The Monday Meet

The Monday Meet is a community group that meets monthly, every third Monday, at The Bowler’s Arms.  It is open to all to attend, with no booking required. Feel free to come along, we meet at 7:30pm for an 8:00pm start unless otherwise noted.

If you’d like to be on the mailing list for future events, please email craigbrown1@hotmail.co.uk who will add you to the group’s circulation list.

Equally, if you would like to present to the group or could recommend a speaker, please let Craig know.  He can be reached on the email above or by phone on 07880 360 360.

What’s next?

Event schedule

The programme for 2023 is taking shape with the following events scheduled over the next few months.  Feel free to join us from 7.30pm for an 8.00pm start, upstairs at The Bowler’s Arms.

Date	Event	Speaker
20 February 2023	Mental Health Awareness	Carole Neal
20 March 2023	Tandem Travels Around the World	Neil and Maggie Taylor
17 April 2023	Falkland Grange	Claire Blundell
15 May 2023	Building a new house: The Architect’s Tale	Phillip Bevan
19 June 2023	Musings on Modern Art	Gary Collins
17 July 2023	Three Pubs Walk

Recent events

Mental Health Awareness (20 February 2023)

Carole Neal provided a volunteer’s viewpoint on the work of the Charlie Waller Trust. Founded in 1997 with a vision of a world where people understand and talk openly, the Charlie Waller Trust helps young people to understand their mental health, equip them to support themselves and those around them, and empowers them to talk more openly about the subject.

St George’s pilgrimage (16 January 2023)

Peter Wright delivered an animated talk on the 2022 St George’s pilgrimage, between St Cuthbert’s Church in Oborne and Bristol Cathedral.

The pilgrimage was a fabulous mix of the physical and spiritual, with Peter highlighting the great scenery that was experienced by the walkers, the indulgence in hearty fare, the shared faith, and the great company amongst the band of travellers.

Peter’s exquisite planning made for an enjoyable four days for those that attended.  He is well advanced into this year’s planning, and he assures me that he’ll be in touch with all local planning authorities to ensure no pesky new housing estates interrupt this year’s walk.

The next pilgrimage is taking place from 24 – 27 August 2023, with a route that starts in Long Parish and finishes at Christchurch Priory.  Contact the Church office if you would like to know more.

The Monday Meet Christmas supper

One of the highlights of The Monday Meet year is its annual Christmas bash, which took place on 19 December 2022 at The Bowler’s Arms, where guests were beautifully looked after by Richard Hayman and his team who prepared a healthy supply of treats for us throughout the evening.  The Rev. Tom Moffatt kept the audience entertained and led a rousing carol session, although the rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas may not be appearing on any billboard charts soon.  Thanks to the generous donations of those who attended (and some who didn’t) we raised £195.35 for Farm Africa, a charity that helps to reduce poverty in eastern Africa (for more info. visit https://www.farmafrica.org/).

Motoring and mobility (21 November 2022)

Linda Ling delivered a fabulous talk entitled Motoring and Mobility, where she presented the remarkable technologies available to enable a continuation of motoring when illness, injuring or aging might otherwise prevent people from enjoying the use of their cars.

Drawing on her 40-year career in the industry, Linda supplemented her talk with inspiring stories about Paralympians, tussles with Brussels, and handy hints to help the mobility impaired.

We learnt too, that thanks in large part to Linda’s pioneering efforts, the UK is a leading manufacturer of WAVs (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles) with over 10,000 a year produced, more than the rest of the European Union combined.

It was also clear from the evening that the MBE Linda received for services to the mobility impaired community was thoroughly deserved.