Annual reunion and Annual General Meeting.
The 2017 Annual Reunion and AGM will be held in Chelmsford, Essex on Friday and Saturday 28th and 29th April. The venue will be the Best Western Atlantic Hotel, New Street, Chelmsford CM1 1PP. This is the same venue that was so popular on our previous visits. The telephone number is 01245 268 168. Travel instructions to reach the hotel by road, rail and air are shown below.
We will follow the usual prescription by gathering on the Friday afternoon at the hotel and meet for a couple of throat fresheners in the bar about 18.30. Following the success of the meal set up in Milton Keynes there will be a buffet on the Friday evening at 19.30. The Friday evening session has been known to be somewhat prolonged in the past and it is sincerely to be hoped that attendees this year do not lead The Chairman astray. Wives are most welcome and they seem to enjoy it as numbers increase every year. The ladies quite often do their own thing on the Saturday and a visit to the Royal Horticultural Society premises at Hyde Hall will be led by Joy Channing. A large new Chelmsford shopping centre, including John Lewis, has opened since our last visit. This year the main group afternoon trip will be to the Sandford Mill Museum. This repeats our visit of 2013 but as there is so much Marconi radio related equipment there I am sure we will not find it any hardship to visit again. The museum is being specially opened for us. On the Saturday evening the main reunion dinner takes place where the rig of the day is gentlemen in suits and ties (ROA hopefully) and the ladies in their finery. Please note on the booking form a menu choice is required from members attending. We disperse homewards on Sunday morning.
I very much hope that members who have not attended before and who can do so will consider attending because I can say with certainty that everyone attending enjoys the weekend. You will be made very welcome and I have every confidence this will be a well attended event.
TRAVEL INSTRUCTIONS
By car from the M25: Leave the M25 at Junction 28 and descend to the roundabout. If coming from the North, take the first exit (slip road), if coming from the South take the third exit (marked A12 Harwich and Felixstowe). Proceed along the A12 for approximately ten miles then leave at Junction 15, marked A414 Harlow and Chelmsford. Go straight across the roundabout and take the road marked London Road. At the next roundabout take the second exit marked Town Centre A1114. At the next roundabout take the second exit marked Town Centre. At the next roundabout (Miami Roundabout) take second exit marked Maldon. Proceed along Princes Road, passing a Lidl supermarket on the right, proceed straight across mini roundabout. At the next roundabout (Army and Navy) take first exit marked Town Centre A1060. At next roundabout (Odeon roundabout) take third exit marked Meadows Retail Park. Proceed over Highbridge Road and at the next roundabout (in front of Tesco supermarket) take the third exit. Pass through the pelican crossing and proceed to the traffic lights. Turn left at the traffic lights into Victoria Road and proceed through the pedestrian crossing. At the next set of traffic lights (police station on your left) turn right into New Street. Proceed under the railway bridge and take the next right turn into Brook Street (car wash on corner of Brook Street), The Atlantic Hotel car park is on the left in a small cul-de-sac and is clearly marked from the road. It is a sharp turn so care needs to be taken as it easy to miss, If you miss Brook Street proceed 200 yards up New Street where there is a roundabout to enable a second attempt.
Rail: Trains for Chelmsford leave from London Liverpool Station and there are four services an hour. The journey time is 35-40 minutes. Leave the station by the rear exit (if you can see a pub called the Railway Tavern across the road you have come out the wrong side). Cross the car park and exit into Victoria Road North. Turn left and walk approximately 200 yards, passing the YMCA on the left. At the junction turn left and walk a further 200 yards under the railway viaduct. The Atlantic Hotel is then on your right across the road, next to a car wash. Note: The line to Chelmsford is subject to engineering works every weekend for the next few months so there may be a replacement bus service operating on the Sunday
Air: Chelmsford is approximately 25 miles from London Stansted Airport which has flights from most major UK and Irish cities. A high speed coach service (the X30 Aircoach) links Stansted to Chelmsford Bus Station. This service runs approximately once an hour during the day at a cost of £9 each way and £13.50 return off peak, Senior bus passes (English only unfortunately) are valid on this service after 9 am. The journey time is around thirty minutes. There is an hourly slow steaming normal bus service (42A) that takes about an hour and appears to cost the same price. Senior Bus Passes can be used on this service also.
On arrival leave the Bus Station, walk under the railway viaduct and turn left into Victoria Road North. From then on follow the instructions for arriving by rail.
In addition the airport at Southend is now offering a number of new flights which may suit some attendees better. The Aircoach described above links Southend and Stansted airports and stops in Chelmsford Bus Station. From there the directions are the same as above.