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Welcome to the July edition of the Old Spot Newsletter ...
Has anyone seen our brewer, Captain MacDonald? He was last seen traversing the River Wye with his trusty first mate, Lee Groves, heading towards infinity and beyond ...
Returning Staff
A big warm welcome back to Jordan, Lorna, Natalie, Louis and Cory who have all returned from various parts of the globe and are now back working at the Spot.
Summer Festivals
Big congratulations to Slimbridge and Stinchcombe for organising two amazing beer festivals; great atmosphere and the beers were on top form. The ball at Stinchcombe was a feat of immeasurable organisation with just under 500 guests - the evening went brilliantly, congratulations again.
And for all those fellow festival goers, wasn't it nice to able to sit down in a field in the middle of Somerset and not worry about tidal waves for once!
The full listing of this year's summer beer festivals is now out and can be found around the pub.
Cricket
The Old Spot's first internal cricket match was a huge success, with the Young Pups challenging the Old Gits to a show down (there was a spot of bitterness about, with the Young Pups keen to have their revenge after having their arses kicked at paintballing earlier in the month!). The teams were assembled and the battle ground agreed, the old gits batted first, scoring 99 runs, but it was the young pups that took the game with 103 runs. Man of the Match was handed to Bob Parkinson for bowling out his son, Robbie. I believe they have just starting talking to each other again!
Our first leg of the 'Old Spot v Old Crown' Twenty/20 Cricket Challenge took place on 5th July. A big thanks to Mary and Ben for laying on beers, high tea and BBQ back at the Crown. As landlord, I feel I must apologise for 'not turning up' on the day - I was there in body but it just wasn't happening for me! I promise to do better next time (yeah right!). The Crown took the lead in this test but we will be back ...
Meet the Brewer - Bath Ales
Thanks to Mark Harding and his team for laying on a great night when he and his team came down and gave a tasting of Bath Ales' full range. Don't forget Bath Ales are sponsoring this year's Frocester T-shirts which are on sale at the bar for £10 (all profits going to St. James church).
Don't forget Box Steam Brewery are here on the 29th July, so get your names down behind the bar.
Celebrity Chef
Kim's stint as celebrity guest was excellent with 40 locals sampling some truly authentic Greek cuisine. Even though Kim didn't sleep the week before the big night, she confessed that after all, it was well worth it! On a personal note, I have never seen so much hummus!
It looks like Tom Rolls, chef-barman 'forward slash' love god will be running with the mantle of Celebrity Chef this month - keep an eye on the boards for more details.
The Annual Kayak Trip
With 25 of us heading down the River Wye for this year's annual canoe trip it proved just as memorable as previous years. Although the weather was less than perfect, the last minute hiring of wet suits was enough to keep everyone's spirits up. In fact, the water proved so warm that every one seemed to spend more time in the river than actually in the canoe - one can only wonder what was going through our beloved brewer's head as he was last seen heading down the river on a mammoth stretch! We are just glad he stopped at Hereford - what would we do without our favourite tipples? On a more serious note, because it rained, one of our party decided not to come …… Grant, you big girl's blouse - your humiliation is being planned as we speak!
Project End to End - John O'Groats to Lands End
1000 miles, 3 weeks, 3 bikes, 3 people, 3 very sore bums, 3 very good causes!
Mark Richards, Greame Robb and Viv Jones are cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End (about a 1000 miles) from the 13th to 30th July in honour of our good friend and G's brother, Dave, who died suddenly and before his time in 2005 as a result of an epileptic fit. Mark explains, "We loved Dave very much and want to take up this challenge as a tribute to our mate. Also, it looks like it should be a good laugh, which is what Dave would have wanted."
Epilepsy Research UK is only national charity solely dedicated to epilepsy research their aim is to substantially increase the funding available for research into the treatment and prevention of this debilitating condition.
Viv is raising money for FOCUS (Fund for Oncology Centre Users and Supporters), a charity which supports Gloucestershire Oncology Unit, who were amazingly supportive when her mum was ill. They do fantastic work and cover such a wide area, treating 43,000 patients for radiotherapy and over 18,000 for chemotherapy in Gloucestershire, Hereford, South Worcestershire and also parts of Wales.
If you would like to donate to one of these very good causes please go to either:
Mark & Graeme: www.justgiving.com/markrichards101/
Viv: www.charitygiving.co.uk/vivjones
Shave off for Sainty
On 13th July, three local CAMRA members raised around £700 in memory of Old Ric. Chris Arrowsmith, Martyn Genner and John Hobson were relieved of 90 years of beard growth between them (ie their chins hadn't seen daylight for a combined 90 years, they weren't 90 years long!). This valiant sacrifice was to raise money for a plaque similar to that below for the outside of the pub. Many thanks to everyone, including other pubs, for their generous support.
Beer Festivals
This year's Old Spot Summer Beerfest will be 'One for the Girls'! Look out for the listings around the pub.
Upcoming Beer Festivals For your Diary:
 | |
| :: 24-26 July | Costwold Beer Festival, Postlip Hall |
| :: 5-9 August | GBBF (Great British Beer Festival), Earls Court |
| :: 14-16 August | The Old Spot Grand Summer Beer Festival. HERE! |
| :: 28-29 August | Frocester Beer Festival (don't forget the chillout here on the Sunday!) |
What's On at the Spot
- Forthcoming Events . . .
| |||
| July | |||
| :: Mon 6 - Tue 7 | Annual Wye Kayak Trip. Ask at the bar for details | T.B.A. | |
| :: Sun 19 | 10.30am | Canal Boat Trip - "Warriors" (see May's News) | £25.00 |
| :: Fri 24 - Sun 26 | Rev. Skye working behind bar | - - - | |
| :: Sun 26 | 7.30pm | Meet the Brewer:- Box Steam. Tasting & supper. | £7.50 |
| |||
| August | |||
| :: Tue 4 | Great British Beer Festival (Trade Day), - Earls Court | T.B.A. | |
| :: Fri 14 - Sun 16 | The Old Spot Summer Beer Festival | - - - | |
| :: Sun 30 | 3.30pm | Frocester Chill Out. | - - - |
There's lots of new stuff coming up soon so keep an eye out ...
Cheers!
Steve Herbert
July 2009THE OLD SPOT INN
T: 01453 542870
E:
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