February 2007 Newsletter

IBM Retirees Club (Midlands)

(www.retireesmidclub.org.uk)

February 2007 Newsletter

Editorial

Our thanks are due to Anne Hope for organising the Spring Lunch at Morton Hall. There were 82 attendees and after an excellent lunch we were entertained and informed by Lesley Smith in the person of Mary Queen of Scots. We certainly have a better understanding of those turbulent times.

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I am repeating part of the AGM announcement later in this Newsletter as Carole tells me that quite a number of people say they are intending to go but they have not yet contacted her. She is anxious to know who is going for the reasons stated so please get in touch if you have not already done so. We don't want anybody to go hungry at the Falcon!

And don't forget that we are still happy to receive nominations for new Committee members.

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It has been decided to slip the dates of the trip to Kent by one week due to some members who would like to have gone being otherwise engaged on the dates chosen. This would very likely have meant that the trip would have to be cancelled - most unfortunate as it promises to be a very pleasant and interesting weekend. I have amended the announcement and booking form appropriately.

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You will note some changes to the links at the end of this Newsletter and these are explained later in this Newsletter. I don't think I have done anything too radical but if anyone has any comments, I shall be pleased to hear them.

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

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Annual General Meeting - Thursday 15th March 2007

Our AGM meeting is booked for Thursday 15th March 2007, 10:30 for 11:00 at IBM Warwick in the Warwick Conference Room, followed by a buffet at the Falcon Inn, Birmingham Road, Hatton. To ensure our buffet numbers are accurate and IBM Reception/Security are informed please contact Carole Robertson [Committee Secretary] cal@qrob.fsnet.co.uk or by telephone at 0121 704 9677 to book your place. The 2006 AGM minutes are available on-line by using the link at the end of this Newsletter - hard copies available on request from Carole.

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Chartwell and Gardens of Kent - 20th to 22nd April 2007 (organiser Carole Robertson)

This is your chance to view three splendid NT gardens in Kent, known as the Garden of England. The Brands Hatch 4 Star Thistle hotel has been booked offering dinner, bed and English breakfast for 2 nights. This hotel set in landscaped gardens offers a relaxed setting with facilities including a leisure club and indoor swimming pool.

The gardens to view include Hughenden Manor at High Wycombe - Benjamin Disraeli lived here from 1848 until his death in 1881. Sissinghurst Castle Garden, more traditional but beautiful and if time permits Tenterden [home of Pop Larkins "Darling Buds of May". Finally, on Sunday to the home of Sir Winston Churchill, Chartwell, to view the house, gardens and studio, showing many of his paintings.

We plan to depart from Warwick at 9.30 on Friday 20th and return early evening Sunday 22nd.

Member and first guest cost per person £110, second guest £135 per person. Based on two sharing a twin room with en suite. Single room supplement £40 [4 max]. The cut off date of 5th March will allow the Club and Group Travel to meet the Hotel requirements for payment.

If you require travel insurance please add £6.30 per person, if you carry Annual Travel Insurance please give details on the booking form.

Please remember to bring your National Trust membership card with you. Admissions for non- National Trust members £30.

Carole Robertson - telephone 0121 704 9677 email cal@qrob.fsnet.co.uk

- Go to Booking Form

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2007 Events

Here is an update to the 2007 Diary.

20 -22 April Trip to Kent. Details in this Newsletter.

10 -13 August Simon Barratt is organising a trip by coach to North Wales. We will be staying at the Chatsworth House Hotel in Llandudno and hope to visit the Festiniog Railway and Conway Valley branchline, together with several other attractions in the area. No, it won't all be trains, although the scenery is often seen to the best advantage from the railway and we will be visiting some non-rail attractions. Cost will be under £200 - further details will be published in the April Newsletter.

Brian Wilson

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Update of Newsletter Links

As part of a general exercise to update our procedures, I have taken the opportunity to update the links which you see at the end of the Newsletter. This will give access to more information which hopefully will be eay to find. The following is a summary of the main changes:-

2007 Diary and Committee contact list. No change.
PC and Technology Group. This is the group which has been running for many years and was known as the 'PC Group'. As the subjects discussed can be quite wide ranging, the title of the group has been changed to reflect this.
General notes about events. Basically a re-write of what already existed.
Membership information. This is still in two parts but has been re-structured. The first part, entitled "Constitution" is the document as laid down by IBM for how the IBM Retirees Club should operate. The second part reflects amendments that we as a Club have felt desirable to make in the light of experience but which are still within the spirit of the Constitution. You will see that the two documents have been cross-referenced to reflect the changes that have been made and why they have been made.
AGM Minutes. Instead of having only the Minutes for the current year, I have added the minutes for each year that is available so if anybody wishes to see what was said by who at previous AGMs then the information is only a click away.
Newslettter Production and Archives. Again this is divided into two. First part is a little bit of information about the Newsletter itself. The second part is Newsletters archived by year which seemed to make more sense than having a great long list as hitherto.

I appreciate that some members do not have internet access. If any such members would like to have hard-copy of this information, please ring me to discuss. Part of the reason for doing this was to set some of our procedures in concrete and avoid continual updating.

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Newsletter Links

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