The 119th Annual Dinner 13th November 2004

by Andy Lancaster

The occasion this year was held at a new venue tucked away amongst a housing estate in Welwyn Garden City, namely the Homestead Court Hotel.  I arrived at 7.15 not really knowing what to expect. I had been assured that the venue was good, as I entered I realised it wasn’t just good-it was excellent. I was immediately taken by the friendly welcoming atmosphere that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
 
The bar was busy at first and the 90 North Roaders, guests and friends were soon comfortably seated in round tables of ten, decorated with flowers, menus and place cards. The guests and friends were duly welcomed and the food was served; homemade potato and leek soup followed by roasted beef and Yorkshire pudding served in red wine sauce. Desert was profiteroles with a chocolate sauce, rounded off by coffee and mints. Coffee was taken while we listened to our guest speaker Peter Bonfield, who gave us a very entertaining talk on his experiences as a triathlete competing at the highest level and more recently coaching two Olympic triathletes who competed in Athens this year.
 
The prize presentation was notable this year in that there were many new club members amongst the winners that reflect the Club’s growing popularity. This was followed by Michael Harvey’s very witty reply for the Club that brought a rye smile to many faces.
 
We then had the draw for the excellent raffle prizes supplied by Bob Wade. All the proceeds went to the Isabel Hospice in Welwyn and we were really pleased to raise in the region of £ 500. The evening continued with dancing to Leo’s disco and the bar remained open until midnight.
 
Very special thanks are due to June Lacey and her team for all their hard work in organising a truly atmospheric evening which seemed to fly by.
 
See you all at the 120th!