We had begun our year as we finished last year, enjoying a meal at the Hedgehog in Lichfield. We had lots of ideas for events during 2017 and it was quite a difficult decision to select the final venues, choosing some old favourites to return to and trying out some new ones. Steve and I were very aware that we had a hard task following Lynn and Tony Gardner’s brilliant Regional Coordinators’ role.
Our first visit on 3 March was to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas. We went as a group: Bryan & Grace Elliott, Ken Morgan & Dorothy Harris, Lynn & Tony Gardner, Joy Stephens & Alan Marshall, Jan & Duncan Evans and Steve Loffman. All took advantage of a welcome tea or coffee and cakes to begin with. This was followed by a tour with commentary around the site on a land train and a delicious two course lunch with time to wander around afterwards. Everyone agreed it was a truly moving experience, seeing the many memorials and testimonials and realising how many young and old people gave their lives for us. It was quite difficult to fit it all into the day. The only downside was that it rained all the day – sorry folks, we haven’t mastered sorting out the weather yet!
