As a reminder, our popular annual visit to Pete’s Place will take place on 29th May,
There will be a self-drive Lake District trip in the week of 7th to 14th June. It will be centred in Grasmere in a mix of self-catering accommodation and hotels. Join us for a week’s break in the Lake District centered around Grasmere. This is a lovely village in the middle of the Lake District and has the William Wordsworth Museum. For walkers we will be planning walks of varying lengths in this beautiful part of the lake district. See below for more details.
Michael Fabianski, Newsletter Editor. E-mail: ibmmidretnews@gmail.com
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Events
The following events are currently planned for 2025:
- E2505PPL
- Thursday 29th MayPete’s Place.
- E2506LAK
- 7-14 JuneLake District. See below.
- E2508AGM
- 8 August AGM with lunch at Gaydon Village Hall.
Photographs from Past Events.
Click on one of the links below to view a selection of photographs from past events.
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Event Reports
E2503CNL Canal Museum visit
11 members booked, but sadly due to illness only 9 attended our tip to the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne, starting at the nearby Boat Inn, which has been in the same family for six generations. As usual, the organiser had booked good weather, definitely a fine Spring day.
We enjoyed a short trip in their canal boat “Indian Chief” to the start of Blisworth tunnel and back, with an informative commentary, and followed this with meals from their Bistro menu. (Their beers were at “rural Northamptonshire” prices, rather than London’s, which added value to the meal.)
After lunch we walked a short distance to the museum, where several staff took us on a guided tour. While the museum is small, the guides made it a most interesting visit, and spent we spent quite some time talking with them. Not all the exhibits had an obvious canal connection: a early machine from the International Time Recording Company (which of course evolved into IBM) attracted significant attention.
A few of us finished off with a walk along the towpath through the woodland over the start of the tunnel.
These photos can also be found in Dropbox.
Paul Gover
E2505PPL: Pete’s Place Thursday 29 May (Organiser Gary Wooding)
This is a reminder that Pete’s Place is scheduled this year on the last Thursday in May. As before, there is no charge made for this Charity sponsoring event but you will be expected to donate £15 per car on the gate. Everything else is totally free.
This event is not restricted to Retiree Club members – tell your friends and the rest of your family, get as many people as you like in your car, it’s still only £15 per car. Donations, cash or cheque payable to the Air Ambulance, will be collected at the gate. But remember; this is not a commercial enterprise; Pete makes no money from it at all and all proceeds go to Air Ambulance. Get there in the morning around 11:00 to 11:30 and stay all day, bring a picnic and use the barbeques that are freely available. Tea and coffee is available free of charge, and locally produced ice cream can be purchased. It’s a day out you will remember – I promise. The grandchildren will love it.
Coventry Road
Pailton
Rugby
CV23 0QA
SatNav co-ordinates 52deg,26min,04.99 sec N, 1deg,19min,13.48sec W
So that we can get an idea of the number of attendees, please inform Gary Wooding, either by post or email, to:
64 Binswood Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV32 5RY
Email: binswood@gmail.com, Telephone: 01926 425485 Mobile: 07807 676866
E2506LAK: Holiday in Lake District, 7th to 14th June 2025 Organisers: John Rickman and Ray Bradshaw
Join us for a week’s break in the Lake District centered around Grasmere. This is a lovely village in the middle of the Lake District and has the William Wordsworth Museum.
For walkers we will be planning walks of varying lengths in this beautiful part of the lake district. Details of 6 walks from Grasmere are given in the attached link:
www.lakelandretreats.com/6-walks-from-grasmere/
There are a many attractive places to visit within a short drive of Grasmere.
Boat excursions are available from Bowness-on-Windermere for Lake Windermere, from Keswick for Lake Derwent and from Bridgend for Ullswater.
Keswick, Ambleside and Windermere are great places for shopping and lunching etc.
We will be planning some evening meals in Grasmere restaurants which will give us a good opportunity to get together and update one another on our daily exploits!
This will be a self drive event and accommodation will be your choice. We know that some of you will prefer Hotels or Bread & Breakfast accommodation while others will prefer to be self catering so we are leaving it to you to book your own accommodation.
The accommodation can be in Grasmere or located a short drive away. We would advise you to book your accommodation asap as we have been advised that bookings are being made early this year for summer breaks. You may wish to stay for a shorter time, say 3 or 4 days, instead of 7 days and we can easily plan for this.
Can you let John know if you would like to come and advise us your plans for dates and accommodation.
John’s email is: jriscman@gmail.com
John & Ray
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Sub-Groups of Retirees Club and Employee Club
It is hoped to organise occasional rambles with options so that participants can choose a length of walk to suit them.
Please contact Terry King, terryaking@hotmail.com for more information.
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The IBM Tech Club is a place where you can talk to IBM folk about matters technical. For example, help or advice on buying or using computers, smart phones,touch pads; engineering, electronics, wifi, bluetooth, cryptography, bitcoin, using computers to making movies, songs or musical works, best software, streaming, the internet, photography, diy, and anything else about the modern world you would like to understand better.
Apart from the technical discussion we try to have a talk by a club member at each meeting. This depends very much on members volunteering to prepare and show something they are interested in.
Meetings will take place on an ad hoc basis as and when we have members who have a topic to discuss, so please get your suggestions in to John Rickman! On the day of the meeting click on the link below. It should take you straight into the meeting.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88338135221?pwd=eFYyUTdKZjRUSlR4V0RqZmFYMmlCQT09
Meeting ID: 883 3813 5221
Passcode: 395710
If you need help with Zoom contact John Rickman (rickman@argonet.co.uk) in good time before the meeting.
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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 and other events which may be of interest.
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Click on the links below for more useful information.
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