Here is your first Newsletter of the year and a warm welcome to you all. I hope it finds you fit and well and “raring to go” to join us at the events of 2023.
This year we are preparing a full programme of events to hopefully include 4 lunches (including the AGM in March), 2 free coffee mornings, 2 free cream teas, a theatre outing and a revisit to the Seaton Tramway during the year.
To begin with we have our AGM on Thursday, 9th March at The Swan’s Nest near Exminster, meeting from 11.00am for coffee with the business part from 11.30am. This is a new venue; as before we have had great difficulty finding anywhere at a reasonable price prepared to take us. Full details provided later in this Newsletter.
The business part takes about half an hour and will be followed by a picture quiz relating to the year of 2022 prepared by “yours truly”. Do come and join us. We expect to break after the entertainment (!) for drinks at the bar from 12.30pm, with a carvery lunch being served from 12.45pm. See you there!
Booking details for the AGM are attached to this Newsletter with the menu options and reply slips. After that on 30th March we have our first free coffee morning of the year at The White Horse (usual venue on the Sidmouth road, near Aylesbeare) followed by a free cream tea in April and a May (Springtime) lunch.
Dates and venues for these and other future events will be announced at the AGM and in our Spring Newsletter.
With my other hat on, I can confirm that our finances remain in good health and we will be submitting our annual grant claim to Head Office which should see us maintain our lunch subsidies at 50% or better, with coffee mornings and cream teas free to members. As an example, the AGM subsidy to members is likely to be around 60%. A good incentive to be there! The annual accounts will be available as usual at the AGM .
Finally, please do visit our website for latest news and a write up of the Christmas lunch where we had 68 booked in to the Victoria Hotel at Sidmouth.
By the way as an additional plea (I say it each year), if there are any keen photographers out there, do take pics at our events and send them to Les Rendell (lesrendell41@gmail.com) for inclusion on the website.
Although it seems a little late, I wish you all a very happy, safe and healthy new year and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our events in 2023.
Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer
Secretary’s Notes
A Happy New Year to you ALL and I hope you are keeping warm, dry and well.
As ever our January weather is proving unpredictable, from being mild to severe cold conditions, but isn’t it wonderful to see the days lengthening just a little bit each day? At night, an extra blanket under the bottom sheet certainly helps keep the bed cosy. Wearing layers seems to be a sensible option and, because I have short hair, my scarves keep my neck warm and they look cheerful too.
I hope many of you will be able to come along and join us for our first event of the year –the AGM and Lunch on Thursday, 9th March at The Swan’s Nest pub near Exminster. This is another new venue but is easy to get to by car and it is located just off the A379 from Exeter towards Powderham Castle. See the Booking form for full details.
If you would like to help us in organising events and sharing new ideas etc. then joining the committee is a good option! Do ask anyone on the committee for more information and we will tell you how we all work together as a team on behalf of your club.
Do please let me know if there any changes to your home and/or email address, thank you.
I look forward to meeting some of you at the forthcoming events.
Barbara Johnson, Secretary
Wellbeing
May I start the New Year with a BIG thank you to my fellow Wellbeing Officers, as well as everyone else who assists and supports the Club in maintaining contact with all our members. An extension of this is the willingness of people to not only to maintain social contact, but also to provide a lift to those who would otherwise be unable to attend events.
I shall be echoing these thoughts at the upcoming AGM, but with an increasing number of our members no longer able to drive, thought that I should cover this now. A current need exists for the centre of Exeter, so if anyone is able to assist, then please let me know!
Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator
Annual General Meeting
The Club’s Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday, 9th March 2023 at 11.30am at The Swan’s Nest, Exminster EX6 8DZ. There is plenty of parking available in the car park situated in the grounds. If you would like to come but need a lift, please contact one of our Wellbeing Officers who will do their best to find a lift for you.
This is a new, but known, venue for us and we are assured of a warm welcome. We do hope that you will join us for the short, but nevertheless important, meeting to be followed by a short Quiz. Lunch will follow at 12.45pm.
From Exeter/Countess Wear direction, take the Dawlish road (A379) at the roundabout. Continue along this road to another roundabout and turn left. The Swan’s Nest is signposted at this roundabout. From the Dawlish/Teignmouth direction, turn right at the roundabout at Exminster.
Access will be available for (free) coffee/tea and biscuits from 11.00am and we would ask that you are in your seats prior to the start of the meeting at 11.30am so that there is no distraction whilst we remember those who are no longer with us.
We have saved some costs by not including the Agenda with this Newsletter, planning to distribute on the day, but if any would wish for a copy prior to this, in print or electronically, we shall be happy to oblige.
Functions
AGM Luncheon
The Annual General Meeting and Quiz will be followed by lunch at the cost of £10.00, being subsidised from Club funds.
On this occasion we have opted for a Carvery meal with a choice of four meats OR vegetarian alternatives. This means that members will need to collect their food from the Carvery counter. Staff will be on hand to carry plates to your tables if required. We will not be serving wine, etc at the table this year so any drinks you wish to have, please purchase at the bar.
Please complete and return the enclosed booking form with your food choices and payment.
Whilst it would be appreciated if everyone would join us for the short AGM, should you be able to come along for the lunch only, then please do complete and return the booking form with your payment.
Please collect upon arrival your booking form showing your food choice and place on your chosen table before the AGM. On this occasion it is likely that, because of space restrictions, we will need to occupy our dining places for the whole of the day’s proceedings.
Date for your diary:
Thursday, 30th March, 10.30am – Free Coffee Morning at White Horse
Inn, Woodbury Salterton (A3052)
Future functions:
Full details will be available in the next Newsletter following the AGM, and will include coffee mornings and cream teas (free), lunches and one or two outings, so watch this space!
Barbara & Peter Johnson
barbj@talktalk.net
peteraj@talktalk.net
01297 599086