Menu Tasting

28 August. One of the most important things about organising a Conference is getting the food right. It is not something that I feel can be left to chance, so I was first to volunteer to visit this year’s Conference Hotel, the Bristol City Centre Marriott, to taste different menu options, in order to arrive at our preferred choices for the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening of the Conference, which begins on 2^nd October (Only 1 month to go!). The plan was that the DG and I would  travel  there early today and in the evening we were to meet Mike and Becky Thorn at the Hotel for the menu-tasting. I didn’t know how extensive the Hotel’s menu was, so thought it best to starve myself for a couple of days previously, so I could make the most of all the steaks, pies, fish, salads, soups and desserts on offer.

                                     The Marriott Bristol City Centre

It is a couple of hours’ drive for us to get to Bristol, so I took the day off work , and the DG and I set off early to spend the day in the city. We arrived in torrential rain and found it very slow negotiating our way around the City, partly due to the weather and partly due to roadworks in several places.  This seems to happen every summer all across the country.  Us drivers look forward to the school holidays so that we can have more comfortable journeys on the roads, only to find that local councils decide this is exactly the right time to dig the roads up.

Our first call was a business visit to the famous Bristol Blue Glass factory and show room, where the DG wanted to purchase gifts for speakers and other VIPs at the Conference. Their glassware is beautiful, and consequently not cheap, but the DG skilfully negotiated a good discount for 18 items, and even found time to buy some jewellery for herself  (quelle surprise).

                                              Bristol Blue glassware

                                         Bristol Blue Glass shop

Literally across the road from the show room is a beautiful cemetery, called Arnos Vale, It is on a 45 acre site, where graves and memorials are laid out amongst  beautiful trees and wildflowers. There are woodland walks on good paths all year round, and organised events throughout the year.  If I lived locally, I think I would spend a lot of time here.

                                          The DG at Arnos Vale

The rain had stopped by now and the place looked magical in the sunlight, so we had a brief stroll through the grounds and visited the café for some refreshment. I didn’t want to eat much in view of the orgy of eating that was coming later, so I had a salad and a cup of tea. The DG, unfortunately,  ordered a panini which she didn’t enjoy much, so of course I was called upon to help out. Having eaten half of the DG’s panini as well as my own lunch I felt quite full, which was a bit of a worry in view of what was coming later.

                                                     Clifton Suspension bridge

                                            On the bridge

With the time remaining in the afternoon, we decided to visit one of Bristol’s greatest landmarks, the Clifton Suspension bridge. This spectacular bridge was constructed by Brunel in 1864, and crosses the Avon Gorge.  We started by crossing the bridge in the car, paying the £1 toll, then drove around to a free crossing and back up to the bridge through some super residential streets of stately Georgian houses,  parked as near as possible to the bridge and walked across it, admiring the dramatic views to the river Avon below us. In a park near the bridge, at the top of the cliff on the Bristol side is an 18^th Century Observatory (interestingly being sold by auction as a residential dwelling) which had, at the very top, a ‘camera obscura’.  A box on top of the building contains a convex lens and sloping mirror, which projects a panoramic view of the surrounding area onto a white surface inside a darkened room. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but it was fascinating to use this 16^th Century technology.

                                                        The Observatory

So then it was back to the hotel where we met up with Mike and Becky. Mike, who is the Conference Chairman had arranged for us to firstly meet up with Holly, the Hotel events manager, to run through our requirements for the Conference from day 1 through to a wrap up meeting when everything was finished on Day 4. Holly seemed very professional and efficient, and I think we all have great confidence in her. She was well prepared and on top of everything, even having researched our last Conference there in 2012 for the sake of comparison.

After our meeting, Holly introduced us to the Food and Beverages manager, (called Mark, I think), who was to guide us through the menu-tasting. He seemed rather young, but extremely knowledgeable, particularly about wine, which he said was self-taught.  It is said that you can tell you are getting old when the policemen seem to be getting younger, well the same seems to apply to Food and Beverages managers.

I hadn’t realised it, but this was also to be a wine-tasting, as Mark had 5 wines for us to try, from which we would choose two as table wines at the Gala Dinner.  The DG immediately offered to drive home, which meant I could sample the wines without fear.

                                                 Starters

Not  for the first  time, I had misunderstood what was involved in the menu-tasting. We weren’t going to eat our way through the whole menu, but Mark had selected four starters, four main courses and four desserts.  We would each sample some of each dish, which meant that effectively the four of us would each have the equivalent to one of each; in other words  a regular-sized meal. This was actually a relief to me, in view of the larger than expected lunch I had eaten. The starters included one soup of a fishy nature, gravadlax with a fishy terrine, vegetarian ravioli and something that looked like a scotch egg. The mains included roast mackerel, a Thai vegetable curry, Roast lamb and Roast beef.  Puddings were a berry cheesecake, a chocolate mousse, apple pie with custard, and cheese and biscuits.

                                    2 Main Courses

                                        2 more main courses

I had forgotten that Becky Thorn is actually a food writer and critic, who has published 3 books of her own on cookery, has appeared on Masterchef (she didn’t tell anyone until afterwards) and has another TV booking shortly, to discuss school dinners. Needless to say, she had some strong views on the dishes we were tasting, and made some suggestions to the deputy head chef, who came out to discuss the meals with us. Personally, I found it difficult to choose, because I am easily pleased, and frankly I enjoyed all the meals that were presented to us. Also, with the wines, I didn’t really experience the different tastes and flavours that Mark described to us, although I think Becky, with her more sophisticated palate, certainly did.

                                                   Desserts

In the end, after much eating and discussing, we decided on two starters, mains, and desserts, and also a bottle of red and a bottle of white. These will appear on the menu of the Gala Dinner at the Conference. I won’t divulge them now, as I don’t want to spoil things for the rest of the Conference committee, but I am confident it will be a very good dinner.

It was nearly 10 o’clock by the time we finally bade farewell and started on the journey home, with the DG driving along a mostly quiet M4. On the way home we picked Daisy up (Linda had kindly looked after her for the evening) and finally got back home at around midnight.

Shepperton Aurora

27 August.  A momentous day today as I undertake an official visit of my own club, Shepperton Aurora, accompanied, of course by the DG, and I take my rightful place at the top table, with President Pauline.

The club was chartered some 17 years ago, when it was felt that the local area could support  a new breakfast – meeting Rotary Club. The club has grown slowly over the years to the present position, where we have around 30 members, almost 50% of whom are women. This is quite unusual in our District, and possibly throughout the UK, where most clubs have a much lower proportion of women members. I think  Rotary clubs that meet for breakfast are more popular with working people, as the meeting doesn't interfere with the working day, and there is no evening commitment.

                                           Bridge Hotel

                                                 Chertsey Bridge

Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club meets at the Bridge Hotel, which is actually just across the border in the neighbouring town of Chertsey.  Whilst some members have questioned why we meet outside of Shepperton, I always argue that at least we can see Shepperton across the river from the Hotel.  The Bridge Hotel in Chertsey welcomed us with open arms at the beginning of January this year, when we had to leave our previous venue due to the Company operating it having gone into liquidation. We didn’t get off to the best of starts at our new venue, as our arrival there coincided with very bad flooding along our section of the River Thames. Although the Hotel itself was not inundated, its car park and the road outside was flooded, and the bridge closed for several days. In fact Chertsey made the National news when a novel flood defence system, nicknamed the ‘Chertsey sausage’ protected some properties from flooding. Created by the firm Aquadam it was positioned in the middle of the road just outside the Hotel.

                                       The Chertsey Sausage

I think the DG was a little more nervous than usual for this meeting.  It’s probably more difficult to ‘visit’ your own club than any other, as people obviously know you better. However she settled into her routine quickly and questions of  ‘Why did you join Rotary?’ were responded to with enthusiasm, and we all probably learned something about each other that we hadn’t previously known. For instance I hadn’t realised how many members joined the club in the early years through the personal introduction of Des Mulvany. He responded to an advert in a local newspaper to join a new Rotary club, and invited a number of his friends along, many of whom are still with us.

                          The view from the Hotel dining room

Another (now former) member who introduced many new members to the club was Denis Fuller. After he retired from business he transferred to Farnborough Rotary club which is much closer to his  home. However we were pleased that he, and his lovely wife Carol joined us today for my official visit. His reason for joining Rotary was partly a business reason, as he pointed out that historically Rotary was an opportunity for local businessmen to network with each other. This doesn’t happen so often nowadays in the UK, but Denis told us that in other parts of the world people still join Rotary for business reasons.

                                            The DG and president enjoy their breakfast

I thought one of the best reasons for joining Rotary came from Norma Kent, one of our more recent members. She said that when visiting the club before she joined, she enjoyed being kissed by so many men before breakfast in the morning. Interestingly, she said, since joining the club, she doesn’t get kissed any more. I’m not sure that is correct, as I’m sure I gave her a kiss about 3 weeks ago when the DG wasn’t looking, and I have made a diary note to give her a kiss once a month from now on.  Never let it be said that the Consort doesn’t look after his fellow Rotary members.

Incidentally, when asked by Carol Fuller, the DG declined to give her reasons for joining Rotary. This, she said would feature in her address to the District Conference next month, and she didn’t  want  to divulge it beforehand.

                                      A more formal photo of President and DG

Predictably, our meal that morning was a full English breakfast served from the buffet, including sausage, bacon, tomato, baked beans, fried bread, fried egg, black pudding and mushrooms. It wouldn’t be wise to have such a breakfast every day of the week, but I think once a week shouldn’t do me any harm.

Camberley with Ash & Blackwater Valley

19^th August.  For the first time I visited 2 clubs at the same time tonight. The Rotary Club of Camberley (25 members) were joined by their neighbours Ash & Blackwater Valley Rotary Club (14 members), for this official visit, at which I was accompanied by the DG. The local Rotaract club were also represented, with their president  Will Wright attending with two  Rotaract members.  Camberley Rotary Club  meet at the Camberley Cricket club, situated in a very pleasant, leafy part of the town. Their president Chrissie Lawson, who is in her second consecutive year as President  (I didn’t ask why), met us as we arrived by car. A parking space had been blocked with traffic cones, and I hadn’t realised the space was reserved for us until Chrissie pointed it out. By that time the DG was already in the building.  The clubhouse is a fine, modern-looking building, and the dining room where the club meets is on the first floor, with a panoramic view of the cricket pitch. Fortunately there was a lift up to the first floor for the DG’s use.

                       Camberley Cricket Club

We were soon joined by members of Ash & Blackwater Valley club, including president Andy Paterson. They are a small club but have recently held a very successful membership push which has significantly increased their numbers.  I was looking forward to asking how this was achieved, in case it is something that my own club could replicate.  They told me that there were 2 stages to their campaign. Firstly selected areas and housing estates were targeted with a leaflet campaign, which itself produced one or two members. Stage 2 was quite a shock to me, in that  it involved ‘cold-calling’ these same selected areas. Members actually went and knocked on doors to tell residents about Rotary and inviting them to one of their meetings. I thought this was immensely brave, and I doubted whether I could persuade my club to do something similar. However, a number of new members joined directly as a result of this initiative, so it proved to be a very worthwhile exercise.

                         Cricket pitch seen from clubhouse

Earlier in the day, the DG had informed me that Camberley Rotary Club have some distinguished honorary members. It seems that none other than the Earl and Countess of Wessex are in this category, as is former Education Minister Michael Gove.  None of them attended this meeting, which was a little surprising, as it was probably the last chance they would have to meet me during this Rotary year.  Perhaps they got their diary dates mixed up.

                                    Earl & Countess of Wessex (not my picture)

 I have actually met, and spoken to both Prince Edward and Sophie before, and found them to be entirely down to earth and charming. They were both present at a reception for Surrey finalists of Young Enterprise that I attended some years ago, when I was an adviser to the Young Enterprise team at Bishop Wand School. As Prince Edward walked past me I shook his hand, determined to engage him in conversation, and told him that I was an adviser. ‘Which school are you with?’ he asked, not unreasonably. ‘Actually, my school was eliminated in an earlier round, so didn’t make it to the final.’ I replied, ‘Oh well, better luck next year,’  he said and there followed one of those awkward moments when neither of us could think of something else to say. He solved this problem by walking off.

                              Camberley President with DG and a Rotaractor

 I met Sophie at an official visit (hers, not mine) to a charity called CAMEO in Shepperton, which provides respite care for relatives of those suffering from dementia, and she was their patron.  CAMEO looked after my mother one day a week for a couple of years. In a private conversation with half a dozen or so carers, including my brother Alan and me, the Countess seemed to understand the problems of being a carer, and agreed with my views on the subject. I can’t actually remember what my views were, but she was very sympathetic towards them.

                        The DG in full flow

Back at the Rotary meeting, as we sat down to dinner I found, seated on my right, a Camberley member, Colin Williamson, with whom I had a lively discussion about members’ classifications, which means their occupations. One of the long-standing rules of Rotary has been that no club can have two members in the same occupation (or classification).  In theory therefore if, say, a teacher wanted to join Rotary, they would be prevented from doing so if there was already somebody amongst the membership with the same classification i.e. a teacher.  At one time this would have been an unsurmountable problem, but in recent years, practical ways round the problem have been frequently used. For instance a teacher could be a headmaster (or headmistress), he could be a secondary school teacher, a primary school teacher, College or University lecturer. I’ve not seen it happen, but presumably this could be further broken down to secondary school teacher (History) or (Art). So there is always a way round the problem if you are prepared to think outside the box.

                                        Members mingle

The conversation was sparked when I noticed that all Camberley members included their classification on their name badges.  Colin’s badge indicated that he was a ‘Feline Hospitality Executive’, in other words he ran a cattery (The Three C's cattery in Camberley). In the unlikely event that another cattery owner wanted to join the club, they would be unlikely to clash with Colin’s classification. The DG has since told me that the requirement for only one member per classification has been dropped now, another example of Rotary moving with the times and becoming less hidebound.

                                 Heated discussions

On my other side at dinner was Will, the Rotaract President. Rotaract is basically Rotary for young people, with an age range of 18-30. It is always hoped that Rotaractors will join their local Rotary club when they reach 30, but it doesn’t always happen.  Will told me about some of the fun things they do, which include getting involved in the local community and raising funds to support local charities. They go on long cycle rides, climb hills and go on long walks to raise money.  It all seems a bit energetic for me. He did however invite the DG and me to an event they are running later this year, intriguingly called Game Show Mash Up.  This doesn’t sound quite so exhausting, so we have agreed to attend. No doubt I will report on it at a later date. It is appropriate that the local Rotaract Club attended the evening, as the DG is actually the RIBI Rotaract liaison Governor, whatever that means.

The dinner itself was easily the best Rotary meal I have enjoyed for some time, and certainly the best so far during this, my Consort year. Generous slices of roast pork were accompanied by superb roast potatoes (I am a connoisseur of these, let me tell you), cauliflower cheese (another of my favourites) and shredded cabbage with bacon. For dessert we had apple pie and custard. It was what I call a ‘proper’ apple pie, in that it was surrounded by pastry, not just a dish with a pastry lid. I would be happy to go back to Camberley Rotary club any time.

The club has an unusual element to their meetings which I have not encountered before, which is a 'joke of the week' slot, whereby a member stands up and delivers a joke. This week's was a very rambling joke about a couple of prawns, and I’m not entirely sure the punchline was worth the wait, but it was an interesting additional element to the meeting.

                           Parade of the Presidents - Will Wright, Chrissie Lawson, DG, Andy Paterson

During her speech, the DG invited discussion and debate from club members, and boy, did she get some discussion and debate this time.  Individuals took the opportunity to speak passionately about  their views on a range of Rotary subjects, including how Rotary membership doesn’t seem to have the status it once held, and  PR, or lack of it. One gentleman, a long-standing member of the Club, spoke very eloquently about how he was concerned about moves to make Rotary more flexible, feeling that there must be rules. He was also against women joining Rotary back in the 1980’s, although he has accepted them since. The DG asked why he stayed in Rotary, to which he answered ‘I haven’t got anywhere else to go on a Tuesday evening’. Although discussions were heated at times, they were always respectful and in good humour, an excellent example of how such debates should be conducted.

Conference Committee

Every District Governor  has to organise a conference for their District during their year of office. I have met some DGs  who organise it themselves, with little or no help from anyone else.  Others have a small committee who do all the work between them.  Vivian has a committee of 16, which ensures that no-one has too onerous a job to do.

                                                                                          The District Governor

I think I have said somewhere before, that I am not a great committee person, mainly because  I don’t really enjoy the cut and thrust of debate.  I can rarely think of something relevant  to say about the subject in question, and when I do think up a ‘bon mot’ someone else usually says it before me.  As I’m driving home, however, I can think of all sorts of clever things that I should have said, but then it’s too late.  Because of this, I tend to avoid committees when I can.

                                                                             Conference Chairman Mike Thorn

I was however, happy to make an exception in the case of this year’s District Conference in Bristol, where I will be playing a leading role as Consort to the DG.  I did make clear at the very first meeting of this committee that I expected a suite of rooms to be at my disposal for the Conference, and this was agreed to.  The District 1140 Conference is in October, just two months away, but the committee has been meeting since September last year, making plans for all the different elements which are necessary for a good Conference. Firstly, we need attendees. There have been 300 or so registrations to date, which is a good figure, but the DG is hoping for nearer 400 by the end of September.  There is also a gala Dinner to organise, with entertainment .  We need  a good programme  of speakers for the sessions,  which start on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday morning. We need badges for delegates, delegate packs, refreshments throughout the Conference,  a menu for the Gala dinner, hosts for speakers and other VIPs, audio-visual  arrangements and many more issues that need to come together on that weekend.

                                              Peter and Sue Meldrum (Deputy Host and Rotary Showcase organiser)

So a good committee is absolutely essential, and fortunately the DG has a superb committee of  experienced Rotarians from her District to organise the event for her.  The meetings have almost all been at our house (one was at John Dumbrell’s when we were away) and we always prepare a hot dinner for attendees, some of whom will have come straight from work.  Sometimes I have cooked for the throng, sometimes it is the DG who is the chef, but on the evening of the actual meeting it is I that attends to serving up the meal, organising drinks etc.,  skilfully leaving the DG to attend the committee meeting.

                                                                         John Dumbrell, Conference Secretary

At last night’s  meeting,  Vivian had pre-cooked a bacon and chorizo ratatouille, and all I had to do was heat it up and serve it up with French bread. The best baguettes locally are found at Budgens, where freshly baked French ‘sticks’ are available all day for £1 each, and are still warm when I get them home. The main course was followed by a simple dessert of fresh strawberries and blueberries with cream.

                                                                                                      Baguettes

 Conference Chairman Mike Thorn, himself a Past District Governor,  was first to arrive, in fact he had sat outside in his car for a while before coming in, as he was worried about being too early. The DG scolded him for not coming in immediately. Mike, a member of Cheam Rotary Club, is a keen marathon runner, and last year ran the London marathon carrying a pair of Rotary wheels. He created a lot of interest from Rotarians watching the race. Unfortunately he doesn’t like dogs so we have to keep our Golden Retriever, Daisy away from him when he arrives. This can be difficult as her natural instinct is to greet all visitors with enthusiasm, particularly those who don’t like dogs. On this occasion Daisy had just been given her dinner when he arrived so she wasn’t interested in him at all.  Shortly after Mike came husband and wife team Peter  (Deputy Host) and Sue (Rotary Showcase) Meldrum. Peter and Sue are great organisers (Peter was this year’s RIBI Conference chairman) and good fun to be around. They like exotic holidays, in fact next month they are on a three week self-drive tour of Namibia.  Apparently there is a beach in Namibia where you can find diamonds just lying in the sand, but you are unlikely to get anywhere near it as it is under constant armed guard.

                                                                         Daisy is ready to pounce on her next victim

Margaret Martin is our Conference Registrar, and is very experienced at it, having done the job last year for the Jersey Conference, when I was Treasurer.  Andrew Ford is our Speaker Secretary, and does the important job of liaising with speakers, who can be a little temperamental at times. Both Andrew and Margaret are members of Ewell Rotary Club.

                                           Doreen Pipe on left (Sponsorship) and Andrew Ford (Speaker Secretary)

Andy Barnard, who is the current District Treasurer, is on the Conference committee as Stage Manager, and he will be responsible for getting every speaker on and off the stage at the allotted time.  Kevin Mack is the Health and Safety Officer (well, someone has to do it, and Kevin does actually seem interested in the subject, so should be a safe pair of hands). Owen Durrett, who is the current District Secretary (see the top people the DG has in her committee?), is responsible for producing the programme for the event.  Peter O’Keefe, who will be the first DG of the new District next year, also attends, although more as an observer than a participant.

                                                 Pauline Hedges and Doreen Pipe, collectively known as 'Paureen'

The DG has been well supported by her own Rotary Club, Shepperton Aurora, with several members and an honorary member of the club taking up roles on the team.  Sponsorship has been taken on by Pauline and Doreen, who are collectively known as Paureen, and they are certainly a good double act. They have secured £1500 in sponsorship so far, which is three times  last year’s sponsorship total.  John Dumbrell is Secretary to the Conference committee, and he regularly surprises everyone by sending out the minutes of a meeting before members get home from it. David Catt-Camfield volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies  for the event, something he is very good at, and he is always first choice as MC for Shepperton Aurora events. His long involvement with the Gang Show probably accounts for his relaxed manner and presence when speaking to a large audience.  Sadly however he had to step down as Conference MC this week for family reasons. The DG is looking for another MC,  but David will be hard to replace.

Joe Delahunty, one of the best organisers at Shepperton Aurora, will be chief steward at the conference, and will be responsible for a team of stewards who will ensure the event runs smoothly, and that everyone knows where they are supposed to be.  Ron Enticott, our honorary member, will be Conference Treasurer this year. As a Chartered Accountant I wouldn’t expect him to struggle in that role.

                                                                       Andy Barnard, centre, (Stage Manager)

I will not divulge  too much of the content of our discussions here, as I don’t want to pre-empt the official Conference programme, which will be published in September. Suffice to say that a lively and informative final Conference for District 1140 is planned, with top-quality speakers and a party atmosphere throughout.

The Conference programme is now in place, and  the running order for our speakers has been agreed, with each session finishing on a high note from a particularly entertaining speaker. I have noticed that there doesn’t appear to be a slot for my keynote speech ( I will need at least 40 minutes) but on reflection they are probably saving the Conference highlight for the gala Dinner, so I haven’t  said anything to anyone yet.

                                                             Margaret Martin (Conference Registrar) with the DG

During the meeting there was a bit of a misunderstanding over the subject of Conference bags, which will be given to delegates as they arrive, and will be filled with information and freebies. The committee wanted a good quality bag that members could re-use, and it was mentioned that the bags would carry a logo as well as the Rotary symbol. At this point Doreen objected, saying that she was happy with the Rotary wheel, but didn’t like bags with other advertisements or messages, as she wouldn’t use them.  However she had missed the fact that Ron Enticott was actually sponsoring the bags, so quite reasonably wanted his logo to appear. When this was pointed out to her she happily retreated.

                                                                    A Conference bag

One thing that hasn’t been decided yet is the menu for the Gala Dinner. A select tasting committee which includes me has been delegated to visit the hotel in Bristol in a couple of weeks to sample a few dishes before deciding on the menu choices. I am looking forward to that. We shall probably leave home early and visit the famous Bristol Blue Glass shop en route to the hotel, to purchase gifts for Conference speakers and VIPs, such as myself.

                                                               Bristol Blue Glass

The meeting was conducted in a relaxed atmosphere, all the food was eaten, and people stopped afterwards to chat, which I always think is a sign they are enjoying themselves. Between now and the next meeting the DG will try and drum up some more attendees for the Conference by contacting the presidents of clubs where registrations are down compared to previous years. I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes……

Feltham Rotary Club

12 August, and the DG accompanied me on an official visit to Feltham Rotary Club, who meet in the Community Hall at the Fairholme Estate in Bedfont.  Fairholme Estate is a very unusual development of low-rental housing, built in the 1930’s following a generous bequest by Elizabeth Jones, a resident of Fulham.

                                                           The community hall at Fairholme Estate

 The attractive houses are positioned around a large quadrangle and communal garden, and there is a fine community hall which is available for hire. There are no in-house catering staff at the Assembly hall, so the Rotary club hire caterers, or sometimes cook the meals themselves in the well-equipped kitchen.

Feltham Rotary Club boast Immediate Past RIBI President (or IPRIBIP) Nan McCreadie among their membership, so in visiting this club, I felt I was moving in the appropriate circles for a Consort in my position.
 

As we turned off the busy Staines Road in Bedfont, and entered through the electric gates, it was like going back in time. We drove through the immaculately kept development, with manicured lawns and colourful flower beds and arrived at the Community Hall, a beautiful building which boasts a clock tower. We were warmly welcomed by members as we parked right outside the entrance to the building, and once inside the building we met their president Daphne Cass. This was one of the weeks where their usual caterer was not preparing the food, and so a member volunteered to do the cooking. This week it was none other than Nan McReadie in the kitchen, so I felt doubly honoured to have my dinner cooked by the IPRIBIP.

                                                                                 Nan presides over the kitchen

Nan had cooked a fine chilli con carne, with enough for seconds for me and also a home made blackberry and apple tart. It reminded me that I had been picking blackberries only a couple of hours before. They are very early this year, and I am keen on using them to make jam and pies, crumbles etc.

                                                                             The DG with president Daphne Cass

I found myself sitting next to an honorary member of the club, Eddie Menday, who is a local historian and journalist with the Hounslow Chronicle. He entertained me with  some fascinating stories about the area.  For instance during the First World War (a very topical subject this year), a number of Danish sailors were incarcerated in what is now Feltham Young Offenders Institution (formerly called Feltham Borstal). Apparently Germany had declared Denmark as part of its own territory, so consequently any Danes south of the Danish border in 1914 found themselves drafted into the German army. Some were captured by the British, and spent the rest of the war at the Borstal site. However, their treatment did not appear too harsh, as the Danes were regularly seen around Feltham and were rather popular with the locals. However, they were badly affected with the virulent flu pandemic which swept the country in 1918, and some of them died. Their graves can still be seen at the Young Offenders Institution.

                                                             More Girl Power - President, DG, Past RIBI president

Feltham is a small but very active Rotary club, with several members living some distance away. This I understand to be due to people joining the club as members when they were working in and around Feltham, although living elsewhere, and subsequently retiring from their businesses, meaning that few of them now live locally, and have to travel some distance to attend meetings. Philip Rowling, for instance, lives out to the west of the District, in the Camberley area, but is nevertheless one of their most active members.

The DG, as she has done in all her club visits to date, refrained from delivering a long speech, but instead asked members why they joined Rotary, and what they got from it (What is your personal dividend? She asked). This prompted a lively discussion during which some of the older members indicated that they originally joined for business reasons, as some years ago the Rotary club would have the great and the good of Feltham among its membership, such as Bank Managers, solicitors and business owners, large and small, so there would have been good networking opportunities for new members.

The most interesting response was from Fida Rahemtullah, who said his Rotary career started when he lived in Swaziland 50 years ago then continued when he moved to Mombasa, then finally to the UK. In both Swaziland and Mombasa he said that the communities were divided along ethnic lines, and did not mix. However in the Rotary Club, members were drawn from all communities and were able to work well together for the greater good.

Later, the DG fielded questions about the re-districting, which is to take at the end of her year, when District 1140 (ours) is due to merge with District 1250, which covers the rest of Surrey and continues south to the coast. Members seemed to be happy with the DG’s departure from the usual format of a DG visit.

The meeting ended with an unusual presentation to Nan McCreadie from Daphne.  A beautifully ornate teapot, shaped like the world globe was originally presented to Feltham club some 8 or so years ago, in recognition of their efforts in selling tins of Yorkshire tea, which was a Rotary initiative to raise funds for, I think, the Polio campaign. Apparently Feltham raised more than any other club in the District, and were rewarded with this ornate teapot, one of only 500 ever made. It became known in the Feltham club as the Eric Cass trophy, in memory of Daphne’s late husband, and was awarded each year to the ‘naughtiest’ member of the club.  I’m not sure what  Nan did to win this trophy but she must have been very naughty indeed.

                                                                               Nan receives the Eric Cass Trophy 

Petanque

Thursday 31^st July. I attend the annual boules match between Shepperton & Sunbury Rotary Club and Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club. The competition has been going for 5 years – ever since we discovered the superb boules playing area behind the Bell Inn in Old Charlton Road.

                                                                                                      The Bell Inn

The funny thing is, when I worked in Shepperton years ago, and later when I worked in London  I used to walk past The Bell to get to work, or to catch my train. It seemed a pleasant pub, always well maintained, and invariably had a superb summer display of flowers in hanging baskets outside. On the occasional time that I ventured inside it seemed tiny, with two small bars no bigger than the average front room, which were later knocked into one.  At no time did I have any idea that there was a huge garden behind the pub with a boules (correctly called petanque) playing area beyond that.

                                                                                    Scores are thoroughly checked

We were looking for revenge tonight, as Shepperton & Sunbury had won the Bell trophy for the three previous years. The format for our competition is that each club provides teams of two players, who have 4 boules each and the winner is the first team to reach 5 points. This format keeps the games of short duration, so that everyone who wants to can have several games.  We start at around 5.30 p.m. with food brought out at about 8 p.m. then we add up the scores and award the trophy to the winning club as the sun sets over the fields behind the pub.

                                                                              Has anyone got a measuring stick?

Obviously, as Consort to the DG, I felt under additional pressure to do well, as all eyes would have been on me whilst I was competing.  It wouldn’t do for the Consort to let the side down. I played in three games in all (not as many as some others, but I had official duties to perform in terms of making myself available for other Rotarians to speak to me).  Gill Fawcett was my partner for the first match, and we comfortably won 5:1. Next game I partnered John Dumbrell and we won 5:0. This was easy, I was thinking. In my third match, during which I partnered Jenny Steptoe, we quickly raced to a 3:0 lead, then never won another point, losing 5:3. Despite that calamity, I think I made my contribution to the team effort.

                                                                      I give a masterclass in how to play the game

An excellent buffet was served later, including sandwiches and chips, with more constantly being brought out. Everybody was very complimentary about the food this year, which we all agreed was better than in previous years. I think most people appreciated the ‘Consort Effect’ whereby everyone seems to try a bit harder when I am present.

                                                                                       Which one's mine?

                                                                           Eric presents trophy to a proud Pauline

After the food, scores were counted up, and we discovered that Shepperton Aurora had won! Obviously my contribution had been decisive, and I spent the rest of the evening making sure everybody realised this. I think they were grateful to me.  The ceremony was short, with Eric Painter, president of Shepperton & Sunbury handing over the Bell trophy to our own Pauline Hedges.  Although I was actually more senior to Pauline, who is only a President, I was happy for her to receive the trophy on behalf of the club. I did try to have my photo taken with the trophy afterwards, but the bell itself seemed to have disappeared, and I was left just holding the base. In future years, I expect the trophy will be renamed the Consort's Cup.

West Byfleet Live

On 25 July I accepted an invitation for a solo appearance, without the DG being the centre of attention.  Finally, I thought I can show my qualities as an A list celebrity, making a high profile appearance at a big event. I wasn’t sure what would be expected of me, whether I was to open the event, or perhaps present some awards and prizes, or perhaps just to give a few well-chosen words by way of a motivational speech. However I was entirely confident that I could rise to the occasion whatever my duties would be.

The event, called West Byfleet LI:VE (I don’t know why it’s spelt that way) was organised by our Rotary club president, Pauline Hedges on behalf of the West Byfleet Business Association, so obviously she would know the value of having a VIP of my status in attendance. I expected there would be a Hospitality tent where I would meet other dignitaries over a glass of wine and some vol-au-vents, and offer encouragement to the organisers. However it didn’t quite work out like that.

When I arrived at the venue, I found it was being supported by a number of our club members who were acting as volunteer stewards, including David Williams, Doreen Pipe, and Norma Kent and I expressed my approval for their sterling support. There was nobody specifically assigned to greet me, which I was a little surprised about, after all it is little details like this which set quality events apart from the others. David was good enough to point out the control centre to me and I found my own way there.

                                                                                             Pauline and Fiona

Pauline and her daughter Fiona were found at the nerve centre, organising the whole event, and after giving me a hi-viz jacket to wear (I wondered why it was necessary for me to wear one – surely the whole point of having a VIP in attendance is that they should stand out from the crowd, not look like everybody else) I was shown outside. Perhaps now I will be taken to the hospitality tent, I thought. But no, I was then handed a black sack and a litter picker and directed to a far corner of the field to commence work.  After initial shock, I thought ‘What a brilliant idea, to show that the Consort to the DG could do menial work just like other people. Now I could hold my head high among the locals’.

                                                                                      Not quite what I was expecting

The event was situated on a huge field in West Byfleet, alongside the parish church, with the control centre being on the upper floor of a sports pavilion. At the far side of the field was the Funfair, an excellent one, with dodgems, scary rides and a hall of mirrors among other entertainments. In front of the Funfair were various food outlets offering such tempting delicacies as paella, Fish and chips, and the ubiquitous burgers and sausages. On Saturday, a large lorry trailer would be positioned as a stage for various local bands to perform on. Also, in front of the pavilion, there would be a giant screen positioned, as the film Dirty Dancing was to be shown in the evening.

                                                                               The fairground on Friday evening

As I took a break from my litter picking I wandered among the food outlets to find something for my dinner, and was pleasantly surprised to come across Lisa Schoeman (a former member of our Rotary Club) with her husband Henri running their South African food stall, Henri's. I bought one of their excellentboerewors sausages in a roll. To wash it down I was offered a free cup of tea by the charming lady running the next door stall, Rio's Diner. It seems that wandering around with a litter picker and black sack has its advantages.

                                                 Rio's Diner, where the kind lady took pity on a poor litter collector

One thing that did amaze me was that I could walk along one area and clear any litter that I see, only to turn round and go back the same way, and find a load more litter deposited on the ground within minutes. Apart from plastic bottles and tins that one might expect, I was amazed that some family had eaten a whole cardboard packet of biscuits, and when they finished it, just dropped the empty packet on the ground, a few yards from a litter bin. What must their home look like?

                                                                          I was frightened to walk past this ride

I thought it was time for a break so I joined David Williams, who was sitting at one of the entrances to the field, counting people as they came in. I wonder if he realised that there were three other entrances that weren’t being covered by anybody, so probably only 25% of the visitors were actually being recorded. I fetched us both a pint of London Pride from the beer tent (he insisted on paying) and he regaled me with stories about some of the colourful characters who used to come into his car spares shop, including someone who asked for 5 pounds of sausages.

                                                                               Pauline gives David some instructions

After a bit more desultory litter picking, my 2 hour stint was over, and I went back to the control centre to clock out. Pauline and Fiona thanked me for my efforts, and off I went. I never did find the Hospitality Tent.