Alan Wilkinson, smartly dressed in dark suit and grey tie, cradles a baby all in white.

Huggett Award winner with part of his family tree

 

Regional News

This is advance notification that our next regional event will be a Blues Party Night on Saturday 16th February 2013. Once again it will be held at Diseworth Village Hall near East Midlands Airport as this proved a convenient location last year, the hall hire is good value with excellent facilities, and there's plenty of cheap accommodation nearby for anyone wishing to stay overnight. The evening will include a buffet, help-yourself bar with beers, wines and soft drinks, live music by The Beeliacs blues band (with whom Leicester LocSec Paul performs!), disco and other entertainment. The event will be free to members and only £5 for non-member guests. Where else can you go for such a bargain night out!? To book your place, contact me on [Phone Number] or [Email]. Full details of this and other events can be found on our web site at www.eastmidsmensa.org.uk

If you're unable to attend our social events but would like to contribute to East Midlands Mensa, we are always seeking articles for Empress on your unusual hobbies, work, charity fundraising or a simple profile about yourself. Or why not compile one of our competitions? We only need 20 questions on your favourite subject! Either of the Editors would love to hear from you.

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Events and Meetings

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Thu 1st Nov at 8.00pm - FThOTM

Please join us on the 1st from 8.00pm for informal First Thursday chat at The Old Beams at Shenley Lodge. Feel free to join us for a meal or just a drink - look out for the Mblem or mag. See http://www.mcmullens.co.uk/oldbeams for location, menu etc.

On Sat 17th Nov at 11.00am - Country walk

Time for another country walk this month, and it's Stony Stratford's turn again. However, whereas in the past we have explored the picturesque town centre, this time it will be more rural, following the river around the edge of the town. We'll meet at 11.00am on Saturday 17th in the public car park at the bottom of Watermill Lane, which is off Stratford Road, just east of the A5 flyover. We'll then walk up to the river, and follow the river around the outside of the town, diverting into the town at some point for a pub lunch We will then cut across south of the town to complete the circle back to the car park.

On Sun 25th Nov at 10.15am - Sunday breakfast

Sunday breakfast will be at 10.15am on Sunday 25th, but please remember we have moved to Wetherspoon's on Midsummer Boulevard West, next to Chiquito's and not far up from the railway station (NOT the other Lloyds/Wetherspoons nearer the shopping centre and next to Jurys Inn). Come for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink - look for the Mblem on a table.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at one or other of our events in November. Do remember that you're welcome to bring a guest with you, so if you've never been to a Mensa event and are a little nervous about coming along on your own, just bring a friend!

Jo Sidebottom

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

On Mon 5th Nov at 8.00pm - 6OTM

Unusually our two regular events fall in the same week. Join us from 8.00pm on Monday 5th for a drink at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road in the city centre.

On Thu 8th Nov at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

Or from 7.30pm on Thursday 8th for a meal and/or drink at the Beekeeper in Beeston. Please note that our "natter & nosh" event on Thursday 13th December will be the Nottingham Mensa Christmas meal and booking is essential. 2 courses £9.99 or 3 courses £12.99 plus a voucher booklet for each diner valid at any Hungry Horse pub throughout 2013. We've saved £££s, had free starters and desserts, and some free rounds of drinks this year on top of already bargain prices. Not bad!

On Fri 16th Nov at 7.00pm - Greyhound racing

On Friday 16th we're going to Nottingham Greyhound Stadium in Colwick once again. We've been taking part in a charity tournament and this is the final. Come and cheer on our allocated dog and see if we can win a cash prize and trophy. Tickets cost £5 each (normal admission and race card is £6) and all money goes to Cancer Research UK. Under 18s admitted free of charge if accompanied by an adult. I've been donated 100 tickets by the stadium so feel free to invite your friends, family and work colleagues! Gates open at 6.00pm with the first race at 6.28pm and the last race finished by 10.30pm. You can arrive/leave when you like but there will be a rendez-vous point at 7.00pm for anyone wishing to meet up. There's ample free parking and food/drink available at the venue. Contact me if you'd like to come to this fun night out.

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

More or Leicester

On Thu 15th Nov at 8:00pm - 3ThOTM

Remember, remember the Fifth of November . . . because you'll be ten days too early for our usual gathering at The Craddock Pub! We'll be at the usual table . . . or another one if somebody nabs it first. Look out for the yellow mBlem or magazine on the table on Thursday 15th at 8:00pm.

On Tue 27th Nov at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

Come and join Pen Penny for a "Taste of Thai" on Tuesday 27th at 7.30pm. The restaurant is at 84-86 Market Street, Ashby de la Zouch, LE65 1AP, and has been given a 5 star rating for its hygiene standards! Please telephone her on [Phone Number] or e-mail at [Email] by Friday 23rd to let her know if you are coming so that she can book a table for the appropriate number of people.

Finally, an early heads up - make space in your diary for December 20th as we're heading to the Taj Mahal restaurant in Highfields for an alternative Christmas dinner! Please could you let me know as soon as possible if you're planning on coming so I can book a table (It's going to be busy!)

Paul Coulson

photo of Jenny Habib

Berkhamsted

On Wed 28th Nov at 7.45pm - LWOTM

On Wednesday 28th we will meet as usual at the Old Mill at 7.45-ish., the pub set back from the London Road, next door to the Esso petrol station. Look for the Mensa Mag on the table.

Come and chat / drink/ eat and see what happens.

Jenny Habib

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Ian Sargent

Northants NNotes

Back in the Spring!

Ian Sargent

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of Maxine Bates

Derby Diary

On Wed 21st Nov at 7.30pm - 3WOTM

Just our one regular event this month. We'll be at the Standing Order on Irongate in the city centre from 7.30pm on Wednesday 21st. We usually have the largest and most international table but were usurped in September by the foreign students from Derby University on freshers' week! Look for a yellow Mblem on one of the long tables in the low ceiling area at the rear of the pub. Come along for a meal or just a drink and stay as long as you like. Our next get together will be Wednesday 19th December and also the Derby Mensa Christmas meal. The cost is £8.25 for a main course including drink and £2.00 each for any starter or dessert. Booking is essential so please contact me as soon as possible.

Event suggestions are sought for the New Year. Can you recommend a restaurant or museum to visit? Do you know a pleasant walk around Derbyshire? Would you like to share your hobby with other members? If so I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 2nd Nov at 8.15pm - FThOTM

On Thursday 2nd from 8.15pm we're at the Millstream, Cambridge Road, Hitchin. Good food and good beer both available! Call me for more details and encouragement. The pub is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station.

On Fri 29th Nov at 8.00pm - LFOTM

On Friday 29th from 8.00pm we'll be at the Cowper Arms, Digswell, Herts (by Welwyn North station). Call me on [Phone Number] for more details and encouragement. The pub is next to the railway station, which is served by stopping trains from Kings Cross to Cambridge and Peterborough.

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Thu 8th Nov at 10.30am - daytime meeting

For November I am going to try a mid-week daytime meeting. Join me in the Costa near the church in the centre of High Wycombe from 10.30am on Thursday 8th for a relaxed coffee and conversation. I will try to get one of the comfortable sofas downstairs. Just come in and look for me inside.

If you let me know you are coming I will save you a space! For directions or encouragement please contact me.

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Christine Howells

Lively Lincs

On Sat 10th Nov at 12.05pm - Pub meeting

We are having a rather quiet month in November but do join us on Saturday 10th, 12.05-2.00pm for our usual 2SaOTM pub discussion at the Adam & Eve on Lindum Hill, Lincoln. When we are assembled we will start a discussion on, 'Is too much safety dangerous?', before rambling onto other subjects and more general chat. Contact me for encouragement.

Christine Howells

Contact [Email] for details

photo of David Seddon

WATever . . .

On Mon 12th Nov at 8.00pm - If I ruled the world...

Monday 12th at 8.00pm: If I ruled the world . . . What should be a lively and eye-opening get-together. Express your views about what life would be like in 'your world'. Venue is TBA and will be emailed nearer the time. If you wish to be included in our local emails then please contact me.

On Mon 26th Nov at 8.00pm - Pub meeting

Monday 26th at 8.00pm: Pub meeting at King's Head, Bridge Road, Hunton Bridge, WD4 8RE. Autumnal weather makes for indoor meetings - so please look for the magazine on the table. We get a good turn out to the pub meets and have a wide age range - come and say hi! New members always warmly welcomed.

David Seddon

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Editor's Bit at the Bottom

The newsletter award for service is a engraved glass plaque.

Many congratulations to Alan Wilkinson for winning this year's Huggett Award.

The judges' comments were,

"The Huggett Award goes each year to a SIG volunteer (SIGSec or editor) who has given outstanding service to members in that role. This year's winner is Alan Wilkinson of Genealogy SIG, whose stint as SIGSec is now into a third decade. Alan has overseen the production of over 100 issues of the SIG newsletter, in an era when general interest in family history has risen - as shown by the popularity of TV programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are? Alan is a worthy winner of the Huggett Award."

And what did Alan think?

"It was a very pleasant surprise on reading the Mag to find I had been given this award although why is still a little beyond me unless it is for being in one spot for a good number of years. I suppose one of the things about getting older is you can rack up the length of time you have done things. I have been interested in genealogy for some 50 years, have helped and been a trustee and committee member on the local village hall also for 50 years, and have been a Parish Councillor for 26 years. I also went to F1 meetings for 19 years but that has got a bit past me now. Doesn't time fly when we're having fun? And that's what it's all about - having fun!"

A great sentiment, Alan. Continue having fun!

Alan wasn't the only East Midlands winner this year; although his was a major award, I'm pleased to tell you that Empress also won an award - the Regional Newsletter Award for Service. (See picture right.)

Rosie Jefferson

Driving Force

Richard Allen stands beside an offical paralympics car decked out in orange and black.

This summer Richard Allen took 3 weeks off work to do volunteer work for the Paralympics.

Why did you volunteer?

I felt that the entire Olympic/Paralympic event was a once in a lifetime experience and I wanted to be part of it. Although I'm not particularly sporty, I have always admired the dedication of the athletes and in particular those competing at the Paralympics.

What was the selection process?

Application, via the website during 2011, was straightforward and I was called for a fairly informal interview in January this year. In March, I was offered a driving job during the Paralympics.

What training were you given?

As drivers, we had two full days of training before the Games. The first comprised a classroom session in which we were given advice and instruction on advanced driving techniques, etiquette when dealing with clients, radio procedure and a session on the road with an instructor. The second day consisted of more driving and also a briefing on how to use the satnavs, which had a special Olympics software package downloaded onto them, emergency procedures and where everything was at the depot where we would be based, which in my case was the ExCeL centre in Docklands. In addition, the first couple of shifts included a refresher course and we were also sent out to learn the key routes, especially in the main Stratford site, which was quite a complicated place to drive around.

What were your duties?

I was what was known as a "T3" driver and as such was part of a pool of drivers who could be asked to drive any entitled individual (athletes or officials) to wherever they wished to go. About a quarter of my journeys were pre-booked, the remainder were "on demand", where drivers would be allocated to "stage" at a given location, much like a cab rank, and take the next available client.

Would you describe a typical shift?

A shift lasted ten hours, inclusive of breaks, and on arrival at the depot (known as FDX) one would check in, be allocated a car and to a team, and collect one's meals and drinks for the day. There was a team of dispatchers on site who would give out the day's instructions as to whether one would be allocated to pre-booked journeys or to a cab rank. The shift would then be spent driving wherever required, then return to FDX and book off. Drivers would be in constant (unless out of range) radio contact with Control and it was common to be re-allocated between ranks during a shift, dependent upon demand. For example, morning shifts tended to be allocated to ranks serving the hotels in London where officials, journalists and some athletes stayed, and afternoon shifts tended to be based at venues.

Where were the ranks and did you have a favourite?

There were a number of ranks, but the most common (and least popular) was Baynard House, a multi-storey underground car park near St Paul's Cathedral. This was handy for many of the City hotels being used by our clients, but hanging around in an underground car park was not ideal, especially on a sunny day. We had a small mess room on the lowest floor (the staff there were brilliant) with a telephone on which instructions would be received - this quickly became known as the Bat Phone and inevitably the location became the Bat Cave! Other staging locations were the Grange City Hotel, next to Fenchurch Street station (very good for meeting people and scrounging or swapping pin badges), Heathrow and Gatwick airports, North Greenwich Arena (the temporary name for the O2), Greenwich Park, Royal Artillery Barracks (Woolwich), the ExCeL centre, Eton Dorney (for the rowing events) and Brands Hatch (for the cycling events). As I was based at ExCeL, I did not stage at the main Stratford site; this was the domain of Stratford drivers. My favourite location was Greenwich Park as, between duties, one could wander round the town. I also spent time at the Royal Artillery Barracks, which was a bit strange as it is next door to my birthplace, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.

How was driving in London?

Interesting, to say the least. The satnavs, when they worked, were OK but they often crashed, or would tell you to take prohibited turns. On one occasion I was trying to get a client to a hotel that was in an awkward one-way system near Tower Bridge and the main access was blocked by road-works; it took quite a lot of driving around to force the satnav to find an alternative route.
The biggest problem with London driving is that it is almost impossible to stop if you need to look at a map or reset the satnav. In addition, if you take a wrong turning it can be very difficult to get back to where you want to be. I know my way around reasonably well and this helped a lot; inevitably, of course, I got to know a number of routes and no longer needed to rely on the satnav. The other problem was the traffic jams, which could be horrendous, and I had to think quickly to try to find an alternative route. The controllers were very good here as they would pass on any reports received. I was lucky in that I only had two days which were badly affected by traffic jams.

What about the atmosphere?

Utterly brilliant! I think I shall remember the camaraderie between the volunteers, and between the volunteers, the Army, the Police, and G4S staff for a very long time. G4S got bad publicity before the Games but their staff were mainly great people to work with. I think my highest praise was for the Army, who did a very professional job and with whom we exchanged a lot of banter. I must also mention the radio controllers and dispatchers, who also did their job well and had to put up with a lot of mick-taking (and grumbles, usually when allocated yet again to the Bat Cave!) from the drivers.
The other thing to mention is the interaction between the volunteers and the general public, who really took us to their hearts. On one occasion on the Tube, someone approached me and shook my hand, saying how he thought we were all doing a great job; on another occasion in the street, a couple of young lads high-fived me and a colleague. Also, I was often asked directions - fortunately, as a Londoner, I know my way around.

Did you meet any especially interesting people?

Very much so. About a third of my passengers were athletes and the remainder officials and journalists. All were full of praise for how we'd organised the Games and many were astonished to learn that the site had once been derelict and contaminated. I had a blind sprinter and his guide in my car on one occasion; it made me think about the dedication needed to do that, and the teamwork and the trust involved for the runner and guide to work together.

You mentioned pin badges - would you elaborate?

I didn't know this beforehand, but there is a custom at Olympic events to hand out and swap pin badges from different countries and organisations. You needed a bit of a nerve to ask people, and it was best to buy a few first from one of the Olympic shops (one of which was at St Pancras station) to start swapping - anything with a Union flag logo was popular with people from overseas. I acquired a number, including ones from San Marino, Iran, Italy, Russia, Spain, the Netherlands and Croatia. There were even exchange stalls set up around the Westfield centre in Stratford.

How do you feel now that it's all over?

Very sad. I was on duty for three weeks as we were required both before and after the Games. The last shift was sad as we took the cars to a storage depot in Dartford where they would be de-branded and re-sold. By the end, there were long lines of them. So if you see a BMW with a registration beginning YC12, YE12 or YK12, it's probably an ex-Olympics vehicle. We had a farewell party at FDX and I hope to keep in touch with a few people I met during the Games.

Would you do it all again?

Without hesitation!

20 Questions (No. 134)

Did you guess the phobias in the September quiz? They were sharp or pointed objects, cats, hair, chemicals, bats, clowns, making decisions, work, the cold, crossing bridges, public speaking, long words, germs, being out of mobile phone contact, belly buttons, phobias, ghosts, Hell, the sea, and childbirth/pregnancy. Entries received from Patrick Cavanagh of Mullingar, Pamela Covey of Woburn, Michael Warren of Derby, Sue Pearson of Bucks, Alex Foster of Derby, Chris Impey of Tring, Roger Plant of Nottingham, D W Dell of Leighton Buzzard, Lynn Faulkner of Nottingham and Philip Abbott of Watford with Alex winning the £10 book token.

This month's quiz is based on Maxine's specialist subject of one hit wonders of the 1980s! Send your entries to arrive by 20th November to '20 Questions (No. 134)', [Address].

1. Who performed the safety dance?

2. What did Bow Wow Wow want?

3. Paul Hardcastle had a hit with a song about which war?

4. Which Robin Beck hit was used as a jingle by Coca Cola?

5. Whose music video was first to be shown on MTV?

6. The band Baltimora came from which country?

7. Who wanted to move closer?

8. What colour were Nena's balloons?

9. Which duo released Pac-Man fever?

10. Harold Faltermeyer wrote which theme song for Beverly Hills Cop?

11. Which reggae artist released a song referring to a street in the Brixton riots?

12. Who famously wore a Las Vegas High School cheerleader costume in her video?

13. How many members originally formed Jimmy The Hoover?

14. Who thought there was no-one quite like grandma?

15. The daughter of Bob Holness performed with which group?

16. Who did the boxerbeat?

17. Which Alannah Miles hit shared a name with a cocktail?

18. Who wanted to pump up the volume?

19. Which band had an obsession?

20. Musical Youth were formed at a school in which UK city?