We didn’t have a meeting in December but we did have our members’ Christmas Dinner which was on the 13th December in the Balkerne Restaurant at Colchester Institute. 42 of us enjoyed a cocktail before tucking into a wonderful 4 course meal. (see photo’s above). At the end of which we were entertained by a singer (student) with keyboard accompaniment (see photo below). At 10.00pm our coach promptly arrived to take us home. It was another very enjoyable night.
Our next meeting is on 10th January 2012 when Rebecca Perry from Colchester Zoo is coming to talk to us (details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary on the home page of the Winstred 100 website).
Membership is currently full, but visitors are very welcome at a cost of £3.50.
If you would like any further information about P.A.W.S. please ring any of us on any of the following numbers. Alice 01206 735510, Jane 01206 735004, Julia 01206 735053 or Sue 01206 735212.
It just remains, on behalf of the committee, to wish all our members and visitors a Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Alice
At our meeting on Tuesday 22nd November, we had a very entertaining and much travelled speaker. Roger St Pierrre was born in Dorset and grew up in Essex. At an early age he developed a passion for cycling and at the age of seven rode from Romford to Southend! The famous cyclists of his youth became his heroes and he longed to be one of them; his knowledge was so extensive that local journalists enlisted his help in identifying cyclists in races. At the age of 15 he was asked to write a regular column on cycling for the Romford Recorder and this later blossomed into a career in journalism lasting a number of years and including papers such as the Mirror, The Mail and the London Evening News. Work on Music for Pleasure led him to write about all the pop stars of the time like Jerry Lee Lewis, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Glen Campbell to name but a few. During his time as a music writer he met and wrote about many of the big names from both pop and classical music and travelled to America and beyond for interviews.
We don’t have a meeting in December but we do have our members’ Christmas Dinner to look forward to which is in the Balkerne Restaurant at Colchester Institute on Tuesday 13th December. Our next meeting is on 10th January 2012 when Rebecca Perry from Colchester Zoo is coming to talk to us. Membership is currently full but visitors are very welcome at a cost of £3.50.
41 members and 4 visitors, attended our October meeting when Catherine Steel came along with a collection of her Jewellery Designs.
40 members and 2 visitors, attended PAWS September meeting when Linda Scoles told them all about her “Around the World in 23 years”. Linda gave a very hilarious account about coming from a ranch on the Squilchuck Creek in America, and meeting her husband a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Airforce, before traveling with him on his various postings the first of which was in Guam in the middle of the Western Pacific Ocean. After spending three years there her Husband was posted to Vietnam so she returned to the States with their 3 children. Finally in 1971 they were thrilled when they got a posting to England and settled for 5 years in Great Barton and had another son, named Barton of course. They then returned to the States for a period of time before being posted back and settling in England. It was a very entertaining evening and PAWS are sure they will see Linda again with one of her other talks.
41 members and 18 visitors, in a wonderful creation of hats, attended our July “Great Britain Night” on the 26th July. We were welcomed with a glass of Pimms before being entertained by Singer Helen Abbey (pictured right) and Ted Beameant on the Piano with renditions from Summertime, Down at the Old Bull and Bush, A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square and Roll out the Barrel to name but a few. Hopefully something for everyone.
Between the music sessions we had a lovely selection of sandwiches and cakes made once again by talented member of the committee. The best hat, as judged by Helen and Ted, went to Marianne Smith in her own creation as seen on the left. It was another lovely evening.
As in previous years Colchester residents are now receiving a copy of the new 2011/12 recycling calendar in the post with their Council Tax bill. This year deliveries will be made between 9 and 18 March. The recycling calendar applies from April 2011 onwards unless you use communal recycling and rubbish bins. Please look out for your calendar and help Colchester recycle even more this year. The Calendar includes information on:
Peldon History Lectures, in association with Friends of St. Mary’s Peldon, present “Men of Bad Character – Farm burnings & rebellion” a story of hardship & discontent amongst farm workers in early 19th Century Essex as told by Jef Page.