IBM Retirees Club (Midlands)
IBM Retirees Club (Midlands)
May 2017 Newsletter
This month we have the announcement of a trip to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter in July, a request for expressions of interest in a visit to the JCB Factory visit in September and a second call for the Summer Lunch in July.
Please let us know if you have something you would like to publicise in our new Members’ Notices section.
Michael Fabianski, Newsletter Editor. E-mail: ibmmidretnews@gmail.com
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Event Reports
2018 Events Survey
Members should have received a separate email regarding our planning meeting for 2018 events. We are starting the planning for next year earlier than previously because coach companies and event organisers are requiring earlier bookings and, often, deposits. We will be holding our initial planning meeting in June and would like to have you views and opinions for that meeting.
If you have not already done so, please click here to complete this short survey.
The survey will close on Friday 16th June.
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40th anniversary of IBM Warwick
Pete Murchison and Martin Ferrier will be informally commemorating the 40th anniversary of IBM Warwick (beneficial occupancy was 8th August 1977) at the Fourpenny Shop on Tuesday the 8th August at 12:00 with a pint or two, and will probably be there most of the afternoon and into the evening.
You are welcome to join us if you have an affinity with Warwick in its early years. There is no food laid on but I am sure they will serve you something if you are hungry.
Martin Ferrier (contact@martinferrier.com)
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Freeserve shutting down
We understand that Freeserve is shutting down and that all Freeserve email addresses are being terminated as of the end of May. If you have a Freeserve email address and wish to continue receiving these newsletters, please inform Dave Compton (dave@compton-family.eu) of an alternative email address.
See the article Orange, Freeserve and Wanadoo email addresses to shut down for further information.
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Events
Click here to see the list of the events which are provisionally planned for 2017.
The following is the status of those events which have been announced.
Booking Conditions. Click here to read the terms and conditions. Members should also be aware of Public Liability Insurance provided by the Club.
Photographs from Past Events. Click here or here to view a selection of photographs from past events.
IBM Club National Golf Tournament - The Vale Resort - 11-12 June
Some members may be interested in this tournament. Details and application form can be downloaded from the UK IBM Club web site.
E1711: Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Wednesday 12th July 2017 (Gary Wooding)
I am pleased to announce a visit to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter consisting of a visit to the Museum of Jewellery, a guided tour of the Jewellery Quarter itself, and a visit to the Pen Museum.
The Museum of Jewellery is an extraordinary time capsule based on Smith & Pepper’s last working day; an actual jewellery factory that was simply abandoned when it closed its doors in 1981. The tour includes light refreshments and a guide book.
The guided tour of the actual Jewellery Quarter itself will explore its colourful past and various important sites that comprise this important area of Birmingham. It will involve a small amount of walking.
The Pen Museum tells the story of Birmingham’s important role in the information revolution and contains an amazing collection of over 5000 objects related to the Birmingham steel pen trade and the history of writing.
Lunch has been booked at The Button Factory which, surprisingly, was once a factory for making buttons. Sandwiches, light, or full lunches are available.
This is a drive yourself event and, although lunch has been booked, it is not included in the price and is dependent on at least 15 people in the group.
The area is well provided with car parks.
The cost for members and 1st guests will be £14.50, 2nd guests £17.00.
Please send your booking form to Gary Wooding as soon as possible to reserve your place:
Email: binswood@gmail.com, Telephone: 01926 425485
E1710: Summer Lunch, Tuesday 25th July 2017 (Alan Bridgman)
Nuthurst Grange, Nuthurst Grange Lane, Hockley Heath, Solihull, B94 5NL
I have decided to change the venue this year and have chosen Nuthurst Grange in Hockley Heath, which the Club has used successfully for events in the past.
I don’t have a final cost for the meal yet, so to book a place I am asking for a deposit of £10.00 per person. I will let everyone know the full cost by the end of May.
MENU
To book a place, fill in the booking form and send it with a deposit of £10.00 per person. Cheques to be made payable to IBM Retirees Club (Midlands) and sent to:-
Alan Bridgman, 101 Albany Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6PQ
Email: abri@waitrose.com, Telephone: 01789-267134
Refer to the document Event Booking Conditions for terms and conditions.
JCB Factory visit - expressions of interest please (Dave Compton)
We are planning a visit to the JCB factory in Utoxetter in the early part of September. The visit will be ‘self-drive’ and start with a two-course lunch in their VIP restaurant, followed by a walking tour of the factory which takes about 2½ hours. Maximum cost £30 per person. As JCB will only accept bookings up to 3 months in advance and they are very popular, we need to act quickly. Therefore please send an email to Dave Compton (dave@compton-family.eu) stating how many people (1st and 2nd guests) as soon as possible, but no later than Sunday 4th June. A formal announcement and booking form will appear in the June newsletter.
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Sub-Groups of Retirees Club and Employee Club
The IBM (Warwick) Rambling Club is now a subsection of the IBM Midlands Retiree Club. Any member of the Midlands Retiree club is welcome to join our subsection. Our subs are £5 per person per year. Our programme consists of a meal in late February, a monthly ramble with a pub lunch using own transport and an AGM in December. We also share a 3-4 day trip using coach transport with retiree sightseers in May.
Any retiree who would like to give us a try, can come along on one of our monthly walks without needing to join. Meal subsidies are available only to members and not for those joining us on a trial basis.
Go to a list of the planned walks for 2017 and other information.
For more information, please contact Terry King, terryaking@hotmail.com.
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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.
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Members’ Notices
We all know Midlands Retirees who are undertaking a range of activities to raise money for good causes. The Committee have therefore decided to offer this space to advertise such initiatives.
Dave Compton
Our daughter, Sarah, is undertaking two extreme challenges to raise funds for ASPIRE, a spinal injury charity. On 23rd April, she completed the first of these by finishing the London Marathon in 5 hours 17 minutes. She is now concentrating her training for the second challenge as part of a relay team swimming the Channel in July. Six swimmers will take it in turns to swim for an hour each, rotating as many times as it takes to reach France. She has very personal reasons for undertaking these challenges which you can read at www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Mieves and if you feel that you can support her, she would be very grateful for any contributions towards her target.
Sheila Short
Spicy Jazz to perform in aid of REMAP
Many of you will recall the work that Barry Wiggins did with the REMAP charity — an organisation that works locally to help disabled people through customising equipment to help them with everyday living.
After Barry’s sad death I was asked to take on the role that he had fulfilled as secretary to the Coventry and Warwickshire REMAP Panel. A number of you know me (Richard Short’s wife) through the Retirees Club, and other Club members - Gary Wooding, Brian Dunston and Brian Mayne — are actively involved with REMAP. Clients may contact us themselves to us for help, or are referred to us by family, friends or clinical specialists such as occupational therapists. Everything that is done for the client is free of charge.
In order to raise funds to support this amazing work, I am organising a jazz event and I am asking you, your family and friends to buy tickets and come along to support us.
The event is on Saturday 29th July 2017, 7.30pm at St Nicholas Church, (Abbey Fields) Kenilworth.
Tickets are £12 in advance and are available from me, Sheila Short, or Richard via email
sshort927@gmail.com or rdshort9@gmail.com
or call 01926 864451
Ticket price includes interval refreshment.
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Click on the links below for more useful information.
IBM Midlands Retiree Club Constitution Committee Contacts AGM Minutes Newsletter Archives IBM Club Warwick UK IBM Club Newsletter Production IBM Alumni Directory IBM Hursley Museum IBM Shares IBM Rewards Employee Purchase Plan IBM Pensions Trust (IBM Contacts and other useful information)