Shrewsbury Branch holiday to Bournemouth (May 2014). This year's holiday saw members of the Shrewsbury Branch and their carers at the Heathlands Hotel, Bournemouth.  Nineteen people went on the holiday, three fewer than were booked, because of last-minute difficulties.  We wish all those affected well. We travelled on 19 th,  May and then enjoyed two days of mostly, sunny weather, during which we visited Winchester and Salisbury.  Both cities had beautiful cathedrals and most people spent at least some time visiting them inside and out.  The architecture is absolutely amazing and the visitor guides in both were all extremely helpul, pointing out the particular features of interest  and answering  any questions we had. Whilst Salisbury gave us the chance to see a rare mediaeval clock and one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, perhaps one of the most important human- rights documents ever produced, Winchester holds a magnificent early twelfth-century bible, hand- written over several years in four volumes and illustrated with the most amazing illuminated characters at the beginning of each book. On the way to and from the two historic landmarks of culture and religion, time was found to call in at places offering more down-to earth pleasures such as the Larmer Tree Gardens, with connections to the Pitt-Rivers Museum (Oxford), and a garden centre in the New Forest with its own narrow-gauge railway. For those who were not impressed by culture or history, everywhere we went had fantastic cakes and retail therapy opportunities! Thursday saw most of us narrowly escaping or receiving a soaking from the rain as we explored Bournemouth on foot or went further afield and on Friday we were homeward bound in the rain, wondering where we would be going next year.  Before then, however, thanks are due to Fred and the committee for organising the holiday, to Phyllis for running the raffle and to helpful Gavan, who drove the coach skilfully and safely, taking us everywhere and back again.

Old Timers with an Old Timer