Don’t trust the BBC weather forecasts!  For 25th June they were all over the place and had been in the days leading up to this event.  In the garden?  In the hall? In the garden? In the hall? And don’t forget, you would be putters’ on of this type of do, you might well need a liquor and possibly a music licence.  So, in the days just before, not only the headache of selling more tickets but the vagaries of the weather and, more time consuming, dealing with the authorities.  Worcester Regulatory Services had received a complaint, are bound to follow it up and informed me on 22nd, that a liquor licence and possibly a music licence would be required, the bad news being that this took 5 working days.  Had he called me around 17th, when the complaint was handed in, then there would have been no problem. More bad news, the Memorial Hall has a music licence.  Only.  And we did not need one for the Worcester Male Voice Choir anyway. An hour on the phone with a relatively sensible officer gave us the confidence to continue with the plans, on his recommendation, then, Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm the decision to use the hall as the main base for choir, picnic and talk was made. Whilst on about it the other incredibly frustrating matter is those who book tickets, just a few days before, then do not take them up or advise they have changed their minds. There were at least six in that category.

Using the hall turned out to be a good decision.  It saved £150 for the hire of two portaloos, took away any worries over a PA system, the weather and made garden lighting unnecessary.  The downside was that we were all, especially the choir, disappointed not to hear them in such a fabulous setting with the warm, red rock walls to reflect and amplify their singing.  In the hall our many guests soon settled in good cheer with their picnics, conviviality assisted by a glass of champagne from Doddenham.  Worcester Male Voice Choir entertained us for an hour with an amusingly presented and excellently sung repertoire, perfectly chosen for the occasion.

At half time those who wished, took the short walk to see Ian and Pam’s unique quarry garden, brought through immense hard work, to the peak of perfection for the occasion. Thanks Pam and Ian and for your generous sharing of your lovely grounds.

Professor Richard Selley of Imperial gave a memorably humorous account of how climate change is affecting vine growing, where those ‘on the spot’ see year on year, vineyards creeping northwards, and more heat tolerant vines replacing original plantings. Given that the evening was organized by TVGS, Richard managed to squeeze in an acceptable dollop of geological information which I believe the audience took in without realising it.

The final event was the tasting of five wines from Worcestershire, four white and one red. Two producers were in attendance and it was a real bonus to hear them say a few words about their vineyards and their ambitions. Our visiting expert led the tasting, commenting on each wine after all had savoured a sample.

Thanks are owed to all those who worked hard to put on a most successful evening and particularly those who sold the tickets.  If you missed it, maybe next year.  The feedback has been very positive indeed, encouraging us to think of a repeat performance.