Stoneleigh Appetiser Run & AGM: 20th February 2010

[Keith Williams]

With the success of last years Stoneleigh appetiser run, we are running the event again with the extra bonus of holding the 2010 MGF Register AGM on the same day.

Following on from the Coventry Transport Museum visit last year, we are intending to continue the museum theme by visiting the Midland Air Museum which is on the outskirts of Coventry. The Whittle arch in front of the CTM leads very nicely into the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre as part of the Midland Air Museum.

The run will start from an excellent garden centre just around the corner from the NEC, close to the M6 & M42. It has a good cafe & services and is well worth a walk through. The run will take you through the true Heart of England passing the actual centre of England itself.

The air museum http://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/ will give us a discount on entry They will as part of the entrance fee lay on small group guided tours for us which will allow us internal access to some of the aircraft. For a small museum they have a good range of planes which includes a Vulcan bomber. It is not a huge museum and most exhibits are out door so we will be dependent upon the weather.

For the AGM & evening meal, we will be going back to the Allesley Hotel as last year. The AGM will start at 5:00pm. Everyone is invited to join us, so it will give you the chance to meet the committee and some of the Reps and give your opinion on what the Register gets up to. A few beers with the AGM will set us up well for a banquet meal to be held in the Allesley later in the evening.

Anybody wishing to stay in the Allesley is being offered reduced rates of £45.00 bed and breakfast for a single bedroom and £49.00 bed and breakfast for a double bedroom. Looking at the web prices now - rooms seem to be going for £39 each but breakfast is either an extra £9.95 or £7.95 each for full or continental. People need to book under the MGF name on 02476 403272 & a credit card will reserve your room for you. Other hotels are available close to the Allesley, details to follow.

Application forms will be available soon for the run but if you wish to book your room now please go ahead & you can show your interest on here.

[colintf]

thanks for the heads up Keith!

[Neil Rushton]

Keith, we need to stop somewhere on the Fri night to save us having an early start on the Sat, is there somewhere to stay near the garden center you're starting from or would Fri & Sat night at the Allesley Hotel be best?

cheers, Neil.

[Keith Williams]

Keith, we need to stop somewhere on the Fri night to save us having an early start on the Sat, is there somewhere to stay near the garden center you're starting from or would Fri & Sat night at the Allesley Hotel be best?

cheers, Neil.

Any hotels near the start with be at the NEC itself which will be more expensive than the Allesley and busier. I will look to see if there are any b&bs close but they fill up very fast if there is a show on.
The Allelesy will be OK for a Friday night stop over and is only 7-8 miles from the start point - may be 10-15 minutes drive at most?
If you stay at the Allesley you might get company for a meal or drink as it is in walking distance of my home.

[MeetwithDamien]

Last year alot of people stayed at the coventry hill hotel just up the road, hey and I had a lovely breaky as I just walked right in and smiled ........yummy. £29 for a twin room.. good result !

[Geoff.F]

It is looking at A Night Before The Night Before.
Geoff F.

[Neil Rushton]

We got free breakies at the Coventry Hill last year as well, on the Fri night we stayed at a Holiday Inn where the run started I think, Fri & Sat at the Allesley it is then.

[Neil Rushton]

Friday & Saturday night booked at the Allesley.

[Keith Williams]

Friday & Saturday night booked at the Allesley.

We have an event now - 1st car to be booked onto the event or will be once when we get the application forms sorted out

Might even have to sort a 'night before' the 'night before' do out now too

[adrianclifford]

Just a word of warning, last year when Dawn and I stayed at the Allesley, we rated it as the worst hotel we have ever stayed in. Primarily due to the fact we were given a smoking room and it stank terrible (I didn't know we still had them in the UK), apparently, if the room is designated as such you can still smoke in it. So you must ask specifically for a non-smoking room. We did but it didn't matter because the policy is to move you to another room subject to availability if you ask, the hotel was full (you may remember the two coaches that were staying there) so they could not move us. They have a number of these rooms as the coach parties that stay there consist of a large amount of elderly folk who still smoke indoors and expect to in their hotel, so when close to full you may get one of these rooms. The hotel was dirty and very worn out with only one (poor) selection of beer. Breakfast was absolute rubbish with no variety, most was tasteless and cold, the orange juice and coffee was awful too, altogether a very bad experience and £85 wasted.

When we complained early in the evening they told us it was our choice to stay, a bit of a shame really as we were all looking forward to the evening together so we stuck it out, but never again.

I'll either drive up early in the morning or take the short walk/taxi from the Coventry Hill.

What made it worse was the attitude of the staff and the duty manager, it was a take it or leave it affair, they knew they were full and didn't care.

Who's for the Coventry Hill and I'll stay there.

[Keith Williams]

Just a word of warning, last year when Dawn and I stayed at the Allesley, we rated it as the worst hotel we have ever stayed in. Primarily due to the fact we were given a smoking room and it stank terrible (I didn't know we still had them in the UK), apparently, if the room is designated as such you can still smoke in it. So you must ask specifically for a non-smoking room. We did but it didn't matter because the policy is to move you to another room subject to availability if you ask, the hotel was full (you may remember the two coaches that were staying there) so they could not move us. They have a number of these rooms as the coach parties that stay there consist of a large amount of elderly folk who still smoke indoors and expect to in their hotel, so when close to full you may get one of these rooms. The hotel was dirty and very worn out with only one (poor) selection of beer. Breakfast was absolute rubbish with no variety, most was tasteless and cold, the orange juice and coffee was awful too, altogether a very bad experience and £85 wasted.

When we complained early in the evening they told us it was our choice to stay, a bit of a shame really as we were all looking forward to the evening together so we stuck it out, but never again.

I'll either drive up early in the morning or take the short walk/taxi from the Coventry Hill.

What made it worse was the attitude of the staff and the duty manager, it was a take it or leave it affair, they knew they were full and didn't care.

Who's for the Coventry Hill and I'll stay there.

I spoke to the staff about these issues Adrian and they promised me things have changed since we were there before. The cleaning staff have changed. The original crew lost the contract as they caused a problem over a few months not just when we were there. They also tell me that the rooms have had a revamp. Proof will be when we get there. I knew about the cleaning issue but not the breakfast problems. I also did not know about their attitude towards you. I thought I remembered you had an issue that was sorted. If I had have known at the time I would have gone into see them.

They looked after us well in the evening - hence the return. The Coventry Hill is as you say a short walk away, so take your choice. Just watch that their price does not include breakfast normally but I believe a few people got a 'free' one last year

[adrianclifford]

Quite right Keith, they took good care of us for the evening (although more than one beer would have been nice ) that's why I made no adverse comment about that. As you said I informed you about our room and our struggle to get the smoking issue recognised. It took three months to get a partial refund as "we chose to stay there".

[redbeard57]

Do we have to book for " Run, AGM and Meal only" at this stage as I think we will be able to stay nearby for the weekend....

[MeetwithDamien]

I have booked myself into the Coventry Hills Hotel, "without" the breaky..........lol..! Twin standard room , I stayed in this room this year, it was fine, trouble is I was hoping to get lucky at the hotel......... blimey not any chance of that...! anyway £26 early booking..... twin standard rooms now as of tonight are now in single figures so the guy just told me....

[Keith Williams]

Do we have to book for " Run, AGM and Meal only" at this stage as I think we will be able to stay nearby for the weekend....

Applications will be available shortly for the run.

The AGM will be turn up as you please for the 5 pm start even though numbers could be useful in advance to ensure the room we have is big enough for all those who want to attend

We will need to know in advance of numbers for the meal so the chef can cater for enough people but that can be done nearer the time of the event.

[TimM]

Application forms and details are now available


H E R E

This is looking like another great weekend, hosted by Keith Williams and Steve White and our Heart of England group, to follow on the footsteps of the CTM run in 2009 so be sure not to miss it.

After booking your hotel be sure to register by sending in your application. (£10 for MGCC Members and £12 for non members)

You can now book this run via the Online shop at http://www.mgfregister.org/shop/

[sparky135]

Room booked, application form in the post.

See you there.

[Keith Williams]

Steve & myself tried the road run route out again today so we now have a route

Hopefully it will not be so cold in February as the ice on some of the lanes today gave Steve a challenge we won't need on the day.

The run will be starting a very good garden centre a few minutes off the M6 (near the NEC), then will take you to the heart of the Heart of England before arriving at the Air Museuem for our guided tours.

[YOUNG]

Booked into the Allesley for Saturday night. Application form and cheque en route. See you all there

[tail-end-char-lee]

hi all
Am just in the process of sending the entrance forms for this run . will be in the post tommorrow. have booked into the Old Mill ...just down the road from coventry airport and the museum.

look forward to the first run of the year in daylight!!!!! lol

regards
Jonathan and Joyce