Annual Report 2001
Wimborne and Stapehill Abbey Gardens and Country Museum.
6th June 2001
The first trip of the year took us to
Wimborne Minster (see picture) and on a cool and cloudy day, 39 members left
Hove at 9am and following a comfort stop at the services on the A27, we arrived
at Wimborne at 12:50 and alighted from the coach just a few yards from the
Minster. After looking round and taking a short walk through Wimborne, we return
to the coach for the short (very short) journey to the restaurant, “The
Dormers” for a two course lunch and drinks.
After lunch, we returned to the coach for the 20-minute ride to Stapehill Abbey. This Cistercian Abbey was formerly home to a Silent Order of Nuns, but today we were able to view not only the fully restored Nuns’ Chapel, but carefully reconstructed Victorian style Washroom, Kitchen and Parlour. The Gardens were particularly lovely, with great varieties ranging from the Rose Gardens to the newly arranged Chinese Garden. The Country Museum showed life as it was about a century or so ago and was extremely interesting, especially to some of our more senior members! We know that Donald Carr would like to have spent more time looking at the exhibits and reminiscing with his colleagues. A quick look around Home Farm and then a Cream Tea in the Café completed a very enjoyable day. The journey home was uneventful and we thanked Chris, from Pavilion Travel, our driver for the day for his dexterity at getting us there and back safely.
25th July 2001
On
a warm summers day, 38 members joined “Dons’ Marauders” (as Chris the
driver from Pavilion Travel called us) for the short trip to Sheffield Park and
a ride on the Bluebell Railway. This local attraction is in its’ 50th
year of railway preservation and after looking round the Engine Sheds and the
small Museum, we boarded the 2:05pm train for the 40 minute journey via Hortsed
Keynes Station to the present terminus of the railway at Kingscote Station. On
the journey, which we are sure brought back many memories for our members; we
were served with a splendid Ploughman’s Lunch, served, oddly enough, by a
retired employee of the Nat West Bank.
At
Kingscote Station the steam engine “Camelot” changed ends, closely watched
by a number of our members, ready to pull us back to Sheffield Park Station.
Although
this was only a short trip, it was a very enjoyable one and one that we may
consider making an ‘Annual Event’.
Dr.
Doolittle, Congress Theatre Eastbourne
30th August 2001
A
visit to the Congress Theatre was next on the agenda and 39 of our ‘Young at
Heart’ members left Hove Town Hall at 11 am to travel the short distance to
Eastbourne. A couple of stops along the way and we arrive in good time for lunch
in the Congress Suite that adjoins the Theatre. Chicken with vegetables followed
by Apple Pie and Custard was the meal supplied and we all agreed that it was
very acceptable indeed.
Then
on to the show, with Phillip Schofield playing the lead role of Dr. Doolittle,
ably supported by an excellent cast and some outstanding special effects. All
our members were spell bound by the production and were amazed at the size and
movements of some of the ‘animals’ that appeared on stage. The “Giant Pink
Sea Snail” must have been 20 feet tall, but with an endearing smile, and the
“Lunar Moth” was massive with the most incredible colours. A stunning show,
well worth seeing and enjoyed by all those you joined us on this trip.
Day
Trip to Boulogne and Hypermarket
10th October 2001
A
disappointing turn out on this normally well attended excursion with only 26
members taking advantage of a well-subsidised trip “sur la continent”.
The
coach left Hove Town Hall at 6.45 a.m. with pick ups at Poole Valley and
Withdean. As we only had a small number of people attending, the coach company,
Pavilion Travel, with our agreement, sold some of the vacant seats to its own
customers and help to fill the coach. This also significantly reduced the price
to ourselves and made the trip financially viable.
he
weather was good and we made good time down to Ashford to catch the 10 a.m.
train through the Channel tunnel. A short ride took us the Hypermarket just
outside Boulogne and our members made good use of the 90 minutes allocated for
shopping. The coach was loaded up with all sorts of goodies, mainly of the
alcoholic type, and an even shorter ride took us into Boulogne for lunch. Two
and a half hours was allocated for this part of our day.
As we left the coach, we were handed a leaflet advertising a restaurant
that served good food at reasonable prices and some of our members chose to take
up the offer. Unfortunately, the restaurant appeared to have just one person
serving and for the unlucky ones, the full 2 ½ hours was spent there waiting to
be served. Although I was not one of the very unlucky ones, I can say that
having arrived at the restaurant a little later, the meals were hardly worth
waiting for, but our British spirit shone through, or was it the French wine, as
we made light of the problem and still managed to enjoy the occasion.
Back
to the tunnel and home by 8 p.m. to complete a very enjoyable day. The enjoyment
for some of us will continue for some while if the mountains of wine and lager
unloaded from the coach are anything to go by!!
Trip
to “My Fair Lady”, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane London
21st November 2001
Might
as well save the best until last!!
The
long awaited trip to see “My Fair Lady” was well worth waiting for. A
perfect day, a stunning show followed by a nice supper, with a bit of sight
seeing thrown in.
A
coach full of members and their guests (49) left Hove at 11 a.m. and arrived in
London in good time for a quick look round the shops or a bite to eat, then on
to the show. Everyone agreed that it was a stunning performance, which lasted a
full 3 hours. Following Martine McCutcheon’s departure from the production,
the role of Eliza Doolittle (any relation to Dr. Doolittle?) was played superbly
by Alexandra Jay, more than ably supported by Jonathan Pryce as Professor Henry
Higgins and Denis Waterman as Alfred P. Doolittle. Some of the song and dance
routines were truly spellbinding. A standing ovation at the end of the
performance was a true reflection of the quality of the show that we had seen.
After
the show, our driver took us on a short excursion to see some of the Christmas
lights along Oxford Street and Regent Street and we then found our way to the
Fairfield Halls for a ‘Fish & Chip Supper’.
This proved to be the icing on the cake, with a quickly served and tasty
meal in very pleasant surroundings. Finally back home to complete a very
successful, yet quite tiring day.
