Lords Taverners Thames Valley newsletter Autumn 2011

Lords Taverners Thames Valley newsletter Autumn 2011

Dear Fellow Taverners, I thought you might like to know what we have been up to in the Thames Valley Region in the last 9 months and some advance notice of what we are planning for next year.

As many of you will know, the year started with a very successful evening at the Kenton Theatre in Henley featuring the wonderful Timothy West, who was full of anecdotes about  his 50+ years on the stage and screen.  It was especially interesting in the second half to have Michael Billington, long time drama critic of The Guardian, putting questions to Tim supplied by the audience. I’m bound to say that people were somewhat surprised to have  an auction during the interval, but a few intrepid souls put their hands up for items varying  from wine tasting and lunch to a summer week in a chalet in the Alps. In all, the evening raised over £9000 to be split between the Taverners and Kenton for Keeps, a charity funding the purchase of the freehold, which will guarantee the theatre’s survival.

During the so called summer there were 2 celebrity cricket matches. The first was a Taverners XI against Steeple Aston which took place on a windswept Sunday in May. Brilliantly organised by Peter Higgins, there was a dinner the night before the game with a terrifically entertaining turn by Nicholas Parsons; and the match itself included on the Taverners side Graeme Hick and Mike Gatting, among others. In a nail-biting finish, in front of a loyal crowd who braved the gale, the Taverners emerged triumphant and the Taverners charity benefitted to the extraordinary amount of over £18000.

The second took place, by coincidence, only a few miles away at Enstone, organised by  David Bussey and hosted by Graham Garden (who lives in the village) and Tim Brooke Taylor on one of the few genuinely warm days in June.   When Enstone replied to a modest total it looked as though the Goodies XI were going to be easily beaten. But after a batting collapse, and despite throwing in a few wides, the Taverners gratefully accepted victory. Revenge will be in the air next year when the fixture is repeated. The day was enlivened by the presence of Sir Patrick Stewart playing his first game of  cricket for donkey’s years. He unfortunately pulled a hamstring, which could have caused major problems since he was in the middle of a run on the stage at Stratford, playing Shylock. Happily, the part called for a limp and nobody seemed to notice that he was limping on a different leg from the previous week! Special mention must be made of a monumental effort by Caldicott School, near Beaconsfield, who agreed to put on a ‘swimathon’ involving all 280 boys at the school. The Headmaster, Simon Doggart, came up with the idea of setting a target aggregate distance for the boys (plus a few staff and parents) to swim; since it was soon after the royal wedding the objective was to cover the 180 kilometres from Kate Middleton’s home in Bucklebury to Buckingham Palace and back. Not only was the distance easily achieved, but through the incredible generosity of parents, godparents, grandparents and other relatives and friends in sponsoring the boys the Taverners have received a staggering £15500. As a thank you, some of the GB Wheelchair Basketball team will be putting on a demonstration later this year.  The swimathon is a very simple concept and easily replicated, so if any of you have connections with schools with a swimming pool would you please float (sorry) this idea with them. Or let me know who I could approach.  Contact details below.In the last 12 months there have been 2 minibus presentations in the region: the first to Fitzwaryn School in Wantage where the youngsters were very excited to see one of their   great heroes, Colin Salmon, turn up to hand over the keys; the second one went to Addington School in Reading, where our ex-National President and local lad, Chris Tarrant, did the honours.As for next year, there will be at least 2 cricket matches. And another theatre evening, this time at the Theatre Royal, Windsor on May 27th (put it in your diaries) when 2 experts from the Antiques Roadshow, Hilary Kay and Paul Attebury, will be presenting their show: “Have You had It Long, Madam?”, a highly original and entertaining look at scenes in front of and behind the cameras at this hugely popular and long running TV series.   We are also at the early stages of planning a relay marathon based around the Madejski Stadium in early July. More later on all these events.Thanks to all of you who have supported the region this year. I’m happy to say that despite the economic state of the country we have raised over £45,000 so far in 2011- coincidentally, the cost of an adapted minibus.Upwards and onwards.    John Allen

   Chairman Thames Valley Region

   01491 833494

   07768 904594

   jpfallen@talktalk.net

CLADICOTT SCHOOL SWIMS FOR THE LORDS TAVERNERS

On May 23rd, three weeks after the royal wedding of William and Kate, the  270 boys, plus several  staff and a few parents from Caldicott Prep School  in Berkshire, set off in an attempt between them to swim the 180 kilometres that covers the distance from Bucklebury (Kate's home) to Buckingham Palace and back. All in aid of The Lord's Taverners.

 One month later Simon Doggart, the headmaster, presented John Allen, Chairman of the Thames Valley region, with a cheque for a staggering £15,239.15.

Said Simon Doggart:" The boys were fantastically enthusiastic about the idea. We regularly visit special needs schools in the area so the boys know how fortunate they are to be abled bodied. And it was great to see a number of the staff and parents giving up their free time to raise money."

 Said John Allen: " I've been keen to get schools involved in supporting the Taverners and this was our first shot at it. What a result! 

 I went to watch the first few hours of the swimathon. What really touched me is that even the few small boys who couldn't really swim properly were using floats in front of them to kick their way up and down the pool for half an hour. Every boy in the school took part, without exception, and one or two  of them swam over 5 kilometres in aid of our charity.

 I can't believe how generous all the sponsors were. A huge thanks goes to everyone.And, of course it's a simple idea that could be repeated across the Regions"

THE THAMES VALLEY LADY TAVERNERS ROUND UP - MARCH 2011

We in The Thames Valley have held some great events recently starting with 70 of us including partners enjoying “A Posh Curry “ night at The Tamarind Tree Restaurant , and our annual Spring “Ladies who Lunch “ at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club. The day started with some retail therapy followed by lunch and a fashion show by Barbara Easton of Henley. We have also had an Afternoon Tea by the Thames, unfortunately the May weather was unpredictable and it poured with rain but that did not dampen our spirits at all.Then on September the 4th at The Hilton Hotel, Reading we held a “Diamond Ball” to celebrate The Lords Taverners Diamond Jubilee. We sang with “Tom Jones and Neil Diamond “ and then danced the night away to The London Showband. The evening was a huge success and with our amazing Auction and Raffle prizes we raised in excess of 30, 000 pounds.

In February a mini-bus sponsored by The Fearn Family was presented to Addington School in Woodley. What a thrill for everyone involved. The children were so excited to meet Chris, and we were most appreciative for the morning he spent with us, albeit he had been for an early morning cuppa with his mum who lives just around the corner from Addington School. It was a bitterly cold day but we were all deeply warmed by the enthusiasm of the recipients.

We have aimed at having fun with all our events and we plan to have a lot more .Please join us this year we look forward to welcoming you.

Adrienne Jacobs
Lady Taverners
Thames Valley Regional Chairman
 

THE LORD'S TAVERNERS SIR TIMOTHY WEST EVENING, KENTON THEATRE - 30TH JANUARY 2011

Timothy West came to the Kenton Theatre, Henley, on 30th January in aid of the Lord's Taverners and Kenton for Keeps for an evening with anecdotes about his life as an actor on stage and screen, spanning over 50 years. He entertained a packed house with a series of both serious and hilarious episodes and incidents involving both himself and other famous personalities in the acting world.

After the interval Timothy gave some fascinating responses to questions from the audience, put to him by Michael Billington, long time drama critic of The Guardian. In particular he pointed out how changes in societal attitudes towards mental ill health affected audience reactions to King Lears's descent into madness. And gave some sound advice to a mother whose 18 year old daughter wanted try for a career on the stage.

The evening was a huge success, raising over £9000 to be split between the two charities.

There are plans for another theatrical evening in Henley in the autumn, drawing on one or two of the famous people from the world of entertainment who are members of the Lord's Taverners