Reports On Past Social Events

See newsletters section for more recent reports.

Rounders v Basingstoke Conservation Volunteers - Friday 16th May 2003

Rained off!! - Rescheduled to Friday 1st August.

Skittles v Basingstoke Conservation Volunteers - Thursday 10th April

Skittles Match v Basingstoke Conservation Volunteers - Thursday 5th September 2002

We upheld our reputation and dutifully came last, this time out of three teams as BCV had enough people turn up to field two teams. I did partially redeem our fortunes by winning the game of 'Killer' played to fill up the last twenty minutes of the evening.

Rounders Match v Basingstoke Conservation Volunteers - Friday 12th July 2002

A lovely sunny summer evening meant that lots of people turned up for this event (including a couple who haven't been seen out on task for over a year), so it was obviously a popular choice. The venue was on the green at Silchester Common. The BeC team stormed into a 1-0 lead in the first innings. This lead was then held right up until the point when I started bowling. I think my bowling was obviously a bit too good, as the BCV team actually seemed able to hit it. Either that, or they had been lulling us into a false sense of security just like the skittles match earlier in the year. Anyway, they stormed into the lead, and despite a last minute consolation rounder, we continued our losing streak. The festivities continued in the garden at the Calleva Arms for the rest of the evening.

Group Meal - Friday 14th June 2002

Six of us had a really nice Thai meal at Ben's restaurant to help celebrate Richard W's birthday, and to wish him well in his new job up in Leeds. We adjourned for a post meal drink sitting outside the Fisherman's Cottage overlooking the River Kennet.

Cinema Trip - 18^th December 2002 - Harry Potter

A trip arranged at short notice, but we luckily chose Tuesday which happens to be the Showcase's cheap night! Excellent film - you really didn't notice the fact that you were sitting there for three hours!

XMas Meal - 7^th December 2001

Christmas dinner with a difference - Sweeney Todd's pie shop provided the venue for a choice of festive pies. Thanks to Richard W for organising this meal - it was his first task as Social Secretary

Beer & Skittles - 22^nd November 2001

We dutifully lost this skittles evening organised by Basingstoke Conservation Volunteers. They lulled us into a false sense of security in the first few rounds by doing badly. They then came back very strongly in the last round and beat us with several throws to spare. Oh well, one day we may manage to win one of these skittles matches!

Pub Evening - 26^th October 2001

Not sure about the quality of the drink served in Pavlov's Dog, but that served in the Hook & Tackle was better. Some 'interesting' gossip...... But if you want to know what it was then you should have been there!

Cinema Trip - 19^th October 2001 - American Pie 2

Smaller turnout than last time, but the film was good

London Eye - Saturday 6^th October 2001

It happened - on about the third or fourth attempt!

Cinema Trip - 2^nd October 2001 - Enigma

Good film, although we had to move to the Oracle after we got to the Showcase to find that they had sold out!

Beer & Skittles - Saturday 26th May 2001 - Gardner's Arms, Caversham

The friends of Waterloo Meadows nicely invited us to the Beer & Skittles evening that they were organising. We were dutifully polite, and lost the skittles competition, but then proceeded to win an embarrassing number of prizes in the raffle!

7th Reading CAMRA Beer Festival - 4th May2001

Only three of us turned up for this, but it was a good night with a choice of about 280 real ales, ciders, perrys and continental beers on offer. With names like Pressed rat & warthog, Gobsmacked, Pigswill, Dazed & confused, & Wobblygob you really can't go wrong!

21st April 2001 - St. Georges Day

Eight of us got together at (appropriately enough) The George at Loddon Bridge to celebrate St. Georges Day a couple of days early. The highlight of the evening was the tall story from Andy & Roxanne on how not to park a truck on a muddy country lane miles from anywhere. Not people to do things by half measures, this was the fully illustrated story. Of course everybody else contributed a little of their own artistic talents to produce a BeC masterpiece! Unfortunately due to the large size of the picture I've not put it on the website - you'll just have to have a look at the newsletter.

17th March 2001 - Paddy's Day

A group of eleven met up to help Niamh celebrate her country's national day - St. Patrick's Day. We started out at O'Neills, but soon moved on to Scruffy Murphy's, where we stayed for the rest of the night. Niamh set herself the target of talking someone into giving her their Guinness hat before the evening was over. Within about an hour she had talked some gullible bloke into giving her his hat. Unfortunately, later in the evening it was pinched by two German backpackers who flatly refused to give it back, much to Niamh's annoyance. The live band were good, and the lively cowd & dancing meant everyone had a really good night out. So good in fact that we started thinking up excuses to repeat the occasion. Alex suggested St. Georges Day - see above for details. Below are some photos of the night courtesy of Alex.

Our former chairman really got into the Irish theme.

Everyone dancing.

Unfortunately Guiness hats don't fit very well.

The Guiness was consumed in copious quantities!!!

The hat! (Prior to being nicked by the backpackers).

The band. Also spot one of the hat stealing german backpackers on the right.

2001 A Dance Odessey 2^nd - 4^th March - Phil Allen

Roxy picked me up from Henley after work, then drove to Reading to pick up Mark, and then to Caversham to pick up Carme to take us to her fairwell do - a dance festival in Cambridge. Niamh navigated Andy round and round the M25 so they arrived after us despite driving 20mph faster than us through the snow showers. After Andy & Niamh had been safely brought into the docking area via mobile phones we put our bedding out in one of the overcrowded dormitories before sampling Andy's homebrew cider. We then joined the ceilidh (barn dance) whilst waiting for Alicia & Steve to catch a bus from Cambridge on their delay ridden journey from Reading. After this we used the gymnastics mats in the sports hall to get a place to sleep away from being trampled on by those seeking the few loos or coming back from the all night dance. At midnight, after the main dance and after the last of Andy's cider had been drained, Roxy read us a bedtime story about the Green Man, before catching the end of the other dance. Then half an hour's rest while the late night dance got going, before dancing until 3am by which time the band had dwindled to three from fifteen. Finally went back to the snores echoing around the hall.

Up at 7-30am, but the showers were just a lukewarm trickle (and the alternative on the far side of a frosty playground, so not bothered with). Breakfast from the vans set me up for 3 hours of medieval & contra dancing before joining the others for a set of Irish dancing in an overcrowded room. We then caught the bus into Cambridge where we sent Carme off to Spain with tea in an expensive teashop (£1 for an extra bread roll!). On the way back we stopped in a pub for one of our quick sessions (5 hours). The 9-15 bus didn't turn up until 10pm, so we only had an hour of the evening's barn dance.

After a better night's sleep we crossed the road to stock up from the supermarket before watching the end of the morris dancing & Indian workshops, before trying highland dancing - bad for those with dodgy knees. After grabbing a sandwich after the Welsh stately dancing I danced in the barn dance until it closed at 5pm. We had just got back on the M4 when Andy phoned to say he had arrived at the Griffin for our evening meal, but but it didn't matter as we were singing along to Roxy's tapes. So after eating I got the train home at 10-15pm at the end of an enjoyable weekend.

NEW YEAR Party - 31st December 2000

11 of us gathered to see in the official start of the 21st century. And a good time was had by all. Copious quantities of Richard's homebrew wine (apple, elderflower, blackberry, and the appropriately named Superapple II ) were consumed, as was a lot of food. Jenga, and the contortions of the cornflake box game provided the entertainment, with Niamh acting as DJ and not letting anyone else near the CD player!

Xmas / 25th Anniversary Meal - Thursday 30th November 2000

The 25th Anniversary meal was held at the Mansion House in Prospect Park. It went really well. We had 26 people there from founder members to the newest recruits. A couple had even come down specially from Edinborough. See the 25th Anniversary section for details & photos.

Dome & London Eye - Saturday 16th December 2000

Our day trip into London to visit the Millenium Dome before it shuts at the end of the month was a great success. (Useless fact of the day No.1 - You could fill the Dome with 176 billion lemon sherberts!) Unfortunately due to the queues the London Eye was given a miss - look out for a future trip here.A nice Italian meal near Leicester Square finished the day off nicely. (Useless fact of the day No.2 - there are 28 stations between Waterloo and Reading, and the 23-35 service stops at all except one of them)

Pub Nights - Sundays After Task

We have started going to the pub after task again, to build up the social side of the group. It seems to be working, the first 'quick half' turned into five hours, several pints and a meal! Left - Mark playing Jenga at the Bull Of Arborfield. Luckily, the Jenga tower hides the worst bit of Mark's look of concentration - the stuck out tongue! Just after this photo was taken the barman offered a free drink the next time we turned up. To thank this hospitality we promptly walked out without paying for the food!! Admittedly, a few miles up the road someone remembered , and being honest people returned to the pub to pay up. This episode does mean Mark and Niamh are now on first name terms with the barman!