East Anglia Social (Cambs, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex)

Hi all,

Seeing as Im the East Anglia FRA representative, its about time I started to organise our area social/meeting. Before we get carried away with dates and venues, I need to know if you fall under my area and want to attend! You dont have to be an FRA member, or to have built a robot to come along.

Please post below with your name and location (town and county) so I can get an idea of where we all are. Your email address and robot/team name will be handy too!

Kind Regards
Andrew Marchant
East Anglia FRA Representative and http://www.teamtornado.co.uk

Good idea, Mr. Marchant, Sir!
Bob Coleman
Felixstowe
Suffolk
Team Electric Blue
info@electric-blue.co.uk

Ian & James Gillett
Ely
Cambs
Team Rampage
Featherweight Robots
Rampage 2
Smash & Grab, (being built)

Ian@Teamrampage.co.uk

Ed and Co
Team Storm
Ipswich
Suffolk
Storm II et al

Joe Townsend
Team Cut Corners
Kensington
Central London
P.I.M.P.anought

Richard
Team Mayhem
Dunmow (near Stansted airport)
Essex
Robot: Mayhem (in many bits at the moment maybe not to rebuilt in current style if the TV series is dead since its a spinner. Maybe somthing a little friendlier for just the live events.)

R-Wenman@tinyworld.co.uk

Team PLF
Froggy & Birdy
Harwich
Essex
PLF family..heavy..middle...light..feather and ant

Paul & Team,
Clacton-on-Sea & Colchester
Essex.

IG-88 / Vader H/W

Paul S.

Andrew Garrard
Abbey Wood/London
(Near Dartford*, but it sounds like youre as close as the South-East region is going to be, although Ive contacted them too; besides, I have ties to Cambridge and Norfolk/Suffolk, so Ill probably find you better, and I dont mind a drive.)
Vapour bots only, but working on it. :-)
See http://www.fluppet.demon.co.ukwww.fluppet.demon.co.uk for contact details.

(*The nearest team I know of is Napalm, but I thought through the conversation which began No officer, Ive got a good reason for hanging around a girls school, see heres my axe and circular saw... and havent tried to get in touch.)

--
Fluppet

So we have nine people... Not exactly an overwhelming response!

After chatting to James from the Rampage team at Halesowen, the suggested region for a social get together is east of Cambridge, around where the A11 and A14 cross - its somewhere around the middle of the region, and its fairly easy to get to. James is willing to look at possible venues for us all, and has already suggested a few...

What do people think of this location? Any objections?

Regards
Andrew
http://www.teamtornado.co.uk

That would be fine with me. Be good to see some of the people I met at series seven.

When are we looking to have this get together?

Richard
Team Mayhem

Hi Guys
Ive just come back from a pub which I think might be suitable, Its situated about a mile off the A14/A142 junction near Newmarket in the village of Exning. It has a back room which can hold 16 to 20 people. The London Pride is excellent, (shame I was driving).bar snacks are about £6 , £8 if you want a small 8oz rump steak. Main meals and other/larger steaks £10- £12 depending on choice and availability which is on a chalk board menu.. They need a minimum of 1 weeks notice but preferably 2 weeks to guarantee the back room. If we used that room we could take in ants or a feather or two with no problem. Let me know if this sounds ok

Ian

PS James is the one who has still got all his hair. oh and can drive Rampage.

Whoops, sorry Ian, I keep getting you guys mixed up!

It sounds good, certainly from the map it looks very easy to find. I assume theres room to park and accompanied children are acceptable?

Regards
Andrew
http://www.teamtornado.co.uk

Andrew
To answer your question
They are open all day weekends, although they do get booked up for sunday lunch. (could be an option lunch and afternoon at the pub). They do allow children, thats no problem but they prefer if it is an evening that children come in the earlier part of the evening,.There is a small car park to the side and parking in front of the pub and parking on the street.

Ian

Not to throw a spanner in the works, but Ive just come back from the south eastern social, and a larger crowd of people all ordering soft drinks for the drive home Ive rarely seen.

It makes not a blind bit of difference to me, since Im teetotal, but would there be any mileage in arranging somewhere convenient for public transport? The Salisbury Arms and the Live and Let Live in Cambridge are both large enough, decent places, and about ten minutes walk from the station - less from convenient parking. I could find somewhere in Ely/Newmarket/Bury without too much trouble (although Bury is cunningly awkward to get to by car if you live a long way perpendicular to the A14). Depends on whether people want to drink anyway, really.

Geographically, isnt somewhere around Colchester/Stanstead/Ipswich more central?

Not that I have the slightest objection to the concept of Exning (is there a streetmap reference?), but I thought Id give some general feedback.

As for nine people - is that *really* nine? We only had six or seven responses for Brighton, but took over half the pub.

Time it not to clash with the tiddlywinks National Pairs and Ill be there.

--
Fluppet

Anyone put a date in the diary for this one yet ?

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

The evening of April 17th is the S-E regions next social, provisionally at least - those of us on the boundary might prefer to avoid it.
24th/25th is the aforementioned tiddlywinks National Pairs (which no doubt youll all be attending). Im generally insignificant (not even having a robot), but if you want the pleasure of my awkward questions then I wont be able to make that weekend (except possibly the Sunday night).
Debenham is 10th/11th, obviously. How far ahead are we looking?

Other than that, Im easy!

--
Fluppet

Hi all,

So they want 2 weeks notice to book the room for us, that means the weekend 10/11th is the earliest, but I think I know where many of us will be! Looking at the robot calendar also knocks out 1-3rd May and 8th May. The 25th April is bad for both Fluppet and myself.

So suggested dates are (afternoon/evening of):
Sunday 18th April
Sunday 9th May

Other than these, the next weekend I can make is in June! I suggest we go for 18th April - any objections? Anyone who definately cant make that date?

Regards
Andrew
http://www.teamtornado.co.uk

Sunday 18th sounds good to me :)

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Good for me, too.

--
Fluppet

Fine with me

Richard
Team Mayhem

Best in the afternoon for me (I see no time has been discussed yet). I will have to bring the childs with me, so as long as everyone else does, they can all ammuse themselves terrorising the rest of the pubs customers.

Electric Bob.

Hi Guys
After talking with Andrew, Ive got the back room at the White Horse Exning, from 4pm onwards on Sunday 18-4-04, Ive arranged a buffet of sandwiches which is £3 a head for provisionally 12 people. (I hope thats acceptable. Let me know know the numbers in your parties in case I need to increase the order.
Directions.
From the A14, take the A142 signposted Ely. The road to exning is about 20 metres on your left (first left). Follow this road (about a mile)until you come to a junction with a war memorial on your right. The pub will then be directly in front of you.

The pub is fairly full for sunday dinner already, but should start emptying a bit from 3pm onwards.

regards
Ian

Sounds good.

Can I ask how late people are thinking of hanging around? The South East group have had a scheduling crisis, so if everyones clearing off for the evening anyway then Ill propose the same date and prepare to commute between the two...

Ill check whether my other half wants to talk robots and get back to you, but its probably safe to assume Ill be on my lonesome for now. Itll also avoid some conversations along the lines of it costs HOW much? :-)

--
Fluppet

Sounds good to me.

See you guys there.

Richard
Team Mayhem

Hi all,

Just to add to what Ian has said, theres no harm in getting to the pub early but if youre coming along Id aim to be there for around 4pm.

The plan is to go on as long as it goes on; if lots of people turn up and devour the buffet then we may go for a meal in Newmarket later on in the evening, or if its just Ian, James, Sarah and I well eat all the sandwiches and then go home at 5pm! ;-)

Seriously, I reckon therell be two groups - those that want to eat/continue past 6.30-7pm will go into Newmarket, while those that want to leave around then will do so.

See you all then (?)

Regards
Andrew
http://www.teamtornado.co.uk

Hokay, Ill be there (and probably hanging around to be sociable in the evening, being hard to get rid of at the best of times...)

Hopefully Ill be bringing some CDs of my pics of the Debenham weekend, if I can get everything converted. Anyone interested, just so I know if I should run off some spares?

--
Fluppet

Sorry I couldnt make it today. Ive only just managed to escape my sunday duties. Hope I didnt mess up the numbers, and Im sure you had a pretty good time without me anyway!
Please let me know what I missed.
Cheers,
Bob.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their hospitality towards a newbie like myself - and to apologise for my spectacularly tardy arrival.

I look forward to the next one (and to having a robot, at some point).

--
Fluppet

Isnt it about time we had another social - were getting left behind by the other areas !

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Check out our region Ed....

South Midlands

As far as socials go its DEAD.

At our regions one and only Social we had Myself and John Wilkinson ( Team Ka-Pow! ) + B.T.P. & Andy Kane..... Perhaps John and I should defect to another region :)

Ed

I agree its about time we had another get together. The last one was good fun.

Richard
Team Mayhem

We could always organise our own social ?

.... *SHOUTS* - Andrew ???? Anything in the pipeline ?

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Anyone fancy getting together this sunday afternoon for a BBQ

Ian

Mmmmmm BBQ :o)

Where about you got in mind Ian ? Am sure myself, Tim and Meral would be interested, youre more than welcome to come down to Team Storm Towers in Ipswich if you want ? Might even have part of the XFM arena set up too...

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Hi Ed thanks for replying

My original plan is to invite roboteers to mine at Ely, as its probably fairly central. I suppose the location depends on who is interested in coming for ease of travelling. Lets see who is interested and decide the final location tomorrow. Ive no problem coming down to Team storm Towers XFM arena sounds tempting.

cheers Ian

Hi all,

Have just spoken to Ian on the phone. Sarah and I are interested, but I doubt Dave and Sian will be (theyre off doing the polite seaside holiday thing with Sians parents)!

Lets see what happens....

Regards
Andrew
Team Tornado

Ely sounds good. Me and Tracey could make that. How about you Alan?

Could do Ely - here was only a thought !

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Id love 2 .....but :sad: