Bluebell Railway Preservation Society
Social Sub-Committee
Archive of past events
Party at the Park 2005
Sunday 28th August 2005
Sheffield Park station
An enjoyable evening was held at Sheffield Park on the last Bank Holiday before the Santa Season, with a
barbecue - beef, chicken, and veggie burgers and sausages - on the platform, a Treasure Hunt around the
station, and music in the bar of the Bessemer Arms. Prizes of Barcardi, wine, and beer were up to grabs
for the winners of the Treasure Hunt, whilst more alcohol (which always seems to go down well, for some
reason) and novelties from the Thomas the Tank range in the Bluebell Shop were there to be won
in the raffle. Over £170 was raised from the food, raffle, and Treasure Hunt, whilst quite a
substantial sum went directly to Catering by way of the bar takings!
Thanks to those who helped to organise the event, in particular to Tom and Helen Lovell who did most of
the hard work.
Finally, we apologise to those who looked in vain around the railway for the promised posters giving
details of the event. They were put up in various locations, but were subsequently removed
without our knowledge. Quite why someone wants to scupper our attempts to raise money, which at the
end of the day benefits the railway, is beyond us.
HorstedFest 2005
Sunday 29th May 2005
Horsted Keynes Station
After a week when everything seemed to be going wrong - have staff been rostered?, the "missing"
catering barbecue, will the Ivatt tank turn up on time? - it was a case of it'll be all right on the
night. And for those who attended, it was definitely a successful evening, even if the promised
Hobgoblin beer ran out early due to having been inadvertently put on sale over the 50th anniversary
gala weekend by an over-enthusiastic member of the station staff (we did have ample supplies of two
other draught ales - Kings' Bluebell and Hepworth's Iron Horse - which seemed to go down quite well).
So it was burgers and sausages cooked on the platform barbecue, the bar doing a roaring trade, and
raffle tickets selling well, the takings on the night came to over £900. Once again, the Loco
Department's Martin Reeves provided the musical entertainment, and yes the Ivatt did arrive from the
Mid Hants in time to haul the evening trains from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes and back.
With the special late trains being shown in the 50th anniversary timetable on sale to the public, a few
non-members turned up for the evening. We hope that you enjoyed yourselves!
Our thanks go to the loco crew, guard, and signalmen on duty for the evening, and to Clive Emsley and
Stuart Bardouleau for getting the replacement barbecue (i.e. the one we used last year) to us. Also
thanks to the BRFS for providing the necessary fire and first aid cover for the event.
Visit to Harveys Brewery
Wednesday 4th May, 2005
Lewes, East Sussex
The first event organised by the SSC following the departure of Clive Emsley and Stuart Bardouleau was
a visit to the Harveys Brewery in Lewes. Miles Jenner, the Head Brewer and Managing Director of Sussex's
oldest brewery (est. 1790) gave us a detailed and informative talk as he guided us around the brewery.
At each stage, Miles explained the brewing process starting with the raw ingredients of malted barley,
hops, and of course water, the fermentation process, and finally the fining and casking of the finished
product.
In many ways it is a "heritage" brewery with much long-established plant still doing the job it was
designed for - there is even an operable, but rarely used, steam engine driving a series of belts to
various items of equipment - and a haven where imperial rather than metric measures rule.
The tour ended in the traditional way, with a visit to the brewery's sampling room, where a selection
of beer casks of various strengths and character were waiting to be tried. And once we had sampled each
of these (some of them more than once!) Miles opened a bottle or three of the mind-blowing bottled
Imperial Russian Stout - at 9.0% ABV definitely not a session beer!
And after finally leaving the brewery, a visit to the adjacent John Harvey Tavern was a tempting prospect!
Curry & Quiz Evening
Sat 5th March 2005
Bessemer Arms, Sheffield Park
On 5th March the Social Sub-committee held a "Curry & Quiz Evening" in the Bessemer Arms. Mine Hosts
for the evening were Helen and Tom Lovell.
Having had our fill, of either Chicken Jalfrezi or Vegetable Korma, teams were formed and battle commenced.
The varied rounds included music, pictures, leisure & entertainment, geography and pot luck, with a
Joker round to be decided at the beginning.
Asking the questions and celebrating her birthday was Helen.
One team member assured me that he was expert in geography at school and that this should be our Joker
round. (Thanks Dave) Six out of ten; could do better.
Congratulations are also due to the sub-committee member who decided to change from what was to be the
third placed team to an 'also ran'.
The events were enlivened by the bizarre appearance of a headmaster complete with mortar board and gown.
Was he going to mark our papers, or discipline the losers? We than discovered that he was part of a "Murder
Mystery" Golden Arrow.
Several new faces, for a Saturday night at The Bessemer Arms, were spotted out of the total of approximately
30 participants and after intense rivalry (and disputing the answers) the winning team was announced, that
led by our Retail Director Russell Pearce, who proudly claimed the Golden Teacup (and £20).
I hope it will not be too long before the next quiz night when more members can join us in competing for
this much sought after trophy.
(Thanks to Ken Upton of the Loco Dept for this report, and Bob Blake for the photos, above showing
the quiz in progress, and, below, the presentation to the winning team.)
Film Show
Sat 26th February 2005
Bessemer Arms, Sheffield Park
This evening event was timed to coincide with the Branch Line Weekend, and was open to non-members as well
as members.
Going Dutch on the Summertime Special
Sun 29th August 2004
The evening special to from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes and Kingscote featured the visiting locomotive
"Bello" from the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik hauling the three Mets plus the Brighton four wheeled carriage.
The train was very nearly full, despite being altered due to operational difficulties. The passengers
enjoyed a spirited run to Horsted Keynes and Kingscote and a leisurely return to Sheffield Park, with a
stop just before New Coombe Bridge to admire the lineside vegetation! A raffle was held and this raised a
reasonable amount for the SSC funds. The event was run in conjunction with the commercial department who
covered the costs, and we thank them for this gesture to the membership.
Horsted Fest
Sun 30th May 2004
Horsted Keynes Station
Sunday of the May Bank Holiday weekend saw this popular annual event held on platforms 3 & 4 at Horsted
Keynes station, with a barbecue, licensed bar, and live music. A special train hauled by 73082 Camelot was
also run in connection with the event, running from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes and back before the
event, then returning to Horsted to provide live steam atmosphere to the action on the platform. The train
then returned the 100 or so revellers to Sheffield Park after the evening ended.
The barbecue was provided by former SSC Secretary Clive Ensley with assistance from wife Claire and former
SSC Treasurer Stuart Bardouleau. The music was organised by Loco Department member Martin Reeves and featured
many popular pieces together with some more "folky" tunes and songs. The King George V bar was staffed by
Catering Department.
Our thanks go to those mentioned above for their help, and especially to the loco crew, guard, and signalmen
on duty for the evening.
Classic Car Drive-in, March 15th 2003
A report (with photos) on this highly successful event is available.
Social night with Music and Barbeque at Horsted Keynes (2nd June 2002)
The special train from Sheffield Park was supported by a reasonable number
of members and guests. Thanks to those who helped with the train,
especially the two signalmen, Richard Parfitt and Adrian Lee and the loco
crew comprising of the Groome family. The guard for the evening was our
committee chairman Neil Glaskin.
The members who attended enjoyed a social
evening with music supplied by Stuart Barbouleau, including some requests
and rounded of by a selection of Patriotic songs as the train departed to
Sheffield Park. A sumptuous barbeque was supplied by Clive Emsley and his
team of "willing" volunteers, and the bar was open providing a good
atmosphere for all. A raffle raised a reasonable contribution for the
Bluebell Ashbury Supporters and Helpers (BASH), and no committee members
won anything (although there was speculation as to what David Foale would swap his winnings - four bottles
of beer - for)! We look forward to this (or something similar) becoming an annual event.
Annual Pub Style Quiz Night (4th May 2002)
The event was supported by a reasonable number of members who had an
enjoyable and rewarding evening. The quiz master was provided by "Plastic
Duck Enterprises" in the form of Richard Parfitt, who also wrote the
questions. There were enough teams to produce a good feeling of competition.
Unfortunately the giant tea cup and saucer was left with the previous
winners but will be presented to the current winning team, lead by David
Foale, shortly. David did however appreciate the bottle of wine that went
with the cup!
"Yardales" event on Easter Sunday (31st March 2002)
The evening was enjoyed by all who attended. We were treated to the sights
and sounds of Russ Hubner (fireman of this Parish) and his fellow band
members playing various instruments, such as guitar, bass, drums, fiddle
mandolin and tin whistle. The songs they played are all written by members
of the band, and very good they were too. Many of the songs were written
from personal experiences, which made them quite memorable! Two of the main
topics of the songs were Beer and Women!
A good evening was had by all, and the SSC would like to thank the band and
the staff who volunteered to help.
Winter Party (12th January 2002)
On Saturday 12th January 2002, working members enjoyed a "Thank-you" party at Sheffield Park Station.
Thanks from every one that attended to Neil and his team, and to all the catering staff that laid on such
a wonderful spread. Charles Roberts's photos below show the food being laid out, being devoured, and one
entitled "Who let that in?" showing a particularly scary character...
Details of current Social Sub-Committee events are on the SSC page.
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