“The rural hillside gardens at Fursdon blend seamlessly into rolling parkland and on into the countryside, with views over the Exe Valley and beyond to Dartmoor”
You will be free to wander about, or just sit and enjoy, this very English country garden on a summer’s afternoon, followed by a delicious Cream Tea, on Exeter Spread Eagles’ exclusive visit on Tuesday, 11th June.
Fursdon is an old country house and farming estate, lived in by the same family for over 750 years. There is a very user-friendly and attractive website www.fursdon.co.uk.
This promises to be one of the highlights of our year. We will have unguided access to all the gardens and full details of timings and how to get there will be found inside this Newsletter.
But before that, we have our next lunch, on Tuesday, 21st May at the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel, which not only has excellent food but also some of the finest views of the town and nearby coastline. We do hope you can join us. Why not put the dates for both these events in your diary and let Lynne Ring know that you are coming?
Andrew Green, Hon Secretary
View from the Chair and AGM comments
Welcome to our Spring Newsletter where you will find details of our forthcoming events in April, May and June along with booking form.
With a bit of luck, you will receive this missive before our free coffee morning on Wednesday, 10th April.
AGM review
Our 44th AGM took place on 8th March at the Exeter Golf and Country Club where following our regular business, 67 members were treated to a talk by Andrew Millington with musical excerpts and amusing anecdotes of a life spent around Choirs and Cathedrals. This is the 4th consecutive year that we have had a speaker at our AGM and so far all have gone down extremely well with members. We will be repeating this exercise in March 2020 (the Exeter Golf & Country Club is booked for 10th March).
In summary, we ran 4 subsidised lunches, 2 free coffee mornings, 2 free afternoon cream teas and an August theatre visit. Our numbers have dropped slightly in the year to 277 active and inactive members on 182 addresses. Finances are on an even keel, we have a settled Committee to set up and run the Club and events, as well as an excellent Wellbeing team should you need help or advice. I thank all the Team for their efforts in 2018, continuing into this new year. I am also pleased (I think) to report that I have been re-elected as your Chairman for another 3 years and I sincerely hope that you will continue to support this wonderful Club.
If there are any other events that you, our members, want or wish to try, then please get in touch. We (the Committee) would love to hear from you and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our 2019 events. In addition, if anyone would like to join us on the Committee, we do have one vacancy. Just get in touch.
With Best Wishes for the year ahead.
December Quiz Results
Alan and Beryl Magee were our quiz winners this time. The answers were:- 1. Sir Francis Drake 2. Coleton Fishacre 3. River Bovey 4. Hembury Fort 5. Branscombe Old Bakery 6. Agatha Christie 7. Morwellham Quay 8. Sir John Hawkins 9. Rob Baxter 10. 1620
Financial Matters
With my other hat on, I am pleased to report that once again we had a full and positive year with a small surplus achieved of £207. This gives us £3,990 of funds to carry forward into 2019. Our surplus was really due to numbers at the October lunch being only 33 (compared to a budgeted 45) and 75 members at the Christmas “do” instead of 85, which was achieved in 2017. With our lunch subsidies running at 56/58% of true cost, if numbers are lower than planned, we can quickly build up a surplus.
For 2019, I have budgeted for a £900 deficit to use up some of our surplus funds. We have a full programme of 9/10 events, with subsidies calculated at 57% and we have paid £281 for a 3 year renewal of our website (taking us to 2022). Our Head Office Grant is £4,242 this year, about £200 lower than last year and Subscriptions are down below £900 for the first time, as our numbers sadly drop. On the positive side, your Subscription remains at £5 per active member and if you attend all our events this year the value is around £70 per person of support from the Club. Wonderful value for your £5!!
Finally, I hope you enjoy our planned events and support us when you can. See you there.
Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer
Functions
Our next function is a free Coffee Morning on Wednesday, 10th April 2019 at the White Horse Inn, Sidmouth Road (A3052), Woodbury Salterton EX5 1EP, 10.15am-12noon. This is a very pleasant venue we have used before with plenty of car parking space. The White Horse Inn has an extensive menu for those wishing to stay on for lunch (at your own cost of course). We hope to see you there.
Following the coffee morning is our next lunch which is on Tuesday, 21st May at the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel, Manor Road, Sidmouth EX10 8RU. Car parking at the hotel is limited but there is a large public pay and display car park opposite. Menu/booking form is attached and should be returned to me with your cheque by Friday, 3rd May . Cheques will be banked on 15th May. No refunds will be given after this date. The cost per head for members is £17.50, which represents a 50% subsidy, or £30.00 per head for nonmembers. The cost includes a glass and a half of wine OR a glass of orange, apple or grapefruit juice.
Please also let me know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy.
Please collect your menu choices form from me and place on your chosen table by 12.40pm. Please do not move them after this time.
Future dates for your diary
Tuesday, 11th June 2019 free Garden Visit and Cream Tea (scone, jam, cream, tea/coffee), Fursdon House & Garden, Cadbury, near Thorverton EX5 5JS, 2.00pm – 4.30pm
Exeter Spread Eagles have an exclusive afternoon visit to Fursdon set in the hills above the Exe Valley, near Thorverton. You can take a stroll around the main Fox Garden and the newly-restored Meadow Garden and Pond, or you may just sit and chat whilst admiring the wonderful views.
The Cream Tea will be served at 3.00pm in the Coach Hall and after you may wish to linger for a little while before setting off home.
How to get there?
If using a satnav, the postcode is EX5 5JS. Please ignore the formal Fursdon white gate and use the drive over the cattle grid.
If coming from Exeter (about 10 miles) Take the A396 towards Tiverton, and after about 7 miles turn left to the village of Thorverton. Turn right in the centre of the village opposite the Thorverton Arms, passing the church on your left. Having left the village, take the right-hand fork, signposted to Fursdon, which is then about a mile further up the road. Enter by the first gate over the cattle grid and the Car Park is at the top of the drive on your left.
If coming from Crediton or Tiverton via the A3072, Fursdon is signposted off this road. Please ignore the first formal white gate and drive on to the next entrance on your left, over the cattle grid.
Numbers are required for this event, so please let me know by Friday, 31st May if you intend to come. We hope to see you there.
Further details of the following events will be included in future Newsletters. Please make a note of the dates.
Monday, 9th September 2019 Seaton to Colyton (and return) Tram Ride and free Cream Tea (scone, jam, cream, tea/coffee) 2.30pm
Thursday, 31st October 2019 Lunch at Tiverton Hotel, Blundells Road, Tiverton EX16 4DB 1.00pm
Thursday, 5th December 2019 Christmas Lunch, Victoria Hotel, The Esplanade, Sidmouth 1.00pm
Tuesday, 10th March 2020 AGM and Lunch, Exeter Golf and Country Club 11.00am
Lynne Ring, Committee Member
01392 879446 lynne_ring@hotmail.com
[Please note my email address has an underscore between Lynne and Ring]