Page 1 Phyllis Court Club Club News Regatta Edition Summer 2015
Page 1
Phyllis Court Club
Club News Regatta Edition Summer 2015
Page 2
Inside this issue
Regatta Facts and Gallery 4-7
Regatta & Festival Review 8-9
Forthcoming Events 10
Page 3
Chairman’s Regatta Review
The sun that we had all hoped for had
his hat on for the first day of Regatta
and he kept it on all week.
I stepped out onto the terrace and
was greeted by the scene which our
staff had worked tirelessly for three
long days to create, a wonderful
setting for us all to enjoy the 2015
Henley Royal Regatta. The results
were the culmination of a full year’s
planning.
Many more members and their
guests graced the grounds than I
have seen before on a Wednesday.
The new dark wood tables and chairs
with cream umbrellas in the 150
Members’ Enclosure, along with
the beautiful flowers, prompted
many favourable comments. By
11.30am the temperature was
soaring and at 12.55pm I announced
that “Gentlemen may remove their
jackets”. We later learned that it
was the hottest July day on record
reaching 36 degrees.
Lunch Rapide was a popular choice
for enjoying outside as was the
ballroom with its air conditioning.
Thursday saw a welcome drop in
temperature with a few early drops
of rain, but this soon cleared and
it was another sunny day with the
Finlay Marquee offering delicacies
such as crab and lobster – my idea of
bliss!
The weather held for the rest of the
event until a sharp shower just before
prize-giving on the Sunday.
We had greater corporate take up
this year in the Riverside Pavilion, and
many visitors from reciprocal clubs.
One of whom I spoke to deemed it
‘an amazing spectacle and a magical
experience’.
The Evening Events were full on the
Thursday and Friday with improved
take-up for the Wednesday and
Saturday.
Overall the atmosphere was well-
mannered and well-behaved –
we sold quite a few Club ties to
gentlemen trying to get in without
neckwear, some ladies tried changing
into short dresses in the cloakroom
once past security, but our staff and
security personnel dealt firmly and
diplomatically with any behaviour
which was not within the spirit of the
occasion.
My congratulations go to the Club
staff under Club Manager Stuart
Barr - it was a privilege to witness
him marshalling and inspiring the
troops each morning before opening
– and to our Charity Action Group for
raising the grand sum of £8,735. And
lastly, the rowing was superb.
It did not end there; Our wonderful
Riverside Pavilion proved the best
spot on the river for us to enjoy the
music of Henley Festival. I heard
many Members saying ‘how lucky are
we’ as they dined or just came for a
drink and enjoyed the sights and the
sounds.
There are many more events to enjoy
this year and I hope to see you all
there.
Tricia
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Regatta Facts 2015
Over the 5 days we welcomed 7132 guests to Phyllis Court Club, 605 visitors to our Riverside
Pavilion hospitality boxes, 98 Members to the Isis Lounge and sold:
1347 Jugs of Pimm’s
1189 Glasses of Pimm’s
523 Bottles of Champagne
544 Bottles of House White Wine
2221 meals from Lunch Rapide
427 Scones for Afternoon Tea in the Long Bar and Thames Room
An additional 130 staff were employed to help over the Regatta week along with 23 security
personnel from Assist Security.
Thankfully only 9 visits to The St John’s Ambulance tent were made over the 5 days and from the
Monday through to the Sunday of the Regatta period Stuart Barr the Club Manager walked 78.6
miles.
This equates to 167, 239 steps!
2016 Regatta Dates:
Wednesday 29th June - Sunday 3rd July 2016
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Regatta Facts 2015
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On the hottest day of the year so far, 108 Members came down to the Riverside Pavilion to enjoy an
informal cocktail reception to celebrate the First Night of Regatta! With a Tom Collins on arrival, guests
were able to take in some of the action on the Thames whilst waiters served a steady flow of tempting
canapés and bowl food including Wild Mushroom Risotto, Prawn & Chorizo Skewers and Chicken Curry!
Regatta 2015
On the second night of Regatta the Club was delighted to be able to
welcome back John Savournin of Charles Court Opera and Andrew
Nicklin who together treated Members to an uproarious yet
sophisticated evening of Flanders and Swann. A wonderful summer
menu of Chilled Melon & Mint Soup followed by Roast Corn Fed
Chicken and a delicious Dark Torte was substance enough to get
185 Members to join in a sing along at the end of the evening as well!
Wednesday 1st July - Cocktails & Canapés
Thursday 2nd July - Flanders & Swann
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Regatta 2015 Evening Events
As is now customary at the Club, Friday
evening of Regatta is all about the jazz,
and oh it was some jazz! After dining on
Lobster Bisque, Roast Fillet of Angus Beef
and Summer Berries in Champagne, 192
Members warmly welcomed to the stage
the superb ‘Red Hot Peppers’ with Martin
Litton. A fine ensemble and performance.
Oh what a night! This year the Club went Mediterranean
and 137 Members were treated to a mezze style dining
experience. It was a true feast for your eyes with the Chefs
creating dishes such as Bruschetta, Caponata, Arancini, Paella
and Tiramisu to name but a few! Guests were then treated
to the brilliant tunes of The Mighty Persuaders. To finish
Members were able to take a break from the dance floor to
enjoy the annual Henley Royal Regatta fireworks display.
Friday 3rd July - The Red Hot Peppers
Saturday 4th July - The Regatta Party
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Secretary’s Notes
As this summer celebratory
edition of Club News shows, we
had wonderful weather again this
year and a great time at Regatta,
with Wednesday proving to be the
hottest July day on record which
brought about a rare relaxation
of the dress code – Gentlemen
could remove their jackets!
There was strong support from
Members and guests plus welcome
contingents from reciprocal
clubs which made the Saturday
particularly busy. On that day 695
were catered-for in the Lunch
Rapide alone, and all other catering
and spectating areas were full.
Thursday evening’s trip down
memory lane with Flanders & Swann
was much enjoyed, culminating in
a rendition of ‘Mud, Mud, Glorious
Mud!’ but thankfully without the
actual presence of the substance
on-site thanks to the warm dry spell.
Jazz on Friday night was a sell-
out and the transformation of the
menu for the Ballroom Saturday
Night Party was warmly received.
Henley Festival week saw full use
of the Riverside Pavilion with a
bar facility on the Upper Deck
and full dining below with the
choice of early and late sittings.
Looking forward, the list of
forthcoming Club events appears
on page 10, but may I commend
to you in particular the 18th
August performance of Ruddigore.
On-line booking is available for
those who wish to use it as a
more convenient way of booking
places in the Orangery and
Dining Room, the booking of the
‘sporting venues’ (tennis, snooker,
croquet) and for Club events.
As ever, you can keep abreast of
all Club news via In Touch which is
published by e-mail each Tuesday
and Thursday. To ensure your
correct e-mail contact address is
on the distribution list please email
Page 9
In what is an astonishingly quick time
the Buckinghamshire side of the river
is transformed from Regatta rowing
to Henley Festival rockstar ready!
This year’s line-up showed a nod to
the classical with Gershwin and the
contemporary to Jessie J highlighting
it’s the diversity of Henley Festival
that makes it such well enjoyed
event. It is a dynamic festival and of
course the floating stage adds to the
experience! As ever the Club hosted
the Sea Cadets who volunteered
their time to ferry Members from
one side of the river to the other
enabling dining in the Riverside
Pavilion before venturing the festival
site. The Pavilion served as the
perfect venue to either enjoy drinks
on the Upper Deck or fine dining on
the Lower Deck from Wednesday
through to Friday and both early
and late sittings were fully booked.
Saturday evening saw Black Tie
dining with a delicious set menu from
Tarik Ramjaun the Head Chef and of
course the Champagne was flowing!
Henley Festival 2015
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARYThe Gurkha Welfare Trust Grand Curry Lunch
A very special event this year sees the
Club supporting The Ghurkha Welfare
Trust Grand Curry Lunch on the August
Bank Holiday Monday. Following a
Nepalese cuisine buffet lunch, the Pipes
and Drums of the RGR will perform with
Pipers and Dancers from QG Signals.
There will also be a raffle and performance by
RAF Benson Military Wives Choir and a static
display from the Classic Car Section. We hope
to see you at the Club showing your support
and celebrating the remarkable milestone of 200 years of service to the Crown.
Classical Concert & Dinner with the Karavai Balalaika QuartetFrom Oxford’s twinned city Perm come Russia’s
foremost Balalaika players for their third visit to
Phyllis court. Winners of numerous accolades
in their home country, their repertoire covers
almost every musical genre - their own versions of
songs from their native region, film themes, jazz,
Beatles and world music as well as arrangements of
classics by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturyan
and others. Their virtuosity and musicianship
together with the warmth of their personalities
combine to make their concerts unforgettable.
Ladies Late Summer Dinner
After the success of the Mothers &
Daughters dinner supported by The
Fragrance Foundation last September the
Club will be hoping to host an annual late
summer dinner for the Ladies of the Club,
their friends, mothers and daughters.
The event is a wonderful opportunity to
enjoy a lovely evening in the Riverside
Pavilion before autumn creeps up on us!
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Charity Action Group at RegattaThe Charity Action Group would like
to thank all members and their guests
for their generosity at Regatta 2015.
The total now stands at £8735.95
for both. £5013 for the raffle and
£3722.95 for the Silent Auction.
Our next event is the extremely
popular annual Quiz run by
Wendy and Paul Vye who
have already prepared a range
and variety of questions.
This event attracts many members
who are happy to make up new
teams and add to the fierce
competition which exists between
the Interest sections who provide
at least one and often more teams
to compete. This year teams might
like to find appropriate names!
Annual Quiz
Thursday 17 September
7pm
£32
2-course meal
Raffle
All proceeds raised by the Charity
Action Group are in aid of:
One Year Member DinnerA relaxed dinner hosted by the Club’s Chairman
to welcome those who have joined the Club
within the last year. It is an excellent way to
meet other new Members and find out a little
more about Club life and the many Interest
Groups available! Invitations will be sent to
all One Year Members so keep the date free.
Please click here to view the forthcoming Charity Action
Group events
Events are bookable 6 weeks in advance online or by phoning Reception on 01491 570500.
To view all the photos from Henley Regatta and Festival at Phyllis Court Club please visit the
‘photo gallery’ page on www.pccmembers.org.