Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter

NOVEMBER 2014

Sue

With 2014 marking 100 years since the start of the First World War, there have been many opportunities to share in Remembrance Ceremonies to celebrate and commemorate the lives of those lost in The Great War and all national conflicts since. Reported in last month’s mag, a group of thirteen members from Thames Valley took part in Ride to the Wall. This month, ten members met at SportsAble to ride to Box Hill and meet with Hogsback Chapter. They rode to Shamley Green to lay a wreath on behalf of our Chapter. (Pictures and more on page 16) On the same day, 9th November, 14 members met at Cobham Services to be part of the Ring of Red; the Ride of Respect. (Pictures and more on page 17) In other news, the Miles of Fun cards have been checked, the mileage program has finished - if you haven’t given your mileage to Don, DO IT NOW! The Poker Runs have finished for the season and the Saturday Socials have started again for the winter months. The Ladies of Harley weekend, in Bath, is nearly upon us, the Christmas weekend has sold out, and the Winter Bash tickets are in production as we speak. Put that date in your diary - 14th February 2015. Now is the time to reflect on the great riding season you’ve had and to write about it for the magazine. Choose the highlight of the year and write just a few words, with a photo or two, and share it with your club! I look forward to your contributions

Inside this issue…

Front cover: Don and CJ paying respect.

Page 2 Editor’s thoughts

Page 4, 7 Director’s Update

Page 8, 9 LoH - Sue’s Scribbles

Page 10 Reading Update - Mike Wilson

Page 11 Shirley’s page - Merchandise

Page 12, 13 Meet the Members

Page 14, 15 Calendar

Page 16 Remembrance Day

Page 17 Ring of Red

Page 18 News - Reading Toy Run

Page 19 Poker Run

Page 20 Lee - The Webmaster

Page 21, 22 News - Winter Bash, Adverts

Page 23 Saturday Social

Page 24, 25 Photo Gallery

Page 26, 27 Chill-Out Weekend Back cover: Meet the committee

Nov / December

Birthdays

Lisa Lovelock 4th Dec

Don Lawrence 10th Dec

Linda Robson 12th Dec

Happy birthday to

you all!

WOW! Thank You ALL who have sent copy for this month magazine: Nick, CJ, Lee, Mike, Chris and Janet, Shirley, Pat, Don, Sue B & Linda

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Hi Everybody ,

and welcome to November’s edition of Tales from the Riverbank. Although the weather has been pretty rough over the last few weeks, we are still managing to get out and do a few miles. Back in October a very small group of us joined Oxford Chapter for the ride down to Hoggin the Bridge. The day started a bit overcast and not looking very good, but after an hour or so it brightened up and turned out be a great day for the ride. After looking around the trade stalls and grabbing a bite to eat at Chepstow Racecourse, it was decided to start making our way back on the A4 through Bath and the Wiltshire countryside. A great day out riding. As to Hoggin the Bridge as an event, I think it’s lost a lot of character moving away from the streets of Chepstow and into the Racecourse. The last Poker Run of 2014 was held at The Cunning Man in Reading, another well supported evening with members collecting their last cards to make a hand of poker. 2014 has been our best year for Poker Runs with attendance being the highest over the last five years, which means the prize pot is the best so far!

Last weekend ten members of Thames Valley Joined around 60 riders from Hogback Chapter for their Remembrance Day Ride and wreath laying at a small church in Shamley Green.

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Just before the wreaths from both Chapters were laid at the memorial, Andy England from Hogsback Chapter read a short poem to the crowd gathered in the church grounds. Then it was the laying of the wreaths, followed by 2 minutes silence. The group from Thames Valley made our way home calling in at Worplesdon Manor for a light lunch, a very nice ending to a great day.

Directors News. After many weeks looking at many different colours for a new bike, Hazel & I collected our new Ultra Classic Limited from Guildford Harley Davidson. As you can see it’s Pearle Silver & Vivid Black with a red pin strip and is fitted with all the Rushmore goodies which should make

a real great ride for both of us in the future. Our Blue and Black Glide is now, sadly, on its way to Europe to a new home.

2015 Committee We still have a few committee positions available which we need some help filling. Membership Officer, Poker Run Organiser, Photographers, Historian and Road Crew. If you can offer some time towards the running of your club and would like to be a part of it, come and have a chat with myself or Pat, we really do need your help.

News about Members Don P has been back in hospital recently for a few days, more trouble with blood clots. It’s good to hear he is now home and taking it easy. Nij is now back home recovering from an operation to replace one of his knees, and glad to hear the operation went well. He is now at home recovering for the next few weeks. We wish them both well, and a speedy recovery. Christmas This year’s Christmas Hamper is on display this evening. Tickets are available from Pat & Shirley tonight and at December’s club night when the draw will take place. The Thames Valley Christmas merchandise sale will be held over the next two months. Shirley will be selling some of our stock at knock down prices to make way for some new items for 2015. These sale items are ex-display and will only be available until December club night. Suggestion Box We still need ideas from you for rides, rallies and events that you would like to attend during 2015. The ride-out calendar is being put together at the moment and some input from the membership would be appreciated. We have some events all pencilled in for 2015, including The Winter Bash, The Cider Rally, Chapter Chill-Out weekend (Bridge North), SOFER (Hickstead) and there may be a rally in Europe. Christmas Toy Runs The Broom Farm Toy Run this year has changed its starting point from Legoland to the Windsor Coach Park, which is off Alma Road, Windsor. We have an organised ride for our members, meeting at Sportsable. The Reading Toy run will be leaving the Foster Wheeler building in Reading as usual with an organised ride leaving Sportsable.

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The organisers of both Toy Runs would like unwrapped gifts for children of all ages. Fancy dress is always a bit of fun and decorating your bikes with Christmas decorations just adds to the fun of the event. Both events have always been well supported by Thames Valley, so let’s have a great turnout of members this year. Dealership News

The ‘For Sale’ board is down and work has now started on setting up the site for our new dealership in Reading, at last. Mike & Russ visited the site 3 weeks ago to supervise the site set up, and to meet

the builders on their first day. As you can see from the photos it’s early days and the demolition work has not yet started. I will keep you up-to-date in the magazine as the months go by.

Ride Safe and carry on having fun. Don Director

Sue says... Hello, Well, I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I am taking reservations for the ladies New Year dinner at The Stafferton Lodge Carvery (next door

to Sportsable). I am not sure yet what the cost is going to be but when we have visited before it has always been good value. They will also offer a vegetarian option for those who aren’t meat eaters. If you would like to join us, please put your name up on the board if you are at club night, or email me. Talking of Christmas, the next 2 official ride outs are ‘toy runs’. For those who have not been on one before it means joining the ride and donating a gift for a child. It’s always good fun and an opportunity to dress up in your Santa gear and to wave at all the people who line the route. I promise that you won’t be the only one dressed up

There are 18 of us taking the weekend trip to Bath for the Christmas Market at the end of the month and the preparations are shaping up nicely. If anyone has any queries about the trip, or hasn’t yet received the info I emailed, then please let me know asap. It’s great to see so many ladies getting involved with our LoH activities. If you haven’t yet come along on one of these events then the dinner in January would be a great place to start to get to know everyone.

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Sue x

As many of you know, I will be standing down from the committee as your LoH representative next year. I have had great support from every-one over the last four years and think it’s the right time for me to hand over to a new lady. There are lots of exciting things happening over the next 12 months which will give the ladies a lot more opportunities to be involved. One of which is the new Reading dealership opening, and another is the rising profile of ladies within HOG. As you know, our very own Elaine Shepherd has taken on a new National Chapter LOH Officer role supported by Marjorie Rae, UK and Europe Customer Experience Manager. HOG appreciate the growing role that ladies are playing within Chapters, both as riders and as pillions, and want to encourage us further. To this end I was invited to HOG HQ in Oxford, along with LoH reps from across the country, to share stories and learn from each other. It was lovely meeting the other ladies and as a result a number of ideas are being explored which will benefit us all in the future.

Bye for now,

THE NEW Ladies of Harley

BADGE. WHAT DO YOU

THINK?

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Mike

Reading Harley-Davidson Update After much anticipation and very little fanfare the builders finally arrived at the site of

the new Reading Harley-Davidson on 3rd November 2014. The first week was spent primarily clearing the rubbish and undergrowth that has covered the site for the past nine years and making the area around the site safe

for the public and contractors.

No previously undiscovered pygmy tribes or new species of wildlife were

discovered once all the Buddleia bushes were cleared, and this allowed the team to

get to work. The majority of the work, so far, has involved marking out the site and

getting the internal structure of the old Showroom ready for demolition.

Although some good progress has been made in prepping the layout of the

Workshop, I have yet to see where they are installing the Staff Jacuzzi.

I am very keen on seeing the Showroom take its last bow and am doing everything

in my power to try to see it first hand, although for Health and Safety reasons I may

need to watch the action from the cosy environment of the Pub over the road.

Once this historical structure has been removed it will be down to getting the

foundations in place for our new state-of-the-art Showroom. Obviously there will be

very little visual progress but I will try to make a nuisance of myself and keep the

photo diary up to date with some interesting shots.

Lind US Ltd are really excited to add Reading Harley-Davidson to their group and are

as keen as I am to invite you all to visit and be part of what will be a fantastic, fun and

inclusive Dealership.

Let me know should you need any further updates or you have any awesome

suggestions, mike@readingharley.co.uk. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

SPECIAL OFFER:

Thames Valley 15 year PATCH AND PIN Only £3.50

SHIRLEY

SAYS:

There is going to be a pre-Christmas sale on all merchandise! All old stock needs to be cleared before the New Year so grab

yourself a bargain or get a Christmas present for someone special. Anything wanted from the catalogue needs to be ordered at November club night to be

ready in time for Christmas.

FLEECE Raffle tickets for this amazing

Christmas Hamper will be

on sale at Club Nights,

November and December.

BODY WARMERS

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Chris and Janet Smith

How did you two meet?

. I met my lovely wife in Berlin,

in 1982, I was in the Grenadier

Guards at the time and she came

to see her sister who was my

mates wife, she had just had a baby (Jan’s sister, that is).

We met over a game of darts in the Corporal’s Mess, she needed a

hand getting her darts out of the board because she couldn't

reach.

Any children, pets...?

We have one daughter, Jessica she's 22 and lives in Crewe and

works for a computer maintenance/

sales company. We've had pets in

the past, rabbits and a cat, but

currently enjoying the freedom of

not having any pets. We would both

love a nice dog, perhaps a Cocker

Spaniel, but we are out at work all

day.

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How long have you been riding motorcycles?

I got my first bike when I was 16 yrs, it was a Yamaha

RD 125 DT like this one, my pride and joy.

I sold that a couple of years later and didn't

get a bike again until I was about 38.

Since then, I've had various bikes including a

lovely black Honda Goldwing that I was very

proud of.

I am currently riding a Road King Classic

which I love. We've been a member at

Thames Valley now for just over a year and

it's been mad; we're out and about more now

than ever and everyone has made us feel so

welcome.

Any hobbies apart from motorbikes?

I'm sport mad, particularly football and West Ham United & Reading

but I'll watch anything - American Football, Rugby Formula one any-

thing really. Jan used to come with me to see West Ham. I used to

have to take an orange box for her to stand on so she could see.

Jan loves her aerobics and retail therapy. We both love our music

which has mellowed over

the years.

Looking forward to next

season, got lots of trips

lined up already including

Andrea Rieu in Maastricht,

his home town I believe.

Thanks for the chat, it’s been good getting to know you both.

Garden Party, Buckingham Palace

Aviemore 2014

November

Ace Café Harley Night

Thurs 27th, 6:00

Black Horse Riders

Invite TV members

to their club night

Fleet, Hants. GU51 5SJ

Thurs 27th 7:30

Broome Farm

Sunday 30th

S’Able 10:30 for 11:15

Windsor Coach Park

SL4 3HU

Depart 12:00

December

Committee Night

Tues 2nd, 8:00

Reading Toy Run

Sunday, 7th

Starting at Foster

Wheeler

See website for further

details and updates

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January

Committee Night

Tues 6th, 8:00

Saturday Social

Sat. 10th

Venue TBA

Club Night

Thurs 15th, 7:30

Road Captains’ Meeting

Saturday 17th 9:00

Stafferton Lodge

Ladies of Harley

New Year Meal

Saturday17th, 6:00 pm

Stafferton Lodge

Dec. Cont. Christmas Party

Sat 13th 7:00

Calcot Hotel

Club Night

Thurs 18th 7:30

Club Nights

December 18th

January 15th

February 19th

March 19th

April 16th

Mag contribution

Deadlines

December 11th

January 8th

February 12th

March 12th

April 9th

Dates, events, ride-outs and activities

Details correct at time of going to print. Check the website for updates and amendments

www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

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Entries for your Diary 2015

2015

Cider Rally - 1st -4th May

(Club event)

Harley-Davidson Euro Festival

Grimaud, St-Tropez

7th - 10th May

Chill-Out Weekend

22nd - 25th May

Ireland Bike Fest

29th May - 1st June

Blazin’ Twenties

New Forest Rally

25th - 28th Sept

Check website for Changes / further

details on all events

Remembrance day

A group of Thames Valley riders

have met up at Sportable and are

making their way to Rykers café

near Box Hill to meet up with the

Hogsback chapter. After coffee and doughnuts plus some bacon rolls,

we are waiting to observe the 2 minutes’ silence due at 11.00. We have

all set off in glorious sunshine to make our way to Shamley Green church

for a wreath laying ceremony.

Our wreath, this year, is being

laid by Don Wibberley. A call

for lunch has been made and

we have made our way to

Worplesdon.

Linda Friend

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It was estimated that ten thousand bikes were likely to turn up for the Ride of Respect around the M25. Hoping to make the largest Poppy in the world by forming a complete circle around the orbital road, everyone left the services at 1:15 to be on the motor- way by 1:30. The lead man of one meeting point then tried to catch up with the tail of the group in front. There were more than 1,000 bikes at Cobham, where 14 TV members met up.

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Each month, from April to October, the

club organises a social meeting with a

twist! It is called the ‘Poker Run’ and is

usually held at a pub in the Thames Valley

area. We always try to pick a pub that

offers food for about a tenner. This means

that people can come straight from work

and get something to eat. During the

better months we can get dozens of bikes

which is a real attraction for the locals.

Of course, there is a cheeky

element thrown in for a bit of zing!

Each person that attends is eligible

to draw a single card from a single

deck of cards for the princely sum

of £1. The drawn card is recorded

each month so that at the end of

the year each person has a hand

of up to 7 cards.

There are only a few rules:

Players MUST attend at least 4

events out of the 7 throughout the

year. If a player misses a month

they can buy 1 extra card only on

their next attendance (or they can

buy an extra card in advance if

they have a planned absence).

Players must redraw any card

which they have previously drawn

(so, you cannot have any 2 cards

exactly the same).

The only other rule is that you

MUST have fun, but we never

need to enforce this one

We will be announcing the

winners of the 2014 Poker Run at

November club night. As always

there will be first, second and third

prizes. The prize money will total

all of the money collected this year

(like a sweepstake). This year

was one of the most successful

years since we started, with 187

cards sold (last year was 154).

So, look out for information

about the 2015 Poker Run in the

spring next year and book the

dates in your calendar.

The 4 new players this year have

all said that they wish they had

started coming sooner...

It’s great fun! Nick

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From your Webmaster

Just an update to let you all know what I have been up to as your Webmaster over the last four years. I have been busy bringing our club up to speed with all the latest social media and, during my time as the Webmaster, I have brought the club two new websites. You will not see the webmaster on many rides as I have a young family and a large part of my role is backroom stuff.

You might not know what goes on, so I thought I would use this opportunity to give you a quick insight into some of the duties I bring to my role as Webmaster. One the things I need to do is to keep all the members’ data, and that of the club in general, safe from unwanted guests or sites, and to maintain our server to keep the website running. I also spend a lot of time working on other club issues, such as designing flyers for events and designing tickets for sales, which I submit to the committee for approval. Another part of my role is to produce all emails sent out to members and to maintain the email list. Over the last four years I have joined many social media sites on behalf of the club such as Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and PayPal. These all need regular maintenance and constant monitoring to keep to the strict HOG guidelines. Another part of my role is to train other committee members to use their area of the website effectively. I also produce monthly statistics on website usage and send these out to the committee. It is the responsibility off the Webmaster to update the site pages and to keep things looking fresh, so a strong knowledge of html and other web based programmes is desirable for this maintenance. I have spent a lot of time on the new website which has now been recognised by HOG as a leading site amongst other HOG chapters. I was lucky enough to attend the first HOT, (HOG Officer Training) held at Oxford Harley Davidson HQ last month. The meeting was about websites and social media, along with chapter magazines. In this meeting there were other webmasters and editors with their directors from HOG chapters all over the UK. I was very pleased to see that our website was up-to-date and had set the bar for the other chapters. These are just a few of the tasks that I carry out as the Webmaster for Thames Valley, and I hope to carry on bringing better things to the club’s website in the future. A quick look ahead: Next year you will have the opportunity to renew your club membership online using our secure payment system, PayPal. I will link our site to the new dealership so you will get the latest news and offers before anyone else. I look forward to giving you an update soon - watch this space! Lee

WHEN? February 14th (yes, Valentines Day!) 2015

WHERE? Sportsable, Club Night Venue

DRESS? Posh frocks and Black Tie

FOOD? Fabulous Buffet!

Put this date in your diary!

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Fred’s arm/hand!

nickwest@chilternelectrical.com

ADVERTISE YOUR COMPANY HERE

SPECIAL

OFFER

Y O UR ORG A N IZ A T I O N

YOUR LOGO

An advertisement for your business in this magazine AND on the website

will cost ONLY £25 for a year. Thousands reached on the web and

hundreds more in 12 issues.

See Don, Lee or Sue for more info.

Did you work it out last month? Cool picture, the way Fred’s arm was hidden amongst the black of Nick’s shirt, looked like the hand appeared from nowhere!

Just for fun… How observant are you? Do you recognise this bike?

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Eighteen people turned up to the Saturday lunch meeting, two on bikes! A great choice of food at reasonable prices and good company in this Fayre and Square pub kept the group chatting for almost 4 hours! Our very own vandal can be seen writing on the table - she didn’t think the number was clear enough and might delay the arrival of her food. A fine for the fine-mistress, I think!

Iver Heath

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Friday 22

nd May to Monday 25

th May

(May Bank Holiday weekend)

We are putting together another Chill-Out weekend, offering a great opportunity for you to relax with good food, good beer and some great company - with an extra night, too!

The Unicorn Inn, (Hampton Loade, Chelmarsh, Nr Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 6BN) is situated in the heart of the Shropshire countryside and just a short walk from the Great Western / Severn Valley steam railway station in Hampton Loade. The trains run between Kidderminster

and Bridgnorth and for £18 you can purchase a ‘Freedom of the Line’ ticket for unlimited day travel and entry to The Engine House Visitor Centre at Highley. On Saturday night there will be an optional Evening Scenic Train Ride with fish and chip supper.

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The Unicorn Inn offers some great accommodation options:

Double and Twin rooms £45.00, Singles £25.00 Family Room £65.00 There are also two holiday flats available with a king sized bed and kitchenette. (Price on application)

A Camping package will also be available which will include breakfast. There are also electrical hook-ups available, if you want to bring a caravan or camper van. Please note the weekend runs from Friday until Monday so you will need 3 nights’ accommodation. All prices quoted are for B & B per room per night and all rooms have ensuite bathrooms. There will be some great pub grub favourites on the menu offering terrific value for money. We are putting together some great ride-outs, too, so watch this space... We have already had quite a bit of interest in the trip so early booking is recommended.

To reserve your accommodation please speak to Pat or

Barry Adams at club night, or telephone 07710224387, or

email adamspat24@gmail.com

The Severn Valley Railway is a full-size standard-gauge railway line running regular, mainly steam-hauled,

passenger trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of

approximately sixteen miles.

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youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1

facebook.com/groups/ thamesvalleyhog

Club Venue: SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, SL6 1BN

Don Wibberley Chapter Director Email: director @thamesvallyhog.org.uk

Pat Adams Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@

Colin Wilkins Treasurer Email: treasurer@

Sue Moyler Secretary Email: secretary@

Fred Cotsford Membership Officer Email: membership@

Nij Jones Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@

Nick West Safety Officer & Historian Email: historian@

Barry Adams Activities Officer Email: activities@

Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Email: ladiesofharley@

Lee White Webmaster Email: webmaster@

Sue Knight Editor Email: editor@

Bernie Meason Photographer Email: photographer@

Linda Friend Photographer Email: photographer@

Shirley Churchill Merchandise Email: merchandise@

youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1

facebook.com/groups/ thamesvalleyhog

Club Venue: SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, SL6 1BN

Don Wibberley Chapter Director Email: director @thamesvallyhog.org.uk

Pat Adams Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@

Colin Wilkins Treasurer Email: treasurer@

Sue Moyler Secretary Email: secretary@

Fred Cotsford Membership Officer Email: membership@

Nij Jones Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@

Nick West Safety Officer & Historian Email: historian@

Barry Adams Activities Officer Email: activities@

Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Email: ladiesofharley@

Lee White Webmaster Email: webmaster@

Sue Knight Editor Email: editor@

Bernie Meason Photographer Email: photographer@

Linda Friend Photographer Email: photographer@

Shirley Churchill Merchandise Email: merchandise@

youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1

Pat Adams Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Colin Wilkins Treasurer Email: treasurer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Fred Cotsford Membership Officer Email: membership@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Barry Adams Activities Officer Email: activities@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Shirley Churchill Merchandise Email: merchandise@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Moyler Secretary Email: secretary@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Don Wibberley Chapter Director Email: director@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Nick West Safety Officer & Historian Email: historian @thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Nij Jones Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@ Thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Email: ladiesofharley@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Linda Friend Photographer Email: photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Lee White Webmaster Email: webmaster@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Bernie Meason Photographer Email: photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Club Venue: SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, SL6 1BN

Toni Charles Activities Officer Email: activities@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Knight Editor Email: editor@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

facebook.com/groups thamesvalleyhog