Chairman's Newsletter-October 2023
Friday 6th October 2023
Dear Members,
Autumn is truly with us, with nights drawing in, but we have been treated to some beautiful sunny skies and warm days. I visited Osborne on the last Friday of September and the Terraces looked magnificent. I also went around the House and found it was practically deserted. As members, we have access to the House on a Friday and it is lovely to wander through the rooms when it is so empty and quiet.
Our two events in September proved very popular. Everyone enjoyed Toby’s talk about Prince Albert’s passion, the gardens at Osborne. Toby also showed he was passionate about the grounds as his talk went over by thirty minutes! I think we all learnt a lot, including the fact that Albert put in over four hundred miles of pipes around Osborne! Thank you, Toby, for a fascinating talk.
The Quiz at the end of the month was a great success. It well attended, although a group of seven had to unfortunately cancel at the last minute due to one of the party having Covid. It is a reminder that although Covid does not have the impact it did in the past, it is still out there! The Quiz was held in the Terrace Restaurant where the catering team at Osborne did a superb job of providing a delicious sausage and mash supper. The winners of the quiz questions were a team of new members to Friends, all having joined within the last two months. It was lovely to welcome them to one of our events.
For a review and photographs of the quiz please click here Friends of Osborne | 2023 Quiz Night Review.
Our two fundraising events for October are:
Toby’s Trafalgar Day Walk on Friday 20th October. Toby leads members down to the beach where a toast is raised to Lord Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar. This takes place in and around the Exedra, where Queen Victoria used to sit and sketch.
Please click here for details Friends of Osborne | Trafalgar Walk 2023.
Our second event in October is on Thursday 26th and is a wine tasting organised by Eurovins. It will be held in the Education Rooms and will be for a maximum of thirty guests. There will be no pressure to buy and it should be a really enjoyable evening, where you will have the opportunity to sample red, white and sparkling wines.
Please click here for details Friends of Osborne | Eurovines Wine Tasting Evening.
Our AGM is due to be held on November 23rd at 18:00 and we are in the process of preparing the papers to go out to members.
Therron, who is acting Education Visits Officer, has now completed his work on amalgamating the books from the Friends of Osborne library and the library held at Osborne. Members can borrow up to two books free of charge but will need to renew the book in person every three weeks. Members need to contact Therron Welstead by email to arrange a suitable time to meet, so he can show you to the library. His email is Therron.Welstead@english-heritage.org.uk
The library catalogue will appear in the ‘Members’ section of our website and the password will be sent to paid up members.
I hope to see some of you at future events. Friends of Osborne is thriving with new members joining every week. Please get in touch with us if you have ideas of events you would like to see us put on or if you would like to join the committee to help us run and organise events.
Best wishes
Allison Rogers