Annual Report 2021

Another year when our activities were restricted by the COVID 19 pandemic and several scheduled events had to be cancelled.

We managed a number of outside events, especially with our new format of rambling that gives our members some exercise and a continuing connection with other Club Members.

Let's hope that things continue to improve in 2022 and we will be able to revert back to a more normal itinerary of events that can be enjoyed by all our members.

When I wrote the report for the AGM in March 2020, I didn't anticipate that I would only have one further event to report on during 2020 and then have to wait another six months before reporting on another event and our first for 2021.

So, on Wednesday, 28 members and their guests met at the Gun Inn in Findon Village for coffee/tea or soft drink in preparation for the Club's first ever Ramble from the village up to Cissbury Ring.

Our Chairman, Graham Clark, was the organiser for this event and he handed out an instruction leaflet to our members to help them follow the correct paths to undertake the 5 miles walk to the Ring and back. As a number of our members were uncertain of their walking abilities, shorter walks were suggested and several took advantage of the lovely morning to stroll around the nearby Nepcote Green and have a catch up chat with their colleagues. Others found their own routes...with varying degrees of success!

The fitter - or dafter - members made their way up to the Neolithic ring and were treated with stunning views across the coast to the Isle of Wight and across the Weald towards the North Downs. Although it was a warm day, there was a cooling breeze which made it ideal walking weather. A small herd of New Forest Ponies grazed quietly at the top having been relocated to Sussex as part of the programme to restrict the numbers grazing in the New Forest.

After the walk, we all returned to the Gun Inn for a splendid buffet meal with three choices of main course and two choices of desserts. Everyone agreed it was a magnificent spread.

Following the success of this event, we will be organising further rambles in other parts of the county to cater for those who may prefer a shorter and flatter ramble.

As usual, here are some photographs taken on the ramble with thanks to Merv Stedman for his contributions:

The weather finally allowed us to hold the picnic at the Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Ground following earlier wet weather postponements and it was a cloudless sky that welcomed our members to the very picturesque ground that backs onto Arundel Castle.

It was very warm and most members sought the shade of the numerous tress that surrounded the cricket pitch and were also grateful for the free ice creams handed out by Don during the afternoon.

It's a pity only 22 members chose to attend the event, perhaps it was a bit too hot for some and also the traffic delays in the area did prevent others, who had other appointments later in the day, from attending. There may also be a reluctance by some of our members to mix with others at present given the increased rates of COVID infections in our area.

Nevertheless, those that did attend enjoyed their day at Arundel and were even entertained by Don's granddaughter, Betty, who appears in the photographs below:

Incidentally the car in the foreground of the first picture is a 1937 Frazer Nash BMW owned by my sister's partner, Tim

The Club's 43rd Annual General Meeting was held at Tottington Manor Hotel & Restaurant near Henfield and was attended by 63 members.

Our Chairman, Graham Clark lead the proceedings and he reported on the unprecedented times we were living in at present and he thanked all those present for supporting the Club during the pandemic. Graham then mentioned that he had very much enjoyed his term in office and he particularly thanked Jean for her unstinting enthusiasm as our Secretary and Don in his roles as both Treasurer and Social Secretary. He made a presentation to Jean from the Club to show their appreciation of the last 26 years of secretarial excellence and for keeping everyone in check during her time in office. Graham then thanked Don for all his efforts over the last 16 months trying to keep the Club together with various online activities, with zoom meetings, quizzes and also keeping the members aware of scams and other items of news. The retiring Chairman then thanked Justine Hamilton and Buster Ashdown, who were both standing down from the committee, for their help and support during their time on the committee. Both Graham as retiring Chairman and Robin Frost as retiring Deputy Chairman has agreed to continue as committee members.

Unfortunately, the nominee for the position of Chairman, Dave Stedman, had to send in his apologies as he had contracted the Corona virus whilst on his son's 'stag weekend' and was self-isolating, however his nomination was seconded and carried unanimously by the meeting. Robin Frost read out a message from Dave who mentioned that he was honoured and delighted at accept his nomination as Chairman and he thanked Graham for his dedication and commitment to the Club over the past two years, of which the last year had been particularly difficult.

Dave added he was delighted that Bridget Westerman had accepted the role of Deputy Chairman. Nominations had been received for Colin Mockford and Cyn Fleetwood to become committee members and these nominations were seconded and carried by the meeting.

Jean then spoke affectionately about her time as secretary from the very early days in Brighton Local Head Office and then recalled the Chairmen she had worked with in the Club, Norman Lockyer, John Baughen, Buster Ashdown, Roger Francis and Graham.

The rest of the committee were re-elected en-bloc and for the record the new committee is:

Chairman:	David Stedman
Deputy Chairman:	Bridget Westerman
Secretary:	Pending
Treasurer:	Don Semmons
Social Secretary:	Don Semmons
Chief Welfare Officer:	Tony Comber
Committee Member:	Graham Clark
Committee Member:	Cyn Fleetwood
Committee Member:	Robin Frost
Committee Member:	Gill Hill
Committee Member:	Colin Mockford
Committee Member:	Rosemary Singyard

LUNCH

As soon as the AGM had been declared closed, Graham mentioned that the day happened to be Jean's 91st birthday and that Don had arranged a little surprise for Jean. Don asked Jean to join him at the front of the top table and after a very short delay, two ladies arrived carrying a birthday cake and a lovely bouquet of flowers followed by a resounding rendition of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. The first lady, carrying the cake was Fiona, Jean's daughter and the second young lady was Senga, Jean's granddaughter and Jean had no idea that they were coming to the lunch and for a few moments was overcome with the surprise of seeing her daughter and granddaughter. The flowers had been from all the Club members in recognition of Jeans' work over the last 26 years.

The members were then treated to an excellent 2 course buffet lunch on what had been a very warm but very enjoyable day.

Here are just a few photographs, notice the engraved jewellery box, that was presented to Jean by Graham on behalf of the Club.

Henfield Ramble

Tuesday 17th August 2021

On a cloudy, but pleasant day, 21 members met up at Henfield Cricket Club to take part in our second 'Ramble' around the village of Henfield.

Before setting out from the cricket pavilion, we were treated to tea or coffee and biscuits that had been arranged by our members Jayne & Nigel Parsons, ably assisted by Valerie and John Figg.

The 'Ramble' was just under 4 miles long and took us 2 and a bit hours to complete, and clearly Nigel and Jayne had spent a long time working out the route and preparing a paper with all the facts about houses we would see and areas we would go through. A copy of this 'Information Sheet' can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on THIS LINK. This sheet includes details of the route we took and if you weren't able to come along on Tuesday, but would like to 'give it a go' then there is also a map that may help you. For the map CLICK HERE.

After the ramble, we were joined by a few other members and we were all treated to a fantastic spread of salads, meats, salmon, cheeses and a rather delicious cake. Thank you to 'RELISH' for providing such a magnificent spread.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work and care taken by Nigel & Jayne, so a MASSIVE thank you to both of them for making this such a wonderful experience. Well done both....

Also thanks to Henfield Cricket Club, who are celebrating their 250th season this year, for allowing us to use their facilities and providing a friendly and efficient barman, George.

As usual, here are photographs taken on the day. If you would like more information about some of the houses shown, please see the information sheet mentioned above.

By the way, check out who ended up having to do the washing up at the end of the day!!!

Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre

Wednesday 8th September 2021

On one of the warmest September days for some time, 41 members and their guests made their way to Amberley under their own steam to visit the very popular Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre.

There were items of interest for everyone from transport, communications, craft, industry and those with the energy, nature trails.

Those who wished to took a ride on the narrow gauge railway around the site or a bus ride to take you to the outer reaches of the museum site. The one place that everybody visited, was the cafe that offered a wonderful variety of hot and cold food.

The craft areas were of great interest and we were able to watch a gentleman mending the wooden wheel from a cart, another making a walking stick and another making miniature barrels for a brewery cart display.

In the main, the craftsmen and drivers etc that work at Amberley are all volunteers, so a big thank you to them for making our day even more enjoyable.

Many of our memories would have been jogged by the exhibitions of old televisions and radios in the communications shed, whilst others remembered their first washing machine (Hoover twin tub for us!!) in the electrical section. Several old buses or 'tramocars' as they used to be called, were on display some dating back to the 1910's with the Southdown Motor Services livery or Worthing Coaches. One bus, made in 1909 was described as a hybrid vehicle as it had two forms of power, electric and petrol, although not quite as efficient as today's vehicles as they only did about 7 miles to the gallon in those days.

Anyway, there are far too many other categories in the Museum and Heritage Centre to be mentioned in this report with 49 different areas each showing a vast array of interesting exhibits.

Here are just some of the photos that were taken to give you a flavour of the day: Thanks to Dave Stedman for copies of his photographs.

Autumn Golf Meeting

Seaford Head Golf Club

Thursday 23rd September

It was a lovely sunny and warm day when the 16 golfers met for coffee and bacon rolls at Seaford Head Golf Club for this year autumn (and only) meeting.

During the afternoon, the weather stayed fair, although towards the end of the competition, the wind picked up and it became a little more like September weather. However, it stayed dry and the 16 members successfully completed their rounds with varying degrees of success!!

The course is quite hilly and for the final hole (18), the tee shot is played from the top of the highest hill down to the lowest fairway, which made some of the shots interesting, but also tested the legs of the players as you hoped you didn't trip headlong down the very steep slope.

After a very enjoyable round of golf and an excellent two course supper, the organisers. Chris Hudson and John Jago made the announcements and started by welcoming two 'new' members to our golf days, Terry and Julie Webb. Not only was this their first appearance, but also a successful one, with Julie winning the Mike Barrett Trophy for the best score of the day and Terry taking second place, closely followed by Brian Fitch and Ian Massbery.

Brian Fitch also won a prize for the best score on the first 9 holes and Don Semmons won a prize for the best score on the last 9 holes. Don was also awarded a special prize for the days longest drive, which was a wayward tee shot that bounced onto the nearby road, narrowly missing an approaching car, and continuing on its way towards Hastings!!!

The Bob Russell Cup is normally awarded for the highest combined score for the Spring and Autumn Meetings, but as one meeting this year and one last year had to be cancelled because of the pandemic, the Cup this year was awarded to the player with the highest combined score over the last two meetings and this was awarded to Peter Elliott. See photo below of Peter receiving his award from Bob Russell.

Just for the record, the participants were: Graham Clark, Barry Davis, Peter Elliott, Brian Fitch, Steve Gault, Chris Hudson, John Jago, David Kaye, John Lockyer, Ian Massbery, Bob Russell, Don Semmons, Mel Sims, Julie Webb, Terry Webb and Richard Wright.

As usual, a few photos for you to enjoy:

Ramble - Arlington Reservoir

Wednesday 29th September 2021

After a couple of days of heavy rain and strong winds, it was a relief for all concerned when the sun came out and the winds abated to allow 30 members to go on the Club's third ramble, on this occasion around the Arlington Reservoir near Berwick in mid-Sussex.

Nothing appears to be without some issue or another trying to spoil our day, obviously the pandemic ruined a number of our planned events, but this time it was the 'petrol shortage' that threatened to put an end to an event so well organised by Gill & Roger Hill. However, everyone arrived and all was well.

We met up at the Berwick Inn for tea/coffee and time for a chat with our colleagues before starting off on an almost 4 mile ramble around the Arlington Reservoir and Nature Reserve. The walk started by crossing over a field of grass, closely followed by a field of maize, that had grown quite tall as you will see from the pictures below, then up a small hill and on to the reservoir.

A very pleasant couple of hours were spent strolling around the reservoir, mainly on tarmac paths. We saw a variety of birds and livestock, until we returned to the Berwick Inn for a splendid two course lunch and drinks.

At the end of the meal, our Chairman Dave Stedman, thanked Gill & Roger for their hard work in preparing the walk and making the arrangements with the pub. He then thanked Don for his part in organising the event and then finally, thanked the catering staff at the pub for their attentive and splendid service that helped to make the day most enjoyable.

As a matter of interest, Arlington Reservoir was built as part of a municipal water supply system, but has served for more than a century as a recreational area for walking, swimming, fishing, and boating. A perimeter path of just under a mile is enjoyed by walkers, joggers, and bird watchers throughout the year.

As usual a few photographs for you to see. During the walk a number of the members were trying to locate 'The Long Man of Wilmington', the chalk figure carved into the downs, but is was always in the distance and on a shaded part of the distant hills. However, persistence paid off as you will see from the final photograph below..........

Trip to Congress Theatre Eastbourne

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Thursday 14th October 2021

Unusually, I am going to start this report with a question: What did we last do 678 days ago?

Answer: Boarded a coach to go on a Club event, the last one being the Christmas Lunch on 6th December 2019.

Yes, it really is that long ago that we last used a coach for any of our trips and the 40 people who attended the wonderful production of Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the newly renovated Congress Theatre in Eastbourne were delighted that we are almost back to normal and hopefully as we move into 2022 there will be more such trips.

The day was well worth waiting for and the slick production produced an entertaining show that amazed with technical tricks and some basic scenery moving that kept the audiences attention throughout. The story was about the three orphaned Rawlins children who were evacuated from wartime London to live with the mysterious Eglantine Price, where they had no idea what adventures lay ahead. Upon discovering Eglantine to be a trainee witch, they joined forces to search for a secret spell that would defeat the enemy once and for all. Armed with an enchanted bedknob, a bewitched broomstick and a magical flying bed, they encounter surprising new friendships on their journey from Portobello Road to the depths of the beautiful briny sea. A youthful tale watched by a young-at-heart audience.

After the show we had one of the most fantastic cream teas that anyone can remember, there were oodles of sandwiches, cakes, scones and limitless coffee and tea in our own room with a lovely view across Eastbourne. If ever there was a fitting end to a marvellous day, that was it..

After the tea, our Chairman, Dave Stedman thanked Don for organising such an enjoyable day.

Trip to Aldwych Theatre, London

Tina - The Tina Turner Musical

Thursday 25th November 2021

On a chilly, but bright day, 49 members and their guests boarded the coach for the trip up to London to see the delayed, but much anticipated, musical, Tina.

We arrived in good time to grab a snack and a drink before getting in queue to be checked for our COVID vaccination certificates before being allowed in to the theatre.

And was it worth waiting for....it certainly was with a fabulous musical telling the story of the life of Tina Turner, from her early days in Nutbush to the stardom that she finally achieved after a long and sometimes harrowing career. The cast, especially Chanel Haynes who played Tina, were magnificent and the energy and enthusiasm was there for us all to see. The final 10 minutes were just like being at a concert with her best known numbers bringing the audience to their feet.

After the show we re-boarded the coach for a 30 minute ride through London's busy West End to Kennedys of Goswell Road for a fish and chip supper. We were met at the door with a glass of prosecco and then followed freshly cooked cod and chunky chips and finished with a good helping of New York Cheesecake all served by friendly and helpful staff.

Then back to the coach for the trip back to Brighton after another successful outing. During the trip back, Don mentioned about the events that have been organised for next year and that the itinerary appears on the web site. Our Chairman Dave, thanked Don for all his hard work in organising the trip to see Tine which he and Jill had thoroughly enjoyed. He also thanked those members on board for supporting the club coming to the musical and that he hoped to see many more members attending the events that Don has arranged for next year.

Christmas Lunch

Deans Place Hotel & Restaurant

Thursday 2nd December 2021

After the disappointment of having to cancel the 2020 Christmas Lunch due to the COVID pandemic, we once again went to Deans Place Hotel in Alfriston for our annual Christmas Lunch and 117 members and their guests enjoyed another wonderful occasion. This is the sixteenth time that we have been welcomed at Deans Place and it was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by everyone who attended,

Just before the usual games of Stand Up Bingo and the much anticipated raffle, our Chairman. Dave Stedman said a few words, welcoming everyone to the event and thanking them for their support. Dave then asked for a few moments of silence to remember those who are no longer with us and and for those who were too unwell to attend, He thanked Don for all his hard work during the year and also thanked Rose for her choices of raffle prizes. Both received a warm round of applause from the members,

As usual, photos always speak louder than words, so here are a few photos for you to enjoy