IBM Retirees Club (Midlands)  

                                  (www.retireesmidclub.org.uk)

 

January 2011Newsletter 

Editorial 

Our Christmas Lunch was enjoyed by those who attended and our thanks are due to those involved in the organisation, particlularly to Phil for ensuring the hotel had fixed any previous problems.  His review appears later in the Newsletter.

So here we are in 2011 and I would like to wish everybody a Happy New Year.  That's in spite of the coughs and colds and the weather which seems to be giving the lie to global warming!  It will get better and perhaps some of the events we have on offer will cheer you up.  First up is the Thai Banquet in Stratford which gets us off to a good start - however, there are still a few places available so if you haven't yet booked please get in touch with Phil urgently.

There are a number of announcements in this Newsletter .  Have a look at these, get the dates in your diary and send your booking forms to the relevant organiser.  To save draining your bank accounts too much, you will note that we are not asking for deposits on all events but please return the relevant booking form so the organisers will have some idea of numbers.  

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You will see a note from Dave Compton, our Membership Secretary, regarding the email distribution list which he maintains.   We used to use a Yahoogroup list but this had got corrupted and more and more members were not receiving the Newsletter availability and other announcements.  Thanks to a lot of work by Alan Palmer, we now have a new distribution list based on Googlegroups but this relies on members' input to keep it up to date, hence Dave's note.     

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

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Event Report

Christmas Lunch

As a result of a couple of no-shows on the day 99 people enjoyed an excellent lunch at Honiley Court, with the new team there having removed all of the concerns expressed after the 2009 event. The only criticism expressed was that the chilli sauce was late arriving (non-existent?) at some tables. A number of members who were new attendees of club events enjoyed the event so much that they expressed that they will attend future events.

There was one slightly humorous event that took place. At least it seems humorous now (no names - no pack-drill!). 4 people said that they could not find any space to sit at tables. As event organiser, I was surprised by this as with the two no-shows there should have been two seats spare and not four spaces too few. Neither the Restaurant Manager, Carole Robertson nor myself could find any spare seats so two seats were hastily put onto two rearranged tables. Only when this was completed and all were seated was it noticed that there was a table with 8 chairs with only two people sat at it, and it was right by the entrance doors to the restaurant! A request for two of the recently seated personnel to make up a foursome at this table was made and the meal then continued.

Phil Dalton

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Chairman's Notes

Thanks to everyone who bravely set out for the Christmas lunch in December despite the warnings of bad weather. It was great to see so many friends and colleagues there.

Now that we have moved into the New Year, I am aware that the Committee is announcing rather a large number of events in this first Newsletter. Please forgive us for asking for so many booking forms and deposit cheques so early in the year, but we do have to plan early to ensure that we can secure the best terms.

Please will as many of you as possible put the Club's AGM date (Monday 28th March 2011) in your diaries? We do need a good turnout to keep ourselves legal! I am working with IBM HR and the local IBM Warwick management to get one or more IBM speakers to make the day more interesting.

Alan Bridgman, (Acting) Chairman

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From the Membership Secretary - Notification of Newsletter Availability

The notification of monthly Newsletter availability is sent from a Googlegroup which is basically a list of members' email addresses. To maintain the integrity of this list we need members to let the Membership Secretary know when they change their email address.

We have noted that some members' email addresses are being bounced which means that they will not be receiving the notification of Newsletter availability. Not only that but as we sometimes use this facility to broadcast other information which may be of interest - one example is to distribute details regarding funeral arrangements - they will not receive that information either.

If you are not receiving any emails from the Retirees Club:-

Dave Compton, Membership Secretary  Email:- dave@compton-family.eu

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Thai Banquet - Wednesday January 26th 19:30

Organizer: Phil Dalton (email: phil_dalton@btinternet.com or Tel: 0791-8131503)

It is with great pleasure that your club announces a return to the Thai Boathouse, Swan's Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS. As per our previous visit, a banquet will be held comprising the following menu:-

A Vegetarian banquet is available which comprises the following:-

Of course, there will be an excellent red and an excellent white wine available.

Directions: Swan's Nest Lane can only be accessed heading North and is to the left immediately after passing the Swans Nest Hotel on your left and before Clopton Bridge over the River Avon. For those of you coming from the North, you will need to head South over Clopton Bridge and come back on yourself at the roundabout by the Shell Filling Station, then turn left immediately after the Swans Nest Hotel on your left.

Cost: Members, 1st Guests = £21. Second guests = £31

Please send completed booking form and cheque to Phil Dalton, Tanglewood, 22 Warwick Road, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV35 9LX

- Go to Booking Form

There are still some places available. If you wish to attend, please contact the organizer (details above) by no later than Wednesday January 19th.

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Marstons Brewery Tour and Lunch - Thursday February 17th 2011

Organizer: Phil Dalton (email: phil_dalton@btinternet.com or Tel: 0791-8131503)

The event will start with a 2 course lunch from the fixed price lunch menu at The Dial, 174/175 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1BN. Their current menu can be accessed on the web (www.thedial.uk.com), however the menu will be changed in the New Year and should be available on the web by the second week in January. The restaurant has advised that there is no need to pre-order, but in the interests of time will attendees please ensure that they know want they want to order before arrival.

After lunch, we will walk to the Marstons Brewery Visitor Centre for a 14:00 start of our tour of the brewery. This will be followed by, what some may call the highlight of the event, a sampling of the Marstons products.

Procedure: In order to encourage the use of public transport to and from this event, a cash rebate of £5 will be given at the restaurant for anyone who produces a valid on the day public transport ticket to Burton-on-Trent. For those travelling by train, it is recommended that you take no later than the 11:19 train from Birmingham New Street to Burton-on-Trent arriving at 11:50. Return trains should be no earlier than 16:50. For those wishing to drive, they should be at the restaurant by 12:00.

This event will have a reasonable amount of walking in Burton-on-Trent and climbing stairs etc. within the brewery, so comfortable shoes should be worn.

Cost: Members, 1st Guests = £18.50. Second Guests = £27

Please send completed booking form and cheque to Phil Dalton, Tanglewood, 22 Warwick Road, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV35 9LX by Friday February 4th.

- Go to Booking Form

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Spring Lunch with Speaker 9th March 2011 (organiser Mike Fabianski)

This year our Spring Lunch will be held at the Warwickshire Golf Club.  Our speaker will be Graham Sutherland who will give us a discourse on Inn Signs   - as many of you will know, there are some strange and surprising stories behind those colourful boards that you see.  I might also mention that Graham is the Warwick Town Crier so we don't think he will need a microphone!

Further details and a booking form will appear in the February Newsletter.

Brian Wilson

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Trip to the Forest of Bowland - 9th to 12th May 2011 inclusive

(Organisers: Alan Bridgman and Barry Wiggins)

We are planning to travel to the Forest of Bowland in May 2011 for a combined rambling and sightseeing trip. Gill and I only discovered the Forest of Bowland in 2010, which we had only heard of but never visited. Since then we found that we were not the only ones who had never stumbled across this lovely area of England - it is one of the country's best kept secrets! The Forest of Bowland is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and covers 312 sq. miles of rural Lancashire and North Yorkshire and includes the famous landmark of Pendle Hill.

The trip is from Monday 9th May through to Thursday 12th May 2011. We are booked into a lovely country hotel, the Shireburn Arms, in the beautiful village of Hurst Green - right in the middle of J.R.R. Tolkien country. The sightseeing part of the trip will include visits to Clitheroe and Skipton; we will explore the history of the Pendle Witches; travel through the Ribble Valley and the Trough of Bowland with appropriate stops at some of the excellent village pubs; and (hopefully) have a private tour of Browsholme Hall. Browsholme Hall is the ancestral home of the Parker Family, Bowbearers of the Forest of Bowland, who have lived there since it was built in 1507 and are still in residence.

Barry Wiggins and Terry King will be planning some fabulous, challenging and unforgettable walks - more details of these later.

Please book these dates in your diary and don't miss the opportunity to explore this forgotten part of England.

The cost includes coach travel to and from IBM Warwick, 3 nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, one pub lunch and the entrance charges into Browsholme Hall and Clitheroe Castle.

Alan Bridgman - Sightseeing Organiser

Barry Wiggins - Rambling Organiser

- Go to Booking Form

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A Day Trip to Cambridge - Thursday 26th May 2011  (organiser - Alan Bridgman)

We will leave IBM Warwick at 8:00am on Thursday 26th May 2011. May is a lovely time of year to visit Cambridge - all the flowers are out on the banks of the River Cam (the "Backs") and the weather should be warm enough to take a punt out. Pembroke (my old College) will host us for lunch in the Old Library - the Old Library is the oldest part of Pembroke and was originally the College Chapel and built in 1347. Pembroke has a good reputation for the quality of its catering.

You will also have the choice of a number of (optional) activities during the day - a Blue Badge guided walking tour of the city and the University Colleges; a City Sightseeing Bus Tour of the city; a chauffeured, or self-powered punt ride on the River Cam along the Backs; and a treasure hunt for those of you who already know Cambridge well. If you have other suggestions, please let me know and I will see what I can do.

The cost of the trip will range from £38 to £43 for Member / 1st Guest (depending on numbers); £54 for second guests. The cost includes coach travel, lunch at Pembroke; and an activity of your choice.

We will leave Cambridge at about 5:30pm or 6:00pm to arrive back in Warwick no later than 8:00pm.

Alan Bridgman - Organiser

- Go to Booking Form

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Trip to Yorkshire 8 -12 June 2011 (organiser - Dave Compton)

This is the formal announcement of a five day (four night) trip to Yorkshire on Wednesday 8th to Sunday 12th June 2011. A coach will take us to the 3-star Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Wetherby and visits to the following will be included (see attached PDF brochure):

Further details of this this trip are available in our coach company's brochure - click here to view

The full inclusive cost for members and first guest is £260 per member. If you would like to nominate second guests (at the full cost of £330 per person) please include them on the booking form and send it with £50 per person deposit to Dave Compton as soon as possible. The balance will be payable by Wednesday 4th May 2011.

Dave Compton  Email:- dave@compton-family.eu

- Go to Booking Form

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Alsace - 19-25 September 2011  (organisers Simon Barratt/Tony Mancell)

We are inviting applications for a return visit to Alsace.

The cost will be in the region of £475 per person for Members and First Guests (£580 for Second and subsequent guests), and will be based on:

To reserve your place on this tour, please send a cheque for £50 for each Member, by 27 May 2011, to Tony Mancell, 73 Mill Street, Harbury, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV33 9HS, email tony@mancell.com, telephone 01926 613313.

The balance will be due by 8th August 2011.

- Go to Booking Form

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(HRH) Liz and Phil in the Kitchen at Windsor Castle Wednesday 5th October 2011 (organiser - Peter Barnes)

A trip to see where Liz and Phil have their meals made, whilst they are in residence at Windsor Castle.

There will be a special guided tour of the Royal kitchens at Windsor Castle. It begins with refreshments, (unfortunately not prepared by Liz or Phil) and an introduction to royal dining both past and present. You will hear about the elaborate dinners prepared for Elizabeth I, George IV and Queen Victoria and about the preparations for state occasions today

The group will then proceed through the medieval Undercoft to the Great Kitchen, an area that is not normally open to the public. The visit also includes the State Apartments which are regularly used for entertaining on state and ceremonial occasions.

The trip begins at 10.00am in Windsor and a coach will whisk all attendees from Warwick IBM at 7.30am (to be confirmed) to Windsor. Lunch is the responsibility of the individuals and can be taken in Windsor town (no restaurant on site).

In the afternoon you will be able to take a self guided tour, with headsets, of Windsor Castle, returning to the coach 4.30pm'sh for the return to Warwick.

Estimated cost will be £34 - £39 per person; this includes the cost of transport, private guided tour of kitchens, a guide book and the self-guided tour of the rest of the castle in the afternoon.

Member and first guest - £34-£39. Second and further guests - £48.50

I am not asking for any monies at this time but please send your booking form as an email attachment to indicate your interest and intention to attend such a trip as soon as possible.

Peter Barnes Email:- l-barnes3@sky.com

- Go to Booking Form

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

  2011 Diary             Booking Conditions for Events               Photographs from Past Events

                       IBM Midlands Retiree Club Constitution     Committee Contacts         AGM Minutes 

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    PC and Technology Group (Founded by Harry Green)           IBM Club Warwick

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Parking at Bedfont Lakes and Harrow

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