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Round Table is about two things in particular – having a good time and helping the local community.
In Round Table, we’ve always made sure that our members are able to meet at least twice a month for a variety of activities, whether they be evenings down the pub, sport, poker nights, ten pin bowling or barbecues. But it’s not just about having a laugh – we also raise thousands of pounds for charity each year.
This year our charity is The Invicta Foundation. Invicta was set up by Stephen and Cheryl Hall when their son Ashley was severely wounded in Afghanistan. They discovered that when wounded service personnel are discharged from hospital, they may have to wait for months before they are ready to begin their rehab. During that time, they often have to fall back on their families to look after them, something which can be incredibly difficult.
Invicta plans to raise £500,000 to meet the cost of building a home in Colchester where men and women wounded in the service of their country can spend time before they are ready to move onto rehab. The home would be fully kitted out for their use.
We raised over £17,000 for charity last year. We hope to do even better for Invicta during the year to come. Plans are already under way for the third Colchester Half Marathon which is our main fund raising event. I hope that as many people as possible will take part, either by running, helping on the day or sponsoring participants.
Jon Armstrong
Chairman, Colchester Cone Round Table
What a fantastic, enjoyable and rewarding year I have had as Chairman of Colchester Colne Round Table. I was very proud and honoured when, in April 2010, John Mackenzie asked me to be his Vice Chairman and I was subsequently voted in as Chairman in 2011. A big thank you to everyone who supported me during my year and in particular to my Council, without your help it would not have been such a success. It’s certainly not a job one can do single handedly! Particular thanks to Programme Officer Chris Bush, Ex Vice Chairman Giles Norrington, Vice Chairman Jon Armstrong, Sports Officer James Lewis, Secretary Matt Eaton, Membership Officer Gordon Kearney, Treasurer Dan Aldworth, Assistant Events Coordinator Jim Crafford and of course to the President Tim Mann. I will have many lasting memories from the last twelve months and here are just a few of the highlights:
Comedy Club Night (the first Programme event)
John Mac came runner up in the joke competition with; “What’s the difference between Osama Bin Laden and a fridge?….The council will take away a dead fridge!”
Hospice Fete number 22
Blitzed the previous record by achieving £725 Profit for the Hospice.
Halfords Tour Series Cycling + Beer Festival
Highlights – Pucks Folly beer and the Belgian triple filtered 8.5% proof!
Zoo Trip
Still hung over from the beer festival and Ed brings along beer and wine to drink in the children’s adventure playground!
Cricket vs 367
More a lowlight, we lost….say no more!
Retiring Tablers Chuck Out Bash
An enjoyable event in Trotters and great to hear stories of old from Lotty, Kirit, Tim & Piers.
Colchester Colne Round Table Charity Dinner Dance 2012
See below – Thank you to Giles Norrington and his team who with a lot of hard work in difficult times managed to raise a very creditable £4208 for MSRC.
Colchester Half Marathon
See below – our main event of the year. We were able to build on the success of the 2011 event and huge thanks to the massive effort from Race Directors James Lewis, Louise Neville and their team for their achievement. The event raised £11,750 for local charity MSRC.
Schools Prom
Credit to Nigel, James, Rodney, Tim who pulled off another very enjoyable event. Thank you also to those that hosted students and staff from Germany and Sweden.
Four Tablers from CCRT form part of a world record attendance for a rugby club match when they attended Saracence vs Harlequins at Wembley stadium. Yes a world record, something my predecessor had planned but failed to pull off in his term! Sorry John J
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my chosen charity the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) and met new friends at the charity who I will continue to enjoy working with in the future. Having formed a close relationship with them over the last twelve months I have seen the hard work and effort their staff and volunteers put into their fund raising events, they truly are one big family. They work for such a good cause in the help and support they provide for MS sufferers and the money we have raised, a grand total of £17,000, will go towards setting up an MS Centre of Excellence to be opened later in 2012.
Finally I want to wish my successor Jon Armstrong all the very best for his year in the Chair. Jon is a great chap who I have great confidence in to take this Table forward from where I have left off. We are a strong Table with strong traditions and long may this continue.
Richard Nieuwenhuis
Immediate Past Chairman
Recipe:
Take:
1 Half Marathon
Add:
1,400 Runners
Mix with:
A small army of volunteer marshals
Bake for 1 hour 8 minutes (winning time) and the result?
£140,000 raised for good causes (estimated)
3 years ago, the lads at Colchester Colne Round Table wanted a new flagship fundraiser. All manner of things were discussed and in the end the idea of running a Half Marathon was settled upon. When we say running we mean organising, not, actually running … we Tablers are lots of things, but runners we are not!
Two Half Marathons later, with our charity of this year, the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre benefiting directly to the tune of £17,000 the results are amazing. Not only has the event grown faster than any other local half marathon, it’s now Colchester’s biggest voluntary fundraising event, raising tens of thousands for charity.
But at the core of it is something really special. You see, there is a missing ingredient from the above recipe. And that is The Round Table spirit. At the heart of it all, we are a group of guys from Colchester wanting to make a difference but do it having fun. Do it with a smile. Do it in a pub.
Which is just as well, really. The HQ for all things Half Marathon planning is the Bricklayers pub. Seriously. A round of beers, another round, some planning. Add laughs and friendship and that’s the magic of Table. We are committed and very hard working to put on a great Half Marathon but we just as committed to making sure the sporting officer keeps the tab open behind the bar.
You may be reading this thinking you want a new challenge. Nothing too heavy, mind you. Something fun, but something worthwhile. Well, take a look at us. We even have a twitter site, as rumour has it, you can also do this from a pub.
In short, we think we have a magic set of ingredients. 140,000 times over.
PS Drop us a note, come along and meet us by clicking here – and we’ll make sure the sporting officer buys you a beer.
We had 104 in attendance which is slightly down on where I had hoped but it was still a respectable number and the Hall certainly didn’t look empty, the Orchestra played and set the scene for what turned out to be a great night all round. Our Chairman’s welcome was informative and well received (dodgy jokes excepted!) and the speaker from MSRC explained what the funds raised would be going towards. Heads and tails was slightly contentious with it being pitched at £5 however the decision had been taken and we needed a quick boost to the funds as the event cost £427 to put on. Table Grace was eloquently read by Jon Armstrong then dinner was served. Le Talbooth did a great job of the catering once more, the service was slick and the food was tasty. Port courtesy of The Colchester Wine Company was served after dinner and proved the undoing of some!
The fundraising then began in earnest, raffle tickets had been sold over dinner and we had some great prizes on offer, thanks to: Chris, Matt, Jon, for their assistance during this and of course a special thank you to Zoe Mann for drawing the winning tickets from the basket. The raffle and ‘heads and tails’ raised the sum of £1,565 which is great. We then moved onto the auction hosted by our star of the show, Jim Crafford, ably assisted by: Matt, Jon, John, Rodney, Chris, James. Jim really did a great job once more, extremely professional with great descriptions of lots and gauging exactly when a lot had reached its limit and putting the hammer down and moving onto the next, this kept the momentum up and kept control of the room. Well done Jim. Thanks to the great generosity of local firms and individuals we had some lovely lots once more, some should have made much more but that’s the way it goes on the night, anyway, the total raised by the auction was £3,325 and we had a generous donation of £100 from ex-Tabler Kirit Bedia so put that with the other sums and we get £4,563 total raised after costs.
The band then played and the people danced the night away!
Thank you to all who donated or gained items for the raffle and auction we don’t have an event without these. I will be sending individual thank you letters on behalf of Table to all contributors. Thanks to all those who helped on the evening, and Matt and Jon for helping with the organising of the event and Dan for once again receiving, counting and dealing with the loot. A big thanks to Jim for all he did before and on the night.
Colchester Colne Round Table Chairman Richard Nieuwenhuis represented 842 at the recent Armistice Day Parade in Colchester.
 Richard Nieuwenhuis representing Colchester Colne Round Table at Colchester's Armistice Day Parade
Richard, Matt, Dan and James battled against tough competition at Area 33 Petanque tournament on Thursday 28th July.
 The team were highly competitive on the night until the turning point came when Matt announced “I think I’ll play left handed” – at which point any hope of a victory was lost…
The tournament was held in a fantastic pub in Brentwood, and it was a great night with the opportunity to meet Tablers from throughout Essex.
CCRT will look to return in 2012 with a stronger, more focused team, but honestly this is a sport that anyone can have a go at so please get involved next time.
A new year and a new set of challenges lie ahead, the biggest of which is to continue where John left off and try and build on an excellent last twelve months. May I at this point congratulate John for his achievements and hard work in what has been a truly unforgettable year, the highlights for me being the parachute jump, the reincarnation of the Colchester Half Marathon and a magnificent winter dinner and casino evening. You can be very proud of what you have achieved for Table and the huge sum of £25,000 raised for Headway Essex.
My chosen charity for my year is Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) an excellent and worth while cause and in keeping with our Table’s tradition of supporting local charities. I would strongly recommend you visit MSRC’s website at www.msrc.co.uk to see for yourself what great work they get involved in.
Charity fundraising continues to be at the forefront of our activities and already this year in May we have broken our previous record for money raised running the barbeque at the annual St Helena Hospice Fete. A big thank you to everyone involved with this event and in particular Giles Norrington for being the chief organiser. Other fundraising events this year will include building on the success of the Colchester Half Marathon, a pub quiz, the Schools Prom and a charity diner event.
And finally….thank you to my new Council for your commitment to these important roles and I look forward to working with you and to continue to adopt, adapt and improve.
Yours in Table
Richard Nieuwenhuis
Chairman Colchester Colne Round Table 842
A full race report is certain to follow shortly, but as Chairman and while the day is still fresh in my head I want to offer my sincere thanks and congratulations to all the runners, organisers, spectators, helpers and sponsors who helped make The Colchester Half Marathon a great success today.
It was all voluntary and has involved a lot of hard work behind the scenes over the past few months. All profits are going to Headway Essex and I know they are over the moon at the amount we’ve raised for them this year.
Particular thanks go to Tabler James Lewis plus Louise Neville from Runners World for their dedication and efforts in pulling today’s event together.
Many thanks
John
PS I spotted this great Colchester Half Marathon review. We really value your feedback, so if you want to log in and let us know if/how we can improve things for you in 2012 we’d be really grateful.
PPS In case you were wondering, that was me marshalling at the top of Hundred Lane with my kids!
Places in the Colchester Half Marathon in association with RunnersWorld and Colchester Colne Round Table are filling quickly!
The race at 11am on Sunday 27th March 2011 starts and finishes at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, Colchester, Essex. It’s a flat and fast two loop course that promises to deliver some potential personal bests.
The race makes an ideal target race for those looking for something to aim at with their New Year resolutions. Furthermore, it is a great race for more experienced runners, either as a standalone event or as preparation for other races later in the Spring (especially as many other local half-marathons are no longer accepting general registrations).
We shall be providing a great race-day experience for both runners and spectators with:
- Flat & fast course (Half Marathon Course Measurement Certificate 10/279)
- Chip timing
- Same day results
- Quality finisher’s goody bag
- Prizes and trophies awarded for fastest finishers
- Ample parking and easy access
- Great pre- and post-race facilities at Weston Homes Community Stadium.
- Proceeds donated to local charity - Headway Essex
Want to Enter?
The race is limited to 1000 entrants and these places are filling quickly, so don’t miss out!
If you would like to enter, please visit the Colchester Half Marathon website where you can find:
Alternatively, you can email the organisers at run@colchesterhalfmarathon.co.uk or telephone RunnersWorld on 01206 560300/ 01245 351440.
We look forward to seeing you on the day! And, even if you can’t make it, please be sure to pass on the details of the event to your contacts.
On Saturday 5th February 2011, 7pm-1am, the great and good of Colchester (plus tablers!) will be at The Moot Hall for Colchester Colne Round Table’s sumptuous Charity Black Tie Dinner.
As in previous years, guests will be greeted at this fabulous venue with a champagne reception and orchestra. Le Talbooth are providing a superb three course menu, after which guests will have the chance to bid for some terrific auction lots and raffle prizes. Later, we shall be moving downstairs to the elegant Grand Jury Room for the charity casino and port. The top casino winners stand to win a great prizes. All proceeds from this event are being donated to local charity - Headway Essex.
Auction Lots
We have a superb range of auction lots this year, namely:
- Bottle of House of Commons whiskey signed by the Prime Minister
- Two Premier badges for Newmarket (13th or 14th April 2011)
- Golf pin flag from 2010 Ryder Cup signed by the Europea captain Colin Montgomerie
- Pair of tickets for the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham on 28th May 2011
- Doctor Who Script signed by David Tennant
- Drum kit
- Start the Colchester Half Marathon
- Four VIP tickets at Spurs v Stoke in executive box (Sat 9th April)
- Weekend at the the splendid Mandarin Hotel, Prague for two
- Luncheon in Director’s Suite with Coutts and archivist tour
- Week in charmingly-converted barn in tranquil Burgundy hamlet for up to seven people (read description)
- Signed cricket shirt – Alistair Cook, Ashes Man of the Series
- Signed, framed Kylie Minogue photograph
Raffle Prizes
Everyone has a chance to win one of these great raffle prizes.
- Signed, framed Ipswich shirt
- Golf pass for four at Foxhills, Surrey
- Amazon Kindle
- Signed shirt from Essex Cricket all rounder, Graham Napier
- Various golfing accessories
- DVD player
- Yamaha keyboard
- David Tennant teeshirt plus autograph
- Tea for six with the mayor, plus guided tour
- Selection of wine
- Signed Essex Cricket bat
- Wine tasting experience & meal for two
- Press release and photoshoot (worth £350)
- Electric Guitar
- Wii Sports Resort package
- Two x 1 hour private yoga lessons
- Three course dinner for two at Le Talbooth
- Two bottles of sherry
- ‘Little Whizzer’ liquor dispenser
Please note that the auction lots and raffle prizes may be subject to change.
Menu
Le Talbooth’s menu for the evening is as follows:
House smoked Scottish salmon
capers and shallots, granary bread
***
Stuffed loin of lamb, with apricot and
spinach fondant potato, pea and broad bean
mousse, rosemary sauce
***
Apple and vanilla bavarois
***
Coffee and Talbooth chocolates
If you have any specific dietary requirements, please let your table host know by 29th January so that we can inform Le Talbooth.
Like to Attend?
There are a limited number of tickets available. So if you would an opportunity to beat those Winter blues with an evening of fine dining, great company and the chance to secure a great auction lot, raffle prize or casino win, please email the chairman before 29th January.
PS As everywhere else is probably booked up, I hear attendance also makes an ideal Valentine’s Day treat !
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