Social Secretary: Mr J Turner 24 Pendragon, 57-60 Clarence Parade, Southsea, PO5 2HR, UK Phone: 44 (0) 2392 297 431 or 44 (0) 7702 119 256 Email: [email protected]

2013 UK SOCIAL EVENT - - SEPTEMBER 18 TH TO 20 th

ACTIVITIES AND VENUES

Wednesday September 18 th Members will arrive at the Thistle Atlantic Tower throughout the day. The hotel is located on the edge of the historic Albert Dock, overlooking the mouth of the and the unique dock front, which is now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is only a short stroll from the City Centre with its amazing range of shops, museums and places of interest. Mike has arranged a round of golf at the Woolton Golf Club (www.wooltongolfclub.com). Tee off will start at 0930. Mike will confirm individual times with those members who indicate they wish to play. Coffee and bacon rolls will be available from 0845. The course is 5747 yards, par 69, and mostly flat parkland. The course is very conveniently located just 7.5 miles from the Thistle hotel. Transportation will be the player’s responsibility. This being a ‘competition’, prizes will be awarded at Wednesday’s dinner. There will be a guided tour of the starting at 1400. A coach will pick us up at the hotel and we will stay on the bus for the tour which will take about two hours. Paul Crossey, a registered Port of Liverpool guide will meet us at the and we will: • view the ‘Liverpool 2’ development site. The requirement to lock into the dock system will be eliminated by this new facility and allow much larger container vessels. • have a view across the Mersey to the Tranmere Oil Terminal, where much of the North Sea crude oil arrives for processing. Further up the Mersey there is a very major area of activity based on the petro-chemical industry. • at the Pier Head we can take in the panorama including shipbuilding (plus wind turbine construction / assembly), the famous Mersey Ferries, an important on-river terminal serving Irish ferries, and various other features. • moving on, there is the immediate interest of the still-new Cruise facility, now becoming a Cruise Terminal, rather than simply being a port of call for cruise liners. • we then go through an exciting zone of regeneration, with much to indicate how former installations have been transformed for a new generation of maritime activities. • the tour will reach Royal (the largest, busiest, and most northerly dock), where the Mersey meets the sea and it will be no surprise to witness the variety of major trades represented here. For example, there is sufficient grain imported through Liverpool to keep

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the country, including its livestock, fed for a considerable period. And for that there are the largest grain-storage installations in the land. Throughout the tour, we will pause at significant locations en route, because there is, as they say, much, much more...... The Annual General Meeting will be held at 16.30 at the Thistle hotel. At 1930 we will have our Social Event dinner at the prestigious Athenaeum Club. The Athenaeum (www.theathenaeum.org.uk ) is, and always has been, a haven in the heart of Liverpool that offers a distinguished setting and an atmosphere unrivalled in the City. It was founded in 1797 to provide a meeting place where ideas and information could be exchanged in pleasant surroundings. Today, it continues to provide this facility in the elegant building near the Bluecoat Chambers in Church Alley. In addition to its Newsroom, the most splendid room of its kind in Liverpool, the Athenaeum has a justly renowned Library, an attractive Dining Room, and two smaller meeting rooms.

Thursday September 19 th We will spend the entire day on a Manchester Ship Canal Cruise. We will leave at 10.00 from the Pier Head Ferry Terminal, which is a 5-minute direct walk to the Waterfront from the hotel. This will be a 6-hour, 35-mile journey on board a 500-passenger ferry. There is a licensed bar and servery on board, selling refreshments and snacks throughout the cruise. We will pass through locks, under bridges and view a succession of swing bridges. We will spend approximately 2 hours at Salford Quays at the end of the cruise. There you will be able to shop, have a bite to eat or simply prop up a bar. The return bus trip will take about an hour. We should arrive back at the hotel at about 1900. Your evening will then be at leisure.

Friday September 20 th We will have a guided walk around historic Liverpool starting at 1000. Our guide will be Ken Pye of DISCOVER LIVERPOOL. He is, as he tells people, a passionate, born-and-bred Scouser, who takes great pride in the City, its people, and its heritage. The walk will begin in Derby Square, on the site of Liverpool’s medieval castle; it then follows a route around the seven original streets of the ancient town, which were ordered to be laid out by King John, when he founded Liverpool in 1207: these streets all still exist and in their original locations. We shall see the ancient Sanctuary Stone: the 19 th Century Merchant Palaces; the Town Hall; Exchange Flags and the Nelson Memorial; the oldest alley and oldest tavern in the City; the site of the Quakers’ Burial Ground; World War Two bomb sites and the underground war rooms; Liverpool’s first chapel; the Gorilla with the Lipstick; the site of the grisly Liverpool Tower ~ and much more. All this will be over a small geographical area, last 2 – 21/2 hours, and will have frequent stops, as there is so much to see.

Liverpool has many other tourist attractions.: o The Western Approaches HQ underground Bunker. Explore a World War II underground headquarters, a labyrinth of rooms, once a top-secret nerve centre in 1940s wartime Britain. o U boat Museum Birkenhead tells the story of World War II German submarine U-534. o The Yellow Duckmarine tour. This hour-long trip begins on the road, taking in the historic Waterfront, touring the famous sights of the City, and then making a dramatic “SPLASHDOWN” in the Salthouse Dock, ending at the Albert Dock. o The Beatles Story located within the Albert Dock. It will transport you on an exciting and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Fab Four. o Also at the Albert Dock you can visit Tate Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum – housing the Titanic exhibition - and many bars and restaurants. o Daily River Explorer Cruises provide stunning views, fascinating history and unlimited sea air. This is a 50-minute journey that lets you explore the River Mersey’s rich past and 2

present. You’ll see the unrivalled and ever evolving UNESCO world heritage waterfront. River Explorer Cruises depart hourly from the Pier Head, Woodside or Seacombe ferry terminals and a return ticket lets you break your journey at any one of them. o was completed in 1978 after 74 years. It is the largest Cathedral in the UK and the fifth largest in the world. It has survived 2 World Wars, periods of recession and great hardship. It a tribute to the dedication of a great many people and their skills. COSTS Attached is a selection form. Please use this to identify what activities you wish to book. Some venues have limited capacity so they will be booked on a ‘first come, first reserved’ basis. Please return this form to me by either e-mail or regular mail.

THISTLE ATLANTIC TOWER, Chapel Street, Liverpool L3 9AG TEL: 0151 227 4444 A double room for sole use, including breakfast, will be £70/night. A double room for double occupancy, including breakfast, will be £80/night If you need additional nights, the hotel will accept our discount as long as there are rooms available The hotel has a car park on a first come first served basis at £12/24 hours. If full, there is an NCP garage (no discount) behind the hotel.

GOLF AT WOOLTON GOLF CLUB The round of golf will cost £30pp, which includes bacon/sausage baps with tea/coffee.

PORT OF LIVERPOOL TOUR Cost for the coach and tour guide is £11pp.

SOCIAL EVENT DINNER AT THE ATHENAEUM CLUB Cost of the dinner and room hire is £35.00 pp, which includes a three course fixed menu, tea/coffee, port and VAT. Members will be responsible for drinks and gratuity. The dinner menu is as follows – a vegetarian option will be available: o Assiette of smoked and poached salmon, potato salad and citrus fruit o Roast loin of apricot stuffed pork, confit spring cabbage, caramelized apple with cider sauce o Roast chateaux potatoes o Panache of vegetables o Apple crumble cheese cake with toffee sauce

MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL CRUISE The cost for the 6-hour cruise to Salford Quays and the return coach trip is £34.20pp

HISTORIC LIVERPOOL GUIDED WALK The cost of the walk is £8pp. You will need to make your own arrangements to get to the start of the walk in Derby Square, which is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel.

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