Paragon PR 4
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Progress Report 4 March 2001 ' ,, 00 that's what he meaut when he oacd this hotel was streets ahead. .' PARAGON Hinckley 13-16% April 2001 Hanover International Hotel Guests of Honour Stephen Baxter Michael Scott Rohan Lisanne Norman Claire Brialey Mark Plummer Committee@ Chair: Alice Lawson Finance: David Cooper Hotel & Programme Sabine Furlong Memberships: Steve Lawson Operations: Nigel Furlong Publications: John Dowd Contact information Membership & general enquiries Website Paragon www.keepsake-web.co.uk/paragon 379 Myrtle Road SHEFFIELD Email S2 3HQ general enquiries; [email protected] Telephone: 0114 281 1572 hotel & memberships [email protected] For individual email addresses for particular departments see the website. PR 4 was produced by John Dowd. Costume info was written by Guilia de Cesare and thefan roompieces by thefan room crew. Pauline Dungate wrote the piece on Lisanne and Lisanne the accessibilitypiece. Other text was written by membersofthe committee. 2 Paragon PR4 News from the chair When westarted on this journeyit There will be more aboutthe hotel seemed Easter 2001 was lifetime and programmefurther on. away. Nowit is almost here, it seems as though we have spenta lifetime As I said at the beginning we have organising Paragon. We won’t know had a lot of fun putting the what to do with our time whenit is convention together and we hope all over. However, despite the that you will have a lot of fun “Blackpool vanishes” problem we attending it, we have done our best have had lot of fun along the way, to make sure you do. I know thatit and made somegoodfriends. will not be “perfect”. As I said before I Strangely enough wearestill looking know that you cannot keep forward to the convention. I knowit everybody happy,all the time, but I is a bit scary, but it will be a lot of hope that we can make everybody fun for us to see everything we have happy at least someof the time, at planned put into practice. least that is what I would like. NO! Actually I would like to make The programmeis almost complete. everyone happyall the time. The fact it is so varied means that we have decided to use the room with no Alice disabled access. We have thought long and hard about this butfeel One thing I will not miss is writing that we have to do our best for everyone. Wedid try lots of options to these pieces. I warned youall at the beginning that I cannot (or should not) makeit accessible but for various write. Oops did I say that out loud. reasons we have had no success. We have ensured that all the main and In this PR “big” items are on the ground floor Wehavetheall important travel and accessible to everyone. Thefirst instructions and latest hotel information. floor will be used for the third Wedo have roomsfor multiple occupancy, stream. doubles, twins andtriples, left in the main Hotel. So if you haven't booked book now. There is a nice mixture of stuff in the Programme,accessibility and fanroom programmewith a bit of something information are there to help you plan for everyone. With a full main your Paragon especially Friday night. Note programmeincluding a David Wake the requests for yourparticipation that production and a full fan room needs planning in advance. programmeto say nothing of the fireworks, I am confident that As I write, foot and mouth outbreaks have everyone will find plenty to enjoy. reached double figures and arerising daily. There are outbreaks in After lots of visits to the hotelI still Leicestershire. We have been advised that the motorway, roads andthe hotel will not think it is a great hotel. Yes it is a bit be affected by travel restrictions but most secluded, but that means less of the countryside attractions nearby are chance of non-fans dropping in. The already closed as are footpaths near the hotel should have only convention hotel. Fortunately we have a good hotel membersin it. and a good programme. We may haveto stay in the bar. Paragon PR4 From South (M40 northbound) recommended by members ofour committee comingfrom west London Leave M40 at junction 15 onto A46 for 19 miles. Turn onto the A45 for 2 miles. Turn back onto the A46 for a further 7 miles. Join the M69 at Junction on the M6. Exit M69 at junction 1. Turn right onto A5 (signposted London and Milton Keynes). From South (M5 northbound) Leave M5 at junction 4a onto M42. Exit M42 at junction 7 onto M6(southbound). Exit M6 at junction 2 onto M69. Exit M69 at junction 1. Turn right onto AS (signposted London and Milton Keynes). From South (M1 northbound) Leave M1 at junction 21 onto M6. Exit M6 at junction 2 onto M69. Exit M69 at junction 1. Turn The Hanover International right onto A5 (signposted London Hotel is located on the A5 aboutj and Milton Keynes). 300yds south ofjunction 1 on By Rail the M69 on theleft. Hinckley Railway station is about - 2 miles from the hotel. Direct From North (M1 southbound) trains run from Birmingham, Leave M1 at junction 21 onto _ Coventry and Nottingham. M69. Exit M69 at junction 1. Turn *, ‘Frequency is approximately half hourly left onto A5 (signposted London and in the morning and evening peak periods Milton Keynes). ~and hourly at other times. Notall trains stop at Hinckley. Services may be reduced for the Bank From North (M6 southbound) Holidays and engineering work over the Easter Leave M6 at junction 2 onto M69. Exit M69 weekend and train times and availability should at junction 1. Turn right onto A5 (signposted be confirmed with the railway companies London and Milton Keynes). booking systems. Nuneatonstation is little further away but has a more frequentrail By Air service. It seems that Virgin intercity from East Midlands and Birmingham airports are London via Nuneaton is cheaper than Midland a similar distance from the Hotel. Several local taxi firms have expressed a willingness mainline via Leicester. to collect people from either for a fare of between £21 and £30 pounds. They have all Taxis at Hinckley may be obtained from the taxi hut (the unmarkedbrick building on theleft of said that a booking should be made with the station drive just beyond the parking area) flight times and numbers. It should be possible to get a taxi on spec at the airport. or from a freephone in the Somerfield Link Cars (01332814225) at East Midlands supermarket next to the station. quotea fare of £32 and say that a taxi may be booked but are usually available on Taxi Fare from Nuneaton station is £9, From Hinckley £4. request. Bus Travel National coaches do not go to Hinckley. Only one local bus comes within a half mile of the Hotel. This does not run on Sundays or Bank Holidays. It does not run early mornings or evenings. We cannot recommend even thinking about buses. 4 Paragon PR4 Hotel Acessibility Lisanne Norman First, this place has my total thumbs up for Accessto all the main con areas is down a accessibility, design, comfort in both long corridor with small fake shop windows bedrooms, con areas and public areas - and set in it called Main Street. I felt this was my favourite, the pool and jacuzzi! They are much more an American Conference centre also, I was told by the hotel liaison lady who than a British hotel. That's a positive escorted me round, used to running many comment by the way, having seen a few US Special Needs conferences for schools so are centres and many British hotels by now.:) well aware of the needsof the disabled. There is a shop in the hotel for essentials, It is all built on the flat with slight slope up and buying the gifts on display in the fake or down to new levels but these are hardly windows. The pool is gorgeous and semi- noticeable. Corridors in public areas are tropical, I believe part of their Health Centre decently wide too which is nice. which also operates separately from the hotel side. My only warningis thereis a fair bit of walking from the main restaurant to the The Rotunda will be the main gathering conventions rooms and bedrooms, so if you area and doesn't have the homely comfort of have walking problems, really do consider the reception area but it is very well lit from hiring a wheelchair from the Red Cross as natural light and the white walls, plenty of there are not chairs or seating along the soft seating and is one of those areas route. everyone at some time has to go through so is ideal for the main con lounge. Central to The hotel itself is an interesting building, a it is a spiral staircase up to the rooms plus mix of part park with associated glass hot just off it are thelifts. houses - you think - and exterior exotic pool/lake, a fountain, and a smoothtiled I was shown a couple of the groundfloor approach to the main entrance and glassed bedrooms andthey are very nice and roomy- area. Was a short "walk" in my chair to the no shoe boxes here! The normal twin/ entrance - disabled spaces could be nearer doubles had more than enough room for me but the hotel can do something I am sure. to have my wheel chair in overnight and for Certainly there is a drop off area for those 2 folk to move around. not driving their own cars like me. Convention rooms are ramped too, whether Onceinside, I was stunned by the enormous by design or the hotel's own mobile ramps, and lovely reception lounge, complete with with good access doors.