Quack & Tweet Issue 1 Spring 2012

Issue 1

Spring 2012

Quack & Tweet News from Aylesbury Area Disabled Club

Registered Charity No. 289068

MESSAGE FROM EDITOR – Mandy Oxlade

Dear Friends I would like to welcome you all to the first edition of our new look magazine. I hope that you all enjoy the new look and feel. The Committee has worked hard on the re-launch. We need your input to make the magazine a success. We as a club are entering into a busy period. The first stage of this is the forming of the new committee after the AGM. One of the major tasks for the new team is the club’s annual games which take place on Saturday 16th June. If there is anyone available that can spare sometime on the day to help, then please let the committee know. I would like to thank my fellow committee members for their hard work over the past year. The dry sports team will spring to action again this month. Come on team; let’s see if we can do as well as last year!

IMPORTANT! As the editor of the club magazine, please can I ask that any items be sent to me or Chris by the closing date as advised in the edition beforehand.

The closing date for the next newsletter is THURSDAY 3rd May 2012. Chris Brown Mandy Oxlade 33 Whaddon Chase 16 Barbel Close AYLESBURY EARLEY BUCKS Reading HP19 9QW RG6 1AQ Email: [email protected] [email protected]

CHRISTMAS HOY The Christmas party and our traditional game of Hoy was a joy. Katie managed to win the main prize for a full house but many others won prizes for a line, four corners or St George Cross. There was also a very successful raffle and Father Christmas came to distribute gifts to our younger members. There was a substantial buffet, Christmas cake and a glass of wine or fruit juice. Anyone who didn’t make it to the party definitely missed out. I suggest marking the first Thursday in December (this year it will be the 6th) in your diary so you don’t miss our next Christmas party. Lin Smith

Newsletter Naming Competition – Result.

Out of over 60 members, only 4 people entered this competition. I

can only assume everyone has plenty of money ready to pay for this

year’s membership and therefore has no interest in winning free

membership for the coming year, but thank you to those who did

take the time to enter. The winning entry was received from Diane

White who came up with the name ‘Quack & Tweet’ for our

magazine.

Congratulations Diane. Lin Smith

JOHN’S JOKE How do you make an apple puff? You chase it around the garden.

AGM

At the AGM which took place on Thursday 1st March, Freda Roberts kindly agreed to stay as the Club President and Derek Rolfe remains as Vice President. The following presentations were made by Freda Roberts. The Mike Downey Cup for services to the club was won jointly by our Vice President Derek Rolfe and our Chairman Mike King.

The Rose Bowl for achievement was won by John White for all he has achieved in his first full season with the club. Congratulations to them all.

Changes to the committee apart from Mike King being voted in as Chairman, include Robert Bleasdale who becomes Vice-chairman and we have two new committee members, Diane Everest and John White. Please give them all your support.

AN AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT

On Wednesday 22nd February Katie King swam an amazing ¼ mile

which is 16 lengths of the stadium pool, earning her a well-deserved

certificate. Well done Katie! Recognition must also go to Ted Lodge

and Margaret Batten for giving Katie the help and confidence to

learn to swim and achieve this goal.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

THIS IS A REMINDER TO ALL CLUB MEMBERS THAT CLUB

FEES ARE DUE ON

1ST APRIL 2012

SINGLE MEMBERSHIP £12.00

JOINT MEMBERSHIP £20.00

(Brother/sister; husband/wife etc)

FAMILY MEMBERSHIP £30.00

PLEASE SEE VIVIEN BARRETT OR LIN SMITH

ON CLUB NIGHTS

OR

SEND A CHEQUE MADE PAYABLE TO A.A.D.C. to

VIVIEN BARRETT

2 CHURCH STREET

WING

NR LEIGHTON BUZZARD

BEDS LU7 0NY

Thank you.

Email address: [email protected]

Michael & Jenna’s Wedding by Loretta Baughan On Sunday 9th October 2011, my Son Michael and his fiancée Jenna married at The King’s Hotel, Stokenchurch. The day started with me getting up and having my hair done, then waiting for Cass to arrive at 10am. We then waited to be picked up and taken to the hotel at 12:15pm. We went straight to the bride’s room to change. At 2pm the service started and both Michael and Jenna looked amazing, the wedding dress was stunning and the service was very emotional, and yes I did cry! After the service, we all went outside for hundreds of photos and the sun stayed out for all of them. At 3:30pm it was time for the meal and speeches, some of which were very funny. Afterwards we went to the bar whilst the room was re-arranged for the evening disco and around 7pm Steve, Diane, Michael, Ruth & Pete arrived, by which time Cass was a bit tipsy! The whole evening was amazing and the day ended with no trouble, the Bride and Groom said they loved the entire day.

One week later, on Sunday 16th October, Michael and Jenna set off for their honeymoon to Greece; I can’t wait for them to get back.... (Apologies to Loretta, this article should have been included in the last edition)

Welfare Report

It has been a sad time recently. We send our condolences to Jeanne Ware, whose husband, Dennis died on December 2nd after several years of ill health; we also send our condolences to Vivien Jones whose father also died in December and to Chris Brown whose dad died just before Christmas. Chris’s mum Nellie sends her thanks for the sympathy card from club members. It was good to see Pat Gray at the club recently, despite her struggle with ill health. We hope you feel really well again soon Pat. Bob Taylor has had some health problems recently and we send him our best wishes. Our Get Well wishes also go to Diane Everest who has had an operation recently. We hope you all feel better soon. Congratulations to Mike King and Lin Smith who celebrated their 65th Birthdays in January. Hopefully this does not mean either of them is going to “retire” as Chairman and Secretary, they are both doing such a good job.

Your Club Needs You!!

“Special February Birthdays and Milestones”

Pete Evett whose 80th was on February 1st Tony Hawkins who was 75 on February 8th Simone White whose 40th was on February 23rd

Also Happy Birthday to Matthew White who will be celebrating his 8th birthday

on March 22nd.

Happy Wedding Anniversary to Margaret and Pat Batten who celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in February.

Congratulations to Diane and Steve Everest who celebrated their Pearl Wedding Anniversary on February 20th.

Best wishes to Rob Bleasdale as he prepares to move into his new home. Welcome to Linda Green who joined the club recently.

We have missed some of our members recently, if you are unwell or have another reason for not coming to the club, please get in touch if you feel you would like to. I can be contacted on 01296 712889 or at [email protected].

At swimming on Wednesday there is often a card to be signed by members. If I am in the swimming pool after you finish your swim please look for a notice by the swimming signing in book, saying a card needs to be signed and try and sign it before you leave the club. The card will be with a non swimmer, often Val King, Lin smith or Derek Rolfe. These cards mean a lot to the people we are sending them to. Thanks to Val, Lin and Derek for helping with the cards. If you do not want the club to send you a card or if you do not want a mention on the newsletter please let the Welfare Secretary know. Thank you. After February 27th I will not be at the club for a while. If you know someone who may appreciate a card sent to them, please see Val King or contact her on 01296 436079. Diane White

SPECIAL GET WELL WISHES GO TO DIANE WHITE FOLLOWING HER SPELL IN HOSPITAL.

Lin Smith.

On behalf of my family I would like to thank the club for their kind words and support following the loss of my father. Chris Brown

Lin Smith would like to say thank you for all the good wishes she has received since becoming a ‘Nana’ in January to her

first grandchild.

KEEP THE DATE! We have booked the coach for our annual trip this summer. We will be going to Margate on Saturday 18th August so keep the date free if you would like to come with us. Bookings can be done by seeing Lin Smith, secretary, on club nights, by email to [email protected] or by telephone on 01296 484742.

A STORE DETECTIVE REMEMBERS by Pat Gray. Whilst waiting for a new tour abroad with the RAF, I worked as a store detective; I was ex-police. I well remember an incident when I was living in the Midlands. I worked in a large department store belonging to a large chain, in a well known town. This particular store was renowned for the amount of stock ‘lost’ from the food section. In the middle of the afternoon on a snowy winter’s day, I wandered again into the food section. Looking around, I saw a dear old soul, probably everyone’s ideal of a lovely granny; white haired, dressed all in black, carrying a large black bag by just one handle, thereby leaving it hanging open. The work-worn hands were piling into the bag at least one month’s supply of goods, ham, pieces of cheese, meat, frozen veg, the odd bottle or two of wine, cream and Christmas puds. I thought she must have a shopping list for all her friends. I followed her for what seemed ages, fascinated by her. In fact it was 43 minutes and in that time she never looked round to see if anyone was watching her, and at the same time was so deft at lifting, that I am sure no-one but me knew what she was doing. Her little black hat with the white feather bobbed in between the freezer cabinets and the shelves, like any busy magpie, collecting all the sparkling things. By now she had obviously got all she needed, but at the shelf just inside the door, (and I am sure it was a last defiant gesture), she popped a Christmas cake complete with robin and Father Christmas, carefully on top of the heavy bag. I followed her as she went through the door without so much as a backward glance; I walked in front of her, told her who I was and what I had seen. She stood there, all defiant, all 5ft of her. She seemed so small, me being nearly 6ft tall, I almost felt sorry for her until, “wham” the cake hit me first, a straight left to the nose, followed swiftly by some cold ham and a pot of clotted cream. By now she was shouting and swearing in the broadest Midland accent to the amusement of the large crowd now gathering, including a group of colourfully dressed punks. Having informed the crowd of my uncertain parentage, what I was, and my job, she then set about me with her capacious

bag, spilling from it her other ‘Christmas presents’ which she had obviously gathered from elsewhere. The ‘dear old granny’ was by now a ferocious lioness; white hair falling like a mane around her face, hat still on her head, and all the time yelling at the top of her old voice, cheered on by the ever growing crowd. I thought by this time, ‘granny’ must be a young person dressed up, but it turned out not so. By now, the police had turned up, both uniformed and C.I.D. and 3 stalwarts. With plenty of ducking and weaving to miss the flailing hand and handbag and missiles, they managed to get hold of her. She promptly kicked one in the nether regions who retreated bellowing like a castrated bull, and a brave ‘someone else’ took his place. Suddenly, she gave in, went quiet and started to cry, gaining lots of sympathy from the amused crowd, which by this time appeared to have grown to football capacity size. We were then able to take her gently back into the store; she holding my hand like a small naughty child, the punks having cheerfully and honestly collected up the ‘spoils’. In the office, with a groaning D.C. (the kicked one), a uniformed officer nursing a black eye obtained when a packet of frozen peas hit him, and me with I’m sure, a bent nose amongst sundry bruising, I told the manager what I had seen and what happened outside. To give him his due, he managed to keep a straight face, just. No need to call more police, there were by this time 9 capable witnesses of that melee. We took ‘granny’ to the police station, where she was duly charged with theft, and where we found out that this bundle of lovely granny was 76 years old, had a record as long as your arm, and was wanted in 3 counties on similar charges. When she eventually came before the court, the charges including assault were read, plus 42 other charges. She received 2 years; 1 year suspended, and was immediately put in hospital care. I still have a soft spot for her; in court she blew me a kiss and told me I had been lovely to her. Doctors said she did it for attention, as she had no-one. She will always remain one of my most constant memories of my job.

New Age Kurling- Sat 12th May

AADC are looking for players to make up teams to

play New Age Kurling. Even if you’ve never played but

would like to give it a try, now’s your chance!

Even if you’re a wiz there is no obligation to actually

join the team, you can play for fun.

It is a sport suitable for all ages and abilities,

whether you are in a wheelchair, standing or

just sitting, and there’s no ice involved!

All the rules will be explained (they’re not difficult)

and we shall be serving tea, coffee and squash

throughout the afternoon.

So, get the weekend shopping done early and come

and join us from 1:30pm to 6pm in the Main Hall,

Stoke Mandeville Community Centre, Eskdale Road,

Stoke Mandeville on Saturday 12th May 2012.

Look forward to seeing you there! Lin Smith

AADC WEBSITE

For all members who have access to the web, don’t forget that you can get information of forthcoming events from the diary pages at www.aadc.co.uk. Click on diary, and then click on the date for full information of what’s on and where.

JOHN’S JOKES

Paddy was working on a building site, a brick falls from a roof. A workman said to Paddy “What are you looking for?” Paddy said, “My ear”. Then you heard a voice, “Is this your ear?” Paddy said “No! My ear had a pencil behind it”.

Mission Impossible 2012 -mispelt racign

This July, Adam French, Tom Maycock, Lewys Brace, Paul

Kilgallon and I will be driving from Rheims in France to the

beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic, via the Swiss

Alps and Germany's autobahns... in a 2 tonne £200 Volvo 850. We will be decorating this automotive behemoth, and keeping

video diaries throughout the event - it should make

entertaining viewing. As 3/5s of the team are dyslexic we will be raising money for

dyslexia action - a charity close to the hearts of the team and

helping to make a difference to thousands of people’s lives.

Attempting to manoeuvre such a monolithic beast of Swedish

engineering around small winding alpine roads, before finally

being able to unleash her power once loose in Germany,

promises to be a memorable experience – we need your

donations to keep us driving when the caffeine has run out.

Please log on to the following website, thank you.

http://www.justgiving.com/mispeltracign

Rob Bleasdale, Vice-Chairman.

Skills and Help Needed.

Sometimes we need members to help with running club events.

For example this may be sewing, as Fiona kindly did for us recently. We may need help with running social events. Some members may be glad of a lift to swimming, games or socials from time to time. Sometimes a one off or short term offer of help can really be appreciated. For example if someone regularly gives a friend a lift to swimming etc but is unavailable for a while due to going away or going into hospital etc. It would be nice to know their friend is still being helped until they are available again. It would be helpful to have a list of members who we could ask for help if needed. I feel the committee does a great job at running the club but not everything can be done just by this small group of members. So if you feel you can help in anyway please speak to one of the officers. Thank You. D.W

Thank you Thank you to everyone who gave a contribution to the club in lieu of Christmas cards; a donation of over £120 went to the club. Hopefully we can copy this idea again this Christmas. Thanks D.W.

February Social

This was a fun evening trying to guess the content of “Feely Bags”. Lin placed everyday items we would usually recognise easily, into the bags, but it is a lot harder than you expect, when you cannot see an item. The winner was Rob Bleasdale, well done Rob. Also we had a celebration for Pete Evett’s 80th Birthday. Ruth and Pete treated us all to snacks and refreshments. Lin made a lovely birthday cake which was enjoyed by all.

Diane White.

Useful email addresses: Mike King [email protected] Lin Smith [email protected] Diane White [email protected] Vivien Barrett [email protected]