Welcome
In this issue we hope to find you well, staying alert and safe, and have tried to put together some items of interest. It is also good to keep in touch.
Welcome to our first ever ‘lockdown’ newsletter where we are unable to report on anything held in the past 3 months because none were allowed! Also, we cannot yet confirm any future social events at this stage. It is strange to think what an impact a micro-organism like Covid-19 can have on human lives. The year 2020 will live long in the memory.
Your committee have been meeting regularly by Zoom and suggest that perhaps some of you might like to try a Zoom coffee morning with us. Just to say hello and chat to some old friends. Let Les Rendell know if you are interested – see also his report.
I have put together a fun puzzle page for ‘chocoholics’ at the back of this edition. No prizes, just some fun with answers next time. It is always good to keep ‘those little grey cells’ working! For our golfers, I see that you are again allowed out on the course, just as the weather takes a changeable turn from the beautiful spring which we have enjoyed thus far. I hear there is a new golf term out there ―The Dominic Cummings. It is a really long drive that goes way out of bounds but there‘s no penalty!!
For information, you may have received a message from the UKRF Trustees (31st March) stating that resilience plans are in place; the fund is safe and there is no impact from Covid-19 on the ability to pay pensions. A comforting thought.
I have also had a notice from the Association of Psychiatrists (UK) which informs that “During quarantine it is considered normal to talk to your plants, flowers and pets. Only worry and get in touch if they start replying”.
Our Wellbeing team are busy making and keeping in contact with many of you, but if you do need a bit of a chat and a friendly voice to help you through these strange times, please get in touch. They are there to help. A list of telephone numbers and covering post-codes is included in this newsletter.
I can continue to remind you that our 2 planned social events; the Tiverton Hotel lunch on 15th October, and the Victoria Hotel Christmas lunch on 3rd December are still booked. We sincerely hope to be able to run them. We will know more about them by the time of our September newsletter. In the meantime, please stay safe and enjoy our summer as best you can.
Finally, will you remember 2020 as the year your wheelie bin went out more often than you! Toodle-Pip.
Garry Adams, Chairman
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Secretary’s Notes
This is my first contribution to our periodic club newsletters in my new role as Secretary. I was elected to take over this role from Andrew Green at our Annual AGM in March 2020. Andrew has done a magnificent job as our club secretary over the last six years so I will have to work hard to follow in his footsteps but I do have the advantage of him remaining on the committee so I can call upon his expertise when needed.
You will see that in this issue I have included an article of my time working for Barclays Bank. We cordially invite you to share some of your work experiences with us. This is your club and as we can‘t organise social meeting events at the moment we do want to include more items of interest in future newsletters. Just drop me a line or email; or perhaps you have discovered a hidden talent whilst we have been told to ‘Stay at Home’ etc. My sister makes flowerpot men (see below) and has been using clean donated plastic pots from her neighbourhood – great re-cycling and fun to see on her small front garden.
As I write this on 4th June, some of the restrictions from lockdown are easing (with plans for more) and ‘fingers crossed’ that this works okay. Then we can continue to return to some kind of ‘normal’ life albeit I think it is going to be different for a long while. In the meantime ‘Stay Alert’ and keep well.
Barbara Johnson, Secretary
PS: do any of you remember what these meant?
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Wellbeing
In my last ramblings, I said that the Wellbeing Team would likely give you a ring. Between us, we spoke with more than 90% of our Membership, and I believe that we all benefited from comparing notes on how we were dealing with the unprecedented ‘Lockdown’. Suffice to say, that many of you who had not been to a recent event, said that you would subsequently hope to join us – when we are finally able to socialise – at one of our functions.
Thanks must go to all of the Wellbeing Team, which also included Les Rendell, Garry Adams (hat number 3!), and Lynne Ring. Their assistance was required as David & Eleanor Jenkins stood down after our AGM: A sincere thank you for their support and assistance. Their resignation meant that we needed a replacement Wellbeing Officer, and I am delighted to let you know that Lynne Ring has volunteered to take on her local Post Codes of EX1 – 5, with Peter and Barbara Johnson now taking on their local area of Post Codes EX10 – 13. As ever, please do not hesitate to ring any one of us for a chat!
Stay safe and hope to see you again soon!
Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator
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Wellbeing (Welfare) Officers for Post Codes as at June 2020
Postcodes EX1-5 Lynne Ring 01392 879446
Postcodes EX6-9 Ray Cavill 01395 275265
Postcodes EX10-13 Peter & Barbara Johnson 01297 599086
Postcodes EX14-19 Lyn Green 01884 855340
Postcodes EX20-24 Chris Leigh 01884 855368 (plus TQ & All Other Codes)
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ePA Password Reset Process
Barclays Welfare Team at Willis Towers Watson has asked us to pass on the updated details for this. Please see the ‘Items of Interest’ by clicking here.
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Introducing your new Secretary (who does love to be beside the seaside!)
As your new secretary and a recent in-comer to Exeter area it was suggested that I put together a resume of my background in the bank. I have to admit that I never planned a banking career and my uncle was wholly responsible for guiding me down this route. He knew his Barclays bank manager very well, took me to meet him and the rest is history. I worked in three regions during my career: London Northern & London Southern, Manchester and then finished up at Radbroke Hall on project work.
I started in branch banking working as a junior (learning ‗the ropes‘ and discovering that staff didn‘t go home when the doors were shut to the public!), then as a machinist processing the work, next as a cashier and other duties eventually becoming a supervisor of a mech room (back office). During this time I joined an interbank team giving periodic talks on banking to sixth formers at schools – not as a career but to tell them how banking operated (in those days).
I progressed from supervisor to become a District Training Officer responsible for new entrants and travelled around branches in the Manchester district. This gave me a good insight into the many variations of sizes of branch ‘set-ups’ and the differences they all had in running them, albeit from a ‘back office’ point of view. When I got married we moved south to London Southern district as Peter, my husband, had become one of ‘the green biro men’ on the Bank‘s Inspection team. During our five years living in Orpington, Kent I worked again as a supervisor in two large branches and had good teams of people working with/for me. We then returned to Manchester region where I did another branch supervisor role before transferring over to Radbroke Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire where initially I worked on a Help Desk and subsequently wrote some instructions for branch procedures.
Finally I worked on various projects for future enhancements to banking systems which was challenging, interesting and very different from branch work. There are so many aspects to banking and I was lucky to have been involved with a variety of them and to have worked with some great people over the years.
We are now living in East Devon in the seaside town of Seaton and enjoying our retirement. We are delighted to have joined the Exeter Spread Eagle Club where we have already made some great new friends since our move in 2014 to the South West!
Barbara Johnson, Secretary
Peony plant in Barbara‘s Garden
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Meeting up via Zoom
Most of you will know that the current crisis has led to many people using facilities such as Facetime and Skype to meet face to face over the internet with family and friends. The ability to arrange meetings and conferences by Zoom has been the most used method for clubs and societies such as ours and your committee has already met twice using this application.
The committee has asked me to determine whether those of you with a computer or iphone would like to meet up via Zoom simply for a social get-together and chat as we are currently unable to meet in the conventional way through our coffee mornings and lunches.
You do not have to have the Zoom app or download anything to take part. We will provide you with a link and clicking on this will take you to the meeting. The meeting time will be limited to 40 minutes and if sufficient of you would like to take part we will set a date for early July.
Just email me on lesrendell41@gmail.com before June 30th if you would like to join in the Zoom meeting.
Les Rendell, Committee Member
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Exeter Spread Eagle Club Quiz Answers
Disappointingly there were only 4 entries for this quiz. Was it too hard or did you simply forget to send it in? No-one had an all-correct answer but the winner was our very own Chairman and Treasurer, Garry Adams, with 22 (there was no insider knowledge!). The runner-up was Barry Cross (21) who will receive his prize shortly.
Les Rendell, who devised the quiz, offered a random prize of £10 to be chosen from all entrants. In view of the low uptake he will instead send this as a donation to a charity of his choice.
The best wrong answer Les received was from Lynne Ring who decided that HWHIL was ‘Handwashing helps in lockdown’ – it certainly does!
INITIALLY PROVERBIAL The initials refer to the words of well known proverbs.
1. PWPF Penny wise pound foolish
2. ASITSN A stitch in time saves nine
3.AFINIAFI A friend in need is a friend indeed
4. HWHIL He who hesitates is lost
5.YCTAHTWBYCMID You can take horse to water but you cannot make it drink
NUMBERS UP
Each number refers to the initials provided e.g. 3 = M in a B, Answer: 3 = Men in a Boat
6. 3 = F in a Y Feet in a yard
7. 7 = C in a R Colours in a rainbow
8. 10 = DS Downing Street
9. 3 = C in a F Coins in a fountain
10. 25 = SWA Silver wedding anniversary
RHYME TIME
Each expression is a clue to a two word rhyming answer e.g. Angry Boy = Mad Lad
11. Enjoyable dessert Sweet Treat
12. Dirty tricks Hanky Panky
13. Empty Seat Spare Chair
14. Very high cost Immense Expense
15. Tumultuous haste Helter Skelter
JACK’S THE LAD
Each clue leads to an answer with the word ‘Jack’
16. Handyman Jack of All Trades
17. Big win Jackpot
18. Weather visitor Jack Frost
19. Tight garment Straightjacket
20. Sweetcake Flapjack
COCKNEY CLASSICS
The following is cockney rhyming slang. To what do the expressions refer?
21. Apples and Pears Stairs
22. Almond Rocks Socks
23. Gregory Peck Cheque
24. Ruby Murray Curry
25. Mince Pies Eyes
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A 20 Question Fun Quiz – for Chocoholics!
NO PRIZES, JUST A TEST FOR THOSE LITTLE GREY CELLS!
The answers to the clues are all chocolate brands. For instance –―Sssh! Talk Quietly‖ as a clue = WISPA
- A Star cluster ( a choice of 2 for this one)…………….
- Voodoo in a Box…………………………………………………..
- Mother‘s hostelry , perhaps?…………………………….
- A climbing variety ?………………………………………….
- Park Lane or Mayfair?………………………………………
- In the Mane, you‘ll enjoy this one?…………………….
- The bar for Truckers ……………………………………………
- Mediterranean Islanders? ………………………………..
- A passenger carrying vehicle…..……………………………
- A beauty from Istanbul…..……………………………………
- Gentle waves are these……………………………………….
- Superman, Batman or Capt. America are these.…..
- Up for discussion? ……………………………………………….
- Clever little things ……………………………………………….
- Munificence ?…………………………………………………
- Is this a sadistic nut? ………………………………………….
- Al fresco cuisine………………………………………………….
- Sounds like a type of ―Bloomers‖……………………….
- Is this bar nearly a pet-food?…………………………..
- Fiddler on the Roof?………………………………………