At a time when good news is at a premium we are pleased to confirm that the next meeting of The Real JCR is scheduled for Thursday 5th October 2023 and will almost revert to the original format. i.e.

                  5:30pm: El Vino for pre-prandial libations

                   7:00pm: Zin (formerly India India) for a spicy dish of Indian origin

Good wine and food, and excellent company, guaranteed

I hope you have been enjoying the summer (and are not stuck in some departure lounge in a distant land).  Peter who usually organises the JCR meetings will be abroad for most of the next few months and I have volunteered to take his place (for one night only).  We shall meet as usual in El Vinos but to make arrangements simpler the meal will be at Zin (formerly India India) just across the road.  Payment in cash please.

Polite reminder::

 a) It is not a requirement to attend both events. It is perfectly fine if you wish to join us just for drinks at El Vino or just for the meal at India India.

b) If you are intending to  join us for drinks only, or for the meal only, or for both drinks and meal, then it would be extremely helpful if you would let me know so that everyone can be accommodated.

Chric Hicks

Norman webmaster@jomg.org

From John Jones

I invite XL members and their guests to join me in Rochester and Chatham in October. This is an area of significant historical interest and offers many interesting places to visit. I have put together an itinerary for Tuesday 3^rd and Wednesday 4^th October but, if there is sufficient interest to extend the visit by another day, we would be able to get together for further activities in the locality. Should you wish, it is also possible for you to attend on just one of the days.

On Tuesday 3^rd October we will focus on Rochester and the activities will comprise:

• Starting at 11.00, there will be a guided tour of the Cathedral; we will meet in the Crypt Café to start the tour.
• Some time will be allowed for a light lunch, or a picnic if the weather is fine.
• At 15.00 we will get together for a guided walk of the town, taking about 90 minutes.
• Those who do not want to do the walk might like to take a visit to Rochester Castle; the Castle Keep is an English Heritage property giving fine views of the town and surrounding area.
• In the evening we will have dinner at the Don Vicenzo Italian Restaurant.

On Wednesday 4^th October we will move on to Chatham and:

• At 09.30, we will gather in the Fort Amherst car park where we will have a guide taking us around the site; note that there are parking charges at the car park.
• At around 11.00, we will move on to visit the Royal Naval Dockyard; during our time there, we will be able to use their excellent catering facilities; parking is free for Dockyard visitors.

There are further places of interest in the area which you might like to visit whilst you are here. If you are interested in doing more, please tick the box on the booking form. Should there be a sufficient number of attendees wanting to extend the visit, I would be willing to organise an evening meal on Wednesday evening and could arrange for a visit to the Royal Engineers Museum on the Thursday.

You will need to arrange your own accommodation if you are with us for more than one day. There is a Travelodge in the middle of Rochester and a Premier Inn a few miles from the centre, plus a number of smallish hotels in Rochester and Chatham.

There is an excellent train service from London; if you are coming by car and not staying at a hotel with parking, the station multi-storey car park is the best option.

If you have any questions on the trip, please contact Paul Seward at secretary@jomg.org who is liaising with me for this event. If you wish to join us, please fill in the booking form and send it to events@jomg.org.

A booking form Rochester Booking Form for members  is attached which allows you to determine which activities you wish to participate in. Please let us have this no later than the 15^th September 2023.

We look forward to hearing from you.

John Jones