IBM RETIREES CLUB (Midlands)
(www.retireesmidclub.org.uk)
Links to Booking Forms by individual events
Click here to see 2004 Diary
Click here for Committee Contact List Click here for 2004 AGM minutes
Click here for Archived Newsletters Click here for Membership Information
November 2004 Newsletter
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Editorial
There were mixed fortunes at the Hall Green dogs. Some members did very nicely thank you but others were not so fortunate - these greyhounds are very unpredictable! However, whatever the betting fortunes, we were very comfortably looked after in the Executive Suite with an excellent buffet and a very helpful young lady who assisted in the difficult process of placing the bets. Thanks to Ray Castle for organising a very enjoyable evening.
The bookings for our Christmas lunch are coming in quite quickly - if you haven't sent your form in to Tony Mancell, please get it to him by 30th November so that he can finalise the numbers with the hotel. If you can't find your booking form, click here for another.
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You will see advance notices for our trips to the North-east and Rhine further in this Newsletter. The booking forms will appear at a later date and you may wonder why we ask for deposits at such an early stage; please see my note later in this Newsletter regarding this.
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Archived Newsletters. The list of archived Newsletter is getting rather long and in my opinion, rather unwieldy. I have therefore reduced the number of Newsletters which you can see on the archive list to roughly a years worth. This doesn't mean that the old newsletters have been deleted - no, they have been hidden within the system so that if anybody wants to see a particular issue, this can be obtained with no problem. If anybody has a comment to make, please let me know.
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If any of your personal details change - address, telephone number, e-mail addresses, etc. - please note that the only person who can action changes is our Membership Secretary, Gordon Jones. Gordon can be contacted by e-mail at gordon_jones@lineone.net or telephone 01455-556192.
Brian Wilson, Editor. Telephone: 01926-777710 e-mail: brian_h_wilson@msn.com
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Advance Notice
Trip to the North-East 3rd to 6th June 2005 (organiser - Tony Mancell)
We are planning a trip to the North-east which will be based in Hexham using a hotel close to the town centre. The details are still being finalised (although a day at Alnwick and its castle is definitely included) so please wait for the announcement in the January Newsletter which will include a booking form. The cost will be under £200 and we will be asking for a deposit when you make your booking due to having to pay certain costs up-front.
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Advance Notice
Rhine in Flames 11-16th August 2005 (organiser - John Smith)
This note is to give you early notice of the details of the 2005 overseas coach holiday. There are two reasons for this -
Due to the nature of the key event we will be going out on August 11th. We are aware that people book-up early for other holidays, so this is to give you plenty of notice.
Because of the demand for the boat tickets, we may need to ask for an early deposit of approx £75 to ensure we get the required number.
Tour details
Following a large number of requests from members for a longer European tour we have arranged a 6 day visit to France, Belgium, Germany and Holland. The main feature of the tour is a visit to the spectacular Rhine in Flames event at Koblenz. Each year a flotilla of 80 boats travel 10 miles along the river from Spay to Koblenz. All the Rhine castles are floodlit with Bengal lights and there are 8 major firework displays. The tour will include a booking on one of these river boats. A provisional itinerary is detailed below.
Itinerary
Depart Thursday 11th August 2005, returning Tuesday 16th August 2005
Thursday 8.00 am departure from IBM Warwick to take the lunchtime ferry from Dover to Calais, arriving in Lille mid-afternoon for dinner and an overnight stay.
Friday After breakfast travel to Dinant in the Belgian Ardennes for lunchtime and afternoon visit. Travel on to our hotel in Altenahr where we will stay for 3 nights ( B,B,E)
Saturday Morning at leisure before leaving for a visit to the Roman town of Koblenz with Germany's largest castle at the junction of the Rhine and the Moselle rivers. Late afternoon, we take a short coach ride to Spay to join our cruise ship for the evening procession. We will arrive in Koblenz at midnight for the coach ride direct to Altenahr.
Sunday Morning in Altenahr with wine tasting (?). In the afternoon we visit Cochem and/or Nurburgring Racing museum .
Monday Depart after breakfast on the return journey, stopping in Valkenburg for lunch and early afternoon. We then travel to our overnight hotel (probably in Tournai but this will be confirmed later).
Tuesday After breakfast travel to Calais for lunchtime visiting only good super markets and wine merchants on the way. The afternoon ferry takes us to Dover and we then make our way back to IBM Warwick.
Hotel
HOTEL ZUR POST is rated 3 star and situated centrally in the town of Altenahr in the Ahrweiler valley. This quaint resort is in the region known as the Rotweinstrasse where the red wine of Germany is produced. You will have ample time to taste and purchase whatever vintage takes your fancy.
The hotel consist of two buildings with a restaurant and indoor swimming pool in the main building.
Cost
Member or 1st guest £255
Everyone must have travel insurance.
Booking
Booking form will be included in a later Newsletter with details of deposit required. Initially only members and 1st guests will be accepted.
Any queries to John Smith 01384 860882 or e-mail john@quarrybonk.freeserve.co.uk .
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Payment for Events
You will have noticed in recent months that we have been asking for deposits with the booking form well before the actual event. This would seem an opportune moment to explain the Committee's thinking on this.
In the past, the formal announcement of an event together with a booking form has been mostly about 2-3 months before the event. For some events we have asked for a deposit, partly to show committment by the member, particularly in cases where the event is likely to be oversubscribed. Normally, cheques, whether for deposits or final payment, have not been presented for payment until just after the event has taken place.
For events which do not have a high cost, we will continue to ask for cheques with the booking form but they will not be cashed until the event has taken place.
For events which have a high cost, usually of several days duration, we will ask for a deposit with an initial booking form and, in some cases, your cheque will be cashed if there are significant upfront costs to be met (see, for example, the comments in the Advance Notice for the Rhine trip). The outstanding amount will be requested nearer the time with a final booking form and this cheque will be cashed as usual just after the event has taken place.
If any member has any comments, please contact me.
Brian Wilson Telephone: 01926-777710 E-mail: brian_h_wilson@msn.com
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