HASSRA Leeds Review of the Year 2011 · BOM member Rosemary Matheson 0113 254 7130 [email protected] BOM member Elaine Arnott Email only [email protected] To

HASSRA Leeds Newsletter - Review of the Year Magazine - 1

Awards Craft Rambling Golf Football Angling Climbing Wine Volleyball

HASSRA Leeds

Contents 2 - Chair’s Foreword 3 - Club Contact Details 4 - Xmas Raffle Winners 5 - Review Quiz 6 - Volunteers 7 - Calling all members 8 - Awards 2011 11 - Website 12 - Wine Club 13 - Volleyball Club 14 - Rambling Club 16 - Football Club 20 - Climbing Club 21 - Target Shooting 22 - Angling Club 25 - Craft Club 26 - Golf Society

Review of the Year 2011


Foreword From the Chair of

HASSRA Leeds


HASSRA Leeds Board of Management Contact Details

Club Contact Extension Room No Angling George Roe 24244 QH 1S25 Badminton Jonathan Leahy 46707 QH 5E62 Bridge Andy Mattacks 24631 GN35

Christian Fellowship Gillian Priestley Ros Hynes

29949 QH 45847 QH

Cricket Phil Sharples 07920864377 3S 25 Darts Tim Wardle 27210 QH 3FS TS

Football (Men’s 5 a side) Scott Gee 36768 QH 4W57

Forum Leisure Centre Reception 24456 QH Ground Floor Gamefishers David Roper-Newman 27355 QH GS36

Golf Phil Corbett 27363 QH 3S25 HASSRA Dance Club Mark Gore 45427 QH 4W57

Leeds Climbing Wall/Club Adele Hirst 0113 2058615 Hockey – Men’s Sean Massey 24632 QH GS36

Netball Isobel Todd 27491 QH 3S25 Rambling Novlin Harris 27783 QH Wine Susan Mayne 47291 TS

War Games Club Stuart Wiltshire Martin Brown

27251 QH 24183 QH

GS25 1S25

Dave Barnes 24188

Craft Club Elizabeth Letaief 24902 QH 1S25

Football Phil Thomas 46549 QH

Chair HASSRA Leeds Catriona Patterson 0113 2545780 [email protected] Secretary Isobel Todd 0113 2327491 [email protected] Treasurer Peter Blinston 0113 2545972 [email protected] Events Committee Chair Julie Chapman 0113 2545302 [email protected] Finace/Clubs Development Chair Nick Streets Email only [email protected] Communications Chair Alan Shaw 0113 2324028 [email protected] BOM member Simon Jarrold 0113 2327120 [email protected]

BOM member Rosemary Matheson 0113 254 7130 [email protected]

BOM member Elaine Arnott Email only [email protected]

To volunteer or get involved in the following activities, please use the list below.


HASSRA Leeds Grand Christmas Raffle 2011

Prize Winners

Prize Name Location 1 Christmas Hamper Tracy Owen 2E56 2 Sweet Hamper Pam Gair GN35 3 Breville Blender Kay Wilkinson 3S25 4 Afternoon Tea for Two experience Kirsty D’Souza GW33 5 Tea Light Holders Helen Watson 2E22 6 Hot Laps experience Barry Sinclair 3S25 7 4 Piece Glass Set Kathy Mann 7E60 8 Breville Slow Cooker Paul Needham 2S25 9 Challenge 1400W Pressure

Washer Kimberly Hardy GN35 10 Creative Zen MP3 & Video Player Ruth Murphy GN35 11 Bush DAB digital radio Martin Carroll GW10 12 Vivitar 10MP Compact Camera Paul Hancock GW33 13 Vivitar Pocket Camcorder Amrik Sindhar 4E01


REVIEW OF THE YEAR QUIZ!


What makes a social club successful? Volunteers, of course! Perhaps it is not widely recognised, that the HASSRA Leeds Board of Management and its sub-committees (Events, Communicat ions and Finance) and committees of the single activities clubs are run entirely by volunteers. HASSRA Leeds would not be able to operate and continue to grow without these numerous people willingly giving their time and enthusiasm to ensure that the many single activities clubs continue to expand and appeal to members. Great ideas are often received from members on ways to enhance trips or a club, but rarely do these individuals wish to become more involved as some seem to think that they would be burdened with a huge task, or left to sort things out alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. HASSRA Leeds would welcome any new volunteers with open arms and help them to ease into the roll carefully, with guidance and people to turn to. Existing volunteers know that time is precious and work comes first, but with more volunteers, the tasks could be divided more and therefore become less demanding on an individual. Extra volunteers also means fresh ideas and additional resources to help more members get the more benefits from the club Volunteering is also fun – it’s not just a one-way street. It is very gratifying organising something that works well, be it a trip, a visit (to play golf, do a walk etc), an event where others

learn, or indeed produce a magazine like this one. You will be putting something back into the community of colleagues that you work in that will benefit both them and you. HASSRA Leeds recognises the efforts of volunteers and says “Thank You”. We know it is not possible for everyone to be come involved, however, please remember to curb your impatience or disappointment if clubs fail to advertise a particular venue or activity you want, or perhaps a subsidy cheque is late in arriving, after all the volunteers can’t do everything and more help would be appreciated. If you are interested in finding out more about helping or if you have suggestions that could help the running of the HASSRA Leeds club, please contact one of the Board of Management members or club committee members published in this review, we look forward to hearing from you.


HASSRA LEEDS NEEDS

CALLING ALL MEMBERS

YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Board of Management is looking for volunteers to be an active member of a number of board committees – including

the Communications Committee, that amongst other things puts together your monthly Newsletter, and the Events Committee.

This will probably take up only a couple of hours a month at most.

Please contact Alan Shaw (24028) if you are interested in volunteering your time.


HASSRA Leeds had a good year for awards in 2011 and I don’t just mean our own awards. Quite apart from these that we had at the Woodpecker in February (more later) we also had the HASSRA York‘s and Humber Awards at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Leeds. The club came away with the trophies for Best Maga-zine and Best Team for the HASSRA Leeds Angling Club – especially rewarding after all their hard work over the year. And club members were there to pick up the trophy and have a good time. It was fantastic picking up the trophy for Best Magazine, but rather embarrassing standing at the bus stop on the way home afterwards ignoring all the envious glances and raucous remarks (!!).

Our own award ceremony for the 2010 HASSRA Leeds Awards was a slightly more restrained affair at the Woodpecker after the club AGM. The club Chair Catriona gave away the following awards.

Merit Awards were awarded to Neil Parker and Frances Gigg. Neil has organised 5 a side football in Quarry House regularly since 2004. Last year he organised games on 3 different nights and produced stats for these nights. He has helped to promote events wi th HASSRA, participated in HASSRA events, encouraged people to play and exercise. He is someone whom others

look up to, admire and respect and a very popular focal point of sporting ac t i v i t i e s h e r e and throughout the department. Frances was the winner of 3 trophies in the National Photography Competition – for Best Beginners Print, Best Snapshot, Best Beginner Overall.

For the Sports Person of the Year the club decided to award the award jointly to Phil Cawser and Joanna Roberts. Phil has been a Leeds member since 1990 and has represented HASSRA

and CSSC table tennis competitions for many years winning the HASSRA national men's singles 8 times, HASSRA men's doubles 5 times, and mixed doubles 7 times. He won the CSSC national men's singles once (lost 3 times previously in the final, deservedly so to a former 'top ten' ranked British player working for the affiliated Post O f f i ce . Pe r seve rance eventually rewarded last year!). And finally CSSC mixed doubles 3 times and CSSC Vets champion 5 times. Joanna has been a Leeds member for 15 years and is a member of CSSC and has won various local and national tournaments over the years. Within the last few years she won the Women‘s British League with London Progress, reached the quarter finals of the senior national championships 3 times (but didn‘t play in it last year), and also won the C S S C n a t i o n a l championships.

Phil Cawser and Joanna Roberts

Neil Parker

AWARDS FOR HASSRA LEEDS


The Martin Williams Trophy for 2010 was awarded to George Roe. George has been the treasurer for the Quarry House Angling Club for a number of years which in itself requires a fair amo u n t o f e f f o r t throughout the year! But he has done more – far more. During a time of trouble George almost single handedly took steps to keep the club alive and secured funding from the emerging HASSRA Leeds.

He personally: T a k e s g r o u p s o f 'challenged' youngsters from a local schools fishing often on his own, much to their enjoyment and opening up the prospect of the hobby for them; Invented, champions and organises a "have a go day" each year where experienced fishermen s h o w y o u n g s t e r s , newcomers and returners to the sport how to fish - an event proving more and more popular each year and already drawing new members into the sport - the kids love this day; Arranges an annual couple of days away fishing further a field and offering other HASSRA members the opportunity to visit different

attractions; Arranges a meal and award ceremony at the end of each year providing awards not just to the best anglers but including categories to encourage the younger members: and Made arrangements for the club to raise money for St Gemma's and last year where the club raised over £800 for this cause and which we plan to continue. His ideas, enthusiasm and commitment for all these causes i s a g reat motivation and example to everyone.

The Award for Best Club for 2010 went to the Angling Club. During the year the club organised 11 events / matches from May to October and raised more than £800 for charity. The club also introduced a ‘Junior League‘ to cater for the increasing number of under 18 year olds in the club. Club membership has increased from 15-19 over the year – a 20% increase over the year.

Every year the club organises a ‘Have a go‘ day to encourage others to experience the joys of fishing. 2010’s event, held

at Sunrise Lakes, Spofforth in July, proved to be a fertile recruiting venue to tempt new members into the fold with over 30 people coming along to enjoy the sunshine and the sport on offer. Even the very young became hooked with many fine fish succumbing to beginners‘ baits. As usual, our expert anglers were on hand with advice and practical tips. This day has been so successful in the past that it has a t t rac ted new devotees and helped turn Mel Parker and Graham Gibson (and others) into serial anglers. Newcomer Simon Wilkinson thought fishing was one of the last things he would become involved in - until he attended our taster day. Now he can‘t get enough and can be found on the banks of his local rivers and lakes most weekends. The club really got into HASSRA‘s 75th Birthday celebrations organising competitions (including maggot guessing…don‘t ask) and showing off equipment.

Over the last few years the club has forged a strong link with the Forest School in Knaresborough (a school for children with learning disabilities) and take some of their leavers on a fishing trip each summer. In 2010 the club spent a day with eight youngsters at Carlshead Farm in North Yorkshire.

Best Club (John Douglas – Angling Club)

George Roe


Plaudits for 2010 went to Tony Hotchkin who won the adult league again. Junior honours a n d s p e c i m e n trophy went to Chris Lukey. Chris Child won the annual Neil Austin Memorial Trophy. The Club Secretary is John Douglas and George Rose is Treasurer. The Chairman’s Cup for 2010 went to Peter Blinston. Ca-triona (our Chair) said when giving the award “It is a great honour as Chairman to be able to decide to recog-n i s e a n d r e w a r d commitment to HASSRA Leeds. This year I have chosen to recognise Peter Blinston. Peter has been a behind the scenes supporter of HASSRA Leeds for a number of years - being Regional Business Manager he was never able to vocalise his support. Now as a DH member of staff he is able to be more active and last year he volunteered to take on the role of Treasurer. Throughout 2010 he has been of great personal support. He always goes above and beyond what is required and can always be relied upon to deliver. Thank You Peter.” The Volunteer of the year award went to Jackie Tolan. Jackie was an active committee member the regions largest club, HASSRA Leeds and also served on the R e g i o n a l B o a r d o f Managemen t . J ack i e undertook numerous tasks for the Leeds Management Committee, but her main role was the Chair of the H A S S R A L e e d s

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Committee. This is a difficult task as the club is spread across two departments and numerous business units, making it rather complex for the local committee to engage with all members and for members to interact with each other [too right – the current Ed!]. She edited, produced and d i s t r ibu ted both the electronic and hard copy versions of the multi-award winning HASSRA Leeds News-letter. This is produced every month and is the most impo r t an t p i ece o f communication the club has with its members. She set up a n e x t e n s i v e communications system to ensure that as many members as possible in the Club receive information of forthcoming events and activities thus raising the profile of the club and HASSRA in general. In addition to this, she provided updates for the HASSRA Leeds website, so thereby reaching out to members who do not

receive the newsletter and/or who do not work in Quarry House. Jackie organised one of the clubs major events in 2010, which helped celebrate HASSRA‘s 75th anniversary. There were activities run by the single activity clubs (for example hook-a-duck by the Angling Club), a WI stall, tombola and a prize draw. Jackie masterminded the whole event, brining in a small band of volunteers to assist with the overall organisation. Over £300 was raised for the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust. She was active member of the Regional Board of M a n a g e m e n t a n d contributed well in all meetings. She was the HASSRA Y&H webmaster, up-dating both the HASSRA pages on the DWP Intranet and Internet site. She also assisted with the drafting and publication of the HASSRA Y&H newsletter. She was and s t i l l i s an excel lent a m b a s s a d o r a n d representative for HASSRA as she has a professional approach and is easy to work with, and she always has a smile and a friendly word of encouragement.

HASSRA Y&H Best Magazine


HAVE YOU SEEN OUR NEW WEBSITE? HASSRA Leeds has a new website with the most recent Newsletter as well as past editions are Yearly Reviews. There are also club contact details and application forms.


2011 brought a number of challenges for the HASSRA Leeds Wine Club. Along with every other club, we had to cope with major changes in the departments which resulted in many people retiring or leaving the civil service, affecting membership. We had also decided to run two major trips – one to Tuscany and the usual one to Reims, which meant a lot of work .

It is pleasing to be able to report that both trips were very successful. The Reims trip was very relaxing as usual, and we had three enjoyable and informative visits to family champagne producers around Epernay. This year Reims cathedral celebrated 800 years, and a number of us went to see the fantastic light show one evening.

The Tuscany trip had been in the planning for a number of years, and it surpassed our expectations. The hotel base in Montecatini Terme was excellent, and the itinerary meant we learnt a huge amount about the area and its wine producers. On our first day a local producer came to the hotel to do a presentation on the area, giving us a good perspective, and then we visited three vineyards over the rest of the week. We were also able to enjoy wonderful countryside and sights.

Our regular events saw a wide range of topics. We covered wines from Argentina, Chile, Rioja, Australia, South Africa, and whites from Burgundy. We had a presentation from Gerry’s (shop in Briggate), and also had events on wines from Tesco, from Costco, and from the Wine Society.

We also had some different events for this year. One covered sherry, and was a good introduction for many people who didn’t usually drink it. Eric Lister told us all about rose

wines, and the very good selection converted many people to think more positively about rose. We also tasted wines from England (global warming !), and we enjoyed many of the selections – although the Nyetimber “champagne” was easily the best we tasted. Tess Brooke did an innovative event of “Ring of Fire wines”, in which we had to guess which country the wines were from – Chile, New Zealand or USA. It was great fun, although as usual nobody was very good at guessing.

We also ran two events designed to test concepts. One looked at wines with animals on the label, the other at reduced price wines. Apparently people are more likely to buy a bottle of wine if it has an animal on the label – so plain labels should be better value ? Our consensus was that it was probably true. Are reduced prices always an indication of better value ? Almost certainly not, based on our tasting – it probably wasn’t worth the original price - although if you know what you’re doing it is possible to get an odd bargain.

We also ran a special “Introduction to Wine Tasting” event, for people who had never attended an event before. It was designed as always to be fun, and to give people a flavour of what the club does. It proved to be very successful, and several new members have joined the club. We are running another of these events on Thursday 9th February, starting at 5.30 in the Quarry House canteen, and welcome any HASSRA Leeds members who would be interested in tasting wine in a friendly and relaxed environment. For more information just contact any of the committee members.

WINE CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 WINE CLUB


Volleyball Club Reunion hits the Forum On a wet Saturday afternoon in September the HASSRA Leeds Volleyball Club met for the first time in 6 years (had it really been that long). The club had run from 1993 until 2005 and saw a number players come and go. While catching up with everyone who had arrived it turned out some of us hadn’t played for 10 years! After “what you don’t have a ball?”, “sorry Steve can’t make it” and “does the net really have to be that high” issues were ironed out (thanks for going home and getting a ball Baz, thanks to Deborah stepping in to add to the numbers despite not actually having played before and ok we’ll play at ladies height) the 11 of us split into two mixed teams and we got underway. Initially there was some wild flailing and miss hits but it was surprising how it all started coming back and we very quickly got into 3 touch mode – dig, set, spike (our coaches Dave and Mark were so proud). There were even a number of rallies and effective blocks too. The first hour went very quickly and we all starting to get back into it. After a 5 min break we proceeded into the 2nd hour – we decided before we even got to the hall that the 3 hours Keith had reserved for us would not be required ha ha! 30 mins into the second hour and I, for one, was starting to flag. It was at around this time the injuries started first a staved thumb for Clare – ice bag required and then a dramatic fall from Debs

as she chased the ball slipped on it and landed flat on her back we couldn’t tell whether the injury was her ankle or back as she was laughing so much “if I don’t laugh I’ll cry” - the “Ouch it’s my bum” comments caused some hilarity and the usual padding jokes. Play continued and then it was time for buffet in the bar. Thanks for the buffet Keith it was good. After a couple of drinks and the food was devoured Julian (yes the previous centre manager that Julian) suggested we head for the Palace and Duck and Drake for a few more drinks as he hadn’t been in ages. The next day very stiff bodies, a black thumb, sore big toe and aching wrist that turned out several days later to be fractured– ooh Debs it seems the pain in her bum cancelled out the pain in the wrist has all led to requests that next time we have a reunion it’s just food and pubs. The playing part had seemed such a good idea when the idea about a reunion came up at a girlie visit to the Harrogate Turkish Baths with Clare, Debs and Helen back in May. Personally I really enjoyed playing and actually

miss our weekly 2 hours sessions. I think next time we only play for and an hour and a half it was the last 30mins that caused all the damage. I would like to say thank you to everyone who turned up it was great that people made the e f f o r t a n d f a n t a s t i c meeting up with old friends and hearing their news. I i n t e n d t o a r r a n g e another one for next year if there are any club members I missed from the invitation list out there please contact me with your details and I’ll add you to the list. Cheers Rosemary Long term enthusiastic player and supporter of the HASSRA Leeds Volleyball club 1993-2005 Contact: [email protected]

VOLLYBALL CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 VOLLYBALL


One of the highlights of the Rambling Club’s 2011 calendar was our trip to the Isle of Wight at the end of August. Normally a Rambling Club trip attracts about 20 people but this year we made the trip m o r e a p p e a l i n g t o non-ramblers too, with the re-sult that 41 people went – a spectacular success. However the trip itself was not short of incident. We started well with an old and somewhat decrepit Godsons coach which got us as far as Northampton without a problem. Then it refused to start and we were left waiting an hour for someone to fix it. We then made the ferry and disembarked on the Isle of Wight. The coach didn’t. Once again it was being recalcitrant and decided that rather than start up, it would make the crossing 4 times before it could be towed off back at Portsmouth. In the meantime, being quite resourceful we managed to hire a local coach to take us to the Trouville hotel in Sandown, the Godsons driver having to remain on the ferry. To be fair, Godsons did hire us a temporary coach for the following day and our driver insisted that a replacement coach be brought from Leeds. However the whole episode took only an hour longer for us and the holiday began in earnest.

The Hotel proved to be very good and food plentiful. The beach was just in front and for the next 4 days the weather was unusually hot which was perfect for the non-ramblers. With a little jiggery pokery we arranged an itinerary to fit the walks and the sightseeing in together. Tuesday saw a choice of walks, both from Ryde to Sandown: the Coastal Path 13 miles or the Nunwell Trail 8 miles. Meanwhile the coach went to Osborne House – Queen Victoria’s splendid seaside home and Havenstreet Steam Railway for non walkers and returned them by about 4:00pm. The longer (14 mile) walk (Tennyson Trail) was split into 2 days; the first from the magnificent Carisbrooke Castle to Shalcombe; non-walkers also went to the Calbourne Water Mill on the Wednesday.

Thursday completed the Tennyson Trail from visiting Alum Bay and the Needles. Friday was our last full day with a visit to Godshill for a circular Walk 7.5 miles. Godshill was a delightful village and there was time to explore and visit the local hostelries before going on to Ventnor and Shanklin a little later. Finally we left Sandown on Saturday morning and arrived back in Quarry House at about 7:00 pm after what we all agreed was a most successful week away.

RAMBLING CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 RAMBLING


My husband Joe and I along with two friends Mick & Jean went on our first trip with the R a m b l i n g C l u b t o Snowdonia. We arrived at our hotel, the Red Lion in Criccieth, a pretty coastal town at lunch time on Friday. After lunch we went on a guided 6 mile circular walk lead by Neil McDonald to prepare people for the walk up Mount Snow-don the next day, It was really enjoyable and gave us a good chance to talk to other people. Saturday morning after breakfast we divide into two groups the fit energetic people who wanted to climb Mount Snowdon lead by Louise Plewes and those who wanted a more sedate walk, lead by Tony Armitage, I actually hate walking uphill so I chose the latter, it wasn’t a hard choice!! Joe although decidedly unfit and unenergetic along with Mick & Jean chose Snowdon so I left them to it and joined the second group. Our walk was 6 miles and took us t h r o u g h p i c t u r e s q u e woodlands with a narrow ravine of Ceunant Cynfal and crossed fields, (were we stopped for lunch and enjoyed some of Doreen’s delicious home baking) into the village of Ffestiniog where se rend ip i t ou s l y a pub appeared and our leader insisted we stopped, not that we needed much persuading. We arrived back at our hotel and had time for a walk along the beach and an ice cream from an award winning ice cream parlour before the intrepid Snowdonians returned. Joe although tired thoroughly enjoyed the assent up the

Miners track & descent down the Pyg track and was glad that he done it and even gladder that I hadn’t, he said I would have cried. Apparently Mick saved the day by providing transport at the end of the descent. Sunday morning included a walk along the Llyn Peninsula however after the Snowdonia climb some people decided that they had done enough walking so we went to Port Merrion instead, famous for the 60’s television series the Prisoner, for those who know it – be seeing you!!! Monday was our last day however due to work commitments we had to leave before breakfast and weren’t able to do the final walk in the Conway area. Throughout the weekend the weather was mixed but no one seemed to mind. We all enjoyed a meal and drink together in the evening. Tony organised quizzes after dinner

on Friday and Sunday which were good fun and we all had a good laugh, our team won both times (mainly due to my f r i e n d J e a n ) . T o n y ’ s enthusiastic invitation to fellow diners to join in the quiz fell on deaf ears in fact a couple of guest in dining room moved tables. The hotel had a singer on Saturday and we all enjoyed a dance and a good laugh with other guest from South Wales. We didn’t know what to expect when we went on the trip but were very pleasantly surprised. The Rambling Club members were very friendly and immediately made us feel welcome, we were not under any pressure to take part in the walks and we will definitely go on future walks & trips and would recommend this to others as it was good fun and great value for money. Kim Molloy

Review of a weekend in NORTH WALES Friday 8 – Monday 11 July


Editor: Rab Harkins – some of this may be related to ac-tual events! It is Better to Travel Hopefully… By: Ere Wego One fine summer Friday in May around 100 footballers, who made up 14 fourteen teams, headed for the John Charles Sports Centre in Leeds. HASSRA had again agreed to subsidise a five a-side competit ion. Catr iona Patterson, HASSRA Chair said, ”I hope you have an excellent afternoon and expect that the tournament will be played in the usual good spirit.” The players, much like the fans who go to Parkhead or Anfield, walked on with hope in their hearts! Many, alas, would be doomed to disappointment tears and heartache but, before any tournament starts you always dream of the glittering prizes.

The Banter By: Chit Chat In the changing rooms players were talking up their chances, and putting down the opposition. Going Hollywood, for example, felt that the Haddocks legs had gone and it would be an odd Haddock indeed that had any legs! Paul Robinson, the Haddocks‘ Confucius, made the point that great age not only brings wisdom but also an awareness of space. It also brings grey hair and dodgy ankles, but that’s another story. “So,” he said,”we’ll see if these beardless youths are as good as their fancy talk!”

The Weather By: Dawn Pour En route to the venue the weather had been sunny. By kick off the clouds had come over and the rain came down and stayed with us for the duration of the tournament. Were the chaps down-hearted? Not in the least - as Chris Harris, “we’re not made out of sugar, so we won’t melt.” It did make it difficult to track progress though. The organiser, you know he is, had put up score sheets on each of the pitches so that teams could follow progress. There is great interest in the relative position of the teams as the tournament develops. The rain alas, started washing the waterproof ink away, which made it very awkward. The Games By: Kick N. Rush Everyone arrived at once or so it seemed. After some confusion about the pitch numbers we got under way. This Bugle mainly concentrates on the Captain Haddock Fan Club (CHFC) side of the tournament. None of the other captains provided any match reports. There are few pictures because hardly anyone thought of bringing a camera.

5-A-SIDE CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 - BEESTON BUGLE FOOTBALL


CHFC v Enemies of Enterprise CHFC had a new goalkeeper as their usual one had been led down the primrose path of dalliance by another team. You know who you are! The new keeper, Chris Harris, proved his worth in a tightly contested game that the Haddocks won 1-0. He leapt like a young salmon to turn a shot round the post and made several other fine saves. Nick Heaps said, “I think we have a good one here!” Roger Halliday scored a fine solo goal that impressed the other teams who were watching. C H F C v F o o t b a l l Extravaganza Vince Mihill the FE captain had said that this was a game they needed to win as they had, unluckily, lost their first one. So, they went at it hammer and tongs. CHFC scored first following some fine passing and Roger Halliday provided the final touch. FE were undaunted and levelled the scores. They had a chance to go in front but as Vince was getting ready to shoot, Quentin Cleal took the ball off his toes, and CHFC raced up the pitch to score again. When the ref said, “ A minute

to go!” the CHFC relaxed and gave away a goal in the final thirty seconds. As Rab said, “four points from two games, we’re still in there.” CHFC v Limpars Left Foot In every tournament CHFC always have one dodgy game and this was it. Roger said, “It’s as though we take our trainers off and put them on the wrong foot.” Passes were misplaced, we gave the ball away and missed our chances. LLF won 3-0 a score which flattered them a bit, though they were the better team. Teams who still had to play us did enjoy it.

CHFC v Unathletico Madrid UA fancied their chances in this as they’d won their previous two games. Their average was about twenty five compared to fifty for CHFC. They started well and scored first. Did the Haddocks despair – not a chance! They battled back, equalised, and gave UA the opportunity to stretch their legs by letting them chase the ball round the pitch. Paul Robinson and Roger Halliday both scored so the CHFC won 3-1. Patrick Harrison who was watching said, “I can’t figure out how you did that. They were faster and fitter and had plenty of chances.” He was about to find out!


CHFC v Going Hollywood This was a game both teams wanted to win. GH hadn’t had a great tournament two draws and one win so they needed the points. CHFC had a point to prove about being both old enough and good enough. So we all went for it. GH scored first and thought it was in the bag. Nick Heaps equalised. Then Rab cut out a ball and, using his slide rule, sent it straight down the pitch to Roger who slotted it home. Consternation in the GH ranks. How could that have happened? GH had to press the game, so left spaces at the back. Another ball from midfield and that was it – 3-1. I think a quote from the Ancient Mariner sums it up nicely:

They went like ones that hath b e e n s t u n n e d , And are of sense forlorn: And sadder and wiser men They rose the morrow morn.

Limpars Left Foot V Unathletico Madrid

After five games, the business end of the tournament had arrived. Three teams, the two playing and the CHFC could, depending on results, go through to the semis. UA had to beat LLF by five goals to progress. Bryn Shorney of LLF said, “it’s like Scotland needing to beat by Holland by three in Argentina to progress, it ain’t going to happen.” So off they went. There was plenty pushing and shoving, mumping and moaning,

throwing toys out of prams, tantrums and arguing with the referee. UA won 1-0 but it wasn’t enough to progress.

In the other group Eat My Goals headed the table 2+2=5 was runners up.

CH FC v P e r e n n i a l Overachievers Amazingly, if the CHFC won this they would head the Group. Quentin Cleal said, “PO haven’t had a great tournament so we must have a chance.” This was the Nick Heaps show. He ran all over the pitch and scored two fine individual goals and the CHFC won comfortably 3-0.


The Semi-Finals By: Al Most there It has to be said that the majority of those who had been knocked out didn’t stay in the rain and drizzle to watch the games. Instead they headed off to demolish the buffet, slurp beer, rerun the games and wonder how they never got through. Bad light, bad referees, bad misses!

CHFC v 2+2=5 Rab said, “2+2=5 have won the competition in the past so this isn’t going to be easy. They’ve got seven players and we only have six so they’ll probably be fresher than us, as well as being decades younger.” 2+2=5 scored first with a long range shot through a cluster of bodies, which left the keeper unsighted. CHFC were then chasing the game and although they made chances they wouldn’t go in. 2+2=5 scored again and as the great Bob would have said, had he been there – “it’s all over now baby blue!” Eat My Goals v Limpars left Foot This was a tight game and finished a draw. Both teams had chances but neither could dominate the proceed-ings. So it went to penalties. The question on the lips of tho se spectato r s who remained was who’d be England and who Germany?

LLF elected to be England. I th ink h igh, wide and handsome was their motto.

LLG thought there should be more than penalties, but as it was five-a-side, the referee turned them down. So EMG went through to the final. The Final 2+2=5 v Eat My Goals EMG fancied their chances. They had already beaten 2+2=5. They were arguing about who should take the trophy home and have it on their mantelpiece first! I think the word we are looking for here is hubris. In the event 2+2=5 had a straightforward 3-0 win.

Presentations By: Wheres Thegrub By the time the finalists and other spectators arrived the buffet was gone like a beautiful dream. One curled up sandwich and six salt and vinegar crisps remained of the spread. “Just as well we’re going for a curry,” said Paul Robinson. There were two presentations. One was to the winners and another to the editor. In handing over the trophy it was agreed that, despite the rain, the tournament went well and was played in the right spirit. The only thing injured was pride and people will soon get over that. Finally I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the fantastic Celtic 1967 European cup final gift I received. It was completely unexpected and is the envy of my Celtic supporting friends. I also appreciate the many friends I’ve made since starting the Fives in 1992.

Many thanks


Once aga i n t h e H LCC ha s disconnected its climbing harness and ropes and has been offering a number of other pursuits.

Gliding Following the successful of last year, we once again offered a series of trial gliding flights at the York Gliding Centre. Once again the prices we negotiated with the gliding club were heavily discounted and, with the HASSRA discount applied too, flyers were paying only £31.50 for a 2000foot tow and 20 minute flight. To make it more interesting and to try and bring people back who tried this last year, we arranged longer flights starting at 3000feet and HASSRA members were paying only £42 for flights of around 40-45 minutes. One or two very fortunate ones who found the best flying conditions experienced flights of almost an hour, getting as far as Wetherby and Bramham. All together 18 HASSRA members and 8 friends and family took part. If you fancy taking up gliding as a sport, York Gliding Club offers a fully inclusive package for just £1400. This pays for everything you need to get you up to and including your first solo flight!

CLIMBING CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 CLIMBING


Having shot an air rifle and discovering an unsuspected talent for hitting a target, I jumped at the chance to have a go with a ‘proper’ rifle, courtesy of the HASSRA Leeds Climbing Club and the Aireborough Rifle and Revolver Club (ARRC). As I arrived, the weather had turned decidedly nasty, cold & driving rain, and it didn’t look like the best of starts but at least the welcome was warm, with Edmund and a few friendly volunteers from ARRC on hand to give us our nametags & sign us in. We were soon huddled round the heaters being given the obligatory safety talk & tour round the parts of a rifle. To get our eye in, we were split into small groups and taken to an air rifle range (thankfully indoors!) where we were introduced to our weapons, a choice between a Springer air rifle and the slightly lighter PCP, which I was fortunately paired with. After a brief lesson, I loaded up my first pellet & had a go. I surprised myself by managing to fire all of my pellets into the central area of the target. A very good start! Following this, we started to move onto the .22 calibre rifles, kindly donated by mem-bers of the club for the day. In groups, we each had a go at carbine – or standing firing – and bench – sitting and firing from a table.

We learned to load up the magazine, use the scope to get our targets in sight, fire safely, then eject the spent cartridge and load another into the breach. The hardest aspect for me was the sheer weight of the guns – heavier than they look & very tricky to keep still when aiming! It didn’t take long, however, before we were all entering into the spirit of it & enjoying ourselves despite the cold & wet conditions. The instructors (all volunteers from the club) were all without exception friendly and patient with us novices, offering plenty of encouragement and humour. I got to shoot ‘Gunnhilde’ and hear the story of Annie Oakley from ARRC volunteer Eddie R, who then nicknamed me ‘Annie’ after it turned out my previous talent for target shooting on an air rifle had translated nicely to the .22 calibre rifle. A totally fantastic, fun day which has encouraged me to think about trying this sport again. Thanks to Edmund and the ARRC for arranging this. Liz Roebuck

Target Shooting day, Sunday, 12 June 2011 at Aireborough Rifle and Revolver Club


The club began 2011 as the proud recipient of two HASSRA awards. In short order it received the HASSRA Leeds Club of the Year award and the HASSA Yorkshire & Humber Team of the Year award. Both were given in recognition of the club’s efforts to encourage participation in the sport and its charity effort as part of the HASSRA 75th birthday celebrations raising more than £800 for St Gemma’s hospice. In addition our Treasurer George Roe received the coveted Martin Williams trophy for services to HASSRA Leeds. The club saw its membership increase yet again so that it now has an active membership of over 20 anglers, drawn from all areas of Yorkshire and Humber. As a result it was an exciting year on the competition front. The club arranged a programme of 8 matches which ran from April to October and featured events at top-class venues throughout the region and beyond. As well as visiting old established favourite venues some new fisheries were tried notably – Raygill near Keighley and Pool Bridge Farm near York. The total weight of fish caught over the 8 match programme being a mind boggling 1534lb!

Over the last few years the club has forged a strong link with the Forest School in Knaresborough - a school for children with learning disabilities. In June we took two groups of children to Sunrise Lakes at Spofforth. Members took the day off work to coach the youngsters most of whom had never fished before. The weather was kind on both days and there was plenty of “fish action” to keep the children interested.

Club member Graham Gibson who helped out with his son Chris at one of the days said 'The day that Chris and I spent with the pupils of Forest School was one of my most memorable moments of the year. It is often said that sport transcends all barriers and, albeit on a small scale, it was a pleasure to assist on the day and put something back into the Community. I would thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone and look forward to helping George next year” Peter Hewitt the school’s Head teacher said “I have been told what a great day it was and how much t he pup i l s en j o yed themselves. I understand that some of them caught brand new species of fish –Trench and Croation Carp! The fact that so many fish were caught too is great because they will have seen a reward for their labours and persistence. It is so kind of you and you’re colleagues to give so freely of your time.” The club held its annual two day angling break in June. This year 20 members and guests went to Kidderminster, staying at the 4 star Stourport Manor hotel and fishing the nearby Moorlands Farm fishery at Hartlebury. Moorlands is recognised as one of the premier fishing venues in the country it hosts prestigious events such as the Kamasan British Open. Some sizable carp were caught on the practice day which suggested that the match itself would be won with a big weight. That proved to be the case as for the second angling break running Chris Child secured victory with a haul of 69lb 60oz. The total weight of fish caught in the match being 430lb

Chris said “I think I got more out of the day out with the youngsters at Sunrise, than getting the net busting catch at the angling break. It was great to see Lauren trying to teach some of the kids while she is still learning herself, seeing one of her pupils give her a hug at the end of the day, showing her appreciation was a fantastic sight.”

ANGLING CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 ANGLING


Thanks to the HASSRA subsidy everyone agreed the whole experience was superb value for money.

In July we held our fifth annual ‘Have a Go Day’ again at Sunrise Lakes, Spofforth. It proved to be as popular as ever with 18 beginners turning up to Have a Go. After signing in (for the purpose of the Environment Agency rod licence) all participants were allocated to one of the club’s members who took them through the rudiments before handing them a rod or elasticated whip and showing them how to put maggots on the hook! Everyone caught at least one fish and most caught several. Members either unhooked and returned the fish or supervised the process. Debbie Martin who attended with her husband and two sons said “We had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The spot we were situated at was ideal, nice still water that was perfect for the children to try their hand at fishing. They had never fished be-fore but were given expert tuition on the day and were well looked after by the volunteer helpers including the odd bacon butty) We caught a grand total of 29 fish including chub, dace, barbel and the odd perch. A thoroughly great way to learn to fish we are now well and truly HOOKED! Debbie said recently that “I haven't been fishing personally (since Have a Go Day) but my husband and youngest son have so the Have a Go Day seems to have been the start of something bigger!” Bev Roe and Ann Parker did a great job keeping all the participants fed and watered producing copious quantities of bacon sandwiches on a single camping stove! Donations and the proceeds of a raf-fle held for a fishing set (won by 8 year old Michael Donohue) raised £80 for St Gemma’s hospice.

For the record….

Trophies were distributed between 4 anglers at a prize giving ceremony at “The Castle” Pub in Spofforth following our last match in October. Plaudits go to Tony Hotchkin who hung on to win the adult league again in the teeth of fierce competition from Mike Briggs, Lauren Sutcliffe and Brian Walmsley. Lauren at least had the consolation of picking up the Under 21 league title in her first full season with the club. Similarly Brian Walmsley received the specimen trophy with a superb 2lbs 10oz Perch. Mike Pearce won the final match and with it collected the “Neil Austin” Memorial Trophy Well done to all trophy holders. If you think you can beat them why not come and give our club a try?

Next Year

Our first match will be at Lindholme fisheries on 14th April. The holiday will be to the Potteries on the 21st-22nd June and “Have a go Day” will take place at Sunrise Lakes, Spofforth on 21st July. Contact Details…

For further details about the club please contact either George Roe (01132324244) or John Douglas (01132327547)


HASSRA Leeds Club of the Year’s Have a Go Day at Sunrise Lakes on 23rd July The rain of the previous few days stayed away and the club enjoyed a dry if rather windy day for its fifth annual Have a Go Day. Sunrise Lakes at Spofforth is now seven years old and maturing within its tranquil surroundings to be found a mile or so off Hagg’s Lane between Spofforth and Harrogate. Fortunately the directions (look for a turning between two telegraph poles!) worked sufficiently for 18 beginners to find their way to Have a Go. This was less than turned out on a beautifully sunny day last year but still gratifying for a club which prides itself on introducing newcomers to the sport. After signing in (for the purpose of the Environment Agency rod licence) all participants were allocated to one of the club’s members (Tony O’Connell, Tony Hotchkin, John Douglas, Mel Parker, Chris Hutchinson or George Roe) who took them through the rudiments of the “art” of fishing before handing them a rod with float and hook – members showed how to put the maggots on the hook! Everyone caught at least one fish and most caught several. Members either unhooked and returned the fish or supervised the process. Debbie Martin who attended with her husband and two sons said “We had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The spot we were situated at was ideal, nice still water that was perfect for the children to try their hand at fishing. They had never fished before but were given expert tuition on the day and were well looked after by the volunteer helpers including the odd bacon butty) We caught a grand total of 29 fish including chubb, dace, barbel and the odd perch. A thoroughly great way to learn to fish we are now well and truly HOOKED! Bev Roe and Ann Parker did a great job

keeping all the participants fed and watered producing copious quantities of bacon sandwiches on a single camping stove! Although there was no charge for the sandwiches participants kindly made a donation to charity. With that and the proceeds of a raffle held for a fishing set which was won by 8 year old Michael Donohue, the day raised £80 for St Gemma’s hospice. Thanks to HASSRA Leeds the day was completely free for participants and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The club has already booked the venue for next year’s event so note your diaries for the 21st July 2012. If you can’t wait until then please contact George Roe 0113 2324244 or John Douglas 0113 2327547 as you would be welcome to join us on one of our upcoming matches.

ANGLING CLUB REVIEW OF 2011 ANGLING


CRAFT CLUB REVIEW OF 2011

We’re a relatively new club, meeting on Tues-days in Quarry House. We learn from each other and from professional teachers. So far this year, we’ve made felt, used different techniques to make cards, knitted a rose and needle felted a bauble decoration. If you have an hour free on Tuesday lunchtimes, you’re welcome to join us but please be aware that some classes need to be booked in advance. Wet Felting Josie Bloom taught us how to make felt using bubble wrap, soap and water and carded fleece. We all went home with a piece of felt to our own design. “It was amazing how a few random wool fibres knitted together to produce a solid piece of felt” says Lisa Burnell. Our teacher, Josie, says, “It was an enjoyable challenge to show willing crafty people a new skill in one hour. The club is a lovely idea.” Josie will be leaving DWP soon to concentrate on teaching felt making. Find out more about Josie on her website http://www.felthelp.co.uk/ Knitted Rose We try to plan our sessions so that people can take something home at the end of the hour. Regular member Susanne Gee showed us how to knit a rose that could be turned into a brooch or decoration. Rubber Stamping Many participants had their first experience of rubber stamping making two cards using rubber stamping techniques taught by Sonja Driller, a Stampin’ Up demonstrator. All the materials were provided; people just came and had a go, adding their own twist to the class projects if they felt confident enough. Card Making Jackie Bryan, one of our members, showed us how to make a Christmas card using embellishments made with different paper folding techniques. Jackie provided all the materials and donated the proceeds of the session to St Gemma’s hospice. Jackie will be leading classes on a variety of different crafts next year.

Needle Felting Our most popular class so far was making a needle fe l ted Chr i s tmas bauble. All it took was a car sponge, a sharp needle and lots of stabbing of uncarded fleece. Elinor Bostock says, “It’s a great opportunity to learn painlessly – felting need l e s a s i de . Learning anything new stimulates the brain and makes you more receptive to learn-i n g generally.” Looking Forward to 2012 We’re busy making plans for the year ahead, starting with a beginner’s crochet course in ear l y January . A s we l l a s ou r popular felting sessions, we hope to cover: - Jewellery making - Patchwork - Making bunting - Knitting - Crafts for Christmas - Tea Bag folding - Cake decorating

We’re hoping to run trips to some of the major craft shows if there’s enough demand – look out for our adverts in HASSRA News. There’s no need to come to the club on a regular basis – we aim to offer a range of crafts that will appeal to different people over the year. Sarah Johnson says, ”I really enjoyed the card making session and would encourage others to book into a class if it takes their fancy.” If you like to learn new things, have an hour free on Tuesday lunch times and one of our planned classes appeals to you, come and join us!

CRAFT CLUB


The Golf Society has had 10 outings in the year. * 18 Hole at The Oaks GC - won by Janet Brookes 44 points * Spring Trophy at Northcliffe GC - won by Bob Newbould 40 points * NSPCC Putter at Garforth GC - won by Paul Bentley 42 points * President's Day at Tankersley GC - won by Karen Swarbrick 45 points * Captain's Day at Moor Allerton GC - won by Ian Brown 43 points * Summer Salver at Cleckheaton GC - won by Nick Streets 37 points * Autumn Cup held at Bingley St Ives GC - won by Paul Bentley 40 points * Treasurer’s Rose Bowl at Flaxby Park GC - won by Martin Baldwin 43 points * November outing at Selby GC President’s vs Captain’s Team Challenge - won by Captain * Secretary’s Chalice at Moortown GC - won by John Heald 35 points

GOLF SOCIETY REVIEW OF 2011

From the society Jamie Cunningham, Karen Swarbrick and Julie Robinson represented HASSRA Yorkshire and the Humber along with Jack Woffenden at the National Golf Championships. All played well and enjoyed the event. The event was a great success for the region where Jack and Julie were both winners and Karen came third. Teams led by the Captain played 4 matches during the year. The National Blood Service match was played at Horsforth GC where we had a thoroughly enjoyable day and we managed to win. We also played matches with Fylde at Stand GC but unfortunately lost the match and London at Royal Hallamshire against whom we won again. A very good competition all-round. Finally, back to losing ways against the NW played at Otley GC! The society contributed £234 to the NSPCC, and through two bottle draws during the year we were able to donate £375 to Candlelighters; the Captain’s Charity.

Subsidised golf lessons were provided by refunding 50 % of the fee for people to take lessons at their own club. This method of development is proving more popular than previous lesson vouchers.

GOLF SOCIETY


Membership increased slightly in 2011 to 81 and we continue to see a large proportion of members attending at least one outing. Our average attendance has decreased slightly from last year.

Leagues. We have a well established league structure in the society, one for Tigers (anyone with a handicap of 15.4 or below) and the other for Rabbits (the rest of us). To qualify you must have played in at least 4 outings, and one must be a ‘major’ (Captains or Presidents Day). Your top 4 stableford scores are then aggregated to determine the winners. The Seniors league was introduced last year for those 50 or over on 1st January with the same rules as the other leagues.

The Ladies Trophy for Most Improved Player. This trophy is awarded yearly and for the member(s) of the society who has had the greatest reduction in their handicap over the year. The winner was Paul Bentley having been cut 5.50 shots this year. The winner of the Birdie Trophy (kindly donated by Penny Askew) is Neil Colbourne with 10 birdies and one eagle. We now believe that we have a settled schedule with 10 outings plus matches throughout the year. In 2011 we took 36 members on a trip to Woburn and 50 to the East Coast. These trips proved to be very successful, building a real sense of togetherness for all who attended. We had excellent weather at Woburn playing both the Marquess and Dukes courses and three good days on the East Coast at Bridlington Links and Filey culminating in playing one of the best courses in England, Ganton. The Claret Jug for the overall winner on the East Coast was won, on countback, by Andy Collingwood with 100 points.

In 2012 we will be visiting: - Hollins Halls Sand Moor for Presidents Day Otley - Besacarr (Doncaster) Shipley (Beckfoot) Moortown - Malton & Norton Boothferry - Ilkley for Captains day Wortley The 4 matches against Fylde, London, National Blood Service and the North West will, once again take place with an additional match against the East Midlands The 2 trips are

•May Bank Holiday Carden park •August Bank Holiday Carnoustie

If anyone requires further information about our activities, please contact Nick Streets at [email protected]

Congratulations to all our winners in 2011

Rabbits Champion for 2011 was Paul Bentley with 152 pts Tigers Champion for 2011 was Ian Holmes with 149 pts Seniors Champion for 2011 was Paul Cheesbrough with 143 pts

Matchplay Competition. Chris Charlton was the winner beating Martin Baldwin. Strokeplay Competition. Nick Streets was the winner beating Richard Mitchell.


HASSRA Leeds Review of the Year 2011 · BOM member Rosemary Matheson 0113 254 7130 [email protected] BOM member Elaine Arnott Email only [email protected] To

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