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This page provides members and prospective members with an opportunity to view the activities that have been offered to members by the Past Members Association committee. These activities are listed below in chronological order Why not visit the PMA Photo Library. Click on any of the following links that interest you: 2011 - PMA Jazz Night - PMA Golf Tournament - PMA HMS Victory -
PMA 4-Day trip to Amsterdam - 18th - 21st November 2011 With 48 passengers on board having left from Eastleigh and Basingstoke before dawn had even broke it was a fairly quiet coach that made it's way to the ferry port at Dover for the crossing to Calais. Breakfast on board seemed to wake everyone up and the journey through France, Belgium and Holland was full of typical banter one would expect. Arriving late in the afternoon in our hotel we had just sufficient free time to unpack before it was time to head off to the bar for a drink before dinner. Drinking before and after dinner was to become a regular pastime on this trip primarily because the hotel gave away 3 drink tokens to every member of group on each of the 3 evenings we were there! Day two saw the group heading towards Amsterdam after a hearty breakfast at our hotel. Our journey took aroud and hour and a quarter and we arrived in the city centre just after 11 o'clock. Our day was reasonably well organised and included a boat trip around the canals of the city. Our pilot on the glass topped boat managed to click the rear of the boat against three bridges between our departure point opposite the Victoria Hotel and the Gasson's diamond factory where we got off. Initially we thought we'd made a mistake getting off here as it was off the normal boat trip route and there appeared to be no way of getting into the building from the jetty on which we had disembarked. Luckily someone found the button that gained a buzzing response from the door lock and a quick push got us in. Some stayed at Gasson's and undertook the tour of the factory which proved to be extremely interesting, whilst everyone else made there way into Amsterdam for some free time. Again we arrived back in time for a few drinks, an excellent meal and celebrated Tony Hobbs' 50th birthday. Following our breakfast, Day three comprised of a trip to The Haig and Delft. It must be said that this was no the most successful day of our trip although it would probably have been enhanced considerably during the summer months and perhaps a day other than a Sunday. The Haig was interesting but closed until 1p.m. Given that we left at 12:30 we were not able to take full advantage of this visit. Just over 30 minutes away Delft was shrouded in fog and predominately shut fro the day. Resourceful as ever they the intrepid travellers made the most of the time there having lunch and no doubt a few drinks. We returned to our Hotel again having a few drinks, an excellent meal and celebrating Lin Winter's birthday. Day 4 saw an early departure after breakfast and we headed to Brugge in Belgium enroute for Calais and the ferry back to blighty. Brugge was open thankfully and was well worth the stopover. Famous for chocolate many of us spent our time in this Belgium city participated devouring chocolate in one form or another. Personally my group had hot chocolate drinks topped with cream and served with a few 'chocies' just to whet your appetite, good job too since from here we went to an outlet for chocolate, spirits and tobacco and most of those on the trip were able to stock up on their own personal preferences. The ferry trip was uneventful and the choices for dinner were typically 'English' - fish and chips or curry! We arrived home from where we started late in the evening and we said our farewells to each other and promised to do it again next year. PMA London Theatre Trip "Blood Brothers" - 6th October 2011 The trip to the West End in London was again organised by Andy Anderson. Having left Eastleigh at 08:30 am the coach proceeded to Basingstoke to pick up the remainder of the 48 passengers. The it was off, non-stop, to London. First stop of the day was the ever popular Harrods and a then on to Oxford Street. With clear instructions about where the theatre was located and when the show started, each of the passengers were issued with their tickets and left to enjoy the period leading up to the show start time. The Blood Brothers show at the Phoenix Theatre was thoroughly enjoyable and was followed by another period of free time to enable the attendees get a meal before heading home. An excellent day! Well done Andy. PMA Music Quiz - 23rd September 2011 Attended by 90 competitors the music quiz, which was presented by Lloyd Bishop and Alan Blatchford, was a great success. Attendees entered into the spirit of the event and it was conducted in a competitive manner. Andrea Bishop collated the scores for each round of the event and at the end of the evening there was no denying that the team comprising of Carole and Tony Hobbs and their friends were clear winners. Several complimentary comments have been received following the quiz and it is certain that, providing Lloyd and Alan are willing, we will have another quiz next year. PMA dinner on HMS Victory - 26th August 2011 What a night! Although limited in the numbers to just 40 that could attend this trip was a well supported event. The Navy did us proud with a tour of the ship and an informative commentary before our meal. Not only did we see the 'standard' tour but also a few extra's for good measure. Following the tour we took our places at the tressle tables on the gun deck for our meal. The food, whilst simple, was delicious and there was a queue for 'seconds'. Unfortunately there was no ration of rum issued but the bar prices more that compensated. Many thanks to Chris Lunn for organising. PMA Annual Hog Roast - 13th August 2011 In line with other previous events appearing regularly in the PMA calendar, the annual hog roast was well supported with over 70 attendees. The weather was kind and the hog was slow roasted throughout the day. Served with a roll, apple sauce and a fresh salad the hog roast was enjoyed by all that attended. The bar staff worked hard to ensure that customers were both well fed and watered. Many thanks to Pete Cowmeadow for organising the event. PMA Annual Golf Tournament - 19th May 2011 The sun shone and 33 players gathered for the annual HFRS PMA Golf Tournament at East Horton Golf Club. There was much grinding of teeth and sharp intakes of breath when Eddie Winter announced that the competition would be played off the competition "White Tees". Four hours later though there were no complaints as everyone returned to the clubhouse having had a thoroughly enjoyable game. Everyone enjoyed the provided luncheon and the winners were presented with suitable prizes for being "Nearest the Pin" (Dave Stroud), having the "Longest Drive (Graham Crowe), being the "Best Guest" (John Dollin) and, of course, the "Best PMA Member" (Lloyd Bishop). All agreed that the winners should be duly sanctioned before next year's event. Participants were invited to the Eddie Winter Charity Golf Tournament on September 1st 2011. Follow this link to the photo's taken on the day. PMA Coach Trip to London - 18th May 2011 "A Grand Day Out". Coach trip to London - 38 attended and enjoyed themselves "doing their own thing", the weather was kind and whilst the PMA provided only the coach this time at a silly price of £10 member (£12 for guest) a wide and varied assortment of activities was undertaken these included;- shopping in Harrods and Oxford street, visiting the Cabinet War rooms in Whitehall, Imperial War Museum, London Eye and dungeons, The Gherkin, HMS Belfast, Covent Garden, Tower of London and even just an open top bus ride and of course some afternoon theatre shows to state but a few. The good news 38 returned somewhat tired and shopped out. PMA Members Win the UK Firefighters Sailing Challenge 2011 26th - 28th April 2011 saw the running of the eighth UK Firefighters Sailing Challenge, a 3-day regatta contested by emergency service crews from across the UK. This year's event, which was sponsored by MJ Quinn, Boddington's Electrical and Hampshire based InspecFire, had 25 yachts competing, each with 8 crew, and was won by the yacht "Hampshire 1" skippered by PMA member Mick Stead and his crew which consisted of fellow PMA Member Eddie Winter, Nick Birchell, Shaun Coote, Barry Marsh, Martin Finch, Ant Westbrook, Steve Ransley. Of the eight crew four are retired members of HFRS. Not a bad result for some old guys then! Jazz Night in the Phoenix Bar - 11th February 2011 The response initially to this event was slow and for a while the committee thought it would be limited to an attendance of around 60, but a late serge brought about a sell-out event with 120 attending. The evening was a hugely successful with an excellent menu of pasta, wine and dancing. Carole Hobbs kindly took some photo's that gives us a flavour of the evening and we will without doubt be booking the quartet for another evening in the future. To see Carole's pictures of the evening click on this link and you will be taken to another page to view them. PMA Christmas Dinner, Holiday inn, Eastleigh - 11th December 2010 Despite reduced numbers this year the event proved to be a huge success. With 66 people attending the Holiday Inn switched us to a smaller room although it still had its own disco and private bar. The pre-event arrangements worked well and many people took advantage of the drinks package at reduced prices. Guests were greeted with drinks as we made our way into the dining room. As with last year the meal was of excellent quality and staff were well organised and aware of who ordered what meals. The provision of the 'funny money' casino was a huge success and provided a real alternative to those that wanted something different. Guests were also offered the opportunity to take a room at the hotel at very competitive rates. A superb evening was had by all and I for one am looking forward to next year. Submitted by Eddie Winter 2-Day Coach Trip to Bath Christmas Market - 27 November 2010 44 of us boarded the coach at Service HQ on a cold and frosty morning to start our trip to Bath. As we travelled towards our destination the countryside became more and more like a Christmas card with the snow covered trees and fields. We arrived late morning and were dropped outside Bath Abbey amid falling snow to begin our day of shopping and sightseeing. At 6 pm we re-boarded the coach (along with the extra hats and gloves that had been purchased during the day) to travel to our hotel, the Jurys Inn in Swindon. After checking in there was time for a quick freshen up before our evening buffet meal. On Sunday we departed after breakfast for the Clarks Shopping Village in Street for some more shopping! We arrived back in Eastleigh early evening having enjoyed a great weekend. Submitted by Carole Hobbs.
The PMA met a major milestone on 23rd October when it held it's inaugural Annual General Meeting at service headquarters. Over 50 people attended the evening which included which was a combined AGM / Club Night and following the business of the AGM everyone was able to enjoy a 'Pasta' meal of their choice followed by a delicious sweet. The outcomes of the AGM will be formerly recorded in the minutes and distributed accordingly but it is fair to say that the membership present gave the organising committee a resounding 'thumbs up' to continue with the direction they have been taking since the PMA was brought into being in March 2009. PMA Hog Roast - 14th August 2010 Following the successful hog roast in 2009 this one had a lot to live up to, but it did and it did it well! The event is now firmly cemented as a regular summer special for the PMA members. Over 120 guests attended and stayed late having enjoyed good company, a few drinks and a particularly good roasted hog prepared by our good friend Steve Barrow and his team. PMA Horse Racing Night - 23rd July 2010 What a great night this was with over 90 attendees. In all six races were run throughout the evening where participants could bet with PMA 'funny money' and partake of a freshly cooked fish and chip supper served as well. At the end of the evening Dave and Carol Thomas along with Ivan and Sue Jack managed to acquire over £6,500 in winnings - pity it wasn't real! This was a great advertisement for a successful PMA evening and much thanks must go to PMA committee member Carole Hobbs as the principle organiser. Well Done Carole, when's the next one? PMA Golf Tournament - 20th May 2010 With 30 paid up participants for the inaugural PMA Golf Tournament the event proved to be a great hit with those attending. After breakfasting on bacon sandwiches and coffee we started to progressively tee-off from 8:45am taking on the newly redeveloped Greenwood course at East Horton. Their were the inevitable cries for handicaps to be cut before the start but I don't think anyone found the course too difficult. On our return to the 19th hole we partook in the excellent lunch that was provided which consisted of a fine selection of seasonal fare, the favourite still seemed to be ham, eggs and chips though. We were grateful to the guests that came along to make up the numbers and the winner of the Best Guest trophy was David Gasson. The Longest Drive trophy was taken by Simon Purnell and the Nearest the Pin by Simon's playing partner Bob Amos. The winner of the PMA Golf Trophy for 2010 went to Tony Bliss who will now be expected to defend his title in 2011. Click here to view the photo's taken on the day. As previously stated the event was deemed to be a success and plans are already underway to book the course again for the 19th May 2011. UK Firefighters Sailing Challenge - 27th - 29th April 2010 200+ members of the emergency services, serving and retired, from across the UK converged on Port Solent in the early dawn of the 27th April to compete in the sixth running of the UK Firefighters Sailing Challenge. 27 yachts were chartered from Sunsail to facilitate the same design race series, each crewed by eight people. Hampshire entered 5 yachts in total and crew members included a number of PMA members. At the end of each day's racing the yachts moored at Cowes Yacht Haven and Gala evenings were organised to allow competitors to relax in enjoyable surroundings. Comedian Miles Crawford provided the entertainment for the first Gala Evening which proved a huge success, as did the fundraising activities which form an integral aspect of the event. Those to benefit from this year's will include The Fire Fighters Charity, Help for Heroes and the memorial fund set up for Firefighters Alan Bannon and James Shears, the two HFRS firefighters killed just a few weeks earlier. Although the final donations to the various charities have yet to be set by the organising committee over £2,200 was raised at the event alone. PMA Club Night (Quiz) - 24th April 2010 23 members and guests attended the combined PMA Club and Quiz night held in the Phoenix Bar at Service Headquarters in Eastleigh on the 21st April 2010. Organised by Carole Hobbs under the masterful skills of quizmaster Ern, a excellent time was had by all. In fact it was so good we elected to stay late and have an extra round! Categories for the quiz included general knowledge, sport, music, pictures, pot luck and a quick fire 10 questions. Having attended I can say that some questions were easy, but the majority were real teasers that tested the team as a whole. The final winners were Not the Bar Flies with 171 points. If you didn't attend this event then you missed a real fun evening. See you at the next Club Night. PMA trip to London Theatre - 15th April 2010 50 people made up of PMA members and their partners recently visited the Victoria Palace Theatre in the West End, London to see a performance of the hit show Billy Elliot. Such was the speed with which the tickets sold there was no opportunity to invite guests. We left Eastleigh Fire Station on board our coach at 08:45 a.m. and after calling at Basingstoke Fire Station to collect members from the north of the county we made our way to the capital. By 11:00 a.m. all the passengers had disembarked from the coach and used the free time before the show started at 2:30 p.m. to visit the attractions, shops or museums of their choice. The show, which features music and songs by Sir Elton John, tells the story of a County Durham family's experiences at the time of the miners strike. The story line followed that of the original film of the same name but had that extra zing that the music and the West End stage can give. Following the show we had two hours to get ourselves something to eat before the coach departed at 7:30 p.m. All in all a great time was had by everyone and another theatre trip will be on the cards for the future. Many thanks to Andy Anderson and the rest of the committee for organising, roll on the next one............... PMA Christmas Dinner Dance - 12th December 2009 The 12th December 2009 saw the first PMA Christmas Dinner Dance which was held at the Holiday Inn in Eastleigh. Over 80 members and their partners attended and a great time was had by all. A first class meal was provided in an anti-room to the main bar and dancing area which was given over to the sole use of the PMA for the evening. This arrangement worked well and allowed guests to dance when they wished but communicate with one another without the needs to raise their voices unnecessarily at other times. Careful planning also meant there was the opportunity for guests to stay overnight following the celebrations at very reasonable cost, although we are not sure how many took up this offer. The success of this event will certainly promote the potential for it to become a calendar regular. PMA Club Night - 24th October 2009 The inaugural PMA club night took place in the Phoenix bar at service HQ. In all 20 members and guests attended and a good time was had by all. A few nibbles were supplied by the club to compliment the drinks purchased from the bar. As usual Carole and Tony Hobbs (bar staff) made members feel welcome and the evening closed just after 10:30pm. The next club night will be held on the 22nd January 2010 and it is hoped that we can build on this good start to our regular get togethers. Portsmouth Reunion 10th October 2009 Steve Thomas organised a reunion of former Portsmouth based personnel at Southsea Fire station. The event, which started at 1930hrs was well attended with around 50 former personnel and their guests attending. The format for the evening was given over to allowing the attendees to chat amongst themselves and partake of nibbles and a drink from the bar provided by Southsea station personnel. The event concluded with those attending requesting a re-run in the not too distant future. Hog Roast (The PMA's inaugural event) - 22nd August 2009
Alan House took the opportunity to advise the assembled audience about the make-up of the PMA, it's committee, it's plans for the future and how individual members might be able to contribute. As the inaugural event of the association the Hog Roast was heavily subsidised but this was outweighed by potential to get as many of the PMA members together in one place for the first time since the committee formed in March 2009. The day was well supported and proved to be a huge success for both members and the organising committee with many positive comments received not only for the Hog Roast event but also for the Associations plans for the future. A couple of thank you notes were also received after the event, which are always nice to receive, and these have been replicated on the "What you Say" page. The comment most received was the need for members to wear name badges in order to a prompt for those senior moments when the mind just goes blank! If you wish to try and recognise some of the faces in the picture just click here to view a larger version of it.
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Copyright © 2009 HFRS Past Members Association
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