Croydon Catenians Circle 60

Brother President Steve Tatler chose historic Salisbury for his 2017 Presidential Weekend.

Fifty two Brothers, Wives and Circle Ladies attended the weekend, based at the Mercure White Hart Hotel, conveniently situated in the centre of Salisbury.

The weekend got underway with Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral where Croydon Circle were warmly welcomed by Canon Robert Titley, who was no stranger to the Catenian Association, having previously attended a Clergy Night organised by Richmond & Twickenham Circle.

This was followed by a champagne reception and dinner at St Elizabeth’s Hall just a short walk from the Hotel. There was a great ‘buzz’ around the room as the latest news about families and friends was shared and anecdotes exchanged.

Saturday morning was filled with a Guided Tour of Salisbury which started at the hotel and finished in Cathedral Close. The guides were Blue Badge professionals who recounted the history of Salisbury as we passed the old houses of wool merchants, the Guildhall and old inns as we moved to the Market Square with its Saturday Morning market.

With so much history, there was an enormous amount to see and enjoy. The tour ended at the Cathedral which was finished in 1258 and houses a copy of the Magna Carta in the Chapter House. Thankfully, its tiny print in old Latin was accompanied by a translation in modern English.

Saturday evening started with a private dinner in the hotel restaurant and finished many hours later with non-stop dancing to the music of Steve and Roy Easthope aka ‘First Choice’. The guests included the President of Salisbury Circle Bro. Andrew Verrian and his wife Alison accompanied by three Salisbury Brothers and their Wives.

Mass was celebrated on Sunday morning at St Osmund’s Church where Canon Michael Fitzpatrick warmly welcomed our Circle group.

Steve Tatler (far) and Roy Easthope (near) aka ‘First Choice’

On a sunny June day over 20 of our Circle ladies gathered in Gill Tomei’s garden for Afternoon Tea.

A welcoming glass of cold Prosecco was followed by a selection of delicious sandwiches, cakes and of course, the obligatory scones with cream and jam.

The sound of chilled acoustic music from Oli Tatler, son of Lady President Lorraine, provided the ideal backdrop to a perfect afternoon.

Proceeds from this and other events enabled the Ladies to donate £500 to the Red Cross Grenfell Tower Fund. A wonderful result!

The Christmas Gathering, the week before Christmas, was a wonderful family afternoon of fun with everyone taking part in one way or another.

Organised by Stephen and Mary Piper, the afternoon included carol singing, mulled wine, refreshments and some Christmas readings.

The afternoon nearly didn’t happen when everyone turned up at the church hall at St. Gertrudes      to find that the hall had been double booked and a children’s party was in full swing.

Alternative arrangements were quickly made to move the event to the church hall at St. Columba’s in Selsdon where the afternoon got off to a quick start.

Several members of Shirley Singers who are members of the Croydon Circle and their wives combined with others to form a choir for the afternoon.

A great start to the Christmas season with lots of Christmas jumpers on display.

A party of Croydon Catenians and wives attended the Annual London Christmas Carol Concert organised by the Alzheimer’s Society in December 2016.

They joined over 650 Alzheimer’s Society supporters at Southwark Cathedral for a special evening of musical performances from London’s leading chamber choir, Vasari Singers and their very own Croydon Singing for the Brain group.

The evening was hosted by TV presenter, Richard Madeley with festive readings from comedian Hugh Dennis, Judy Finnigan and Lesley Sharp. In addition, Society Ambassador, Lorraine Brown gave an inspirational speech about living with early onset dementia.

The concert was a huge success raising £26,000.

A group of 24 Croydon Brothers and wives enjoyed a historical walk based on the Fire of London on the 350th Anniversary of the great fire.

The walk was led by Ian Bevan, a qualified London guide who has led previous historic London walks for the Circle.

The walk started at the Monument and followed the route of the fire from where it started at the Kings Bakery in Pudding Lane.

The fire was fanned by strong east winds  and when it was finally extinguished only one fifth of London was left standing! Virtually all the civic buildings had been destroyed as well as 13,000 private dwellings, but amazingly only six people had died.

The walk finished near Tower Bridge with lunch at the ‘All Bar One’ pub.