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Thursday dawned bright & sunny for the arrival of the majority of the caravans, with Kate, Malcolm, Margaret & David greeting everyone with a drink, an information pack & most importantly a toilet key! The rally events began in earnest with the evening meeting in the Long Bar, where everyone was welcomed to this special Tenth Anniversary AGM Rally & the events for the next few days outlined.
On Friday afternoon, a large contingent made their way to the Thursford Collection. After a Wurlitzer organ recital, we were met by our guides & taken on a 'behind the scenes' tour, not normally available to visitors. We visited dressing rooms & saw the wonderful costumes used for the Christmas shows. After a visit to Winter Wonderland, we were given a humorous & interesting talk by the son of the founder, who explained how Thursford began & how the Christmas shows were arranged. The Club was mentioned at the next organ recital & afterwards there was a scramble as members took full advantage of a ride on the Carousel - although some found getting off a horse was far less easy & dignified, than it was to get on!!! The visit concluded with tea & cakes - much to the envy of visitors not in the Gobur party - many thanks were given to Joy & Peter for arranging the afternoon.
Saturday began early with coffee at 9.30, to allow people time to get to the Wensum Lodge Hotel, the new venue for the AGM & our celebration dinner. The hotel was close enough to the racecourse for the more adventurous to walk to both events, using the picturesque river walk. Promptly at 10.30 Malcolm welcomed everyone to our tenth AGM & the meeting moved swiftly through the Agenda. The 'Welcomes', 'Thank you's', Reports & Elections were thoroughly covered, with particular thanks being given to Jackie Atkins for her service on the Committee for the past three years; Christine Kenyon was elected as the new committee member. The meeting closed at 11.15, allowing some to enjoy the sun & a cool drink outside, whilst others had a leisurely walk around Fakenham before lunch. The afternoon was unusually hot & many had a relaxed afternoon on site, enjoying conversation & cool drinks, before getting ready for the evening. At 7.00 members gathered again at the Hotel & Malcolm welcomed everybody to the event, especially our guests Richard Moss, Stephen & Sandy Potter, Julie Putnam, David & Beryl Mottram, along with those members attending for the first time. Everyone then enjoyed a very good meal & a slice of anniversary cake - the three cakes being made by Lorna Veitch, Rosemary Aylott & Val Upton who were thanked for their special contribution to the event.
Sunday morning had a good attendance to hear the the results of the Rally Quiz & to find out who had won the Raffle prizes - many thanks again to Mary & Derick for organising the Raffle.
The last event of the rally on Monday evening, saw members being lured to the Long Bar by the delicious smell of roasting hog & we all settled down to enjoy a convivial evening with excellent food. At the end of the evening, Tony Peacock stood to voice the groups thanks to Malcolm, Kate, David & Margaret for their work in organising the Rally.
Tuesday morning dawned cloudy for packing & folding caravans, in contrast to the sun of every other day. As usual there were mixed emotions as friends parted company, but all looked forwards to next time, after a wonderfully successful Tenth Anniversary Rally.
Malcolm and Kate
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