GASS   

        The Gentlemen's Ale Sampling Society

        1982-2010  28 years of enjoyment (so why DO we think it our 30th next year?)

AGM 2010

THE VERY FIRST GASS "STAY-CATION"

BUTLINS at Bognor Regis

ANDY, PHIL, IAN, KEITH all recommend BUTLINS at Bognor Regis.

The resort has a '90's RELOADED' weekender on the 10/11/12 September.

This is not a normal family weekend, this is a party weekend with live bands, comedians & entertainment all weekend

The traditional method of deciding the AGM location has for years been that we all get drunk.  Tony goes round promising the earth for his idea making it sound like Nirvana, when it is actually a cold, wet (but cheap) commie shithole.  Nick going round whipping up support for his idea, a sophisticated and erudite location offering sun sea and sights (and then votes for Tony's idea).  Others simply shout out locations without a scintilla of investigation, and everyone ends up bawling out the same mantra, year after year - SHEEEEERNEEESSSSS! 

Well this year we used email voting.  The votes were as follows:-

NICK JENKINS AGAINST - EVERYONE ELSE (WITHOUT EXCEPTION!) FOR

Subsequently, and under protest, Nick changed his mind and agreed to attend.  That means that of 22 members, 21 voted for the idea, the one (NIck) that voted against agreed to go anyway, and only Steve Riches can't make it as he is 60 that weekend and will be away with his family - so 21 attendees, best ever.

Who knows what it will be like?  Who cares?  We will have a laugh, come what may.  Even better, it is just a short run down the motorway, is a nice part of the country, and we are in the best hotel on the site, so we have a least a fighting chance.

We are all booked into the OCEAN HOTEL, a new hotel which opened in 2009.

Three nights included - FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY NIGHTS the 10/11/12 September

Room only, no insurance, no food, just pay as you go.

Probable programme:

FRIDAY

Book in and enjoy a night at Butlins seeing how the other half live.

SATURDAY

AGM at LUNCHTIME

In a lovely boat on the Chichester Ship Canal

We have chartered 'The Richmond' which we board at 12.00 on Saturday and we have hired for 3 hours (at the very reasonable cost of £200).

The Richmond is a large Canal Boat which seats about 40 so plenty of space for our AGM table.

The boat will take us from Chichester through Constable Country

During the trip Caterers will serve us a three course lunch.

The booze on board we will be supplying ourselves (amazingly the don't charge corkage) so oodles of beer & wine and sherry.

Off the boat about 3.30pm

Take a look at the boats and the canal here

http://chichestercanal.org.uk/gallery-trips.php

SATURDAY NIGHT - BUTLINS

In FANCY DRESS - To be decided

For Saturday Night Fever at over Dinner and Dancing

SUNDAY

Lunch somewhere nice probably off-site

Plenty of time for Golf or activities.

MONDAY

Get up, check out, go home.

COST

High class singles, top floor, sea view, balcony, own butler (Atlantis Rooms):  Len, Pete, Brian - £320 ea

Nice singles, but not as nice as the high class ones (Compass Rooms): Keith, Neil, Chris, Ian - £270 ea

Shared rooms, two bedroom apartments with one of you in the kiddies room (Mariner Rooms): everybody else - £140 ea

Shared rooms are a family room, a double or twin beds in the main area and a separate twin bedded room and a bathroom

All booked and deposited - 14 rooms in all.  I do have to give your addresses (and oddly enough your age) to Butlins on the full booking form, it is a requirement for the booking,

but everything will be paid by GASS in the normal way, so the worst you might get is a flyer (and a birthday card). 

For those with singles, I have to give two names for the room so I have used your partners/wifes name as the nominal second person in the room. 

To be clear, just because I have to put two names on the booking form does NOT mean you may take your partner/wife, normal GASS rules apply.

REASON FOR STAY-CATION

A cheap local UK based AGM, partly because it is GASS all over, partly to persuade everyone that having saved a bundle in 2010

then we shell out more in 2011 which is our 30th anniversary year and the lead suggestion is a week in Las Vegas.