We’re Back, by Popular Demand !!

At the last reunion in Scarborough a vote was taken on when and where the next reunion should take place.  It was a majority decision to only wait a year before meeting up again and  the Lindum Hotel in St Annes was our unanimous choice of venue.    So here are the details:-

Dates for your Diary:  Friday 27th  to Sunday 29th  April 2007
Price:  £ 97.00 pp 2 nights dinner bed and breakfast and  including Sunday Lunch.
Sea view supplements £5.00 pp per night

*Please note that some rooms do not have lift access so check when you book.* A booking deposit of £15 pp will be required and is non returnable.

The Lindum Hotel is holding 15 single and 10 double/twin rooms for our use for a few months, after that they will revert back to the general public so an early booking is advisable if you know for sure that you will be attending. On the other hand, if you cannot commit until nearer the time, the chances are good that you could still get  in at the Lindum and if not there are several more Hotels close by.  As before, all bookings should be made directly with the Hotel, Tel: 01253 721534  Please make sure that you  tell them that you are with the Barton Hall Party  to ensure the special price. If you cannot commit to the whole weekend, please feel free to join us for a part of the weekend, either an overnight stay or  just pop in for dinner and drinks. Whatever you can manage. The regular gang would love to see some new faces and indeed some faces from past reunions which have been missing over the last couple of years.  Already,  we have a Saturday  outing being organised by Kath Sey and if all goes according to plan it will be very special.  More details in next newsletter around Christmas. Also Pete Garbutt and his wife Christine  have come up with a great  fund raising idea  which will be revealed at the Reunion so bring your chequebooks—cash is also acceptable!!!!  Paul Austin has suggested a Quiz Night  for the Friday and is happy to organise it if Pat will let him –she would rather be taking part! There will of course be the old favourites of  the Bring and Buy as well as Ron’s Raffle organised by Kath .

Is it for You? Here is how the last one went.

Scarborough Reunion  April 2006

This was a great weekend, though there were a few familiar faces missing due to  illness, other commitments and  better offers elsewhere—like free trips to America. We’re good, but not that good.  Val and I couldn’t wait so we booked a couple of  extra  days at the Hotel before the weekend just to get the holiday atmosphere, a sort of reunion aperitif.   Our “Grand Day Out” was a trip to Eden Camp which is a military museum laid out like  a barracks with  themed exhibitions in each of the 30 or so huts. All  very interesting. There was a Mess where the grub was pretty decent and a  bar -though when I visited it there didn’t seem to be any barmen about. Our coach driver was Hazel and you could almost hear the lads groaning when they first caught sight of her behind the wheel of the huge coach. However, she was a star. She took us the longer but more scenic route to Eden Camp and was such a smooth driver you could barely tell that you were moving.  Later, on the run over the spectacular north Yorkshire moors, Kath Sey needed  tickets for “Ron’s Raffle” taking place that evening and Hazel negotiated the very steep, narrow and  packed roads of Whitby stopping right outside a newsagents just for Kath.  Many of the lads commented on her prowess so I rang her boss after the weekend to let him know  how pleased we were with her driving skills and personality—a real credit to Coastal  & Country Coaches.   Paul Austin, once again, oversaw the bring and buy -driving some very hard bargains- and together with the proceeds of that and the raffle, next year’s outing should be paid for. We had more new faces this year, Pete Garbutt and his wife Christine travelled up from Rhos on Sea, Grant Macintosh made a very brief appearance for the  Friday night but promised to come for the whole weekend next year. . Also Jim and Dorothea   Quinn joined us for lunch on Sunday. Jim was never stationed at the Hall  but contacted me a few years ago when trying to get a reunion group going for  Air Traffic Control at RAF Gloucester. He had hoped that there might have been some ex colleagues amongst our group. He checks our website from time to time and   has been in touch frequently with me ever since even sending us copies of the Teleprinter “Christmas Cards”.  Overseas visitors this year  were Dave Brown and  wife Fran - their second  reunion.  Diane  Nelson—now Kelly who has attended all  the reunions travelled from California. See—we must be good! The usual suspects got up to the usual shenanigans and Dot Foden (Roberts) kept us all entertained  throughout the weekend. One question for Dot though. What was the “thingy”  buzzing and vibrating in your suitcase?? Your excuse about toothbrushes somehow didn’t convince anyone and the photographic evidence is inconclusive. Everyone at Scarborough is already looking forward to next year at the Lindum. There was a very positive feel to this year’s event,  and  great enthusiasm for ideas for improving the weekend.   We are a happy little band but would dearly love for more people to join us. We are back on our own turf next year so it is an opportunity to visit some old haunts and renew past friendships.   Take a leaf out of Bert Simm’s book, this gentleman is in his 80s and he came, alone, all the way from Wiltshire on the train   There was no one there from his era, but he made new friends and  had  a good time anyway.  There will be pictures of the reunion on the web site shortly—Ron Bretherton has promised me  a bunch of pictures on disc  and I have a couple from Beryl Pape (Wilton).