Whatlington

Thanks for all the birthday messages last week - Thursday turned out to be a very crazy and busy quiz night will 11 teams competing! A huge thank you to Bob for being the quiz master that night, the jackpot was won by the Tony Hancock Fan Club and they kindly donated a large proportion of their winnings to St Michael’s Hospice, so well done to them. We hold the quiz every Thursday at 8pm and everyone’s welcome - teams of up to six.

We took full advantage of the beautiful weather on Bank Holiday Monday for our Summer Party and Boules competition at the pub. It was a glorious day and perfect conditions for boules, BBQ and beer! A huge thank you to Steve, Pete and Thelma for organising the tournament and umpiring all day. The eventual winners were Pete and Tom who had some good close matches all the way through. This has turned into a lovely annual gathering and as ever, Mike and I are so grateful for the loyal support of our friends and neighbours in the local community and beyond.

The last Friday of the month has come round already, and so tonight (Fri 30th) is Irish Music Night at The Royal Oak from 8.30pm. If you haven’t experienced this unique live music event it’s worth coming along as the musicians are excellent and it’s always an uplifting evening. Admission is free, our usual menu is available if you want to book a table (01424 870492), or just loiter at the bar with a drink and enjoy the music.

Then on Saturday night (31st) by popular request we are having another of our Fancy Dress cocktail nights, the theme for which is “Come as a film title”. This leaves it wide open and you can be as original or cryptic as you like! Tash and Dani will be shaking up some interesting cocktails which should make for a great evening, so we hope to see you there.

Our next Film Club is on Friday September 13th when we will be showing “The Dark Knight Rises” from 7.30pm in The Barn at The Royal Oak - please note the change of start time. We now have cushions on the chairs in the Barn which should make for more comfortable viewing, although of course, you are welcome to bring your own in addition! For further Film Club details please contact [email protected]. And don’t forget, if you would like to suggest a particular favourite film, please do so!

If you have any news or local events that you would like included in this column, please email me: [email protected].