Category: Newsletter

Welcome

Welcome all to our Summer ’23 newsletter which I hope finds you all safe and well, but if not, then on the road to recovery.

Since last April we have had a wonderful cream tea at The Hartnoll Hotel, Bolham and our May lunch at The Belmont Hotel in Sidmouth where we were made very welcome with our own exclusive pre-lunch drinks room and a lovely meal.

We have all had some really good sunny days in June and none more so than for our Seaton Tram trip on June 7th which included a fine cream tea at Colyton Station Café.

In this newsletter you will find details of our Sidmouth Theatre visit (Wednesday, 30th August) to see a Farce; followed in September by a free Cream Tea at Powderham Castle Orangery (27th September) and in October by an informal Pub Lunch at The White Horse, near Aylesbeare (17th October).
Beyond that, we have the Bickleigh Mill Coffee morning with the opportunity of some Christmas shopping (15th November) and our usual Christmas Lunch at The Victoria Hotel in Sidmouth (7th December).

It is a full programme to see us through this year. Please do come and join us at one of these events which are either free or heavily subsidised.

Our finances are in good shape with a grant received this year of £3,748 from Head Office which we are keen to spend!

On a sad note, in Doug Drysdale we have lost a long-standing member and friend who was a “true Gent” in all he did and was a great supporter of our events. We have sent our condolences to his widow, Kath. For your information, Doug’s funeral will be on Thursday, 20th July at St. Peter’s Chapel, Exeter Crematorium, at 12.30pm.

On another note, your Committee is working hard to keep the Club going, finding new venues and things for us to do together, so if you have any bright, practical ideas, do let us know.

Finally, I look forward to seeing many of you at our remaining gatherings and wish you all a sunny, relaxing summer.

Best wishes.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

Secretary’s Notes

What a busy few weeks since our last newsletter! We have had an historic event with the Coronation of King Charles III and then, more recently, the Trooping of the Colour to mark his ‘official’ birthday in June. Whilst we watched them both on TV (in the comfort of our home), we thought that the procession and service at Westminster Abbey were very moving. And it was a privilege to witness ‘close- up’ this old, historic ceremony that now incorporates some modern touches.

As ever, the precision of movement of the troops, horses and carriages at the Trooping of the Colour are quite amazing and the King rode Noble, a beautiful mare with great skill and re-assurance on her first official duty. Thank goodness it was a fine, dry sunny day so the aeroplane flypast over The Mall and Buckingham Palace was seen in all its glory too as a finale. The CR formation was spectacular.

The on-going hot weather has produced the most wonderful display of roses, along with other summer flowers. The weeds have grown to enormous heights in the most inaccessible parts of our garden, and we have plenty to do outside when it is cooler, like early morning or evening! But, we do need rain.

Enjoy the summer months and I look forward to meeting some of you at our next event.

Best wishes,

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

Wellbeing

Grant
It will soon be Christmas!
Despite just passing the longest day, thoughts are now turning to Christmas.
The Bank Workers Charity annual grants are available – subject to means testing – with applications to be submitted by September 27th.
Details from their website – winter@bwcharity.org.uk or by phone – 020 3873 8510.

Vacancy
We still have a position available.
Delighted to welcome some ‘fresh blood’ to our friendly team.
Nothing too arduous, PLEASE contact me and I will be only too pleased to provide additional information.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Functions

Theatre visit – Wednesday, 30th August 2023 – Curtain up 8.00pm
Manor Pavilion Theatre, Manor Road, Sidmouth EX10 8RP

We propose to make another visit to the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth this summer to watch a performance of Robin Hawdon’s “The Mating Game”. This popular farce returns to the theatre as part of the 12 play Summer Season, having previously been staged here by Paul Taylor Mills in 2015.
A provisional booking has been made for 30 seats and we hope you will be able to come along and join us for this entertaining and enjoyable evening.
Tickets, formally priced at £19.50, are offered at just £8.50 each (after a theatre group discount of £1.00 has been applied and a further generous subsidy of £10.00 from our kindly Treasurer).

An application form for tickets is attached (click here)

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Free Cream Tea – The Orangery Cafe & Bistro, Powderham EX6 8JE – Wednesday, 27th September, 3.00pm

This is our third return visit to this venue and there are other shops on site and wonderful views of the River Exe. There is an adjoining large car park accessed from the A379 Dawlish road. Numbers are required for this event, so please let us know by Sunday, 10th September, at the latest, if you intend to come. Either ring Peter or Barbara Johnson on 01297 599086 or send an email to barbj@talktalk.net. We hope to see you there.

Tuesday, 17th October – 12.30pm
“Pub Grub Lunch” at the White Horse Inn, Woodbury Salterton EX5 1EP (A3052 – Exeter to Sidmouth road)

Following the success of last year’s “Pub Grub” event we are offering a repeat visit to The White Horse Inn this coming Autumn.

This Lunch will be restricted to 30 attendees on a first-come basis and we will be accommodated in the usual private room. The Proprietors do need to know our actual numbers and main course menu choices on this occasion by 3rd October. Unfortunately we cannot give a precise costing at the moment but expect the main course will be in the region of £16 (pre-subsidy).

We have selected a choice of six main course dishes from their (extensive) menu and there will be a choice of desserts from the board on the day.
Please note that members will be asked to pay their individual meal and drinks bill at the bar but those attending may expect a surprise subsidy from our generous Treasurer.

Please see the attached application form for details (click here) and complete and return slip to Barbara & Peter Johnson as soon as possible (or by e-mail if preferred) – no later than 3rd October please.

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Future dates for your diary:

Wednesday, 15th November Free Coffee Morning at Bickleigh Mill

Thursday, 7th December Christmas Lunch at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth

12th March 2024 Annual General Meeting and lunch at Swan’s Nest, Exminster

Look out for full details of these events in subsequent Newsletters.

Welcome

Welcome to the second newsletter of the year. I hope this finds you all safe and well, but if not, then on the road to recovery. We have had two events already, namely the coffee morning at the White Horse on 30^th March and our AGM in March at the Swan’s Nest, Exminster. A report on the AGM follows after these opening remarks.

Your committee has agreed to a full programme of events this year with three of them detailed later in this newsletter: That will be the free cream tea at the Hartnoll Hotel at Bolham (near Tiverton and the Knightshayes National Trust property) on 27^th April followed by our Spring lunch at the Belmont Hotel, Sidmouth on 23^rd May.  That lunch will be followed in June by a visit to the Seaton Tramway on 7^th June (back by popular demand!), which includes a free cream tea at Colyton Station café.

After that we will have a visit in August to the Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth, another cream tea afternoon in September (probably Powderham again) followed by an October Pub lunch. November will be coffee time at Bickleigh with some Christmas shopping and December is already booked at the Victoria Hotel in Sidmouth on Thursday, 7^th December. How about that to fill your diaries!

AGM Review

We held our 48^th AGM on 9^th March at The Swan’s Nest, Exminster where we were made very welcome by the staff and had a room to ourselves and a carvery lunch. Numbers were better than last year with 39 attendees booked in and the regular business was quickly done: All parties duly elected on, including a new committee member in Wendy Mitten. Ray Cavill’s Wellbeing report included his usual plea seeking an extra person to join his team of volunteers. We do need some help….so please consider volunteering to join us. The business was followed by a picture quiz which kept the “little grey cells” working in an enjoyable way. With my Chairman’s hat on I did the usual round of thanks to my Committee without whom this Club could not keep going and welcomed in 10 new active members to the Club this past year.

To all of you, please stay safe and healthy. I look forward to seeing you at one or more of our 2023 events.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

-o0o-

Secretary’s Notes

The clocks have changed so it must be Spring Time!  A ‘spring’ in our steps, perhaps too?

It is wonderful to see the trees budding up, the cherry/almond blossom and the magnolia flowers waving in the breeze – hooray. We are lucky that we have a good selection of daffodils and other spring flowers in our garden, but there is plenty of evidence of their presence in the area.

In February I went to Exeter Cathedral to see the GAIA (EARTH) created by artist Luke Jerram which proved to be quite an experience. The rear of the nave was dominated by the enormous globe of Earth suspended and rotating slowly from the rafters. At some seven metres (23 feet) in diameter it was awesome and was created by using High resolution NASA imagery of Earth’s surface. It might be an idea for a group club outing if they do another similar event.

In the meantime, we do hope you can come along to some (or all) of our proposed events! It is always good to meet up and a great way to catch up and renew our friendship in this special bank pensioner club.

Take care,

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

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Wellbeing

It was good to see so many of you at our AGM, and for those who missed out on my thoughts on the day, a very brief update!

Transport

A BIG thank you to those already providing support to enable those members to attend who would otherwise be unable to be with us. There was a plea for the EX1 area, and still grateful to receive a response to this.  Otherwise, please let one of the Wellbeing Team know if you would like a lift, or alternatively if you are able to give someone a lift. Please use the annual contact sheet that Carole has attached to this Newsletter.

Vacancy

From this you will still see that there is a vacancy for the EX1 postcode area, although you DO NOT have to live in this area, as contact is on the phone +/- email. As ever, full guidance will be given by me, with support from both the Wellbeing Team and the Committee.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

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Annual General Meeting

If you wish to see the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, please email Les Rendell – lesrendell41@gmail.com – or telephone him on 01884 254375 and he will send you a copy.

Following the Annual General Meeting, as is our usual practice you will find an updated list of Officers, Committee and Wellbeing Officers for 2023

-o0o-

Functions

Free Cream Tea – Hartnoll Hotel, Bolham, Tiverton  EX16 7RA – Thursday, 27^th April at 3.00pm

We are returning to the Hartnoll Hotel for one of our cream teas this year.  For those of you who have not been to this venue before, there is a free car park, everything is on the level and the scones (a mixture of plain and fruit) are delicious.

We do need numbers for this event, so if you are intending to come, please email Barbara or Peter Johnson on barbj@talktalk.net or peteraj@talktalk.net or telephone them on 01297 599086 by Monday, 17^th April.  Thank you and see you there!

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Lunch – Belmont Hotel, The Esplanade, Sidmouth  EX10 8RX – Tuesday, 23^rd May at 1.00pm

A return to the Belmont Hotel:  We haven’t been to the Belmont Hotel for a while and we are assured of a warm welcome.

Menu and Booking Form is attached (click here) for this lunch.  We have been requested to provide a seating plan for the lunch.  So, if you wish to sit with particular people, please indicate name(s) on your booking form.

You are able to pay for the lunch – £15.00 per person for members, guests £30.00 – by BACS transfer, rather than cheque, if you wish: Full details below.

Account Name: Exeter Spread Eagle Club

Account number: 10138878

Sort Code: 20-30-47

Ref: Your Surname

Your menu choices may be emailed as an attachment to Barbara and Peter Johnson rather than returning by post if you prefer by Friday, 12^th May.

However you still have the option of returning your booking form with a cheque, made payable to Exeter Spread Eagle Club, to Barbara and Peter Johnson by Friday, 12^th May.

Whichever method you choose, please also let Barbara and Peter know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy. 

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Seaton Tramway, Harbour Road, Seaton  EX12 2NQ and free Cream Tea at Colyton Station Cafe – Wednesday, 7^th June. 

As requested, another visit and ride on the Tram from Seaton to Colyton and return with a delicious free cream tea too!

Please advise Barbara or Peter Johnson on barbj@talktalk.net or peteraj@talktalk.net or telephone them on 01297 599086 if you wish to attend so the appropriate Tram can be secured for us and the correct number of scones may be ordered.

The Tram leaves Seaton Tramway Station at 2.20pm so please be at the Station by 2.00pm latest to collect your ticket(s).  The cost is £10 per ticket payable in advance in the usual ways to Barbara/Peter Johnson either by BACS (see details above) or cheque made payable to Exeter Spread Eagle Club by Tuesday, 23^rd May.   

The cream tea will be served at 3.00pm at Colyton Station Cafe and the return tram to Seaton leaves at 4.00pm, arriving back at approximately 4.25pm.    

A map of local car parks is attached for your information.  There is no parking at the Tramway Station.              

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Future dates for your diary:

Thursday, 7^th December            Christmas Lunch at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth

Look out for full details of further events in subsequent Newsletters.

Here is your first Newsletter of the year and a warm welcome to you all. I hope it finds you fit and well and “raring to go” to join us at the events of 2023.

This year we are preparing a full programme of events to hopefully include 4 lunches (including the AGM in March), 2 free coffee mornings, 2 free cream teas, a theatre outing and a revisit to the Seaton Tramway during the year.

To begin with we have our AGM on Thursday, 9th March at The Swan’s Nest near Exminster, meeting from 11.00am for coffee with the business part from 11.30am. This is a new venue; as before we have had great difficulty finding anywhere at a reasonable price prepared to take us. Full details provided later in this Newsletter.

The business part takes about half an hour and will be followed by a picture quiz relating to the year of 2022 prepared by “yours truly”. Do come and join us. We expect to break after the entertainment (!) for drinks at the bar from 12.30pm, with a carvery lunch being served from 12.45pm. See you there!

Booking details for the AGM are attached to this Newsletter with the menu options and reply slips. After that on 30th March we have our first free coffee morning of the year at The White Horse (usual venue on the Sidmouth road, near Aylesbeare) followed by a free cream tea in April and a May (Springtime) lunch.

Dates and venues for these and other future events will be announced at the AGM and in our Spring Newsletter.

With my other hat on, I can confirm that our finances remain in good health and we will be submitting our annual grant claim to Head Office which should see us maintain our lunch subsidies at 50% or better, with coffee mornings and cream teas free to members. As an example, the AGM subsidy to members is likely to be around 60%. A good incentive to be there! The annual accounts will be available as usual at the AGM .

Finally, please do visit our website for latest news and a write up of the Christmas lunch where we had 68 booked in to the Victoria Hotel at Sidmouth.

By the way as an additional plea (I say it each year), if there are any keen photographers out there, do take pics at our events and send them to Les Rendell (lesrendell41@gmail.com) for inclusion on the website.

Although it seems a little late, I wish you all a very happy, safe and healthy new year and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our events in 2023.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

Secretary’s Notes

A Happy New Year to you ALL and I hope you are keeping warm, dry and well.

As ever our January weather is proving unpredictable, from being mild to severe cold conditions, but isn’t it wonderful to see the days lengthening just a little bit each day? At night, an extra blanket under the bottom sheet certainly helps keep the bed cosy. Wearing layers seems to be a sensible option and, because I have short hair, my scarves keep my neck warm and they look cheerful too.

I hope many of you will be able to come along and join us for our first event of the year –the AGM and Lunch on Thursday, 9th March at The Swan’s Nest pub near Exminster. This is another new venue but is easy to get to by car and it is located just off the A379 from Exeter towards Powderham Castle. See the Booking form for full details.

If you would like to help us in organising events and sharing new ideas etc. then joining the committee is a good option! Do ask anyone on the committee for more information and we will tell you how we all work together as a team on behalf of your club.

Do please let me know if there any changes to your home and/or email address, thank you.

I look forward to meeting some of you at the forthcoming events.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

Wellbeing

May I start the New Year with a BIG thank you to my fellow Wellbeing Officers, as well as everyone else who assists and supports the Club in maintaining contact with all our members. An extension of this is the willingness of people to not only to maintain social contact, but also to provide a lift to those who would otherwise be unable to attend events.

I shall be echoing these thoughts at the upcoming AGM, but with an increasing number of our members no longer able to drive, thought that I should cover this now. A current need exists for the centre of Exeter, so if anyone is able to assist, then please let me know!

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Annual General Meeting

The Club’s Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday, 9th March 2023 at 11.30am at The Swan’s Nest, Exminster EX6 8DZ. There is plenty of parking available in the car park situated in the grounds. If you would like to come but need a lift, please contact one of our Wellbeing Officers who will do their best to find a lift for you.

This is a new, but known, venue for us and we are assured of a warm welcome. We do hope that you will join us for the short, but nevertheless important, meeting to be followed by a short Quiz. Lunch will follow at 12.45pm.

From Exeter/Countess Wear direction, take the Dawlish road (A379) at the roundabout. Continue along this road to another roundabout and turn left. The Swan’s Nest is signposted at this roundabout. From the Dawlish/Teignmouth direction, turn right at the roundabout at Exminster.

Access will be available for (free) coffee/tea and biscuits from 11.00am and we would ask that you are in your seats prior to the start of the meeting at 11.30am so that there is no distraction whilst we remember those who are no longer with us.

We have saved some costs by not including the Agenda with this Newsletter, planning to distribute on the day, but if any would wish for a copy prior to this, in print or electronically, we shall be happy to oblige.

Functions

AGM Luncheon

The Annual General Meeting and Quiz will be followed by lunch at the cost of £10.00, being subsidised from Club funds.

On this occasion we have opted for a Carvery meal with a choice of four meats OR vegetarian alternatives. This means that members will need to collect their food from the Carvery counter. Staff will be on hand to carry plates to your tables if required. We will not be serving wine, etc at the table this year so any drinks you wish to have, please purchase at the bar.

Please complete and return the enclosed booking form with your food choices and payment.

Whilst it would be appreciated if everyone would join us for the short AGM, should you be able to come along for the lunch only, then please do complete and return the booking form with your payment.

Please collect upon arrival your booking form showing your food choice and place on your chosen table before the AGM. On this occasion it is likely that, because of space restrictions, we will need to occupy our dining places for the whole of the day’s proceedings.

Date for your diary:

Thursday, 30th March, 10.30am – Free Coffee Morning at White Horse
Inn, Woodbury Salterton (A3052)

Future functions:

Full details will be available in the next Newsletter following the AGM, and will include coffee mornings and cream teas (free), lunches and one or two outings, so watch this space!

Barbara & Peter Johnson

barbj@talktalk.net
peteraj@talktalk.net
01297 599086

FINAL REMINDER — IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND THE
FREE AFTERNOON CREAM TEA at THE ORANGERY at POWDERHAM ON WEDNESDAY, 21st SEPTEMBER PLEASE BOOK NOW WITH BARBARA JOHNSON ON 01297 599086.

Welcome

Dear Members, I hope this “last of the summer” Newsletter finds you safe and
well. This edition is packed full of the details of the final three events of this
year, with two in November and one in December.

Since our May missive to you, we have lunched at the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel
(with mixed reviews), had a visit and cream tea at the Donkey Sanctuary (well
received!) and been entertained at the Sidmouth Manor Pavilion Theatre.
Thank you to all those who supported our events this year.

Now to the future.

As quoted above, we start on Wednesday, 21st September at Powderham
with the Autumn free cream tea afternoon. Details were in the May
Newsletter. Final numbers by 13th of this month.

October for many is a busy month with diaries full, so we have moved our Pub
Lunch experiment to Thursday, 17th November followed by the free coffee
morning at Bickleigh Mill on Tuesday, 29th November, where you can also do
a bit of Christmas gift shopping.

Finally, we finish the year at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth on Thursday, 8th
December for our usual Christmas luncheon.

FULL DETAILS ARE ATTACHED TO THIS NEWSLETTER SO PLEASE CONSULT
YOUR DIARIES AND SIGN UP. Better to do it straightaway, rather than leave it
till later and forget!

Your committee would love to see you at one or more of our final events of this
year where generous subsidies are available, thus keeping prices down at this
time of high inflation. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible!

Best wishes to all.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

-o0o

Secretary’s Notes

The days are drawing in and summer (and ‘that’ heat) is nearly a distant
memory. My hanging basket which is sheltered from the elements under the
porch has been very colourful with a trailing petunia and the poor grass, fields,
trees and plants are looking a little greener now thank goodness.

It was a shame our trip for a cream tea at the Donkey Sanctuary was a wet
last day of June – I must try and pick a better date next time! We do hope
you will be able to come on some (or all) of our forthcoming 2022 events. It is
always so good to see you.

We welcome Sandy Glover as a new member to our Cub and look forward to
welcoming her in person soon.

In the meantime, please take care of yourselves.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

-o0o

Wellbeing

Autumn has seemingly appeared overnight and it will not be too long until
Christmas! With this in mind:
Christmas Grant 2022
Applications are to be received by 28th October, BUT you need to register an
interest and obtain forms by 30th September. Contact Bank Workers
Charity, either online, or phone 08000 234 834. The maximum grant is £500,
although those in a care home are eligible to receive a maximum of £250.
In these increasingly challenging financial times, I will also mention the
following:

Annual Pension Increase

As you will all be too aware, inflation is now in double figures, but the Bank
pension increase is capped at 5% per annum and this is the amount that will
soon be formally advised. There are articles mentioned on the Towers Watson
website „living with high inflation‟, that may be of help.

Attendance Allowance or Carers Allowance

These may well be worth further research to explore your, or a partners‟,
eligibility.

Please feel free to talk further with one of our Wellbeing Team.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

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Functions

Thursday, 17th November – 12.30pm
“Pub Grub Lunch” at the White Horse Inn, Woodbury Salterton EX5
1EP (A3052 – Exeter to Sidmouth road)

We thought we would offer this new style event – less formal than our usual
“Hotel” lunches – and see if it proves popular.

The venue is already familiar to some through our occasional coffee mornings
and recent committee meetings have also been held here. We have then
stayed on for lunch and can fully recommend the quality of food and service.

This initial lunch will be restricted to 30 attendees on a first-come basis and we
will be accommodated in the usual private room. The Proprietors do need to
know our actual numbers and main course menu choices on this occasion by
11th November. Unfortunately we cannot give a precise costing at the moment
but expect the main course will be in the region of £16 (pre-subsidy).

We have selected a choice of six main course dishes from their (extensive)
menu and there will be a choice of desserts from the board on the day.

Members will be asked to pay their individual meal and drinks bill at the bar
but may expect a surprise subsidy from our generous Treasurer to those
attending.

Please see the attached application form (click here) for details and complete and return
slip to Barbara & Peter Johnson as soon as possible (or by e-mail if preferred)
no later than 10th November please.

-o0o

And a second menu for you to contemplate: this time for our traditional
Christmas Lunch at the Victoria Hotel, The Esplanade, Sidmouth EX10
8RY on Thursday, 8th December, 12.30pm for 1pm. Please complete and
return the attached booking form (click here) to Barbara & Peter Johnson by 21st
November at the latest with your cheque or confirmation of BACS transfer.

Account name: Exeter Spread Eagle Club
Account number: 10138878 Sort code 20-30-47 reference: Your Surname

Future functions:

Free Coffee Morning at Bickleigh Mill, EX16 8RG Tuesday, 29th November,
10.30am

Annual General Meeting and Lunch 9th March 2023
(provisional)

Barbara & Peter Johnson
barbj@talktalk.net
peteraj@talktalk.net
01297 599086

Welcome

Welcome all to our Summer ’22 newsletter which I hope finds you all safe and well, but if not, then on the road to recovery. Covid is still around, but where we should all be well protected.

Since last April we have had a wonderful cream tea at the Hartnoll Hotel, Bolham and our May lunch at the Harbour Hotel in Sidmouth. Numbers attending remain lower than in pre-Covid years and I hope will improve as the year progresses and we feel more confident to venture out.

The Club has received an unexpected bonus from Barclays of grant funds for 2022 at the same level as 2020 & 2021, namely £4,251 despite everything social being curtailed in each year. We thus have funds to spend on subsidising all social events this year and next to a considerable degree.

We now look forward to 3 events covered later in this Newsletter, being a free cream tea at the Donkey Sanctuary (near Sidmouth) on 30th June; a Theatre outing on 31st August at the Sidmouth Manor Pavilion Theatre for an Alan Ayckbourn comedy and in September another free cream tea afternoon at the Orangery, Powderham (21st September).

Into the Autumn, you can look forward to an informal pub lunch at the White Horse (near Aylesbeare); a coffee morning at Bickleigh (with Christmas shopping) and the annual Christmas lunch at the Victoria Hotel: Full details in the next Newsletter. That will give us 10 events for the year either being free or heavily subsidised.

I am pleased to welcome to the Club since the beginning of the year Eddie Gabriel from Honiton and very recently Sandra Glover, as active members.

Finally, I look forward to seeing many of you at our remaining gatherings and wish you all a sunny, relaxing summer.

Finance Update

The year started with £8,511 in our reserves to which the annual subscriptions have been added of £809 and the generous grant from Barclays of £4,251. Our budget allows for net spending of £5,400 on social events plus £1,060 on Admin and Wellbeing, leaving us with a budgeted shortfall of £1,400 for the year. I therefore anticipate a final balance at the year-end of £7,100.

That gives us a healthy position going forward into 2023 with the ability to continue generous subsidies. This year if you were to attend all events the subsidies will amount to over £100 per active member – not bad for a £5 subscription! Long may it continue.

Regards.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

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Secretary’s Notes

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through 2022 and it is lovely to be free of the many restrictions of the last couple of years. The days are long and the sunshine warm and the gardens and countryside are bright and colourful -a favourite time of the year for me.

June 2022 starts off with wonderful events and celebrations taking place in Great Britain and around the Commonwealth as Her Majesty the Queen marks her amazing Platinum Jubilee. What an achievement! We have been shown some super photos and film footage on TV, and of course, in magazines and newspapers etc. I hope (like me) you have enjoyed and probably remembered specific events over some of the seventy years, along with seeing unseen footage – a great privilege.

Our next (free) cream tea is at The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth on Thursday 30th June and we do hope you will be able to come along, please just let me know by 17th June for catering purposes.

We are enjoying more club events now, but some of our members may be put off from joining us because of travel difficulties. If you wish to come to an event but travelling is a problem, then please let me know (or one of our committee members) and we will try to arrange a lift for you.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

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Wellbeing

Sincerely hope that you have been able to enjoy the wonderful display of spring flowers, and that we can see some more of you at one of our upcoming functions. Thinking of this:

Transport?

As a committee, we are aware of the challenges that you may face in getting to some of our functions. We cannot promise to be able to solve this for everyone, but please contact one of us, or your Wellbeing Officer, and we shall see what we can do. Equally, we hope that if you are a regular attendee, you will be amenable to providing a lift to someone.

Take care,

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

-o0o-

Functions

Free Cream Tea – 30th June

We have arranged to have another free Cream Tea on Thursday, 30th June at 3pm. This time at The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm, Sidmouth, EX10 0NU and it is a new venue for our Club. An area will be set aside for us and there will be table service. There is plenty of free car parking and no entrance fee, and, of course, there are plenty of donkeys to view!

Please advise Barbara or Peter Johnson on barbj@talktalk.net or peteraj@talktalk.net or telephone them on 01297 599086 if you wish to attend, by 17th June, so the appropriate number of scones may be ordered.

Theatre visit – Wednesday, 31st August 2022 – Curtain up 8.00pm Manor Pavilion Theatre, Manor Road, Sidmouth EX10 8RP

For this year’s outing we have chosen a performance of “How the Other Half Loves” by Alan Ayckbourn and have reserved a block booking of up to 32 seats. This marks a return to the theme of comedy. The production will be performed by the usual visiting professional summer repertory company and produced by Paul Taylor-Mills.

Come and join us for what promises to be another enjoyable evening together.

A discount applies for our block booking and a further subsidy from Club funds means that on this occasion we can offer seats (maximum of 2 per member) at just £10.00 per ticket (the advertised price being £19.50) which represents excellent value (non-refundable).

We need to confirm numbers and make payment to the Theatre by 1st August, so if you would like to attend we need your confirmation and payment please (cheques payable to “Exeter Spread Eagle Club” ) or by BACs as soon as possible and no later than Friday 29th July. Please return the attached booking form (see below) to Peter Johnson, (by e-mail if preferred – peteraj@talktalk.net).

Future functions with some dates to be confirmed:

Free Cream Tea at Orangery, Powderham 21st September (confirmed)

Pub lunch at White Horse Inn, Woodbury Salterton October

Free Coffee Morning at Bickleigh Mill November

Christmas Lunch at Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth 8th December (confirmed)

————————————————————–

MANOR PAVILION – WEDNESDAY, 31st AUGUST 2022 at
8.00pm

“How the Other Half Loves” by Alan Ayckbourn

I wish to apply for …………… tickets (max. 2 per member)
I enclose my cheque for £………………. (£10.00 per ticket) payable to
“Exeter Spread Eagle Club”

Or – I have paid by BACS £…………….. (£10.00 per ticket)
(Account name: Exeter Spread Eagle Club
Account No: 10138878
Sort : 20-30-47)

NAME ………………………………………………………………………………
ADDRESS …………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Telephone No ……………………………………. E-Mail …………………………………

Please return to Peter Johnson, “Fairways” 98 Beer Road, Seaton, Devon
EX12 2PU or e-mail: peteraj@talktalk.net
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT NO LATER THAN 29TH JULY 2022

Welcome

Welcome to the second Newsletter of the year. I hope this finds you all safe and well, but if not then on the road to recovery.

We have had two events already, namely the coffee morning at the White Horse in early February and our AGM brought forward to 24th of February, instead of our usual date in March. A report on the AGM follows after these opening remarks.

Your committee has agreed to a full programme of events this year with two of them detailed later in this newsletter. That will be the free cream tea at The Hartnoll Hotel at Bolham (near Tiverton and the Knightshayes NT property) on 28th April followed by our Spring lunch at the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel on 24th May. After that I expect a June/early July outing of some sort, with a theatre visit in August, another cream tea afternoon in September (Powderham again?) followed by an October lunch. November will be coffee time at Bickleigh with some Christmas shopping and December is already booked at the Victoria Hotel in Sidmouth on Thursday 8th December. How about that to fill your diaries!

AGM Review

We held our 47th AGM at Downes Golf Club, Crediton on 24th February with lovely views across the course and watched what appeared to be all 4 seasons of the year pass by the panoramic windows of the clubhouse. Numbers were low at 28 attendees and the regular business was quickly done: all parties duly elected on, although we do have a vacancy on our committee and also on the Wellbeing team. We need some help… please consider volunteering to join us. With my Chairman’s hat on I did the usual round of thanks to my Committee without whom this Club could not keep going and welcomed in 10 new active members to the Club this past year.

Sadly our speaker, Alan Dodds was too unwell to join us that day and we wish him a good recovery. Instead, I produced a picture quiz to sort out
the “little grey cells” and Les Rendell tantalised us with his cryptic wonders. The time before a good lunch was therefore well used!

To all of you, please stay safe and healthy. I look forward to seeing you at one or more of our 2022 events.

Garry Adams, Chairman and Treasurer

Secretary’s Notes

Spring has sprung – at last! The blossom is wonderful, the flowers are opening and the trees are turning green again. We have had amazing weather during the end of March and I hope you have been able to enjoy some of the warm sunshine and blue skies. Of course, it couldn’t last and now we are back with cooler cloudy days – so, don’t pack away your winter clothes just yet!

Easter isn’t too far away and then we can look forward to our first (free) cream tea at The Hartnoll Hotel (near Tiverton) where their scrumptious scones will be served. I do hope you can come along.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

Wellbeing

I am writing this against a backdrop of rising Covid cases and the war in Ukraine. The positives for us are that we are able to celebrate and enjoy the Spring flowers and belated sunshine. Fingers crossed for an improving world situation and a good summer!

Wellbeing Officer

It was good to see some of you at our Annual General Meeting at Crediton and for those not present I will repeat my wish for another officer to
support our team. In the meantime, I shall continue to take responsibility for the Exeter area as well as my existing patch in Exmouth. If you are at all interested in offering support to our wider membership, then please have a word with me. It is not at all onerous!

Guaranteed Minimum Pension Equalisation

Some of you may receive a letter from the Trustee of the UK Retirement Fund about the above. If you do, it will only be good news as there will be a small adjustment to your pension. The qualifying criteria are very narrow so it will only be a few of us that are affected. I do have some additional information so, if necessary, please give me a ring. Use the “Contact Us” page on this website.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Annual General Meeting

If you wish to see the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, please email Les Rendell – lesrendell41@gmail.com – or telephone him on 01884 254375 and he will send you a copy.

Following the Annual General Meeting, as is our usual practice, you will see updated list of Officers, Committee and Wellbeing Officers for 2022 on the Committee page of this website. If you wish to be in touch with us please use the “Contact Us” page on this website.

Functions

Free Cream Tea, Hartnoll Hotel, Bolham, Tiverton EX16 7RA – Thursday, 28th April 2022 at 3.00pm.

We are returning to the Hartnoll Hotel for one of our cream teas this year. Those who have been to the Hotel for a Cream Tea before will remember it’s probably as well to bring a doggy bag as the scones are not small! We are made very welcome at this venue and there’s easy parking too.

We do need numbers for this event, so if you are intending to come, please email Barbara or Peter Johnson on barbj@talktalk.net or peteraj@talktalk.net or telephone them on 01297 599086 by Wednesday, 20th April please to let them know. Thank you and see you there!

Perhaps too this may be an opportunity beforehand to visit the National Trust property, Knightshayes, which is not too far from the Hotel and is well signposted.

Lunch at Sidmouth Harbour Hotel on Tuesday, 24th May at 1.00pm

Menu and Booking Form is attached (click here) for our next lunch. We are returning to the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel this year. Unfortunately there is now no parking at the Hotel, but there is a Pay and Display car park immediately opposite the Hotel in Manor Road. Drop off at the Hotel is possible. For this function we are giving you the option of paying for the lunch by BACS transfer, rather than cheque. Full details below.

Account Name: Exeter Spread Eagle Club

Account number: 10138878

Sort Code: 20-30-47

Ref: Your Surname

Your menu choices may also be emailed as an attachment to Barbara and Peter Johnson rather than returning by post if you prefer by Tuesday, 10th May. However you still have the option of returning your booking form with a cheque, made payable to Exeter Spread Eagle Club, to Barbara and Peter Johnson by Tuesday, 10th May please.

Whichever method you choose, please also let Barbara and Peter know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy.

Please collect upon arrival your booking form showing your food choice and place on your chosen table.

Future dates for your diary

Details of functions beyond May will be in future Newsletters. HOWEVER – “Hot off the press!” We have arranged to have another free Cream Tea on Thursday, 30th June at 3pm. This time at The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm, Sidmouth, EX10 0NU and it is a new venue for our Club. There is plenty of free car parking and no entrance fee, and, of course, there are plenty of donkeys to view!

Please advise Barbara or Peter Johnson on barbj@talktalk.net or peteraj@talktalk.net or telephone them on 01297 599086 if you wish to attend, by 17th June, so the appropriate number of scones may be ordered.

We are hoping to include in the future a further free coffee morning, an informal pub lunch and a theatre visit as well as the already-booked Christmas Lunch at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth on Thursday 8th December.

Welcome to 2022.

Here is your first Newsletter of the year and a warm welcome to you all. I hope it finds you fit and well, and “raring to go” to join us at the events of 2022.

This year we are hoping to return to a little normality and we are preparing a full programme of events to hopefully include 4 lunches, 2 free coffee mornings, 2 free cream teas and our AGM during the year. Of course this is all subject to meeting any official restrictions which may apply (P.Ms exempted!).

To begin with, we have an early coffee morning on Thursday 3rd February….just days away from you receiving this Newsletter. It will be at The White Horse Inn on the main A3052 Sidmouth road near Aylesbeare commencing at 10.30 am. As usual, it will be free to members.

That will be followed by our AGM on Thursday 24th February at Downes Crediton Golf Club, meeting from 10.30am for coffee with the business part from 11am. This is a new venue as we have had great difficulty finding anywhere at a reasonable price prepared to take us. Full details provided later in this newsletter.

The business part takes about half an hour; it will be followed by our speaker, the Rev‟d Alan Dodds. Remember him from 2020! He says that he will need a few minutes to set up his kit….and this time his talk is simply “Confessions of a Country Vicar” . Amusement abounds! Do come and join us. We expect to break after the talk/entertainment for drinks at the bar from 12.30pm with lunch being served at 1pm. See you there! Booking details for the AGM are attached to this Newsletter with the menu choices and reply slips. At least we will be meeting in person, rather than on Zoom, as we did last year.

Dates and venues for other future events will be announced at the AGM and in our Spring Newsletter.

With my other hat on, I can confirm that our finances remain in good health and we will be submitting our annual grant claim to HO which should see us maintain our lunch subsidies at 50% or better, with coffee mornings and cream teas free to members. As an example, the AGM subsidy to members is 57%. A good incentive to be there! The annual accounts will be available as usual at the AGM.

Finally, please continue to visit this website for latest news and a write up of the Christmas lunch where we had 61 booked in to the Victoria Hotel at Sidmouth. By the way, if there are any keen photographers out there, do take pics at our events and send them to Les Rendell (lesrendell41@gmail.com) for inclusion on the website.

Although it seems a little late, I wish you all a very happy , safe and healthy new year and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our events in 2022.

Garry Adams Chairman and Treasurer

Secretary’s Notes

A Happy New Year to you ALL and our fingers are crossed for a “normal” year!

Here we are well into January and, without doubt, the days are getting longer as it is nearly a month since the shortest day. We are lucky living in the South West in that the temperature (on the whole) is milder and things do start growing earlier than in the rest of the UK. Walking our dog around the local area, I have spotted definite signs of new growth in gardens and it is so cheering on cold or wet days.

I hope some of you will be able to come along and join us for our first coffee morning of the year – to be held at The White Horse Inn on Thursday 3rd February at 10.30am. We can recommend their food if you are able to stay on and have lunch (at your own cost).

Do please let us know if there any changes to your home and/or email address; thank you. The majority of Newsletters are now sent out by email, saving the Club considerable costs in paper, printing and stamps. So, if you are now able to receive your copy electronically, please tell us. Until we meet, stay safe and keep warm.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

Committee Member(s) needed !

Now that things are beginning to get going again (Hooray) we would love to have some extra help for organising events and sharing new ideas etc. Joining the committee is a practical way to offer ideas and suggestions and would YOU like to join us? Just ask anyone on the committee for more information and we will tell you how we all work together as a team on behalf of your club.

Wellbeing

Happy New Year to you all! In these seemingly never-ending challenging times do hope that you are keeping well, both physically and mentally. You may wish to look at the Bank Workers Charity website www.bwcharity.org.uk where not only can you sign up for their regular emails, but also click on to one of their key services, as summarised below.

Bank Workers Charity Advice and information

Our advisers work across a range of areas and have extensive experience of supporting working-age people, families and retirees.

Practical support We partner with some of the UK’s leading organisations to provide you with specialist support, and we’ll work with you to find the best solution.

Financial support We may be able to provide you with financial support with general living expenses and long-term costs such as disability aids or home adaptation.

I shall hope to see you at one of our upcoming events soon!

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Annual General Meeting

The Club‟s Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday, 24th February 2022 at 11.00am at Downes Crediton Golf Club, Hookway, Crediton EX17 3PT. There is plenty of parking available in the car park situated in the grounds. If you would like to come but need a lift, please contact one of our Wellbeing Officers who will do their best to find a lift for you.

From Exeter direction, entering Crediton on A377, pass Tesco, turn left just past the Shell petrol station to cross over the railway line, follow the road and the Golf Club is signposted. From Crediton town, turn right before the Shell petrol station to cross over the railway line, follow the road and the Golf Club is signposted.

This is a new, but known, venue for us and we are assured of a warm welcome. We do hope that you will join us for the short, but nevertheless important, meeting to be followed by an excellent speaker, the Reverend Alan Dodds, who some of you may remember from a previous Annual General Meeting. This time his presentation is “Confessions of a Country Vicar”. Lunch will follow at 1.00pm.

Access will be available for (free) coffee/tea and biscuits from 10.30am and we would ask that you are in your seats prior to the start of the meeting at 11.00am so that there is no distraction whilst we remember those who are no longer with us.

We have saved some costs by not including the Agenda with this newsletter, planning to distribute on the day, but if any would wish for a copy prior to this, in print or electronically, we shall be happy to oblige.

Functions

AGM Luncheon

The Annual General Meeting and speaker will be followed by lunch. Menu/booking form is attached (click here) and should be returned to [please note for this function] Barbara and Peter Johnson with your cheque by Wednesday, 9th February 2022. No refunds will be given after this date. The cost per head for members is £15.00 or £35.00 per head for
non-members.

The cost includes a glass and a half of wine OR a glass of orange, apple or grapefruit juice.

Please also let Barbara and Peter know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy.

Please collect upon arrival your booking form showing your food choice and place on your chosen table before the AGM. On this occasion it is likely that, because of space restrictions, we will need to occupy our dining places for the whole of the day’s proceedings.

Future dates for your diary

Thursday, 3rd February 2022 free Coffee Morning at White Horse Inn, Woodbury Salterton EX5 1EP (on the A3052 Exeter to Sidmouth road), 10.30am-12noon

Thursday, 28th April 2022 free Cream Tea at Hartnoll Hotel, Bolham, Tiverton EX16 7RA at 3pm. Please advise us, Andrew and Lyn, by email or telephone if you wish to attend so we can order the appropriate number of scones .

Details of functions beyond April will be in future Newsletters.

Andrew & Lyn Green, Committee Members

Tel: 01884 855340 Email: greens@1camelot.eclipse.co.uk

Welcome to our Autumn Newsletter.

Another year seems to have shot by and here we are announcing in this edition the 2021 Christmas luncheon at the superb Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth on Tuesday, 14th December. Do come and join us there to enjoy the wonderful decorations as well as our lovely company!

By now most, if not all, of you should have had your booster Covid and the latest flu jabs, so I hope you are feeling safer to come out and play. Since our last newsletter we had 36 at a wonderful cream tea at the Powderham Castle Orangery on a sunny day to also enjoy the surroundings.

Our Autumn lunch on 14th October at the Tiverton Hotel saw 35 of us enjoy a superb meal in a widespread, super safe, room which could seat a 100. There really was room for more of you.

Next up is a coffee morning at Bickleigh Mill with time for some Christmas gift shopping at the boutique areas found there. That is on Tuesday, 16th November from 10.30am. No need to book, just turn up.

Into the New Year, we plan a coffee morning for Thursday, 3rd February at the White Horse on the Sidmouth Road near Aylesbeare. Our AGM is currently set for Thursday, 10th March at a venue yet to be confirmed, with an entertaining speaker, but more on that in the January newsletter.  

Please do remember to take a look at our Website for up-to-date information and reports on our activities (www.exeterspreadeagles.org) and also on our Facebook page which Les Rendell is kindly keeping up to date.

Finances

We have plenty of funds in our coffers as the Bank generously gave us a full grant for 2021, at the same level as 2020, despite us not being able to run a proper programme of events. As a result, we can offer generous subsidies to members at lunches whilst continuing to keep coffee mornings and cream tea events “free” to members. For example the Tiverton lunch attracted a 55% subsidy for the meal and wine, whilst the Christmas lunch subsidy will be a whopping 57%!!

Our numbers have remained steady this year, despite sadly some losses, notably very recently Fred Rice and John Chittenden. On a positive note we have welcomed in Tim and Julie Wilkinson and Catherine Ollerhead as active members.

Finally, should I not see you at either the November or December events; I wish you all a lovely Christmas and a safe, Healthy New Year! (yes, I know, it‟s a bit early).

Garry Adams Chairman and Treasurer

No Quiz this time, but here are the answers to the “Colours” quiz from the August newsletter:-

RUBY / RED / BROWN / GOLD / AMBER / MUSTARD / SILVER / SABLE / IVORY / LAVENDER / YELLOW/

VIOLET/ LILAC/BLUE/GREEN. The last one will be a mystery to you as question 15 got accidently missed off the question list. So your test this time is to make up the question, to match mine!!

Secretary’s Notes

The weeks seem to be flying by and it has been a more social time (at long last) for us all especially with the delicious cream tea in the restaurant by the Farm shop at Powderham Castle. Then on Thursday 14th October we enjoyed a lovely lunch at The Tiverton Hotel. Hopefully, those of you who were able to come along enjoyed them as well. We certainly will be returning to both venues in the future. We were also delighted to be able to welcome (in person) our three new members – Tim & Julie and Catherine at both events.

The winter „tidy up‟ in our garden continues and we have been lucky with the (mostly) fine weather over the last two months but there is still plenty to do!

Enjoy the rest of 2021 and please continue to keep safe as the virus is still around.

Barbara Johnson, Secretary

Wellbeing

Vacancy for Wellbeing Officer

We‟re STILL hiring!

We still have a vacancy for the Exeter area; although you can cover this from wherever you live.

PLEASE let me know if you are interested in joining our team.

Facebook

Les has overseen our presence on this, and if you are connected, it is worth a look!

Grants

Delighted to say that the Bank Workers Charity has again assisted our membership, and please do not hesitate to contact them directly, or one of the Wellbeing Officers.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Coordinator

Functions

Our next function on Tuesday, 16th November is a free Coffee Morning at Bickleigh Mill, Bickleigh, EX16 8RG from 10.30am-11.30am. This is another new venue for us, with the bonus of lots of Christmas gift shopping at hand and the possibility of staying on for lunch (NOT free, unfortunately!). No booking is necessary, and there is an adjoining large car park, accessed from the Exeter-Tiverton valley road, A396.

The Menu/Booking Form is attached (click here) and should be returned to us with your cheque by Friday, 26thNovember. No refunds will be given after this date. The cost per head for members is £15.00 per head, or £32.00 for non-members. The cost includes a glass and a half of wine OR a glass of orange, apple or grapefruit juice.

Our Christmas lunch is on Tuesday, 14th December at Victoria Hotel, The Esplanade, Sidmouth EX10 8RY at 1pm. This is always a very special event, with spectacular hotel decorations and the spirit of the festive season all around.

Please also let us know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy.

We do hope to see you at both events.

Future dates for your diary

Thursday, 3rd February 2022 free Coffee Morning at White Horse Inn, Sidmouth Road, Woodbury Salterton, Exeter EX5 1EP,10.15am-12 noon.

Thursday, 10th March 2022 Club AGM, with Guest Speaker and Lunch

AGM date is currently provisional, see the next Newsletter for more

details.

Andrew & Lyn Green, Committee Members

Tel: 01884 855340

greens@1camelot.eclipse.co.uk

A Message from the Bank Workers Charity

Welcome to our Summer 2021 newsletter. I hope you have survived and enjoyed our brief heatwave, as I write this missive during one of those dreary, drizzly days waiting for the sun to return. A real mixed bag of weather this year.

There is good news on the horizon with a full programme of monthly events for you to enjoy with your fellow Pensioners Club members. In this edition we are inviting you to join us for a free September Cream Tea at The Orangery at Powderham estate (Tuesday, 21st September) and to the October lunch at The Tiverton Hotel (Thursday, 14th October). Please reply to these invites asap, lest you forget later!

With the “new normal” enabling us to hold events again, we need to embrace these opportunities to meet and therefore look forward expectantly to seeing you. Beyond October, we have plans laid for a free November coffee morning and shopping experience at Bickleigh Mill (Tuesday, 16th November) followed by our December lunch at The Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth (Tuesday,14th December). Details will be in our Autumn newsletter, but please put those dates in your diary now!

Your committee will be working on a full programme of events for 2022 as we have the funds to continue with decent subsidies into all of next year.

Please keep healthy and stay safe

Toodle pip!

And now for something completely different!
A teaser quiz to test the little grey matter, but no prizes!
All the answers to the clues are colours

40th Wedding Anniversary

Moira‟s Shoes?

Capable Gardener

A D-Day Beach

Paul Hogan‟s Nectar?

The Cluedo’s Colonel

Atomic number 47

Heraldic Black

Capital City of Yamoussoukro?

He was Private Pike

The Top Cycling Jersey

Flower for a Shy Person

Syringa Vulgaris

Radio’s Famous Rabbi

Garry Adams, Chairman & Treasurer

-o0o-

Secretary’s Note

I don’t know where the days go but here we are in mid-August and the nights are definitely ‘drawing-in’ as we seem to need to put the lights on earlier each evening!

Apart from the blistering heat of the heatwave a few weeks ago and phew, that was hot, we have had a mixed bag of weather and the rain has helped our weeds grow along with our plants and shrubs. We have a good show of colour in the garden and the large tubs of flowers around Seaton town are glorious and are an inviting and welcoming sight to our visitors and tourists.

It was wonderful to be able to hold our first social event with the coffee morning at The White Horse Inn, Sidmouth Road and to be able to see and talk with ‘real people’ in a face-to-face environment in the pub’s new seated and partly-covered outside area. How we did take things for granted pre-Covid and we are looking forward to being able attend more social events in the months ahead.

Peter and I have been going to the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth to see their 2021 Summer Season Plays and so far, we have been to four performances – all very different and we have thoroughly enjoyed our evenings out and now the café is open before the play starts. We can certainly recommend them and if you want to book direct, either visit their website on www.manorpavilion.com or telephone their Booking Office on 01395 514413. The tickets are £19 each.

I have received a request from Jonathan Watson who used to work at Barclays Exeter, St Thomas branch between 1978/1981 and also at Sidmouth between 1981/1984 as he is trying to make contact with ‘old’colleagues. If you worked there during this period, and are happy to make contact with him, his email address is watsonjonny1961@gmail.com

Also there is a request to any members who are ex Woolwich staff – asking to be ‘linked up’ with you from Robin Johnson. If you are happy to make contact with him, his email address is johnsonrd@sky.com

Enjoy the rest of summer and please continue to keep safe as the virus is still around.

Barbara Johnson, Hon Secretary

-o0o-

Wellbeing

Whatever next!

We may have thought that the various Lockdowns were strange, but the supposed ‘Freedom Day’ has seen us having to deal with even more challenges: Masks – to be or not to be – as someone once uttered. Similarly, are we confident enough to venture out to the pub/theatre/cinema? This assumes that there are enough staff for them to open!

Whatever your thoughts and position on these issues, please feel free to share them with your Wellbeing Officer. Our small and friendly team are always ready for a chat. That said, we still have an opening for another officer,
If you are interested, please let me know, and we can have an informal chat.

A Missive from The Bank Workers Charity – Carers

This has recently been sent to me, and no apology for once again putting the offering from BWC before you. As ever, you can also talk to one of us, or use BWC for an independent view.

“Caring for a loved one can be an incredibly rewarding experience, whether you’re new to it, or have been looking after someone for a while. But quite often, we don’t think of ourselves as having caring responsibilities and so, don’t identify ourselves as carers.

“As a carer, we want to make sure you’re well equipped with the right information and support to help you in your caring role, and ensure you’re looking after your own wellbeing too.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the support that we provide for carers:

 Accessing benefits – we can provide information and support to help you access welfare benefits you may be entitled to.
 Looking after your mental health – we can offer you support and, in some cases, counselling or other therapies to help you look after your mental wellbeing.
 Identifying technology and devices – we’ll help identify technology that can make life easier for both you and the person you care for. This may include lighting control, voice activated systems or fall detection devices.
 Accessing legal support – we can offer you a telephone consultation with legal experts who can advise you on most aspects of British law, such as power of attorney.
 Getting financial support – we may be able to provide you with financial support with general living expenses such as disability aids or home adaptations.

“If you’re a carer looking for support, read our guide to caring for more information. Alternatively, if you’d like to speak to an adviser, you can call our free and confidential Helpline on 0800 0234 834, or head to our website to access LiveChat; we‟re available Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm (except Bank Holidays).”

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and hope to see you at one of our functions!

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Coordinator

-o0o-

Functions

Our next function on Tuesday, 21st September is a free Cream Tea (scone, jam, cream and tea or coffee) at the Orangery Café and Bistro, Powderham Estate, EX6 8JE at 3.00pm-4.00pm. This is a new venue for us with other shops on site and wonderful views of the River Exe. There is an adjoining large car park accessed from the A379 Dawlish road. Numbers are required for this event, so please let us know by Friday, 10th September if you intend to come. We hope to see you there.

Our next lunch is on Thursday, 14th October at Tiverton Hotel, Blundells Road, Tiverton EX16 4DB at 1pm. This Hotel regularly produces an excellent meal for us. There is plenty of parking, and entry is all on the level.

Menu/booking form is here and should be returned to us with your cheque by Wednesday, 29th September. Your cheques will be banked on Thursday, 7th October. No refunds will be given after this date. The cost per head for members is £14.00 or £30.00 per head for non-members. The cost includes a glass and a half of wine OR a glass of orange, apple or grapefruit juice.

Please also let us know when replying of any special dietary requirements you may have, e.g. if you do not want sauces or gravy.

Please collect your menu choices form from us and place on your chosen table by 12.40pm. Please do not move them after this time.

Future dates for your diary

Tuesday, 16th November 2021 free Coffee Morning at Bickleigh Mill, Bickleigh, Tiverton EX16 8RG 10.15am-12 noon.
Tuesday, 14th December 2021 Christmas Lunch, Victoria Hotel, The Esplanade, Sidmouth

Andrew & Lyn Green, Committee Members
Tel: 01884 855340
greens@1camelot.eclipse.co.uk

Welcome from the Chair

Welcome all, with some good news!

There is light at the end of the tunnel with many restrictions on life easing on 17th May and potentially a lot more freedom to meet socially from 21st June. With that latter date in mind your committee is meeting in person on 24th June to arrange some social events for you starting with a Coffee Morning on Tuesday, 6th July. See details later in this newsletter.

Beyond that we would hope to run 2 lunches before the year end, one in the Autumn and the other being the December Christmas lunch at the Victoria, Sidmouth (already booked for Tuesday, 14th December). Any other events will be considered at our June committee meeting and set out in our Summer newsletter.

The Club has received an unexpected bonus from Barclays of grant funds for 2021 at the same level as 2020, namely £4,251 despite everything being curtailed last year. We thus have funds to spend on subsidising all social events this year and next to a considerable degree.

For many of us, we are still coming to terms with the sad and unexpected loss of our dear friend and colleague Lynne Ring who passed away suddenly on 3rd March. Please see a tribute later in this newsletter.

Our zoom AGM in March was brief and successful, although I hope not to be repeated! All the main positions in the Club are filled, but we do have a couple of vacancies on the Committee and Wellbeing Team. Again, see our adverts later in this newsletter.

I am pleased to welcome Johanna Sharp and her husband Derek to the Club on their move to Devon. We look forward to meeting them soon.

Finally, I wish you all a safe and vaccinated return to some sort of (new) normality in life and look forward to seeing many of you again in person at one of our future 2021 events. 2

By the way, it is my partner Sheila‟s Birthday coming up and she has taken to leaving jewellery and Radley handbag catalogues around the house, so naturally I‟ve bought her a magazine rack for her Birthday. She doesn‟t know it yet!

Toodle-pip!

Garry Adams, Chairman & Treasurer

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Secretary’s Note

I hope you are enjoying the longer days and warmer sunshine as Spring is definitely here. The gardens are looking colourful with tulips, bluebells and forget-me-nots and many other early flowering plants. The cherry trees with all their bright blossoms are delight to see.

But, what happened to April showers this year? There weren’t many here in the South West and I understand that we had less than ½ inch (1cm) in the whole month. But, it was cold with chilly winds so the winter woollies are still in use and May has started well with heavy showers and, typically, for a Bank Holiday weekend – wet!

Now some of the Lockdown restrictions are being eased, we can eat outside at cafes & pubs etc and go shopping. I do like to support our small independent local shops and the ones here in Seaton have good one-way systems and hand-sanitisers available. It was good to re-stock my selection of birthday cards as May and June are “busy‟ birthday months for our family and friends.

Later in the month (all being well) we can meet indoors at eating places and I do hope you will be able to come along to join us for our first coffee morning on Tuesday 6th July at The White Horse Inn, Sidmouth Road, Woodbury Salterton EX5 1EP from 10.15am onwards.

Finally, I have been contacted by David Baldwin, the secretary of the Grasshopper Pensioners’ Club and he asks if we have any former Martins staff in our club. If you are “ex-Martins” he would be delighted to hear from you and he will send you their newsletters. They are also hoping to organise some local “get-togethers” and more information can be found on their website: www.martinsbank.co.uk David can be contacted by email on grasshoppers@btinternet.com or by phone on 01422 832734.

Please keep well and take care.

Committee Member(s) needed!

Now that things are beginning to get going again – we would love to have some extra help for organising events and sharing new ideas etc. Joining the committee is a practical way to offer ideas and suggestions and we all work as a team on behalf of your club. How about YOU joining us? Just ask one of us for more information and we will tell you!

Barbara Johnson, Hon. Secretary

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Wellbeing

Vacancy

As previously mentioned at the A G M, we are now looking for someone to join our small, but very sociable and enthusiastic team. It is not necessary to become a member of the committee.

The (postcode) area that we are looking to cover will be centred on Exeter, although that is not a major issue, as contact is by phone. I will be delighted to provide additional information and instruction, and in the first instance hope that you feel you can give me a ring to discuss. In the meantime, I will continue to look after the Exeter area as well as my own.

Ray Cavill, Wellbeing Coordinator

Social Events – Theatre Outing

In recent years we have enjoyed meeting as a group to attend a performance in the Paul Taylor-Mills Summer Play Festival at Sidmouth‟s Manor Pavilion Theatre, with ticket prices well subsidised by both our club and by the Theatre. Last year‟s season was cancelled of course but a reduced program is planned for 2021. There will be just 6 plays staged for two weeks each rather than the usual offering of 12 running for 6 nights.

In the past we have been able to reserve a block booking, confirming and paying for the actual number of tickets required about a month before the performance date. Unfortunately at this stage tickets are currently only available online with payment required up front and a no returns policy, at least until the Box Office reopens when the situation may change.

Consequently we have decided not to attend the Summer series as a group this time, although once the Autumn program is released we may attempt to do something later in the year. – Watch this space!

In the meanwhile anyone wishing to attend a performance this summer is encouraged to make their own booking online via “www.manorpavilion.com” or to try the box office on 01395 514413. Tickets are priced at £19.00 each.

Peter Johnson, Committee Member

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Covid-19 Colleague Matched Donations

This scheme was introduced in April 2020 and enabled staff and retired staff to have personal donations to officially registered charities supporting communities affected by the virus, (including money personally fundraised), fully matched by the Bank.

There was a mention in the winter edition of connection (see pp. 6 and 26) but no proper communication had been received by pensioners. As the scheme has been extended until 31st December 2021 members may take advantage if they wish, even retrospectively, for donations/fundraising since April 2020.

Les Rendell, Committee Member

In Memoriam

We were all shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Lynne at the beginning of March.

Lynne was much loved by us all and was a tremendously hard worker on behalf of the Exeter Spread Eagle Club for a number of years following her retirement from the bank as Premier Banking Manager in Exeter. She organised our events, collected our cheques, arranged the seatings for lunch and negotiated with the hotels. She knew and cheerfully welcomed everyone at our functions.

She had a lovely bubbly personality as those who worked with her will confirm and when the Committee were no longer able to continue their meetings at Westpoint, Lynne was pleased to hold them at her home in Exeter.

More recently Lynne helped as a Wellbeing Officer and the Committee greatly valued her warm friendship and willing assistance.

She will be sadly missed.