Welcome to the September edition of the Midland Area Gazette this month we look back at the different national and area scale events which happened over the summer months from SADY , NGOOT and the Tennis and Football tournaments. 

SADY 2009 Review

This year took place in the glorious sunshine up in Dalesbridge, with only a couple of slight showers all weekend. As with previous years members started arriving on the Friday afternoon and the traditional Friday night chill out after the evening music session had stopped.

As with previous years Gary jay was doing the DJ, for plus. After a  damp end to Friday it was to sunshine that the campers woke up to.

On Saturday there was lots of ideas to do, some went to Skipton or other took Francis Wallington up on his walk.

Which this year started in Slaidburn and took in Stock reservoir.

After the walk was finished there was a vintage vehicles rally, with steam engines, cars and lorries on display. 

After a short visit round the people at Slaidburn return back to  Dalesbridge for the BBQ and buckin bronco.

This was a new addition to this year event. In the evening

In a change to this year event Corinna organized a top quality comedian in the form of Craig Harper to come to entertain.

Craig was a losing semi finalist  from Britain Got Talent from 2007 and had just come back from a tour of Spain which he did to great effect with different parodies about song and wigs! Afterwards it time for another chill out session, after a hot day weather.

On Sunday morning after the light rain had disappeared the people in Yorkshire and across the UK woke to glorious sunshine which was ideal weather to the next new activity which was Geo-catching. Geo-catching is a high tech treasure hunt game using GPS devices the idea is then to locate these containers and record that you have located one.  This event was run by Adam Redshaw over in Malham which was the location for the Sunday Carvery at the Buck Inn. Afterwards people enjoyed the Sunday Carvery meal at Buck Inn and relaxed in the sunshine afterwards.  Then it was back to the campsite for the final night’s entertainment which was the band Full Fat Funk again to wow us after three years from their last performance.  The performance by the duo not only was amazing it crowned a perfect weekend of weather, activities and entertainment. All the reports which Corinna received after the event have been positive, Craig Harper enjoy his time so much at SADY that he record a special You tube moment which is available on Plusgroups.

National Tennis Tournement

The first Plus National Tennis Tournament took place on Sunday 29th June 2009 at Central Park, Dagenham. There were ten participants in total, from Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge, and Thurrock Plus groups. There was glorious hot weather all afternoon, with rain only appearing just after everyone had left the courts.

Andy Robinson of Redbridge won the Men’s Singles title, beating Steve Roast in the final.

Meanwhile, in the Ladies Singles championship Sarah Roast of Barking & Dagenham narrowly defeated Gemma Crader to take the title.

After the tournament, the participants all went for a celebratory dinner at Cosmo's in Romford. The event proved to be a very popular one and is certain to be staged again next year

National 5-a-sided Football

We were a bit nervous at the start of the day as to who exactly would be attending the competition, but on arrival at Rivermead Leisure Centre I was pleased to see two teams ready and raring to go. Once settled some more players arrived wanting to play. The Wimbledon finals may have reduced the numbers attending somewhat but it didn't detract from the fun. Three teams lined up, referees learnt the rules and health and safety was thoroughly discussed. Francis you would have been proud. Then play began.

Oxford's might versus Fareham fighters. The score heavily weighted in Oxfords favour.

Reading and borrowed members from Slough and Hillingdon practised on the other pitch. Then Oxford took on Reading, again despite moments of competition Oxford walked it.

Fareham then took on Reading and that's when the real competition started, finally coming down in Fareham's favour. (I think) Man of the match Mike - for many a spectacular tackle and fall. Then with a reshuffle of the teams some more meaningful play occurred, an hour or so later some very tired players retreated to the showers to recover. Afterwards we headed of to the Griffin for some good grub and a drink. A pleasant end to a fun day. Roll on next years event. Congrats to Oxford the gaming group who can play footie rather well.

Sutton Coldfield new Committee Positions 

On the 30th July a new committee was elected due to the fact Sutton Coldfield still have six-monthly Bi-AGM with 15 positions filled on the new committee.

A new chairman was elected, congratulations to Daniel Smith who elected to replace Joe. Full details as follow

Chairman— Dan Smith

Administrator—Corinna Teale

Treasurer—Dave Bilbie

Group Membership Officer—Lisa Ward

Publicity Officer—Helen Camm

Activities Coordinator Joe O’Sullivan

In total 16 people turn up to Sutton Coldfield Bi AGM Erica night said that she wished the new committee every success, Joe O Sullivan also wished his successor lots of luck in his new position.

Please contact Corinna Teale for more details about contacting either Dan or any of the new members of Sutton Coldfield Plus  Committee. Dan took up his role from the 1st  August

Changes at Solihull Plus  

On the Tuesday 8th September 2009 Richard Haydon has decided to stand down as Solihull Plus Chairman after seven months in the job due to health reasons. Richard explained the decision to the committee who accepted his decision to stand down and wished well for a speed recovery. At the same meeting a new chairman was co-opted in to serve the remaining tenure of Richard Haydon term with Gavin Peachey moving up from General to chairman.

Emma Cartland has decide to stand down as activities coordinator due to work commitments getting in the way of her plus work. Both Paul Turner and Kathy Morris are staying on in their roles, Richard has also decided to stay on as general committee member as well.From the new year Solihull Plus will be moving to a new venue location to be confirmed to the wider Plus community.   

NGOOT Review

Over twenty plusser from representing four of the five areas came over the weekend for some three weekend before Adrian Barnard and Robert Blanks did a lot of foot slogging researching clues and taking pictures and doing risk assessments of Sunday walk route. The challenges involved touring around Oxford in a giant Oxford Monopoly board game, shooting electronic duck hunt, drawing, which Solihull had no real artists, Top Gear DVD quiz which was won by Gavin Peachey single handy for Solihull. Build a Car, which Reading won and has now taken by MOD to be developed further. On Sunday everyone had to remember twelve pictures clues and state they where during a 6.75 km walk around Farmoor reservoir which most teams completed in about three hours. In the course of the walk you had to score a goal twice, completed a word search, along with not getting lost.

James Oliver 

Midland Area Diary 2009

September 2009

5th SA Mad Karting

11th Sept—18th Sept National Holiday Abroad—Tenerife

13th SA Fun in the Park

Fri 18 to Fri 22nd SA Holiday to Cyprus

Sun 27th MA General Knowledge Quiz

October 2009

2nd to 4th NEAT

Sun 18th SA Ten Pin Bowling

Sun 25th Midland Area Conference

Sun 25th Southern Area Council Mtg

Saturday 31st Oct Midland Area Ghost Walk

November

Fri 13th— Mon 16  November WASH 26

Sunday 22nd November Midland Area Pool Competition

Saturday 28th NEC Meeting, Coventry

December 2008 

5th Southern Area Christmas Meal

12th Solihull Plus Christmas Meal

Thurs 31st Solihull Plus New Year Celebrations

Thurs 31st Southern Area New Year

2010

Jan

16th National Skiing to Austria

Feb

20th National General Mtg, Walsall

Apr

16th Brean 2010

King Lynn Weekend

Friday was, shall we say 'WET' and I am sure that erecting tents within feet of trees wasn't the greatest idea but we all lived to tell the tale! Special entertainment was provided by Lucy Smith, who rocked up at dusk during a downpour and discovered that she had only brought half her tent - DOH.

Once we had gorged ourselves on pizza and Chinese we were 'entertained' by a spot of karaoke. Some ill-advised individual, and I won't name names but you know who you are Dawn Petty, had a selection of shots glasses and drinks on display and this led to the idea of playing 'Fuzzy Duck'. Come about 3.30am once the drink had all been disposed of, the intelligentsia of Plus went to bed.

Saturday dawned far too early for my liking but at least it had stopped raining. Upon the return of the rounder’s teams we had a bit of a BBQ and I reckon about 20 or so were taught how to Jive. Keith Israel proved that he is an extreme athlete in the body of Bernard

Manning!

There followed our Christmas night disco and a visit by Santa aka the aforementioned Mr Israel who ended up having the winners of the raffle sitting on his lap!

After the disco some more 'Fuzzy Ducking' was taken part in, as those who had suffered the previous evening thought it would be a giggle to inflict it on more people and as such there must have been 18 or 20 people all round a table being silly duckers.
I admit I was a little incoherent but was still able to witness the best and strangest bit of entertainment of the weekend. Natalie Dolby had decided that no more alcohol could be accommodated in her bloodstream and needed some guidance back to her tent, so being the gentleman that I am, I offered to escort her. Christ I never know walking about a hundred yards could be so complicated! She got back to her tent she bent down, her bottom seemed to go a long way up in the air and I couldn't help but think that she could end up forward rolling through the tent! Somehow she got in the tent without killing either herself, Joe Gurney or the tent.

Numbers were up again this year and we had 62 bods

Paul Catterwell

SADY Quiz Results

The traditional SADY quiz took place on Saturday before the fun of the Buckin Brounco and BBQ on the people remaining on site five teams took part with the results as follow

1st Him Me You & It 73
2nd= Me Myself I 70
2nd= Take That Fan Club
4th Gob Shites 64
5th We Hate David Cameron 45

NGOOT Results 

NGOOT had five teams taking part so please find the results of the whole competition

1st Oxford 106602 points

2nd Reading / Dunstable 90356 points

3rd Coventry / Sutton Coldfield 87217 points

4th Fareham 75990 points

5th Solihull 68330 points,

Adrian Barnard would like to thank everyone who took part and also the team of helpers who help Adrian run this year event.

Class of 2002

Hi all if some of you are observant than others about the officers on the 18 Plus website will know, that back in May 2009 I was elected as this organizations HGS. I filled the position which was been vacate since Emma Campbell stood down in 2007. therefore I must announced at the October 2009 conference I will stand down as Area Administrator I has been a fun time doing the role of Area Administrator I believed the time is right to leave area and go on to more exciting position I will still if Erica want me to do this gazette until December 09, and will still be web content administrator for Midland Area but I need the time to do the minutes for NEC meetings and attend NEC meetings and other national matters. 

James Oliver