In this issue:

Message from the Chair

Branch Meetings

News from around the Branch

Reports from Members on Group Trips

Meet Our Members

www.agto.co.uk/southern-branch

SOUTHERN BRANCH

SOUTHERLY BREEZE

JUNE 2017

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A Message from the Chair

Dear Members

As I look out of my window it is a beautiful sunny spring day with all my flowers looking wonderful. This

time of year is the best time to visit National Trust NGS open gardens with your group. Recently I went to

Sheffield Park where the North Woods had just been opened for the first time in 15 years. Old trees had

been cut down to let light into the wood. Walk ways had been made that were suitable for all disabilities,

with willow arches added. The bluebells under the trees were lovely.

Another trip was to Uppark N.T. to view the 18th Century Doll’s House. The House and Gardens are

perched high on the South Downs ridge with views as far south as the English Channel. We had a Tour of

the house and walked among the gardens. There is plenty for all the family to do with outdoor toy chest

for children and picnic area. Also a licensed Café serving light lunches and cakes.

I enjoyed our FAM weekend away and thanks must go to David Lote and Jackie Ring for arranging it. The

hotel we stayed in was just outside Gloucester and well placed for all our visits. Our small group got on

very well and it was great to spend time together. Jenny was very pleased with the orchids and National

Trust Voucher I presented her with on behalf of the Southern branch for all her hard work.

Diane Salter

AGTO’s recent recruitment initiatives have resulted in a number of new members.

The Southern Branch Members extend a warm welcome to:

2552 Helen Alaka S2565 Patricia Anderson S2630 Gary Ash S2603 Susan Armitt

S2626 Bernard Baverstock S2636 Lionel Beer S2631 Ann Blatchford S2624 Christine Blaydon

S2622 Lesley Burgess S2588 Ben Clyde S2629 Helen Collins S2577 Neil Edeson

S2633 Pat Edgar S2559 Jenny Flake S2611 Valerie Gurd S2621 Diane Jones

S2625 Marion King S2620 Dorothy Kirkham S2560 John Lindley S2566 Linda Mead

S2602 Irene Moore S2570 Joan O’Neill S2635 Richard Peterkin S2564 Marjorie Power

S2569 Irene Richards S2628 Jeanette Robertson S2568 Una Saunders S2632 Diana Slark

S2623 Claire Spraggs S2567 Joan Storkey S2627 Gloria Wetherill S2619 Valerie Wheedon

S2571 Philip Worthington

We look forward to meeting you at one of our meetings soon.

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MEET OUR MEMBERS - June Barnard

My group is called Just June Trips and Events and I have about 150 members. I

organise about 24 different things a year, which include coach day trips, weekend

breaks and short holidays in the UK, and theatre trips. My members like going to

provincial theatres such as the Beck Theatre at Hayes and they always enjoy going

to Chichester where they can have a drink or eat outside, and they do good rates

for groups. I also organise dinners and afternoon teas at local restaurants where

all my group members have to do is just turn up – I look out for special offers

midweek when places are keen for our business and sometimes even open specially for us. I been

organising trips for over 30 years – this started as part of Shepperton Ladies Club but now I also include

people from the local gardening club, women’s groups and U3A. I really enjoy seeing people having a

good time, laughing and happy. Widows are especially grateful as they say how important it is to go out

with others, and often make new friends on my trips, and they can then meet up and have a coffee

together. I really feel as though I’ve filled a niche locally for people who are on their own, and the group

is an important part of village life.

Please also see the article on page….

This is a new item in Southerly Breeze and I hope that we will feature a different Southern GTO in each

edition, and this will help us to get to know each other better.

Dates for your Diaries

Thursday 20th July—BRANCH MEETING—Sussex Prairie Garden

Friday 15th—Sunday 17th September—AGTO Showcase Weekend, Warrington

Friday 22nd September —SOUTHERN BRANCH AGM—Greenwich

Friday 23rd February 2018—BRANCH MEETING—St Paul’s Cathedral, London

We are very grateful to AGTO Associates and Venues for hosting our

meetings.

Officers and Committee Members of AGTO Southern Branch

Chairman: Diane Salter

Treasurer: Anne Barnes

Secretary: Jackie Ring

Committee: Pat Lock, Sue Povey David Lote, Lesley Terrell.

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SOUTHERN BRANCH MEETING

at SUSSEX PRAIRIE GARDEN

Thursday 20th July 2017 at 11.00am

Our summer meeting will be held at this beautiful garden near

Henfield, West Sussex, BN5 9AT. After the business of the

meeting and some lunch, we will be given a guided tour of the

gardens and then free to wander around on our own and enjoy.

The eight-acre site is surrounded by mature oak trees and consists of interlocking arcs of large

planted borders in a naturalist style which encourage exploration and adventure. The mainly

herbaceous perennials are planted in large generous drifts and offer both colour from their flowers

and texture from their stem and leaf shapes. Art and sculptures are also included to add a

different dimension to the planting

Papers and a booking form this meeting have been issued. Bookings should be made by

Wednesday 5th June so that lunches can be ordered.

SOUTHERN BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

at the QUEEN’S HOUSE. GREENWICH

Friday 22nd September 2017 at 11.00am

England’s earliest example of classical architecture, the Queen’s

House Greenwich will be the venue for our AGM this year. The

meeting will be held in the Orangery at 11.00, with tea/coffee

served from 10.00am.

After the meeting Amy O’Donovan, AGTO Associate Member, will explain about taking a group to

the Queen’s House and the other Royal Museums Greenwich attractions including the National

Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory. Following this, there will be a guided

tour of the Queen’s House which you are all welcome to join.

Papers and a booking form for the AGM will be sent out nearer the time.

Please let me know if you will be attending either of these meetings so I can advise the venues of numbers and names. This is especially important when refreshments are provided by the hosts.

Contact Jackie Ring on 01483-824450 or email ring_jackie@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you.

Photograph © Sussex Prairies

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SOUTHERN BRANCH MEETING AND VISIT

to CADOGAN HALL

Our meeting at Cadogan Hall was not only a great social event but we

learnt a lot from our guest speakers from the Royal Philharmonic

Orchestra and the National Theatre about group bookings and the

various venues.

In order to get to our meeting we had to walk

through the bar area. It was a bright day and

the sun shone through the Celtic design of the stained glass windows.

During our guided tour we learned that the windows were designed by a

Danish nobleman, Baron Arild Rosenkrantz, who had learnt the art of

stained glass whilst working with Tiffany in New York.

Our very knowledgeable guide told us the history of the venue’s first use

as a New Christian Science Church, which was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm. Sadly

when church attendance declined, the congregation moved to a smaller venue and the building

fell into disuse for many years. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra decided to use the venue as

their London base, so the restoration process incorporated stage lighting and audio systems

which ensured that the sound quality was improved inside the venue whilst soundproofing was

added to avoid making a noise nuisance to the neighbours. The windows were triple glazed with

the stunning Celtic designs encased in the middle, heavy duty curtains hung in front of them, and

the ceiling and the roof had to be re-detailed to provide acoustic insulation. Tuned resonator tubes

were installed on the main ceiling and the walls under the gallery and the undersides of the tip-up

seats in the stalls also have a pattern of absorption holes to retain the Hall’s acoustic character.

We were very privileged to sit in on the rehearsals for that evening’s performance—and some

members stayed for the full concert.

.

Anne Barnes 2023S

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After the guided tour, those who wished could stay on to experience the

afternoon rehearsal for the evening performance, so a small group of us

took this opportunity.

It was Valentine’s Day so appropriately it was ‘Everlasting Love’, Songs of the Sixties. This

would be a very relaxed concert featuring unforgettable melodies and feel-good tunes such as At

Last, Downtown, Macarthur Park and also included was a selection of Sixties’ TV theme tunes

and more.

It was very interesting to be part of a small select audience with Richard Balcombe the conductor

taking the full RPO orchestra and vocalists through the rehearsal process. Stop, start and

repeated until he was satisfied that every part of the orchestra was playing every note as he

wanted. The amazing vocals were provided by four West End names Graham Bickley, Mary

Carewe, Alison Jiear and Abbie Osman who are all very experienced professionals as artists

from musicals, TV shows and BBC radio programmes.

I really enjoyed watching the musical technicalities and professionalism during the afternoon but

sadly had to leave before the end and was unable to attend the evening performance. I will just

have to go back another day to enjoy another concert in this lovely interesting venue – there is

certainly a lot of choice from Tchaikovsky to The Music of Bond and lots more. There are good

group offers available starting with just 6+ at 15% discount up to 35% for larger groups.

Sheila Whittaker 2331S

If you are interested in taking your group to see a performance of the Royal Philharmonic

Orchestra at Cadogan Hall or the Royal Albert Hall, please contact

Jo Thomson—Telephone: 020 7608 8840, Email: groups@rpo.co.uk

If you contact any of the attractions or suppliers mentioned here,

please say that you read about them in Southerly Breeze, the

Newsletter of the Southern Branch of AGTO.

I have just returned from taking a small group of 12 to Yarn Market Hotel in Dunster.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the week. So much so that four of us are returning there for

our Christmas Festivities on 23rd-28th December. We are staying an extra day. The

cost for 4nights 23-27 December is £540 and for 3nights is £470 (I think). Extra nights are

£65 dbb. I am running a group trip there for this period so if there is anyone who would

like to join my group please let me know . You can get in touch with me by phone on

020 8230 7796 or email on wendy.verrall21@gmail.com

Wendy Verrall 2493S

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BRANCH MEETING AT EPSOM DOWNS RACECOURSE

The Jockey Club hosted our April Branch Meeting, and we were privileged to be able to use the

Royal Box for our meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse. It was a glorious day and being at the

top of the North Downs you could see for miles from the Queen’s balcony.

Our hosts informed us of the racing opportunities for groups either as a coach trip with access to

the centre of the course or for booking rooms and boxes at the venue. Epsom Downs

Racecourse often hosts music concerts which are becoming very popular.

Following our meeting and lunch we were given a guided tour of the racecourse incorporating a

visit to the weighing rooms, function rooms and a collection of memorabilia from races.

Our hosts brought some jockey’s boots and silks for us to view. We were all very surprised at

how lightweight the boots were and how the silks appeared to be unfinished and fraying.

It was a most enjoyable event and a wonderful opportunity to network with other group travel

organisers.

Anne Barnes 2023S Jacky Birch is able to arrange group visits to Jockey Club Racecourses and other sporting venues in the area. Please contact her on 01483 825756 email groups@thejockeyclub.co.uk

Trips our members would recommend - June Barnard has just had a very enjoyable day out

with her group on the Thames. Starting with morning coffee at the Crown Plaza Hotel, they then

had sole use of a Thames Cruises boat from Caversham Lock which took them to the private

landing stage at Mapledurham House. The guide kept them entertained on their way with an

interesting commentary, telling them stories and information about the famous people who lived

nearby, the wildlife that can be seen, and the Wind in the Willows stories. On arrival at the

house, they had a picnic lunch and then a private guided tour of the house and the working

watermill. They had a cream tea in the converted stables block, before their return journey. She

said it was just a perfect day, and enjoyed by everyone.

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We have two reports on the Gloucester Fam ----

GLOUCESTER FAM VISIT 21ST

TO 23RD

APRIL 2017

If you didn’t come on this fam visit you missed something very special. Not

only was the weather superb but the scenery in the Cotswolds is stunning.

We had a great meet-up for drinks in the bar prior to dinner on the first evening which gave us the

opportunity to get to know each other and meet up with old friends again too and the food we were

served was excellent at the Hallmark Hotel in Gloucester.

We had quite an early departure on the Saturday morning at 9am but

then we did have a lot to fit in to the day. Our coach driver from

Mainline Coaches drove us on a wonderful scenic route to our first stop

at Slimbridge, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The variety of wildfowl we

saw was amazing including a flamingo that has recorded 70 years of

being at Slimbridge. He is visible in the picture in the top left hand

corner and has a slightly different coloured beak to the others which I

imagine is due to his great age.

Of course Slimbridge is famous for its swans and there were quite a few

there including a pair that was already nesting. The variety of ducks was

quite incredible, including a ‘Whiteheaded Duck’ with a blue bill, one that I

had never seen before. It’s a wonderful place to visit which I would

thoroughly recommend to any group.

After a nice cup of tea or coffee we then proceeded on to the National Trust place Snowshill Manor. It is

quite a walk from the entrance to the house but for anyone with walking difficulties there is a buggy to

take you up to the manor.

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Snowshill Manor was never lived in but was used by Charles Wade to display a life- time collection of

rare and beautiful works of art which he restored to their original beauty from tiny toys, Samurai armour,

musical instruments and fine clocks and much more. Charles himself lived in a small dwelling very close

to the house – The Priests House. There was also a lovely garden to view which is a perfect place to

unwind and glorious vistas to see. There is also a very good restaurant, with a good variety of food to

choose from and if you have nice weather, plenty of tables and chairs to sit. Snowshill Manor is also

another place I can thoroughly recommend.

Our Driver took us on another beautiful cross country ride, this

time to Bourton on the Water. What a delightful place this is. We

were so lucky with the weather it really made everything look so

beautiful.

We were there to visit the Motor Museum & Toy Collection. There

were eight rooms to explore and what an amazing collection of

old cars there were some of which seemed somewhat familiar

from my childhood. The toy collection was also centred around

cars with an extraordinary number of toy cars on the shelves but I think my favourite has to be BRUM .

Alas it was time to leave the Cotswolds and head back to Gloucester but before we went back to the

hotel we were met by a member of the Tourist Information Team who came on the coach and explained

the many attractions there are to see in the town. Sadly time was pressing on so no time to view any of

them.

This really was a great trip and my thanks go to Jackie, Doreen, Diane and David Lote for all the hard

work they put into it. BRILLIANT!!!

Jenny Barling S1835 Thank you to all those venues who hosted our fam trip and to Gloucester Tourist Office. If you would

like to contact any of them please mention the Fam Trip—

Gloucester Tourist Officer—Ellie Smith—Tourism Officer— 01452 396577—www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk

Gloucester Coach Booking service / ‘meet and greet’ – 01452 396500— coachbookings@gloucester.gov.uk

Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust—Penny Read— 01453 891176—wwt.org.uk

Snowshill Manor and Garden —National Trust— Sarah Kerby—01386 842814—www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

snowshill-manor-and-garden

Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection—Graham Binns—01451 822767 -

www.cotswoldmotoringmuseum.co.uk/homeofbrum

Hallmark Hotel, Matson, Gloucester—0330 028 3408

David Lote—Just for Groups—01603-886-740—www.justforgroups.co.uk

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On the afternoon of 21st April about a dozen of us arrived at the Hallmark Hotel in

Robinswood Hill area of Gloucester. We all met up for a drink before our evening meal.

After a pleasant evening we went off with varying expectations of what we would see the

next day.

Saturday started with a hearty breakfast and then we piled into a rather spacious,

comfortable mini coach and were driven by a friendly gentleman, to Peter

Scott's first ever Wetland project at Slimbridge, just outside the Cotswold

area. We spent a wonderful two hours here, walking around the grounds

amongst a multitude of different water birds, all looking to us for food,

which could be bought before we started our wander. This was concluded

by a welcome cup of coffee or tea, before we made tracks north, through

some delightful Cotswold villages and scenery, to Snowshill Manor on the

edge of Broadway.

Here we were treated to a cacophony of splendours, items of all types, sizes and

shapes, collected by Charles Ware, who had begun his collection from the age of

seven years, and finding the need to house his various items, all purchased in

various places in Great Britain, decided to acquire this house to store and display

his collections, whilst living alongside in The Priest's House. The gardens were

also worth a visit, set out in a typical Arts and Crafts style of little rooms. From

here we journeyed south east down to Bourton on the Water where we descend on

their Motor Museum and Toy Collection. Here we were rather limited on time to

have a good look around, but what we saw was well worth the visit.

From here we returned to Gloucester where we were given an informative talk by a person from the Tourist

Information Centre, about what Gloucester city had to offer us, for our groups. We returned to our hotel to

freshen up for our evening meal, having had a very enjoyable, interesting, informative day, blessed by

glorious sunshine.

After a good hearty breakfast on Sunday morning we returned to our rooms and prepared ourselves for the

return journey to Gloucester and travelled back to our respective homes. Our grateful thanks go to Jackie

Ring and David Lote who had put so much time into organising this weekend for us. There was also a little

'thank you' presentation given, during the weekend, to Jenny Barling, for

all her time in organising and running the Southern Branch for so many

years.

Wendy Verrall s2493

Additional photos from Catherine Skeggs and Diane Salter

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SPECIAL AWARD FOR GTO JUNE BARNARD

I received my Civic Award in 2007 for services to the community for 30 years and I

continue to do so. 10 years on I am still full of enthusiasm and raising money for local

charities as well as planning day trips short breaks and holidays for local people. I find such

a need for social group for active people. In addition, I also arrange trips for other small

clubs who can’t arrange outings themselves. Everyone makes friends and all have a great

time.

I have just celebrated 40 years as chairlady of Shepperton Ladies Club and last year set up

the group Just June Trips and Events for the community so I can take on more people for

trips and holidays.

In April I was awarded a certificate of Commendation

by Spelthorne Civic Awards for my services to the

community over 40 years. I was so thrilled as only

five of these awards have been given since 2007.

Following this award I was also recently honoured to

be asked to be a guest of the Mayor of Spelthorne on

a trip on the Gloriana, the boat the Queen used during

her Jubilee Pageant. This was a very special day

where we travelled through Sunbury Lock and to

Staines in a flotilla with other boats, one which

followed had a vey large bubble machine, and there

was music coming from another. When the boat went

through the lock, the rowers had to raise their oars,

which was an amazing sight, and people on the banks

waved at us as we passed by. This was a fund-raising

day for the Mayor’s local charities, which include the

swans on the Thames, providing sailing opportunities for people with special needs, and

other local charities.

I have done a lot of fund-raising in the village; for instance I have a seat with my name on

at a bus stop—I was there one day and a lady said she was tired and there was nowhere to

sit. So instead of waiting ages for the council to provide one, I decided to do this myself.

People have been very appreciative of this when the bus is late!

June Barnard S2231

When asked if she had any tips for trips, she said – If there are people on a trip who don’t know each other very

well, or they are going to somewhere which is particularly busy, she gives a purple lanyard to everyone for them to

wear so they can easily spot each other in a crowd.

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BEAUTIFUL BAVARIA

I have just returned from taking my group for a 6-night stay in Bavaria, based in the charming

mountain village of Lermoos. This was booked through Success Tours and it was a most successful

itinerary and the Hotel Edelweiss was an excellent base for groups. The hotel has good food,

spacious rooms, fair deals for singles and its setting is idyllic in the valley surrounded by picturesque

mountains. The hotel offers complimentary porterage of luggage, welcome drink and tea/coffee and

wonderful cakes on one afternoon of your stay. Drinks with dinner and water were chargeable,

however.

Our first day took us to the iconic Neuschwanstein Castle and its neighbouring Schloss

Hohenschwangau, both set on hills and both occupied at some point by King Ludwig 11 who spent

much of his time commissioning the building of “fairytale castles” until his death surrounded in

mystery in his forties. Access to these castles is more difficult for the less mobile although there is a

shuttle bus access that my group used to Neuschwanstein that took away some of the uphill walking.

Inside the castle, however, it is still necessary to manage quite a number of stairs. Hohenschwangau

is slightly easier although steps must still be encountered and, of course, it is probably less

spectacular. We did feel some aches in our calf muscles the following day but it was well worth it!

On our second day we went to Linderhof Palace and Gardens, a much easier access for everyone.

This splendid Baroque Palace and formal gardens is amazing and well worth a visit and, for the more

adventurous, the Palace Park is extensive and attractive. This is a half day visit so afterwards we

went to Oberammergau for an insight into this famous village and took free time for lunch. There

are interesting buildings to see here, including the famous theatre, so well worth a visit when it is not

the year of the Passion Play. We then continued to make a brief visit to the stunning Benedictine

Monastery of Ettal Abbey and to sample some of their secret recipe Liqueur!

Lermoos was an ideal place for a free day – the hotel has a splendid outside terrace and superb large

indoor pool and Spa facilities and, for the more adventurous, the Gondola ride to the summit of

Grubigstein is only a few minutes walk from the hotel. Some of us went to the summit then stopped

at the middle station and walked back down to the town and visited its lovely decorated church.

Our final included excursion was to the summit of Zugspitze Mountain by cable car, returning by

rack railway. This is Germany’s highest mountain and straddles the border between Austria and

Germany. For some, the cable car ride looked very scary, but they conquered their fears and were

14

unexpectedly surprised they not only managed this, with a few girlish screams at times, but really enjoyed the reward of the awesome 360 degrees panorama! I do have to say that we were blessed with fantastic weather and clear views throughout our stay and in early June it was fairly quiet everywhere. We ended up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, former home of Richard Strauss, for refreshments and free time to admire the historic facades of the painted houses.

I would highly recommend this enjoyable area to other like-minded groups and it exceeded our expectations.

FURTHER REPORT ON HEVER CASTLE

After such a magical trip to Hever Castle at Christmas 2015 which I previously reported

on in Southerly Breeze, members requested a return visit to see the gardens at their best. We’ve just

been to Hever in Bloom which took place the last week in June. The deal consisted of entrance to the

castle and gardens together with a 2 course lunch with wine followed by tea or coffee. Our driver was

given free entry plus a lunch voucher.

We arrived just in time to join the general tour of the gardens which lasted about an hour and was very

informative. We then had plenty of time to wander round on our own before our lunch slot. Food /

service were again of a high standard. After lunch we went into the castle and were amazed at the

numerous huge displays of blooms which were magnificent.

There is also a spring deal to see the tulips so Hever is a good place to visit whatever the time of year.

Beryl Edwards - Wayfairer—S2335

Sue Povey – Out and About With Sue – AGTO 1972S

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CRUISING—Ocean

In April I took my group to the Norwegian fjords for seven nights with Associates

Fred Olsen sailing from Dover. After one day at sea, our first port of call was

Bergen, a lovely town right by the dock-side. It is a small enough place to see in one

day—and most of ‘my lot’ took an open-topped bus tour first to see the town, then

got off and wandered in and out amongst the quaint old houses, fisherman’s wharf,

and historic buildings - some took the funicular to a fantastic view point. Our second stop was in Olden

where I went on an excursion to a glacier. I can’t remember the last time I smelt air so clean—it was just

wonderful. A coach took us inland around a lake, and then we walked the last stretch to the edge of the

glacier. Markers en route showed how the glacier has receded over the last century or so, but it was

pleasing to see that this rate has slowed down in recent years.

Next we went to Flam, another lovely small fjord-side town, where we chugged up above the snow-line on

the famous railway. The following day was spent cruising deep into a fjord to see the Pulpit Rock (from

below). Of course the best parts of the cruise were going up into the various fjords to see the wonderful

scenery and this is where the Fred Olsen ships, being smaller than many other cruise ships, can do this

superbly.

My group does like cruising—facilities on board are excellent, it is very sociable, and provides us with the

flexibility to do what we like during the day with someone else but not necessarily all together, and then we

all meet up for a drink and dinner, and chat over what we’ve done. In the evenings we usually watch the

entertainment together and then some will play cards quietly in a separate room while others like to dance

till the early hours. We took advantage of Fred’s sale and were able to book cabins with no single

supplement, or those who shared had a free drinks package.

If you are interested in taking your group cruising—contact Sophie at their Groups Dept—01473-746169

...and River I also organised a short river cruise in the spring to visit Kukenhof

Gardens, known for its bulb displays. We stayed on the Serenity for

three nights, travelling around to different places—including

Amsterdam and Het Loo Palace which was interesting as it was built

by ’our’ king and queen, William of Orange and Mary. I can

recommend this nice little trip, especially if you are trying river

cruising for the first time —it was organised by the River Cruise Line,

now operated by Associates Arena Travel.

Jackie Ring S2221

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Copy Date for the next Newsletter

8th September 2017 Please send your contributions to the Editor:

If you have a great day out or holiday with your group, please share it with others.

Please send articles, photos and reports to:

Jackie Ring: ring_jackie@yahoo.co.uk or by post to

14 Manston Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7YE

Please note that due to the high cost of printing and postage all future editions of Southerly Breeze will be sent by email to those members with email addresses. If you require a paper copy for some specific purpose please let Jackie know. Paper copies will be posted as normal to those members without computer facilities.

AGTO SHOWCASE WEEKEND

15th—17th September 2017

This weekend will be a great opportunity to meet Associates and other Group Organisers to

discuss future trips, and the chance to network socially. Highlights include a choice of fam trips

on the Saturday which will show a variety of the attractions the local area has to offer, plus a

special dinner with entertainment.

A full itinerary and booking form are on the AGTO’s website.

A number of Southern members have already booked—and we look forward to seeing you

there.

Do you have any Tips or Hints which may help other GTOAs, especially new ones, organise a successful

event or trip? Have you visited a particularly interesting place? If so, please let me have these to include

in the next Southerly Breeze.

More cruising—

Obviously cruising is very popular as June Barnard has also enjoyed a holiday afloat —she went with

Carol Gower from Kent Branch who was taking her group with Shearings for seven days on the Danube.

They did overnight stops en route—and then stayed on the Serenade 2 as they sailed down the Danube.

Their ports of call included Passau, Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest—when they stopped the coach

took them on excursions. She particularly enjoyed Vienna where they went to concerts.

The trip was organised by Associate Martin Hay. He would be happy to speak to you about this and

other cruises to find one suitable for your group— 01202-027559