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New Club Ramblers

The July walk was well attended with a turnout of 17 going for a nice walk in and around Colesbourne. We had our (now) customary beautiful weather with sunshine and clear skies. The walk was intended to be all on the level but I had forgotten the couple of hills, so apologies for that. Lunch was taken at the Colesbourne Inn which has just changed hands and can be recommended.

By request, the August walk is a return to Bisley on WEDNESDAY AUGUST 4th. Lunch will be at the Bear, where we shall meet in the car park at 10:15 a.m.

Wine Tasting

Our next Wine Tasting evening will be held on Tuesday 10th August when Bablake Wines will focus on Rioja wines from Spain. A light supper will be served after the wine tasting. This is expected to be another instructive and entertaining evening with the opportunity to buy the wines at good prices. We hope that the turnout will be a lot better than the first of these events.

Lunchtime Talk - Saturday 24th July - Joy Lofthouse - ‘Flying with the ATA’.

"Heroic" is a much over-used term in this celebrity driven age, but there have been times and people in our history for whom the word seems almost inadequate. The Second World War was such a time and Joy Lofthouse such a person!

Two or three years ago my husband Roger gave me a book entitled "Spitfire Women" which chronicled a little known story of a small number of women who flew combat aircraft from manufacturers to front line stations during the war .

These young ladies (some in their teens) came from many parts of the world and, together with their British counterparts, delivered every conceivable fighting aircraft, including the iconic Spitfire, and in one or two cases, even Lancasters! The planes had no radios and had to be navigated by seeking out landmarks such as roads, rivers and railway lines to find their destinations, which was clearly extremely hazardous.

The book is enormously entertaining and frankly inspirational, so recently when I discovered that one of the very few wartime lady pilots still alive actually lives in Cirencester, I determined to meet her and hear more of her story - and what an utterly fascinating story! Now members of the New Club can share my experience, because Joy Lofthouse has kindly agreed to talk to us at lunchtime on Saturday 24th July. She has promised to bring along some of her precious mementos including her flight log book which details the incredible range of warplanes she flew during those few heroic years. Let’s hope many members will attend for what promises to be a very special event.