Our hosts for the weekend were Gary and Yvonne Little, Brian and Hayley Warnock and helped by Ivan and Alex Mellon. We were warmly greeted by Yvonne, Hayley and Alex and as well as the welcome sheet we all received some of Yvonne’s lovely shortbread in the shape of hearts for Valentines. We were expertly parked up by their other halves, Gary, Brian and Ivan. Friday night saw us gather in the hall for a Valentine themed quiz. Teams were formed at quite a few tables and names picked. The banter, loud whispering (with the wrong answers) and the tension led to a close contest with the eventual winners being Bertie’s Bee’s by just a single point. It was rounded off by a great night of music by DJ Joe Little and a filled dance floor to prove it. Saturday morning saw a small skiff of rain which quickly disappeared to become a nice dry day. Alex Mellon had offered to provide a pampering facial session for a number of the ladies. Other members took advantage of the retail opportunities offered in Newtownards including the weekly street market in the square. On Saturday night the hall was packed with what seemed to be all members who were at the rally in attendance. Yvonne had set up a photo booth which went down a treat. There was an eclectic mix of props available from feather boas to unicorns, Stetsons, Sombrero, hard hats, bright wigs and even a rubber water donut. Many of the ensuing photographs were beyond description and need to be seen in the gallery. The night was rounded off with dancing to music by DJ’s Gary and Joe Little. Sunday coffee morning saw another packed hall. Our host Brian announced that a total of 54 vans had attended over the weekend. As a result of this there were 2 number plate draws, with the lucky winners drawn as Helen Ellis and Paul Rixon. There were quite a few correct entries for the quiz and the lucky winner drawn was Sam Arlow. We welcomed a number of new members Mr & Mrs Carey, Mr & Mrs Louden, Mr & Mrs Kane and Mr Kennedy & Ms Stirling. The Chairman then took the mic to close proceedings by thanking our hosts for a great weekend. He also advised that 2 nominations for co opting onto the Committee had been received from Gary Little and Joe Little and these would be put to the committee at its next meeting. He wished us all safe home and looked forward to seeing us all at the next rally in Portadown.
Winnie and Martin Murphy