Trains, Planes and a Prison Meal! Our 2015 Poker Run in aid of our charity of the year PAT

Arriving at the H Cafe in brilliant sunshine, humming the old Dionne Warwick song ‘Trains and Boats and Planes’, I realised that it was ‘prison’ and not ‘boats’ that were included. However the intriguing title didn’t put folk off as twenty plus folk arrived to enjoy egg and bacon butties or a full breakfast and receive their first card before setting off at 10 am for a wonderful mystery tour which took us around the Oxfordshire and Gloucester countryside.

First stop was Winchombe Station……but we nearly didn’t all get there as a ‘rogue’ biker turned into Toddington Garden Centre and station and most of the 19 bikes taking part followed!  After a hasty re assemble, we all made our way to the delightful Wincombe Station for tea and cake and to watch the trains. The second card was handed out with Mary-Anne taking charge of the proceedings with great efficiency.  There were groans of ‘oh no, I didn’t want that one’ but the card was duly noted, tea finished and we all set off once more around some brilliant roads that took us up hill and down dale, through tree lined roads and across sunny plains to our lunch stop.  The Old Prison at Northwich.  A delightful place with lovely gardens to sit in but gosh, was the food expensive…..you didn’t get much for your money!  

The third cards were handed out and we were off again, via some more fascinating roads, to our third stop – The Cotswold Airfield near Tetbury.  Such a delightful place to sit in the sunshine, eat an icecream and watch the helicopters and planes coming in.  Managed to lose one of the 19 bikes en route but a quick text confirmed all o.k. and that we would be back at our meeting place of The Vine, Cumnor around 4.30pm-5pm.   Another card given and off again.  Where does Ted find these roads?  Lovely villages, great ‘twisties’ and beautiful views!

Arriving back at The Vine just before 5pm there was a lovely array of cake with coffee and tea whilst Ted worked out who had won the prizes.  Embarrassingly Erica, who knows nothing about poker, won the first prize and picked the meal for two at The Vine, second place went to Steve Moody who chose the cleaning gear donated by Abingdon Honda and third place was Colin Ardis from Reading who had the mini helmet camera.  A total of £130 was raised for our 2015 Charity PAT (Pets as Therapy) which works with the elderly and children with learning disabilities or behavioural problems.

With many thanks to those who donated the prizes, Ted for all his hard work, despite not being 100% fit, and to Mary-Anne for all her efficient card control, we said our goodbyes after an excellent day and wended our way home – some with further to go than others which included those from the Reading and Bedford Branches and also Des and Colin who came from the Malverns!

Erica