After the long summer break, a happy group of ladies were pleased to see each other again to enjoy an appetising lunch and to hear an entertaining speaker.

Chairman Betty Long welcomed the 23 members and guests and Mrs F R Catley said grace. The lunch was, as always very tasty, and during the coffee break at the end of the meal the chairman proposed the loyal toast. There followed a few announcements relevant to the immediate future and then the speaker Alan Craske was introduced.

Alan is an indefatigable fundraiser for the Guide Dogs for the Blind. First of all he had to raise £2,500 before he was able to join a group, 100 strong, of cyclists who were going to ride from St Petersburg to Moscow. This, in itself took some doing. It involved the usual whist drives, barbecues, barns dances etc. all taking place in the Castle Bromwich area. Then the great cycle started.

The group included 25 blind people who were able to take part in the ride by using tandems. The whole ride took three weeks, needed a support group of 100 Russians, who bravely undertook to repair damaged bikes, provide any first aid needed and who went ahead with chefs to arrange the feeding of this enormous number of people.

The whole enterprise was a wonderful achievement and considering that Alan was already an OAP when the 500-mile long ride took place, I think he and all the others deserved medals! Chairman Betty Long gave the vote of thanks and expressed our admiration for his effort, which in turn provided two more trained guide dogs.