We have moved.

Our first meeting at Manston Court in June resulted in eight new members, and with the great interest being generated in the Society it was clear to us we were soon going to outgrow the TV Room.

We discussed alternatives with the staff at Manston Court who offered us facilities in the main lounge, for which we are very grateful, but there were significant drawbacks to using the lounge as our meeting place, so the idea of it was put on the back burner.

Then came the 11 July meeting, and we were informed the TV Room would not be available to us. agaion we were offered the lounge, but our programme had been arranged around using the visual aids available in the TV Room, and so we held the meeting at Lords Hill Church Hall, where  similar equipment exists.

It was a happy choice as the extra space of the hall proved invaluable, and given the very fine facilities, our members voted overwhelmingly to hold future meetings at the church hall, and that is what we will do.

We are committed to carrying out visits to sheltered housing units in and around Lordshill, and this we will do, with the first visit being to Erskine Court, Lordshill, on Wednesday 14 July, when the 11 July programme will be repeated, that is  'Ladies Fashions at Wimbledon Over the  Years', and 'The Old Railways of Hampshire' 

It is thought a 'Repeat Programme' will become the pattern for our visits, but we will take a rain check on that - see how it goes at Erskine Court.  A routine will evolve.

The programme for 8 August will start with a talk on 'The History of Beer Brewing' by our Chairman, with the main talk being 'Minden Day' by Major Michael Humme, MBE.

I am delighted to report that when your Secretary presented our Chairman, the Rev, Robert Sanday with a choice of three subjects relevant to the month of August:   The Edinburgh Festival, the National Eistedfodd. and mentioned 5th August as being 'International Beer Day', he unhestatingly opted for 'The History of Brewing'.   We do get our priorities right.

Minden Day is celebrated on 1st August by six regiments of thre British Army, and commemorates the Battle of Minden in 1759, during the Seven Years War, when on the march to the scene of the battle the troops plucked wild roses and put them in their hats.   What was to become the Royal Hampshire Regiment was at Minden, and in 2002 the wild rose beame the flower symbol of Hampshire, happily complimenting the heraldic rose symbol of Hampshire which has been in use since the fifteenth century.

We have booked a fifteen seat bus for a visit to the New Forest and a pub lunch on Friday 9 September.   Members are asked to please make reservations as soon as possible in case we need to arrange additional transport.  We will also need to know numbers by mid-August in order to book at a suitable tavern for lunch.   Cost will be £6 per person for transport, with lunch and drinks extra, which of course will vary accorcing to personal choice.

Bye for now,

John Gurney,
Hon. Secretary.