you will often see ARC engraved or embossed on one of the surfaces.  There is an extensive factory shop and several members were seen taking packages of items purchased on to the bus.  After lunch in Saint Omer and brief look round the town it was on to Vimy Ridge which is the site of the Canadian  war memorial.

The next day was devoted to a tour of the WW1 battlefields, stopping off at several of the more interesting sites.  Thanks to our driver who picked out a good selection.

Finally, on the way to the ferry, we stopped at the Nazi V2 rocket site neat Saint Omer - interesting to see but voted "creepy" by several members of the party. All in all, an enjoyable trip and one in which we were able to satisfy members' requests for visits to particular places.  Our base at the Arras Mercure Hotel was more than adequate - the only downside was that the bar prices were not of the cheapest but members of the party managed to find a couple of attractive bars just round the corner which compensated.

Brian Wilson

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Trip to the Weston Cider Museum and Hampton Court Castle Tuesday 12th June 2012 - (organiser: Dave Dagley)

Reminder - Full details in March Newsletter

Let me ensure that we all understand we will be visiting Hampton Court CASTLE in Herefordshire, NOT Hampton Court Palace Surrey!.

The trip is on with the following itinerary….

Pick up IBM Warwick at 08:15 hrs

Arrive 10:00hrs at Weston Cider Museum, Ledbury, Herefordshire

http://www.westons-cider.co.uk/Visitors-Centre/

Experience the unique history of the Westons family, learn how Henry Weston founded the business in 1880 and how this independent and family owned cider and perry maker has developed into the one of the country's finest producers of quality ciders and perries.

We will take lunch at the Westons Scrumpy House.

http://www.westons-cider.co.uk/doc_get.aspx?DocID=77

Depart Weston Cider Museum at 13:20hrs

Arrive 14:00hrs at Hampton Court Castle, Leominster, Herefordshire

http://www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/index.php

Hampton Court, Herefordshire is a castle on the meadows of the river Lugg. Founded by King Henry in the early 15th century the castle has been completely restored. The Gardens at Hampton Court are spectacular. The trip includes a guided tour.

Depart Hampton Court Castle at 16:30hrs to return back to IBM Warwick for approx 18:30hrs

Dependant on final numbers the cost will be between £28 - £35 for members and first guest, and £38 - £45 for second and subsequent guests.

Dave Dagley

- Go to Booking Form

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Day Visit to Crich Tramway Village and Denby Pottery Visitor Centre - 27th June 2012 (organiser Simon Barratt)

Unfortunately, this trip hasn't attracted the number of bookings to make it viable.  Therefore, I have no alternative but to cancel it.

Simon Barratt

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BLACK COUNTRY DAY OUT - MUSEUM AND FAGGOT AND PEA SUPPER - Thursday 11th October

(Organiser Peter Barnes)

I know we've had a miserable late spring and summer up until now, so let us all have a 'bostin'' day out at the world famous Black Country Museum to discover a fascinating world at the friendliest open air museum. www.bclm.com/events

Meet the characters in the original shops and houses, ride on a tram car or fairground swing boat, take a lesson in the old fashioned school or explore the underground coal mine, (hard hat and torch provided, flat shoes or trainers suggested for comfort and safety). Explore old fashioned canal boat and steam engine.

If you need a snack or refreshments, there are a range of options including canal side cafe, pubs with noted ales together with a 1930's fish and chip shop and both indoor and outdoor picnic areas.

We will leave IBM Warwick at 10:00am and make our way to Dudley arriving at the Museum at about 11:15am. We will be given an orientation talk and the opportunity for tea/coffee before making your own way round the site with maps provided. Most comments that I have read suggest it takes about five hours to enjoy the activities.

At about 5:00pm we will get back on the coach and make our way to a typical old Black Country pub called the old Swan at Netherton, (also known as Ma Pardoes) taking about 20 minutes.

We have the upstairs room booked and the menu will include Faggots peas and mash/chips as the highlight. Other options include vegetarian lasagne, Gammon, homemade pies with choice of mash/chip peas and gravy.

Coach returns to Warwick at 7 - 7.15pm, arriving about 8:00 pm.

The cost of the trip will be approx £30 per member and first guest, (depending on the number of people who book), second guest about £38. This cost includes the coach, entrance to museum and evening supper including first drink (wine or beer)

Would you please send a deposit cheque of £10 per person, made out to IBM Retirees Club (Midlands). Complete the attached booking form and send it to:

Peter Barnes, 5 Queens Close Harbury, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV33 9JJ.

Tel: 01926 612010, email address: l-barnes3@sky.com

- Go to Booking Form

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TRIP TO KENT - 24TH TO 28TH SEPTEMBER 2012 (organisers - Tony Mancell & Simon Barratt)

We are planning a trip to Kent in September 2012 for a 4 day sightseeing visit.

The details, so far, are below and we are now in a position to take bookings, we are asking for a deposit of £15.00 per person made payable to IBM Retirees Club (Midlands), returnable if there are insufficient numbers to make the trip viable or the costs alter greatly. Please complete the booking form and return to myself or Simon by 6th May.

The day at Dover Castle will include visiting the 'Wartime Tunnels Uncovered Exhibition', the 'Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk' exhibition as well as The Underground Hospital, all of which complement the visits on the Arras Trip in April.

We will be based at the impressive 4-star Mercure Hotel Imperial situated in the historic south east coastal resort of Hythe, which is located approximately 27 miles from Leeds Castle, 11 miles from Dover castle and just 18 miles from Canterbury.

The hotel enjoys a fantastic panoramic seafront location with extensive gardens as well as an 18-hole golf course. All of the hotel's 100 bedrooms provide TV, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities, plus the Hythe Imperial features a superb spa natural leisure club with a stunning indoor pool, spa bath and steam room. Many of the rooms offer views of either the sea or golf course.

The current thoughts for the itinerary are as follows, although these may change depending on availability and numbers:

The costs are expected to be around £320 to £345 per person, depending on the excursion costs and the IBM Club's subsidy, which varies with the number of members booked on the trip.

Please email me (or Simon) with any queries.

Tony Mancell   email tony@mancell.com

Simon Barratt  email sjblaptop@yahoo.co.uk

- Go to Booking Form

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Announcements and Advertisments

Alec Cassells Memorial Concert  

As well as being a member of West Midlands Branch, Alec was a member of the Leamington Sinfonia. Now that the initial numbness over his death has abated his wife Rachel is organising a concert by the Sinfonia to remember the good times.

This will be held in St. Mark's Church Leamington on 7th July. The programme will be tuneful and easy listening, and there wil be ample time before and after the event to share memories and anecdotes. All will be welcome.

Fred Edgar  Fred.Edgar@hotmail.co.uk

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IBM Hursley Museum

I am one of three voluntary retiree curators of the museum at Hursley. We have been running articles the last two quarters in the Hursley retiree newsletter, giving both some updates on our activities and putting out an ongoing appeal for artefacts that people might have that they may be willing to donate to the museum.

We would like to widen this appeal to as wide an audience as possible, and I am sending this around all of the UK retiree clubs.

We are looking in particular for hardware and CE tools. On the hardware front, we are very keen to get a PC-AT and an 8775, but are happy to consider any hardware that might be lurking in attics! We have a small selection of CE tools, but need screwdrivers, pliers, Bristow keys, spring hooks, circlip tool and any special tools, also test equipment of any kind.

Any CE spare parts are also welcome, as well as old PC software. We do reserve the right to offer a polite No Thanks where we may already have a reasonable quantity, for example we do not need any more PC Portables (aka Luggable). We now have a web site in reasonably good shape at www.slx-online.biz/hursley .

Peter Short

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Sub-Groups of  IBM Club and Retirees Club

IBM Retirees PC and Technology Group (founded by Harry Green)

The IBM Retirees PC and Technology Group meets every alternate month for a lively discussion on PC and technology topics in the digital age. There are usually one or two specific presentations given by members or by outside speakers, which the members of the Group have requested. We try to provide a reasonable balance between PC "techie" topics, new technology, and topics of a more general nature such as digital television, Internet telephony and digital photography . So whether you are a newcomer to the PC or a more experienced user, we hope you will find something of interest. You are very welcome to join us.

Contacts:-   Roger Goodman  email:- ladevie@dsl.pipex.com           Alan Bridgman   email:-  abri@waitrose.com

- Go to meeting dates and other information

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IBM Midlands Golf Society

IBM Retirees and spouses/partners are eligible to play, the events being subsidised by IBM.  The fixture list for 2011 is attached, together with proposals for 2012.  

Please contact one of the undersigned with any queries.

Contacts:-     Graham Seal  email:- gaseal@sky.com           Michael Davies   email:- enosmd@ntlworld.com                

- Go to Fixture List and contacts

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Click on the links below for specific information.  Links to booking forms are from the event announcement. 

                

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