MEMBERS’ WEEKEND 24 – 26 October 2014

HOTELS

Main Hotel	The Queens Hotel, The Promenade, Llandudno  LL30 2LE
Overspill	The Chatsworth, Central Promenade, Llandudno  LL30 2XS

We will also be using The Queens Lodge which is across the road from the main hotel and adjacent to The Chatsworth.  While we can have extended stays at The Chatsworth and for 10 rooms in The Queens Lodge, there will be limited opportunity for the same in the main hotel as this is a very popular hotel and gets booked up quickly in advance.  We may have to do a little ‘juggling’ with this but the location and facilities are good enough to make this worthwhile.  We have 33 twin/double rooms and 2 single rooms in The Queens Hotel and 14 rooms (single occupancy agreed although these are double/twin rooms) in The Queens Lodge for Friday/Saturday/Sunday, and 10 rooms in The Lodge guaranteed for Wednesday, Thursday and Monday nights as well.  The Chatsworth has more rooms available and is happy for all to be single occupancy.  This is a larger hotel but does not have the function room facilities that we would require.

Accommodation costs:
£45.00 per person per night for both hotels regardless of twin, double or single occupancy on a bed and breakfast basis.  This will apply to extended stays as well.

Friday evening dinner and presentation:
The Queens Hotel can provide this for £14.50 for three courses plus tea/coffee to be served between 18.00hrs and 19.15hrs.  Dining will be in the main restaurant.  The hotel appears to be very experienced and capable of dealing with large numbers quickly so there should not be any difficulty with people being ready for the Friday evening presentation to start at 19.30hrs.  There is no additional charge for the function room for the Friday evening presentation.  We will need to bring our own digital projector and they can provide the screen.

Friday Evening Presentation

Our guest will be Larry Davies ….. subject to be  advised.

Formal Saturday evening dinner:
This will be in the function room of The Queens Hotel where there is a small bar area as you go in to the function room.  There is no additional charge for the function room although we will need to provide our own digital projector.  They can provide a screen.  

An invitation has gone out to an industry manager to be our guest but as at 18 March I am awaiting a response. This has been a very late change to what was proposed due to difficulties securing an appropriate guest in a specific field. 

The provisional menu choices are as follows:
Starters	Leak and potato soup
Fan of melon with a fruits of the forest coulis
Prawn cocktail with marie-rose sauce
Mains		Roast Welsh Leg of Lamb 
Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce 
Breast of Chicken in a White Wine & Mushroom Sauce
Served with Cauliflower Mornay ~ Garden Peas ~Parsley & Roast  Potatoes
Deserts	Profiteroles with a Warm Chocolate Sauce
Homemade Bread & Butter Pudding with Custard
Lemon Meringue Roulade & Cream
Various Ice Creams
Selection of Welsh & Continental Cheeses

Tea / Coffee & Mints

This gives us five choices for desert so a final choice of three will need to be made to help keep the booking form simple.  The cost will be less than October 2013.
Sunday morning conference:
No additional charge for the function room.  Tea/coffee for between 50 to 60 people will be charged at £1.75 per head.

VISITS

Friday afternoon:  
Various possibilities are being investigated for the Friday afternoon.  It is likely that there will be restricted numbers on these visits but there is plenty to see and do and explore in the surrounding area so members should not be at a loss to keep themselves occupied if they are unable to join the organised visits.

We intend to state that “bookings for these visits alone will NOT be accepted unless there are spaces still available once all the bookings are in”.  They are intended as part of the full weekend. This is to try and avoid the situation we had in October 2013 when there were a few members who only wanted to book a Friday afternoon visit and the one in particular who cancelled at the very last minute when it was too late to offer the place to someone else.

There may be an opportunity to visit the Conwy Valley Railway Museum at Betws-Y-Coed – more details will be given in our next briefing.

Saturday daytime:
Main railway themed visit:
The proposal is to book a coach from the hotel to Caernarfon, take the Welsh Highland Railway to Porthmadog, lunch on the train or in Porthmadog, Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog, Arriva Trains Wales regular service from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llandudno.

We have reasonable quotes from a local coach/bus company and we have made contact with the Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog Railways.  Quoted prices include travel as per the proposals above and include a packed lunch provided by the Railways.  The cost of the full day including the coach, WHR and FR, lunch, and regular service back to Llandudno is likely to be a maximum of £45.00 in total and will probably be a little less.  We have not come to any agreement yet or done a full budget for the day yet hence the above as a guideline only at the moment.

Whilst the estimated £45 might seem high it must be remembered this is an ‘all in’ price with five key elements: Coach Llandudno to Caernarfon, Welsh Highland Railway to Porthmadoc, Packed Lunch, Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog and ATW service train back to Llandudno.

As this is a ‘package rate’ there will be one price for all irrespective of any concessions members may have.

John is looking at the alternative visit.  Again, as already mentioned, there is much to see and do in the area and a number of possibilities.  John has also been consulting with some of the ladies who regularly book for the alternative visits on these weekends.

Alternative Saturday Visit

We will offer a mini-bus to Bodnant Gardens subject to meeting a minimum number (possibly 20) in order to keep transport costs down. If 20 is achieved the coach cost will be approximately £8.00. If, however, we do not achieve this number a review will be taken to see if it is cost effective to group people in taxi(s) with equal shares of the cost.

A second alternative could by Conwy Castle which could possibly be done by public transport.

Sunday morning:
This will be free time for those not attending conference as there is plenty to see and do in the town and local area.

We will NOT offer an alternative Sunday Morning visit as there is much to do in Llandudno. Shopping, exploration, walk along the prom/pier or a vintage coach ride to the Little and Great Orme’s (approx. £6.00 pp).

Sunday Lunch

Whilst a Sunday lunch could be available at the Hotel (pre advice of numbers required) there are a number of excellent restaurants and cafes along with a superb Witherspoons in the old Palladium Theatre. Members might wish to make their own arrangements. (We will compile a list of eating establishments and have them available with the pack for participating members).

The Great Orme Tramway (see below) is within easy walking distance from the hotel and the town so members might wish to stop off en-route for lunch!

Sunday afternoon:
Favourite choice is The Great Orme Tramway.  John has made contact and they can take our party but we will have to be split as the trams are not large enough to take the expected numbers all at once.  Exactly how this is managed is to be confirmed.

Great Orme Tramway

A 10% discount is available for groups but we will have to split into two or three groups depending on the uptake for the trip but that is easily dealt with.

Booking Form to go with the July RO

John Day
Ipswich

18 March 2014