Chanctonbury Probus Club
Photographs & notes about recent Events
2024
21st March
Twenty of us braved a cool wind to learn more about Arundel from our guide Martin, who has lived in the town all of his life working as. Postman until his recent retirement.
Using an extensive library of historic photos Martin was able to show us how the town has changed. How it used to look and work. The antique shop that used to be a butcher’s shop with all of the carcasses hanging outside on hooks. The red and white chequerboard tiled tops to some of the buildings and the roof mounted symbols indicating what type of shop was to be found beneath. His countless stories of how people lived shopped and worked in this small town. How the local Duke used the proceeds from his sale of a small town he had up north (Sheffield!) to fund the building of the Cathedral and Castle in the Victorian era.
It soon became obvious how the period look and feel made the town an obvious candidate for films like the recent ‘Wicked little letters’ which was set in a rather sweary if still delightfully picturesque 1920s town. It helped us imagine how Arundel had once looked, felt and functioned.
We ended the tour at the top of the town outside the Cathedral dedicated to the unfortunate, if sainted, Phillip Howard. During that couple of hours, we had learned so much not just about Arundel but how people, society, Dukes, the churches (both Protestant and Catholic) behaved and sometimes - sadly more interestingly - misbehaved throughout history.
Thursday 22nd February
In February twenty of our Members and Associates saw a performance of “Drop the Dead Donkey – The Reawakening” at the Chichester Festival Theatre. This satirical TV comedy about the goings on within a TV newsroom launched on Channel 4 in the 1980s and the play brought it up to date with the original cast being brought together again to form a new news channel. The script was right up to date dealing with current news items. The team was still as hapless and their organisation as chaotic as ever. The cast included Neil Pearson, Stephen Tomkinson, and Victoria Wicks together with a guest cameo performance from Trevor McDonald.
Following the performance 16 of our number had a fine meal at the Spur at Slindon.
Monday 5th Feb.
Ten Pin Bowling at Rustington.
The annual Ten Pin Bowling challenge between Chanctonbury and Storrington Probus clubs was held today Monday 5th February 2024 at the Out of Bounds Bowling alley in Rustington. Three teams from each club competed for the new challenge trophy "Lucky Strikes". There were 5 bowlers per lane and everyone had 2 games each of 10 frames. A closely contested match with Chanctonbury's Lane 1 team having the highest overall bowling score. The winning team were Tim and Jane Hulbert, Angela Jones, Laki Marangos and Graham Moss (virtual presence). The winning score was 935 with the Storrington team of Clive Boland, John Brocklebank, Ken Collins, Peter and Vanessa Edwards a close second with a score of 921.
The overall winner was Laki Marangos with a score of 220, with Peter second on 208, Paul Weaver third with 200 and Clive Boland 4th with 199.
Hard luck Storrington, but as the losing team they will be organising next year's challenge. Training starts soon I am told.....
I think everyone had an enjoyable morning. We then went to the Black Horse in Findon for our lunch, which was also enjoyed by everyone.
My thanks to all the participants and to Paul Weaver for collating the Storrington playing and meal pre-ordering information.
10th January
Skittles at the Black Horse, Findon
A group of fit, well relatively fit, mares and stallions from the Club met for skittles at the Black Horse, Findon.
Some 18 riders were divided into teams of four and three in accordance with their horse breeds with two spectators on the rails. At the end of the first circuit or round the Old English team led the field with 24 points with the Shire Horses showing their age at the back with 15.
By the time the field had finished the second round the Shire Horses had maintained their lead with 43 points but the following horses were bunching up close behind them with Mustangs on 39, the Arabians on 35 and the Shire horses at the back of the field alongside the Shetland ponies both on 32 points.
The third round saw the Old English majestically still leading the field with the rest bunching behind them ready for a supreme effort on the final lap. The tense final circuit saw lots of
excitement with a turnaround in the positions. The Arabians with two young mares and an old stallion stormed through on the inside to win with 84 points followed by the disappointed Old English on 79
points after having lead for the first three laps. It was clear that the Highland ponies prefer the Highlands to the flat Findon course.
On the individual horse scores two mares, Zena and Judith, having both knocked down all nine skittles with two balls finished as joint winners with the magnificent individual score of 26, just
pipping Valerie by a very short head on 25. Where were the stallions one might ask!
Following the prize giving all the horses were grateful to be well fed and watered in the skittles barn after their morning exertions.
2023
4th November
A night out in Brighton
Eleven Members and Associates travelled to Brighton on a Saturday night in November and after a fine, and remarkably economical, Italian meal at Pinocchio’s restaurant moved on to the Dome Concert Hall for an orchestral Concert.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by rising star Luis Castillo-Briceno treated us to a performance of Dvorak’s Carnival Overture followed in the first half by Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, a concerto for solo violin, solo viola and orchestra. In the second half the intensity was ramped up with an exciting performance of Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony which gave all the members of the 80 strong orchestra the chance to show off their talents.
11th October 2023
Chairman’s Invitation Lunch
Chairman John Gilbert arranged the lunch at Avisford Park Hotel. After a few hic-ups (mainly one barman for 48 people), everybody sat down to an excellent meal. The food was good, the wine flowed and the non stop chatter, implied that on the whole the event was successful. It was made doubly special with the ladies in their fetching finery.
20th September 2023
Alan Price ably organised some 20+ members visited one of the country’s finest Elizabethan houses and its gardens on our door step on Wednesday of this week.
On arrival at Parham House we were greeted by our experienced guide, Carol, in the house’s original kitchen where we had coffee and biscuits to prepare for our tours.
This area is not generally open to the public now but its display of copper cooking utensils is amazing.
Although many of us had visited the house before, probably on more than one occasion, Carol’s encyclopaedic knowledge and obvious love of the house, its history and all the many artefacts contained in it made it come alive in a way that is not normally possible. We started our tour in the Great Hall with many paintings of the Palmer and Bishopp families who had owned the property and were intrigued by the large heavy leather water jug on display on the central table which was on casters for ease of use. The tour finished in the extraordinary long gallery, the third longest of its kind in the country, where the far sited architect had provided a panelled ceiling so that if the roof leaked and damaged the ceiling only the damaged part of it would need to be renewed.
We learnt that although the house was built in 1577 only three families have owned it since that time and that the house is in its current excellent condition with much of the original furniture and artefacts due to its purchase in 1922 by the Hon. Clive and Alicia Pearson who used their wealth and resources to restore the property and then opened a major part of the house to the public shortly after the last war.
We then made our way outside where we met by head gardener, Andrew, who proudly told us that the gardens were actually older than the house as they had been used for the monastery that had been on the site before the Reformation. Andrew had only been head gardener for a relatively short time during which his major challenge had been to rid the gardens of bindweed. This had given him an opportunity to replant some of the beds where the new plants had quickly become established.
We were fortunate to avoid the rain and adjourned to the nearby Crown Inn for an excellent lunch and listen to the local group Feelin’ Lucky who entertained us with songs and music from our era whilst the rain came down outside!
21st August 2023
Simon Powlson and Jean Keeling were the winners of the Inter Probus Croquet amateur section held at Southwick SCCC.
Laki Marangos was the runner up in the Professional handicap section.
10th August 2023
A coach load of 31 members, partners and one guest made the trip to SW19 5AG for a guided tour of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet club, for a behind the scenes visit of the lawns, club facilities and the famous museum. The sun was shining to make this extra special. Our blue badge guide Caroline Cloutte, enchanted us wonderfully with her amazing knowledge of facts and figures and fascinating insights into the past and present events and personalities. We saw some of the 18 courts including sitting at the famous Centre Court (court 13 does not exist for obvious reasons!). Lunch was enjoyed at the Wingfield cafeteria, named after the "father" of lawn tennis Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in c.1873. We then had a leisurely visit to the world famous museum, past the inevitable shop, aided with audio guides, aiming to digest the incredible story of this club, to read about the star players, to view the trophies and play with interactive displays, before boarding our coach for the return journey home.
Overall a very interesting and enjoyable day out.
25th July 2023
A group of 30 members, from Chanctonbury Probus Club, visited Shoreham Fort, where they were given a guided tour of the site. Built in 1857, in reaction to the threat of an invasion by Napoleon’s forces, the group learned about its clever design that makes it impossible to see from the sea, as it blends into the South Downs landscape. It was decommissioned in 1906 and nine years later it started being used for film sets and was bigger than Hollywood during these early days. Left to decay for a number of years a group of dedicated volunteers took on the task of rebuilding the site. Work is ongoing, but all the materials are paid for through donations. After the visit, 26 of the group had an excellent lunch at the local restaurant “Into the Sea”. – a very enjoyable and memorial day."
23rd June 2023
Some photos from the warm-up day for the Probus Inter-club croquet competition taking place in August.
19th May 2023
Members of Chanctonbury Probus Club, drove to the Leonardo Hotel Hinkley Island, with a 3 hour stop off at Stratford upon Avon. That evening, the members had a very entertaining and palatable meal in the Marco Pierre White restaurant. The following day everybody visited the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire which was stunning and very moving. There are 150 acres of manicured lawns, bushes, trees and gardens, together with over 400 memorials, plaques and figures relating to ALL services that have taken part in the various campaigns, battles, skirmishes and national confrontations.
The members returned home pleasantly exhausted but grateful for having experienced what the
day was about – a memorial day. The picture shows Ted F. Barbara, Gill, Ted H and Alison standing by the memorial for the children evacuees.
21st April 2023
The Club’s formal Annual Dinner for 2022/23 took place on Friday 21st April at the West Sussex Golf Club with some fifty-five diners present. Probus Chairman John Maunder and his wife, Rowenna, greeted everyone on arrival and a convivial pre-dinner session followed in the bar. As always, the golf club’s restaurant was pleasantly set up for dinner with round tables to aid the flow of conversation. Dinner was served, (albeit somewhat slowly), and the evening progressed with a brief speech from the Chairman who, among other things, expressed his pleasure in seeing everyone there, especially the lady associate members. There followed the loyal toast and another brief speech, this time from the Chairman elect, John Gilbert. Flowers were presented to the Chairman’s wife and the evening ended with everyone mixing among the other tables to continue their conversations. The accompanying photographs provide a sense of this enjoyable occasion.
7th February 2023
Chanctonbury and Storrington & District Probus Clubs, organised by JOhn Gilbert, clashed swords, albeit at Out of Bounds Ten Pin Bowling, in an annual test of bowling skills. The outcome was that Paul Weaver (Storrington) took home the trophy for the men whilst Anna Weaver (Storrington) and Patsy Currie (Chanctonbury), shared the ladies trophy. Putting their competitive natures aside they, and 40 other members, had an excellent lunch at The Black Horse Findon.
It was agreed to take up the challenge again next year.
2nd January 2023
37 Members and associates visited Windsor castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. The coach picked us up at 9.00 and we were in Windsor before 11.00 having heard all about the castle and where we were travelling through from our excellent and informative guide Frances. After coffee and cake we wound our way up through the sunshine and crowds into the castle visiting the State Apartments, St George's Chapel and Queen Mary's Dolls House. The Chapel contained the tomb of our much loved and recently departed Queen Elizabeth II and the guides explained how the actual TV burial and later real life family interment had taken place.
The Castle shouts history. William the Conqueror built it. Edward III was born and lived there for most of his 50 year reign, terrorising the Scots and crushing the French at Crecy, a prelude to his son the Black Prince humbling them at Poitiers. His concept of warrior knights and noble kings led to his creating the Order of the Garter, something Henry VIII developed into a series of extravagant feasts at the castle. Shakespeare captured and celebrated the good times in the Merry Wives of Windsor. Later monarchs, including Elizabeth II spent a great deal of time there and turned it into the preeminent Royal Palace.
After much sightseeing we wandered back down the hill to our coach which returned us to our homes, wiser and far more aware of our Royal family and history. It was a heritage bathing experience.
2022
20th December 2022
A large number of members and associates met up at the Roundabout Hotel for the annual Chairman's Christmas Coffee Morning. It was good to see so many gathering and enjoying each others company again after the restrictions of the past have slowly been lifted.
6th December 2022
Laki Maragos organised another very successful 'Call My Bluff ' wine quiz and reported:
"A huge thank you for being such lovely participants to our quiz last night. I hope you enjoyed the challenge and indeed some if not all the wines. I have attached a list of the ones you should have guessed correctly.
Well, one person did just that, so congratulations to Barbara Harbut for getting all 6 right! I can see who will be ordering the wine next time at the restaurant! Also, congratulations to the winning team on table 3 - Sue Arnold, Paul Chislett-Trim, Rob Golding, Lissa Healey and Margaret Pullen, with an impressive score of 21/36 . A pity that Mike and Sue Brett were unable to join - in fact Mike would have been in the winning team - sorry Mike, wishing you both a speedy recovery.
My thanks to a brilliant team of "connoisseurs" : Anne Powlson, Tim Healey and Michael Carroll. They did an excellent job in causing confusion in a very convincing and entertaining manner.
Finally my thanks to Ray and Simon for helping out with pouring the wine, to Anne and Simon for setting up the room and to all who helped clear out at the end. And of course to Pat for so much of the preparation."
10th November 2022
Following an over subscribed tour of Christ's Hospital last year, Ray and Valerie Gatward organised a second Christ's Hospital Verrio Tour. 23 Members, Wives and Partners attended. Christ's Hospital was founded in 1552 and the tour began with a visit to the School Museum, led by the Head Curator Laura Kidner. The museum is responsible for the many thousands of artefacts and archives relating to Christ's Hospital, many displayed around the school site, others held at the London Metropolitan Archives that reflect over 465 years of history. Following on from the museum the group was given a tour of the school grounds and buildings led by guide pupils. The senior guides gave individual talks on the history of the school, its buildings and also demonstrated the unique elements of the boys and girls school uniforms. Their enthusiasm, knowledge and ability to present to the group, whilst walking backwards, was a pleasure to behold. The tour finished in the main dining hall, the location of the enormous Antonio Verrio 1690 painting from which the tour takes its name, that depicts the commemoration of the foundation of the Royal Mathematical School in 1673. The excellent afternoon tea, with some of the guides, gave us all time to engage with them on a personal level and gain further insight into their hopes and aspirations for the future."
27 October 2022
Chichester Festival Theatre Back-Stage Tour organised by Bruce Tompson and reported:
I knew a number of Probus members and associates were avid theatre goers so thought it would be fun to go ‘behind the scenes’ at Chichester Festival Theatre to see what was involved in bringing a production to the stage.
We had 31 people from the club and after separating into two groups we were each taken on a fascinating tour. We stood on the stage set for the current musical, The Famous Five. We learned how the stage was capable of being raised and lowered, secret trap doors and how it could be adapted to various productions, in particular Up River when the stage was ‘hollowed out’ to allow thousands of gallons of water to be pumped in and for a river boat to actually float on it.
In the auditorium we heard about the work of the sound engineers, lighting, the location of the orchestra that seemed to depend on where they could be ‘squeezed' in. Then backstage to the scene dock where they organise and store the scenery for the current production. We passed the dressing rooms all modestly designed and on to the room where we were told about the intricacies involved in producing wigs for each actor and how they must be regularly washed and dried carefully in a special drying cabinet.
And finally to Wardrobe, where they explained the design of costumes to facilitate quick changes and how they assisted the actor to achieve this. Why hats are hang from the ceiling to make it easier to locate rather than hunting through boxes. How all clothing is new but if a production such as Local Hero requires the actor to wear ‘old clothes’, the techniques used to make them appear aged and worn. All clothes: hankies, ties, shirts, socks, shoes, trousers, jackets etc for each actor must be labelled and all items cleaned, dried and pressed each day. Oh, and don’t forget when there is an understudy, they too must have a wig designed for them, as well as separate costumes.
Reflecting on what we’d seen helped us appreciate the skills involved in bringing a production to stage. It was quite remarkable, informative and I hope fun.
22nd October 2022
After last year's successful visit to the Biggin Hill Air Museum, Laki Maragos organised another visit.
13th October 2022
Our Chairman, John Maunder, organised a sucessful Chairman's Invitation Lunch at the Southlands Barn, West Chiltington. There were 41 members, partners and assiociates present who enjoyed good food and company.
8th - 12th September
Normandy Tour organised by Laki Marangos.
Some 32 Probus folk and guests, including two couples from Storrington Probus, set off on a very wet Thursday 8th September for Normandy. The Leger Holidays Silver Service luxury coach left Storrington at 10.30 and despite heavy rain managed to get to the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal in time for the 13.50 departure. We were 21 km from Caen when the news of the Queen's passing reached our phones. Quite a shock. For a time the mood was rather sombre, however we continued to our destination. This tour was first organised for Sept 2020 but Covid necessitated two postponements so it was a relief to actually arrive at Caen, our base, just in time for dinner. The pre-booked dinner at La Taverne was enjoyed by all despite some miscommunication about the menu and aperitifs . The Hotel Ibis Styles Centre Gare was well positioned and very comfortable with an excellent buffet breakfast selection. On the way to Caen we picked up our guide, Gary Ashley who turned out to have an amazing amount of knowledge about the D-Day landings, stories about individuals and generally about the two world wars. My expectation by booking this tour with Leger's Battlefields tours department was fully met.
The next day was spent visiting the British and Canadian beach landings and memorials - Sword, Juno and Gold. It's only by standing there, that you can start appreciating the scale of the task, logistics involved and most importantly the huge sacrifices by the men who fought and died there. Seeing Pegasus bridge and learning the story behind it's capture is quite something. The new British Normandy memorial near Gold beach is spectacular with an open simple design focussed on a sense of honour for the fallen. The day ended by visiting Arromanches to see the remains of the Mulberry harbour. Amazing and difficult to comprehend the scale and ingenuity. Visiting the cemeteries was quite emotional, highlighted by Angela reading her uncle's final letter home whilst facing his grave - Private G.A. Precious age 19, 6th June 1944, RIP.
Day 3 was dedicated to the US side of the landings at Omaha and Utah beaches. The American Cemetery with some 9,500 graves does not cover the enormity and horrors of this part of the campaign. Visiting the amazing Overlord museum gave us an excellent idea of the weaponry and equipment used. Our own Alan Jeffs, as a retired Tank Commander, contributed additional facts regarding tank warfare. Lunch was at the famous St Mere Eglise (featured in the The Longest Day movie). The "body" of the unfortunate paratrooper hanging from the spire is very unnerving. In the afternoon we were told stories of the Easy Company of the Airborne 506 regiment with Dick Winters as its leader. Visiting the memorial made Anne Powlson very happy as she is a huge fan of the Band of Brothers story. We ended the day by visiting the German cemetery and were shown the grave of the famous tank ace Michael Wittmann.
Day 4 was added to the itinerary to give us some light relief from the emotions of the D-Day landings, cemeteries and memorials. We visited Bayeux to see the famous 70 ft tapestry. Truly a magnificent embroidered story telling of the Norman invasion of 1066. Being a Sunday there was a memorial service in the Bayeux Cathedral and amazingly tributes to her Majesty with English classical music. Suddenly a load of gendarmes arrived and the streets were cordoned off. We later found that a man wielding a knife was arrested and evicted from the Cathedral!. It was emotional to see British flags at half mast everywhere. With yet another baguette for lunch we made our way to the village of Camembert. After a short video on the origins of camembert, we tasted various strengths of the famous cheese with a drop of cider As an unprotected brand we were told that only a cheese with at least 65% milk from Normandy cows is a real camembert. The day concluded with a Calvados Experience. A fantastic multi media presentation on what to do with apples - juice, apple cider, apple brandy just to name three derivatives. Happily we had a coach to carry the extra purchases.... the cheese had started to smell making Dave, the senior driver, asking usto make sure the cheese was not left in the coach overnight!
Departure day necessitated another early start to enable us to have a couple of hours at the picturesque port of Honfleur. A delightful port which annoyingly given our early arrival, springs to life after 10 am. Unfortunately having to be at the Calais port by 15.00 meant that we did not get enough time to explore. Maybe a reason for another visit?
The journey home was uneventful even through border controls. We arrived at Storrington at around 6.30pm. Worth mentioning and thanking the two drivers for their brilliant driving skill and service on board (annoyingly, drinks can only be served when outside the UK). It seemed that everyone enjoyed the experience as a "band of brothers and sisters". Where to next time?
2nd September 2022
Ray Dawe was inducted into the club by Chairman John Maunder at the September lunch meeting.
15th August 2022
Inter-Probus croquet event
This annual event was organised by Jonathan Isaacs president of the Sussex County Croquet Club at Southwick, and hosts of the event. Just a couple of weeks ago it was the host site for the 2022 world golf croquet championships, so it was like playing at Wembley!
Our Probus contingent of 15 people, members and Associates, was a quarter of the total from another 4 probus clubs, namely Southdowns, West Chiltington, Storrington and Rother Valley.. We were split into two groups; (a) beginners and (b) experienced i.e. those with a club handicap. The first 20 mins we were all given some tuition depending on level of experience and then we were placed in groups of 5 or 6 pairs in a round robin competition. A buffet lunch was much appreciated as was a visit to the bar. Play resumed in the afternoon and eventually two sets of winners were announced according to the number of wins and hoops run. Ray and Valerie were runners up in group (a) and Laki and Anne Gill (guest at Southwick) winners of group (b). A lovely day of fun and as an annual event to be repeated on the 21st August 2023.
Many thanks to the organisers and Sussex County Croquet Club at Southwick.
11th August 2022
D Day Story
Simon Poulson organised a visit for eleven members to the D Day Story in Southsea on a very hot August day. We had arranged talks, tours and a buffet lunch with Andrew, the Curator. We are going to the Normandy D Day beaches for four nights in a months’ time and are keen to learn more about what we will be seeing.
Andrew gave a fascinating overview of D Day and suggested things we might want to go and see. We then visited the landing craft, but the highlight of the day was Andrew showing us round the Overlord Embroidery, pointing out things we would never have noticed or known about. It was excellent
All in all a great day out and one that will put us in good stead for our Normandy trip.
18th July 2022
HOT AIR AND HISTORY
On 18th July, almost the hottest day of the year, 27 members, Associates and partners embarked on a visit to the Palace of Westminster organised by Tim Hulbert and Alan Price. We stayed cool for the first few hours in our air-conditioned coach. It started to warm up a bit when we got to the Houses of Parliament, though inside it remained fairly cool for most of the day. We started our tour in Westminster Hall, most of which has survived for over a 1000 years and was the site of the first parliament in 1265 and such other historic events as the trial of Charles 1. We were warmly greeted by our host, Lord Faulkner of Worcester who had been instrumental in helping us to organise the visit. As we set off in two parties to tour the House of Commons (no sitting on the benches!) the Royal Apartments, the Peers Lobby and the House of Lords itself, we were led by two excellent and knowledgeable guides, whose serious descriptions of history were peppered with anecdotes drawn from their experiences of present and recent MPs. We met for Lunch in the Peers Dining Room, joined again by Lord Faulkner, who proved a lively and entertaining host. After an excellent lunch we were taken again to the Peers Lobby where we watched the Lord Speaker’s procession attended by the first ever female Black Rod. A steep climb upstairs took us to the gallery above the Throne from where we watched an hour of Lords Question Time – a much more civilised and respectful affair than the equivalent in the House of Commons. Sadly it was time to leave, Lord Faulkner left the debate in the Lords to come and bid us farewell. As we were leaving the Commons was debating a Motion of No Confidence in the Government – a rare event. Meanwhile Conservative Members were voting again in the election of the new Prime Minister. History in the making? As we walked the short distance back to the coach the hot air of debate combined with heat of the day was overwhelming – many members took the opportunity of the cool journey back to have a well-earned nap after a most enjoyable and memorable day.
4th July 2022
18 members and associates gathered, under the guidance of Clive and Angela Jones, to home their skills with the croquet mallet, ball and hoop! After some skills practice and tests ( with points that ment prizes) we were paired up and 2 rounds of match were under taken. The competative stances were called of at 12.30 when Ray Gatward (most improved player), Ted Hooker and Ted Fisher (highest scores in skills tests) were awarded their mini mini magnums of Grand Cru. Everyone then adjurned to the Badgers Inn for suitable vitals.
1st July 2022
A nice summer's day for a walk by 19 Probus members and partners around the little known Coolham Airfield in Shipley was organised by Laki Marangos. Our guide, Richard Harris, a trustee with the Horsham & Shipley Community Project had essentially created this walk from personal accounts of the airmen who lived and died here. The airfield had a short time span of a few months during 1944, but an important role in the preparation and execution of the Normandy landings. Richard narrated a number of stories and as we walked around the perimeter of one of the two runways (the E-W one). we were further informed about the pilots and crew from numerous notices pinned to the fence and trees. Some 15 heroes are commemorated by the 15 oak trees planted here, mostly from Polish and Commonwealth squadrons. A fascinating and interesting walk-about reminding us of the sacrifices made.
We followed the walk with a lovely lunch at the Selsey Arms. The pub that also played a part in the life and times of the Coolham Airfield.
23rd June 2022
Rich Borrett organised and drove a group of 20 members and assosiates arround Amberley Museum. A most enjoyable and educational day was had by all although there was much debate about identifying certain items exihibited as 'of historical interest' whilst they were still in daily use in most members homes! There was however general agreement that public transport has improved in comfort.
8th June 2022
"Play Petanque", a new event for the Probus sporting members, was held on at the Horsham & Shipley Community centre (HSCP). This initiative (now has charity status) started as a walking football club some 8 years ago, which has now grown to include Mens Shed woodworking and Petanque in addition to walking/darting football.
We were hosted by Russell and his colleages Malcolm, Valerie and Roy who acted as playing coaches. We were welcomed with coffee and cake and after a brief introduction the 18 players were split into 4 groups of 4/5 players. There are 4 pistes so each piste had two competing teams of 2 or 3 players. The competitive spirit was evident from the start as we threw the boules to get as close to the cochonet (coch or jack) as possible. The weather was very favourable until we ended the games when raindrops were nudging us towards our lunch. Everyone seems to have enjoyed the games and huge thanks to the hosts for their coaching help.
The lunch, including non players (21 of us) was at the George & Dragon nearby, a member of the Tipsy pubs, recently expanded. The meals and service were excellent and a lovely way to end a most enjoyable day out with friends. Likely to be an annual event!
6th May 2022
27 members and associates visited the Bluebell Railway at Sheffield Park in East Sussex on a trip organised by Tim Healey.
Our party travelled in restored 1950s British Railways carriages behind Steam Locomotive 73082 “Camelot” from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead and back. During the journey Tim, who is a volunteer at the Railway, provided facts and interesting anecdotes about the history of the railway, it’s closure in the 1950s and its subsequent rebirth as a preserved heritage railway.
On arrival of the train back at Sheffield Park our group visited the museum with its ample display of artifacts illustrating the history of the Bluebell Railway and the development of railways in general. Some of our members found out by practical experience how much effort is needed to pull a signal lever and endured Tim’s explanation of the principles of railway signalling in the museum’s demonstration signal box.
Our final visit was to the engine shed where we viewed the collection of steam locomotives in static display at the railway as well as experiencing a simulation of the conditions on the footplate during a steam engine journey.
We were blessed with excellent weather and a fine display of the wild flowers alongside the line from which the Railway takes its name.
29th April 2022
The 27th Anniversary Annual Dinner was held at the West Sussex Golf Club on Friday 29th April. Forty-Nine Members, Associate Members, Partners and Guests attended the event and were able to celebrate the occasion in a very relaxed and comfortable setting. Valerie and I would like to thank Clive and Angela Jones for all their efforts and support in organising the evening on our behalf and for the lovely flowers that were presented to Valerie.
7th April 2022
Jim Sanson welcomed to full club membership by vice chairman, John Maunder at the April Lunch meeting.
5th April 2022
On 6 April 2022 some 42 members were “summonsed” to an afternoon presentation about the work of magistrates followed by their participation in a mock trial when Storrington & Sullington Parish Hall temporarily became a “court”.
The presentation commenced with the audience learning from Rosemary Titley, a retired chairman of West Sussex Bench, about how local justice had been administered in the area in the past including from closed courts such as that at Steyning and how magistrates used to be selected and appointed.
Aimee Blattman-Esswood, a current member of the West Sussex Bench, assisted by Xingang Wang from the Surrey Bench then explained how magistrates’ courts in the area now operate including how magistrates are appointed and the aptitudes required for the role. The audience learnt about the process of how defendants come to court and technology has been introduced in recent times to maintain the flow of cases with a reduced number of courts. Some 95% of all cases are finalised in magistrates’ courts with magistrates powers of sentence to be increased from 6 to 12 months and the retirement age of magistrates increased from 70 to 75.
After being fortified by refreshments, it was the audience’s turn to become involved with the process of law with a cast of Probus members playing the roles of the participants in a two handed trial. Latent acting abilities suddenly came to the fore after which the defendants were found guilty both by the “Bench” and the audience. Sadly just about all the members had passed the age when they could consider becoming magistrates but it was not too late for their children or grandchildren to give consideration to making a contribution to society by applying and being appointed as a magistrate.
24th March 2022
A skittles evening at the Spur
A good turn out at the Spur in Slindon by 24 members, partners and associates of the Chanctonbury Probus club, all keen to exercise their competitive skills. The evening started at 6.30 pm with a brief explanation of the bespoke rules for a mixed 4 team arrangement. Team captains made sure order was maintained (no yellow cards issued!!) and encouragement given to team members. After 3 rather noisy rounds a meal break was welcomed with the pub staff serving pre-ordered plates of delicious food. Further 3 rounds were then played and the total scores revealed team B as the clear winners. Well done to team captain Rob Golding with Sue Brett, Stuart Arnold, Jane Hulbert, Gill Cooper and Laki Marangos. A final Captains’ challenge was played with Rob emerging as the winner again, Well done Rob. A bottle of wine was presented to each member of the winning team and the winning team captain – well worth the effort then!!
It was a fun social evening, very likely to be repeated next year.
Worth mentioning the excellent service received by the Pub staff in organising this event and serving nice food in a timely manner.
25th February 2022.
Inspired by the heroic success of our Olympic medalists, Simon Powlson organised ten of us turned up to play a last game of curling at Fentons before its closure at the end of March. Unsurprisingly the next nearest curling rink is in Preston so it may be a while before we return to sliding granite down the ice. It was, as ever, great fun and Laki and Ted Hooker won prizes as the most improved players on the day. Afterwards we celebrated for a last time with lunch in the very hospitable Abergavenny Arms. It’s been fun while it lasted.
24th February 2022
11 past chairmen and one vice chairman joined our current chairman, Ray Gatward, at the Highdown Hotel for a very enjoyable "Past Chairmen's Lunch".
7th February 2022
35 members and associates gathered at the Out of Bounds Bowling Alley to resume the annual 10 pin bowling competition. After organizing the playing participants into five teams of 6 occupying five of the lanes, then trying to remind and explain the rules and nuances of the sport to them, next 2 1/2 hours was spent spraining and exercising muscles, backs, knees, elbows and any other part of the body that could move into action. It resulted in some very mixed results. The Team winner (lane 8) was from Storrington Probus, who scored over two games an average of 100.166 per team member. A most credible effort. The overall top scorer was Stuart Arnold.
The group then migrated to the Fox at Patching where we partook in a variety of very pleasant vittles served by the friendly and efficient staff. Despite a few members pretty disgruntled with their personal performances, a most enjoyable day appears to have been had by all. We look forward to John Gilbert maintaining the standard next year – possibly from this side of the big pond!
2021
4th December 2021
Chris Davis welcomed to full club membership by chairman, Ray Gatward at December Lunch meeting.
26th November 2021
On 26th November six Chanctonbury members and two from Storrington Probus, were given a 2½ hour informative tour of the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar. We were enthusiastically guided through the history of Biggin Hill, pilots and aircraft from both sides of the WW2 and the current and past restoration projects that the organisation is involved with. The day was concluded with a very pleasant lunch at The Aperfield Inn.
11th November 2021
On Thursday 11th November 2021 thirty Members, Associates and Partners made a visit to Christ's Hospital Horsham. The visit started with a tour of the Museum led by the Curator Laura Kidner who gave a brief insight into the history of this unique School from its foundation in November 1552. Laura also outlined the role of the Museum, being responsible for over 100,000 artefacts and archives relating to Christ's Hospital, many displayed around the School site, others held at the London Metropolitan Archives. From the Museum we were guided by very enthusiastic and knowledgeable Students around the grounds and buildings, being briefed about the history and legends associated with the School. This also gave us an opportunity to ask questions of the Students daily life, educational opportunities and the history of the uniform. The tour culminated with a high tea in the Dining Hall, home of the magnificent Verrio painting, from which the tour takes its name
4th November 2021
At the November Lunch Meeting Stuart Pullen was inducted into the Club as a full Member.
21st October 2021
The Chairman’s Invitation Lunch was held at Southlands Barn, West Chiltington, on the 21st October 2021 with 53 Members, Associates, Partners and Guests attending. As this was the first lunch for two years it was wonderful to see so many people being able to meet and enjoy the companionship of friends again over lunch, in a relaxed setting. The catering was provided by the staff of the Tottington Manor Hotel and together with the staff of Southlands Barns served a three-course lunch that was well received by all. After lunch the Chairman, Ray Gatward, gave a brief summary of the many and varied events that have been held by the Club this year and thanked all the organisers for their time and effort in arranging them for the benefit of all the Members and Associates. Valerie Gatward updated the Ladies on the proposed Ladies Spring Lunch to be held on the 24th February 2022 and Laki Marangos outlined the events being planned by the Social Committee for the remainder of 2021 and into 2022. Congratulations and many thanks to Clive and Angela Jones for organising a very enjoyable and successful event.
18th October 2021
Twenty one of us spent a grey Autumn afternoon at Fishbourne Roman Palace. Fortunately our guide, Alan, was able to take us on an hour long tour of the marvellous structure and history of this huge ancient building. Alan was very clear in explaining that in the past much of what we believe to be Roman history has been based on some rather tenuous anecdotes. We don’t really know who the palace was built by, who lived there and who paid for it. We do know it was the largest such Palace this side of the Alps and almost Imperial in its size scale and grandeur. We do know it was built less than 30 years after the Roman invasion and extensive alterations were made to it in the second and third centuries when the original black and white mosaics were overlaid with more sophisticated coloured work, including the marvellous dolphin mosaic. The owners were adding a hypocaust, the underfloor heating system that supplied hot water to the baths when the Villa was burned down around 270 AD. Sadly they never got to scrub up in their caldarium, but we were able to marvel at the scale and ambition of their home improvements.
Afterwards we enjoyed tea and scones at the cafe before heading back home. A fascinating afternoon out that helped us understand that you don’t have to go to Pompei or Rome to see the wonderful examples of this once great civilisation. Bring on Bignor in 2022!
23rd September 2021
On a warm Thursday evening in September, thirteen of us visited and toured the vineyards at Nutbourne, our interest having been piqued by Rob and Anne's West Chiltington walk a few months before.
After some cake and a hot drink we learned about the history of the vineyard and wine growing in England. We then set off on a tour of the vines, which was very interesting but also quite surprising, as the vines and grapes, unsurprisingly, have not flourished this summer. We learned that one in every ten years this can happen in marginal viticulture areas like Sussex, something our own lavenders and geraniums (pelargoniums for serious gardeners) have been telling us all year.
However, one poor summer has done nothing to reduce the eye watering beauty of the vineyard. We wandered down dale and uphill, past the lake and llamas, followed by friendly dogs (albeit one with no intention of giving up his stick so that one of us could throw it for him) Returning to the winery, we learned and saw how the different wines were created, bottled and matured before moving on to sample some of them as the sun set over the western Downs. It was a delicious end to a delightful afternoon. Some of us are thinking we may go back next year for a pop up meal in the vines - fingers crossed for better weather
2nd September 2021
The lunch meeting enabled us to induct Tim Healey into the Club with the presentation of his Club tie.
11th August 2021
26 members and associates travelled by coach to the Brooklands Museum on a visit organised by Peter Comben.
After a brief video about Brooklands history, the party was able to independently tour the London Transport display, bikes from the early 1800 to present day Olympics, motor bikes, sports cars, Formulae One cars, aircraft that have been associated with Brooklands and, of course, the famous racing circuit used between 1907 and 1939. The visit was highlighted with a Concorde experience consisting of a conduced tour of the aircraft and a brief simulation flight. Many of the displays were housed in the original buildings.
10th August 2021
The weather, after a wet and windy week, provided a charming English Summer’s Day to allow 15 members and guests to depart from the Queens Head in West Chiltington for about a 4 mile walk. The first half took the group past St Mary’s Church, the windmill, recreation ground, a number of stiles and meadows before arriving at the Nutbourne Vineyard. There, we were given a short history about the vineyard and wine growing process by Bridget Gladwin, one of the owners. After some recreational wine tasting the party continued leisurely through the Nutbourne and Nyetimber vineyards to arrive back at the Queens Head. Sadly, we were unable to participate in lunch at the pub because it was forced to close due to the staff having to covid isolate (sprung on them at 8.45am that morning).
5th August 2021
The August Lunch meeting was held at The Old Tollgate and 18 Members plus one Guest, potential new member Stuart Pullen, attended.
As this was our first meeting since March 2020 a Minutes Silence, for reflection and remembrance, was held for the nine Members and Associates that have sadly passed since that meeting.
Throughout the lunch one sensed a lively atmosphere and vibe as Members were able to engage in face to face conversation with one another, at a Club lunch, for the first time in 17 months. Although he became a Member during lockdown and has attended a number of events it was also the first opportunity we have had to formally induct Alan Price into the Club. Alan has already volunteered to become a member of the Social Committee and I am sure that he and his wife Judith will be a valued addition into the Probus family
24th July 2021
Valerie Gatward reports that 33 Ladies met up at the beautiful setting of Tottington Manor Hotel for the much-delayed Ladies Lunch. It was the first time this group were able to get together since February 2020 and all agreed that it was a very special and much anticipated occasion. The weather played its part, and the staff at Tottington Manor had very kindly set up tables, benches, chairs and even a gazebo in the garden outside of the Downs Suite where lunch would be served. Valerie hosted the gathering and was delighted to see how much it all meant for these ladies to see their friends enjoying the sunshine and the occasion. A few words should be said about the staff who were very much involved in ensuring that the event went as smoothly as was possible. Nothing was too much trouble and they themselves actually reported enjoying delivering the service to our group of ladies. Lunch was delicious and each plate of food was beautifully presented. After lunch, and during tea and coffee, we took the opportunity of thanking all the staff who had played their part in making the afternoon an enjoyable occasion.
16th July 2021
Inter-Probus croquet
Croquet is becoming more popular having benefited from the pandemic social distancing restrictions as an outdoor sport that can observe the guidelines. Having had a practice session in June our team of 16 players and 2 supporters met at the Sussex County Croquet Club (WCCC) at Southwick for a day’s competitive play against three other Probus clubs, Storrington, South Downs and West Chiltington. A fabulous setting where international competitions take place on 11 manicured lawns. The weather was mostly good and dry which is always a plus. We enjoyed a 30-minute tuition from the Academy coaches and then were split into four groups each with 7 pairs for doubles play.
Each game was limited to 45 minutes with sudden death after each player playing two shots when time was up. The lunch was a tasty barbeque of chicken, burger and sausage with salad etc and a desert. Normally a little snooze would have followed, but we were called to the lawns again to complete the matches.
We did rather well with Ray and Valerie coming second in their group and Clive and Angela winning theirs. Very well done. The final was between Clive and Angela and the formidable pair of Alan and Anne Sugarman of West Chiltington Probus club who were the well-deserved winners.
Congratulations!!
It was a well organised event and by popular demand it will become an annual event in the Southwick calendar. We were informed that the next World championships, originally due to take place in New Zealand, will be held here next February. Definitely worth a visit.
Thank you to all who attended and supported this event. Our team; -
Rob and Anne Golding, Simon Powlson, Clive and Angela Jones, Ray and Valerie Gatward, Ted and Alison Hooker, Ted Fisher and Barbara Harbut, Barbara Yarrow and Patsy Currie, Alan and Judith Price, John and Gill Gilbert and Laki Marangos (the organiser for Chanctonbury Probus).
13th July 2021
Probus Walk at Knepp Castle - Seeing the Storks.
This first Club walk of this year and was led by Simon Powlson.
8th July 2021
A successful visit, organised by Simon Powlson, was made by coach to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. The group of 30 endured some mixed weather by still came away with grand plans for future projects.
10th June 2021
A good gathering of Probus members, partners and associates enjoyed an outdoor Lamb Spit Roast on a beautiful West Sussex summers evening at Southlands Barn was held on 9th June.
It was a joyous occasion being able to meet up and renew acquaintances in a relaxed and informal setting.
1st June 2021
Yet another virtual wine tasting was organised by the Chanctonbury Wine Club, which includes many Probus members, on Friday 21st May at 7pm. So good to see friends again albeit on a screen. This time a couple of long-standing wine club members volunteered to present their wine choices. The theme was personal grape variety preference as represented by the 4 wines selected. Anne Ditchfield, who is a founder member of the wine club and past Chairman, presented the Albarino from Sainsburys, on offer at £7.50 and the Terre di Fiano Primitivo Organico, Puglia, Waitrose £9.99. Clive Trusler chose the unusual Grendell Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, Waitrose £11.99 and the Fairview Pinotage, Waitrose £9.99. Clive impressed us all with a fabulous PowerPoint presentation of South African vineyards and scenery. All the wines were excellent, with the Primitivo the overall crowd pleaser. Just shows how knowledgeable our members are after years of practice!! This was the 4th virtual wine tasting we have had since the lockdowns started, keeping us in touch and in good spirits!
27th May 2021
Thanks to our own Stuart Arnold for an excellent presentation about his experience of Solar Energy for the Home and Electric Cars. It was most informative and certainly engaged our ' little grey cells'.
25th May 2021
27 members and associates attended the first coffee morning of the year. The weather was kind and allowed all to enjoy a couple of hours trying to remember who they were talking to! It is hoped that the June coffee morning will return to The Roundabout Hotel venue. Watch the website for updates.
17th May 2021
A visit to Leonardslee Woodland Gardens was a great success for our opening event after the latest (and hopefully last) lockdown. Organised by Ted Hooker, 31 members, partners and associates were organised into three groups and given an informative guided tour of the grounds. The tours ended, having seen the rock garden, vineyard, wallaby enclosure, camellia grove and loderi garden, at the Machine House Cafe by the lakes where everyone was able to enjoy some light refreshment before being left to roam the gardens at their leisure.
7th May 2021
The offical hand over of the Chairman's Ceremonial Chain has been made between Clive Jones (out going) and Ray Gatward (in coming)
Chanctonbury Probus Chairmen.
2020
11th October 2020
Six couples paid a return trip to the South Downs planetarium to learn about the Northern Lights. On arriving they had the opportunity to share a half hour video feed with an astronaut on the Space Station who explained to them how a tour on the station worked down to the nitty gritty details. It was a bonus, that was both fascinating and enlightening in both opening your eyes to the fact that there’s real people up there for months on end and that what they are doing has practical applications down here on earth, besides taking stunning photos.
However, we then went through into the very well organised viewing chamber to see and hear about the Northern Lights. The lights are created by electrified particles from the sun spiralling down into the upper atmosphere where they are visible from the ground as faint glows, coloured arcs or, at their most spectacular, coloured rays and bands of auroral light dancing back and forth across the night sky like a Strictly contestant who is destined to be better remembered for tripping the light fantastic on the boards in Blackpool than they are for their TV career, such as it was
Many thanks to SDP for such an informative afternoon out and for taking on and meeting the challenge of entertaining groups safely in the current pandemic
19th September 2020
Three couples from our group toured and tasted Brighton Gin near the seafront in Portslade. The distillery has been going for seven years, having been started by the founder Kathy in her kitchen. We sampled the established product when we first arrived, and it passed the G&T taste test. We then had an interesting and inspiring story about how the distillery had experimented with different processes and botanicals to recently produce a new seaside strength gin.
We followed the production process from still to bottling and whilst sampling the new seaside strength gin with tonic before wax sealing our own miniature to take home and hang on the Christmas tree. A good day out if mother’s ruin is something you happily celebrate and imbibe.
Many thanks to our new found friends at Brighton Gin
12 February 2020
Gwen Moss organised the Ladies Lunch - some photos are shown above. Gwen confirmed:-
“On Wednesday 12th February, 28 guests gathered for the Ladies Post-Christmas Lunch. The Chairman’s wife, Gwen Moss, had great pleasure in organising her second lunch for the ladies of the Club. In previous years, this event would traditionally have been organised as a Christmas lunch, held during the festive period. Gwen took the decision to ring the changes by organising this event AFTER the Christmas period. Judging by the great number of comments made, this would appear to have been a wise and welcome decision!
The lunch was again successfully held at Tottington Manor, where the guests enjoyed some delightful food from an extensive list of options – with not a slice of turkey nor brussels sprout in sight! The event was made even better by the weather on the day, with bright blue skies and glorious sunshine – an added boost to what could typically have been a dull old February day. On reflection, Gwen was very pleased that so many guests were able to make this event and to have enjoyed some great company in a convivial and happy atmosphere which filled the room.”
5th February 2020
A Curling morning was organised by Simon Powlson, he reports:-
Fifteen of us went curling at Fenton’s rink near Tunbridge Wells on a cold but clear Tuesday in February. After a very useful introductory video and lesson we split into four teams and set about playing for real. Our efforts were a bit approximate to begin with but as we got familiar with the stones and the speed of the rink we improved both our direction and distance. Two players, Ian and Valerie, were particularly successful in mastering the art of launching 20kg of Aisla Craig granite down the 150 foot rink and stopping it in the target area.
Afterwards we all enjoyed a celebratory meal and drink at the Abergavenny Arms, confident in both our ability to negotiate our way around the curling Rink and the road closures.
20th January 2020
Ten Pin Bowling - John Gilbert organised this very popular, now annual winter event. John reported as follows:-
28 members from Chanctonbury Probus Club and 12 from Storrington & District Probus Club met up for the annual Ten Pin Bowling “friendly challenge” at the “Out of Bounds” complex in Rustington.
A great deal of excitement (or noise) and various bowling techniques were displayed, with a final gathering at the Windmill Inn, close by, for lunch and prize giving.
Having had much discussion on how “I was robbed, and the equipment was faulty”, it was disclosed that the top scoring men were, Chanctonbury’s Ray Gatward and Stuart Arnold, respectively. For the ladies, it was Vanessa Edwards of Storrington and Pat Beard of Chanctonbury. The top scoring teams were Storrington Ladies (lane 6) and Mixed Club Men’s (lane 7).
This year the competition was very high, with close scores, between both clubs which only means it will have to be held again next year – when will this rivalry stop?
2019
17 December 2019
Chairman's Christmas Coffee Morning
All monthly coffee morning gatherings this year have been organised by Clive and Angela Jones. They have reported on this event as follows:-
It has been a very good year so far for the coffee mornings at The Roundabout Hotel with excellent attendances. It has also been good to see Associate members coming along. Our Chairman’s Coffee Morning yesterday, the 17th December, was an even greater success with 54 attendees.
We were lucky enough to have been allocated a larger room which was just as well, as we had such a large number to accommodate. I would like to thank all those who were able to come and support this informal and friendly gathering.
11 December 2019
Royal Albert Hall Christmas Concert
Alan Jeffs had organised this superb trip to enjoy John Rutter conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and massed choirs - 43 members, partners and some associates had a great day out to "Really start Christmas celebrations" - a few photos of the location and some of our party are shown above.
21 November 2019
Chichester Planetarium visit
Organiser Simon Powlson reports:-
31 members, associates and guests went to the Planetarium to see their show. We were a bit worried as we knew the seats were comfortable, leaned back and, let's be honest, could induce dozing, sleeping even snoring among some of us.
No snore was heard. John Mason was an outstanding speaker and presenter. He started with how the stars and planets look this evening in our local night sky and showed us how that would change over time. He was able to pick out features, that many of us would recognise, and explain their behaviour and history. His ability to provide a seamless dialogue to what is a very complicated and at times bizarre process made it both fascinating and understandable. Several of us were saying that we will return for another show/talk before Christmas.
The organiser even went out at 4.30 the following morning to see if the shooting stars were visible. It was cold wet and cloudy with nary a star in sight, but it was a small example of how interesting John’s talk had been Over half of us were able to go onto Wagamama’s where we learned even more about exotic and different places like katsu and teriyaki and had a thoroughly good time.
27 August 2019
Gliding Day
The photos above are from this terrific event that was organised by Rob Golding and he reports:-
Some intrepid members spent the day taking a winch launch in a glider to experience the pleasure of unpowered flight. Under a cloudless sky with the temperature peaking in the low 30’s centigrade, about 30 intrepid aviators took to skies in 2-seater gliders at Southdown Gliding Club.
The day started, after a delay caused by changing wind directions, at about 11am and finished about 6.30pm, with a break for a ploughman’s lunch (with strawberries and cream) enjoyed by the 45 Probus members and guests that gathered for either participating in the flying or just watch and chat.
The aviators enjoyed the thrill of a flight in either a modern K21 glider or the traditional T21 with its open cockpit and side by side seating arrangements. Despite further interruptions caused by the heat and changing wind directions some of the flights lasted well beyond the budgeted time (much to the organiser's chagrin as his timetable went into a slow meltdown) much to the pleasure of the pilots who experienced soaring flight. Thanks to all the members of SGC who made this memorable day possible.
23 July 2019
Greenwich/Cutty Sark visit
The photos above are from this event that was organised by Ian Gibson and he reports:-
24 members and guests travelled by coach in superb weather to Greenwich on 23rd July to visit the major sites, mainly the Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark. On arrival in Greenwich most people had a coffee break and having been given their Explorer ticket went off independently in every direction to spend the day visiting everything Greenwich has to offer. Having been dropped off the coach near the Royal Observatory, most people started in that area before walking downhill to Cutty Sark and neighbouring museums. Some members commented, that although they had been to Greenwich before, there were many new things to see which did not take anything away from the day’s enjoyment.
11 July 2019
Members' Ladies Lunch - the photo selection above is from this event & organiser Gwen Moss reports:-
As Chairman’s wife for this year, I was privileged (!) to be offered the opportunity to organise a lunch event for the wives and partners of the Chanctonbury Probus Club. Despite being full of trepidation from the outset, I took on the challenge with a degree of enthusiastic spirit.
My main concern was to break with tradition in terms of when in the year the event should be held and (just as importantly) finding somewhere other than Angmering Manor for where we should go. I thought that a mid-summer lunch at a venue with far-reaching views might just work and decided to plan this event at Tottington Manor, near Henfield.
The weather on the day turned out to be full of sunshine and warmth, with the venue (and the meal) proving to be very, very agreeable. Guests were able to choose from a selection of four dishes from each of a 2 or 3‑course meal – this allowed for plenty of choice and flexibility according to guests’ appetites!
I was both surprised and very happy that 35 guests were able to join me for the lunch. I was amazed by the number of very appreciative and positive comments received both during and after the event. It seems that everyone had a lovely time and that they all enjoyed themselves. On reflection, I think that my feelings of nervousness and trepidation from the outset were, perhaps, not really justified – but I am thankful that I can now sit back and relax!
24 to 26 June 2019
St Malo Gourmet Cruise
The photos above give a flavour of a very enjoyable trip to France Organiser John Gilbert reported:-
35 members of the Chanctonbury Probus Club, travelled to Portsmouth and boarded the Brittany Ferries vessel, Bretagne, to experience a gourmet evening dinner. After an overnight channel crossing, with onboard entertainment, including a cinema, the vessel berthed by the historic walled city of St Malo, Brittany, France.
Initially, a little cloudy, the afternoon was glorious sunshine. At midday everybody was treated to an excellent 3 course lunch in either, the restaurant Cafe de L’Ouest or Le Lion d’Or.
After a day exploring the city and old town, everybody returned to the Bretagne where we were treated to a pleasant musical evening as we made the return Channel crossing to Portsmouth. A great couple of days was had by all.
3 June 2019
Here are a few photos from the very successful Inter Probus Club Croquet day - our Club organiser Laki Marangos reported:-
20 May 2019
A selection of photos above were taken when 25 Members and Associate members joined Clive Jones on the coach bound for Brighton for the 'Brighton Old, Brighton New' visit to the Royal Pavilion and the British Airways i360 Observation Tower. The Royal Pavilion has a colourful history stretching back over 200 years and was built as the seaside pleasure palace for King George IV. Since then it has served as a civic building, First World War hospital and is now a true icon of Brighton. The exterior of the unusual Indian styled architecture gave way to the even more amazing decor and architecture of the rooms inside which combines Regency grandeur with the visual style of India and China. We then had free time to explore Brighton and/or have a bite to eat before arriving at the i360 for our 'flight' in the afternoon.
This tower, which opened in 2006, is a 162 m tall needle structure with an ascending and descending circular viewing platform and is Britain's tallest moving observation tower.
Fortunately, despite a forecast of some rain, the weather was kind to us and remained dry, giving everyone the opportunity to study Brighton in a very different way, although on this occasion we were unable to see the Isle of Wight as it was just too misty. Judging by the feedback, an interesting and friendly day was enjoyed by all.
25 April 2019
These photos above are a selection taken at the Club's 24th Anniversary Dinner that was enjoyed by 61 members, associates, and families at the West Sussex Golf Club - a lovely evening that had been organised by Graham Moss.
16 April 2019 -
The photos above show the very enjoyable afternoon 9 of us spent practicing at the beautiful surroundings at the Rother Valley Croquet Club at Duncton near Petworth under expert coaching and hospitality of Anne & Alan Sugarman - the event was arranged by Laki Marangos
11 February 2019
Ten Pin Bowling with Storrington Probus Club
24 club members, and 9 from Storrington & District, took part in a “friendly” game at the Out of Bounds at Rustington. After the initial confusion of lanes having been reversed by O of B, everybody settled down to the usual rivalry, especially between husband and wives!
Afterwards everybody retired to the nearby Windmill Inn for lunch, where prizes were awarded to the best two ladies (Pat Beard and Gill Gilbert), best two gentlemen (Clive Jones and Stuart Arnold) and the best overall team (Ted Fisher, Alan Jeffs, Vicky Jeffs and Stuart Arnold). There is concern that some of the newer members are “stealing” some of the prizes! Yet again John Gilbert complained about not getting a prize especially as his wife did! There was a sigh of relief in that this was the first year Storrington failed to steal some of the limelight. A good day was had by all.
21 January 2019
Pensioners on Ice
Simon Powlson arranged for 12 men and 4 women plus some spectators from this Club to try curling for the first time at Fenton's rink near Tunbridge Wells. We split into four teams and after a quick and helpful tutorial collected our shoes brushes and headed onto the ice with our coach Felix. Most of us were unsure but the coach was very helpful, and I had a lot of fun. It was a great day out.
The two hours we spent on the rink flew by as we tried to master the art of pushing a 20-kilo lump of Ailsa Craig granite 150 feet down the ice to stop on a target circle 12 feet in diameter. It was more than a tad tricky but slowly we improved from hopeless to hopeful and even managed to score a hat trick - three stones in the circle. Lots of shouted advice, excitement, furious sweeping, and delight until the successful stone got knocked out by the opposing team or worse still one's own.
A day to remember, we will be back.
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