20 replies to this topic

[Tim Bailey]

Dear all

Plans are progressing well.

We're producing a brochure (PDF), which will be circulated at the earliest opportunity. We're waiting on a few details from the Zoo, a couple of lecture titles and to settle a few issues such as the evening meal - but other than that most of the work has been done on it. Our intention is to send a hard copy out to postal members and to post it online as a PDF.

A dedicated website is in progress, which will contain the details you would expect, e.g. registration, travel and accommodation, Zoo/EEE2011 opening times, evening meal, payment system, etc.

The lecture program will include 6 x 45 minute lectures. We will also run several cultivation workshops over the weekend.

We expect (hopefully not subject to change):

5 National Collections on display: Sarracenia, Dionaea, Drosera, Heliamphora and Nepenthes. We will also put on a display of Pinguicula.

An evening meal, which is likely to be either a boat trip or an Indian meal. We've looked at other options, but other venues are not big enough or were simply too expensive. We are looking at a cost of between £20-£35. We would be interested to know the price barrier of those likely to be interested (estimated at around 80 people). If any of you have local knowledge and have other suggestions please let me know ASAP - all will be considered).

A CPS Chelsea standard display.

At least 11 major cp plant retailers, including traders from the Continent. There will be a few other traders too, e.g. books, artwork, growing medium, etc.

A History of cps display and an accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist wandering around.

A World of cps / conservation display.

A Hydroponic Flytrap display.

A Kids Area.

A 3D VFT.

A charity plant auction.

And of course all that the Country's top Zoo has to offer!

As part of this cp celebration Mike King will also host an Open Day on the Monday (4th July), where members/visitors can see his full National Collection and spectacular array of Sarracenia and Dionaea. If wanted we will look into arranging a return coach trip from Chester Zoo to Mike's. If you are traveling, particularly from a far, please bare this in mind and extend your stay - like the rest of the EEE, it's not to be missed!

There will be a registration fee for Society members and concessionary weekend Zoo tickets for guests.   This will be advised as soon as the website is up, from when payments can be made.

If you would like to help out at the EEE, please contact Dennis or I via the Society's main website. This is mainly stints looking after the Society and National Collection stands and talking to the public about the plants.

Also, if you know a group (e.g. Sports and Social Club at your work, etc) who may be interested in a day at the EEE and Zoo then we can help arrange concessionary tickets for them too - please contact Dennis or I.

I will not have covered everything here, but more will be made clear and in more detail in due course.

Our best wishes to you all for 2011.

Tim

[David Ahrens]

I have recently booked Warrington Road Travelodge for the conference. It's a bit of a funny place, Chester, I was hoping to get a cheap bed and breakfast but when I did a search on Yell.com for one, I found the area a bit expensive at roughly £70 a night. I chose the Travelodge in the end, at least it came with parking. Incidently, it was cheaper to book three days accommodation as three single days and not as three days together. The Warrington Road Travelodge is about two milesfrom the zoo which isn't too far away.
The whole area does look fairly expensive for accommodation though.
I am sure that Vic Brown will get a better deal than me, he always does.

Edited by David Ahrens, 17 January 2011 - 15:29 PM.

[Vic2]

Tim Bailey, on 10th January 2011 - 15:44 PM, said:

We're producing a brochure (PDF), which will be circulated at the earliest opportunity. We're waiting on a few details from the Zoo, a couple of lecture titles and to settle a few issues such as the evening meal - but other than that most of the work has been done on it. Our intention is to send a hard copy out to postal members and to post it online as a PDF.
A dedicated website is in progress, which will contain the details you would expect, e.g. registration, travel and accommodation, Zoo/EEE2011 opening times, evening meal, payment system, etc.
The lecture program will include 6 x 45 minute lectures. We will also run several cultivation workshops over the weekend.
5 National Collections on display: Sarracenia, Dionaea, Drosera, Heliamphora and Nepenthes. We will also put on a display of Pinguicula.
An evening meal, which is likely to be either a boat trip or an Indian meal.
A CPS Chelsea standard display.
At least 11 major cp plant retailers, including traders from the Continent. There will be a few other traders too, e.g. books, artwork, growing medium, etc.
A History of cps display and an accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist wandering around.
A World of cps / conservation display.
A Hydroponic Flytrap display.
A Kids Area.
A 3D VFT.
A charity plant auction.
And of course all that the Country's top Zoo has to offer!
Our best wishes to you all for 2011.
Tim

It's looking very good...

Nice job, T & D!  

Vic

[Wouter Noordeloos]

Hi Tim,


Very good work so far. I hope many members from all over europe will try to get to Chester Zoo.

Take care,

Wouter

[Vic2]

Tim Bailey, on 10th January 2011 - 15:44 PM, said:

... and an accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist wandering around.
Our best wishes to you all for 2011.
Tim

Er...  Tim...

An unworthy thought occurs to me:

You have starred with Jimmy Docherty in a BBC documentary about Darwin and carnivorous plants, which makes you an actor;

You are also the author of an accomplished botanical treatise on 'tippitywitchets', which makes you a botanist:

This 'accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist'...        um...

It's not You in a fake beard and dodgy suit, is it?  

(Mind you, you could  be old enough to be the real thing!!!)     

Ha ha ha,

GD&R of Letchworth  

Edited by Vic2, 19 January 2011 - 17:58 PM.

[Nigel H-C]

What a shame a few of us will be at Hampton Court!!!

Nigel H-C

[Marcel van den Broek]

Nigel H-C, on 19th January 2011 - 18:17 PM, said:

What a shame a few of us will be at Hampton Court!!!

Nigel H-C

What! You want to tell me that some people actually are going to miss the CP-event of the year for a flowershow?

You just have to many shows in the UK, you just can't plan around all of them

[James O'Neill]

The EEE looks like it will be real good - I know I'll enjoy myself!

[Vic2]

Marcel van den Broek, on 19th January 2011 - 18:06 PM, said:

What! You want to tell me that some people actually are going to miss the CP-event of the year for a flowershow?

You just have to many shows in the UK, you just can't plan around all of them

Shame that Nigel has to go to flower shows for a living!  

Correct me if I'm wrong, Marcel old boy,   but isn't there a famous Dutch  flower show that occurs only once every ten years...?

Vic  

Edited by Vic2, 19 January 2011 - 18:54 PM.

[Marcel van den Broek]

Vic2, on 19th January 2011 - 20:18 PM, said:

Shame that Nigel has to go to flower shows for a living!  

Correct me if I'm wrong, Marcel old boy,   but isn't there a famous Dutch  flower show that occurs only once every ten years...?

Vic  

Yes Vic, the Floriade (which is more of a flowershow, it takes in landscaping and agriculture also) is once in 10 year, we just know how to keep things exclusive  

and I perceftly understand that Nigel has to make a living at the shows, he was doing a good job at it at Chelsea when I met him a couple of years ago. I just prefer Gardeners world live

[Vic2]

Marcel van den Broek, on 20th January 2011 - 00:51 AM, said:

Yes Vic, the Floriade (which is more of a flowershow, it takes in landscaping and agriculture also) is once in 10 year, we just know how to keep things exclusive  

and I perceftly understand that Nigel has to make a living at the shows, he was doing a good job at it at Chelsea when I met him a couple of years ago. I just prefer Gardeners world live

I guess we Brits just don't have the exemplary patience of the Dutch  

Gardener's World over Chelsea...?  

That's like saying you prefer a white Ford Transit to a vintage Rolls-Royce!!  


See you at the EEE - a Rolls-Royce event,

Vic  

[Marcel van den Broek]

Vic2, on 20th January 2011 - 21:49 PM, said:

I guess we Brits just don't have the exemplary patience of the Dutch  

Gardener's World over Chelsea...?  

That's like saying you prefer a white Ford Transit to a vintage Rolls-Royce!!  


See you at the EEE - a Rolls-Royce event,

Vic  

I met Nigel at Chelsea crewing the CP UK stand for a day, I ment that I prefer GWL to Hampthon Court.
Chelsea is an event in a class of it's own....and I drive a Skoda, to many snobs driving RR's these days
See you at the EEE, expect a very large part of the Dutch board and staff.....

[Vic2]

Marcel van den Broek, on 20th January 2011 - 20:41 PM, said:

I drive a Skoda, to many snobs driving RR's these days
See you at the EEE, expect a very large part of the Dutch board and staff.....

I think Skoda have a pretty snobbish engineering history: They built the massive 'Big Bertha' cannon in WWII, and the all-important rotating hub for the London Eye.

I may be able to offer some of you guys a lift around Chester... in my Toyota MPV  

Vic

P.S.
There was a bit of an uproar among US RR owners quite a while back, when RR admitted that the chassis of their cars were built by GM in suburban Detroit. If you've seen Eminem's 'Eight Mile', you'll know what that part of town is like...  

Edited by Vic2, 21 January 2011 - 03:08 AM.

[Vic2]

C'mon Tim, who's the accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist...?

I can't stand the suspense!

Vic  

[Tim Bailey]

Vic2, on 21st January 2011 - 03:13 AM, said:

C'mon Tim, who's the accomplished Charles Darwin actor/botanist...?

I can't stand the suspense!

Vic  

Oh okay!

Sorry for not replying earlier, I'm completely snowed under saving the green fields and waters of England and Wales during the day and working on the EEE at night. On top of having too many kids, horses, rabbits, allotments, cps, etc. to shake a stick at.

It's not me Vic, but I'm keeping it in the family.

Its my elder brother Chris, who does this stuff for a living. He is a brilliant historical character actor, has an IQ off the Richter scale and degree in botany - rumor has it that he even taught me A-level Biology once, which is true and was really embarrassing!

Two secrets outed for the price of one!

[Vic2]

Tim Bailey, on 22nd January 2011 - 12:05 PM, said:

Oh okay!

Sorry for not replying earlier, I'm completely snowed under saving the green fields and waters of England and Wales during the day and working on the EEE at night. On top of having too many kids, horses, rabbits, allotments, cps, etc. to shake a stick at.

It's not me Vic, but I'm keeping it in the family.

Its my elder brother Chris, who does this stuff for a living. He is a brilliant historical character actor, has an IQ off the Richter scale and degree in botany - rumor has it that he even taught me A-level Biology once, which is true and was really embarrassing!

Two secrets outed for the price of one!

No need to apologise, Tim - I wish I could take some of the EEE legwork off your enormous workload. (The offer is open...)

Re. Darwin guess - I got most the DNA right!!

But what I've seen, I think you and Dennis (and whoever else is helping) will make a brilliant show in July.

Top marks for taking this on, on top of your already heavy commitments to family, breadwinning and saving the South-West from becoming an island, entire of itself.  

Hell, it's a pity we don't have an 'elected monarchy' in the UK:  I'd vote for King Tim!!  

Hero-Worshipper of Letchworth
(I expect to be be paid well for this sycophancy, y'know...)

[flytrap]

Marcel van den Broek, on 19th January 2011 - 18:06 PM, said:

What! You want to tell me that some people actually are going to miss the CP-event of the year for a flowershow?

You just have to many shows in the UK, you just can't plan around all of them

Well we will be there

[Phil Green]

Any news about the web site ?

Also, what is the situation for cps members who want to have a sales table - prices etc ?

Not actually long to go now.

[James O'Neill]

Phil Green, on 1st March 2011 - 20:29 PM, said:

Also, what is the situation for cps members who want to have a sales table - prices etc ?

Oh yeah - any news on that?

Quote

Not actually long to go now.

Ah gee, I'm gonna have to start churning out these drawings every night  

[Vic2]

James O'Neill, on 1st March 2011 - 21:19 PM, said:

Ah gee, I'm gonna have to start churning out these drawings every night  

Cut out the middleman, Jimmy, and learn to draw £50 notes to your usual genius standard...  

Vic