Reports - Events & Days Out 2025

Here in Nottinghamshire we have held some very enjoyable, and well supported, meetings during late spring and early summer.

Our first meeting in May was to the newly built Planetarium at Sherwood Observatory where 24 people attended. Much of Nottinghamshire is built on sandstone and the reservoirs are largely underground. The planetarium has been built on the site of an old pumping station, over what was previously an underground reservoir, and is adjacent to the observatory. We were shown a short film about how we all need the sun for our survival, then went on a journey through space looking at the stars from different angles. All of this took place in a 3D theatre. After the films, and a Q&A session, we went into the reservoir chamber where there is an exhibition about space travel through the ages. Unfortunately, some of our members were unable to come to this event as they were already on their way to Kent for the National Weekend.

Our next meeting was to the Rolls-Royce Flight Test Museum on the former RAF airfield at Hucknall. This event saw 24 members from Nottinghamshire, 3 members from Derbyshire, and Lorraine from Warwickshire attending so again it was well supported. The museum has only recently re-opened following a refurb and was well worth a visit. There were examples of modern jet engines as well as engines from the war years. Notably there was a Merlin engine which powered the Spitfire, Lancaster Bomber, and the Mustang during WW2, as well as many other planes too numerous to mention. The Merlin engine is still used today by the RAF for the planes in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. There is also an area exhibiting the testing equipment dating from the 1950s through to the 1970s. The museum is run by volunteers and some of them could remember working on the older test equipment during their working lives. All of the volunteers were very passionate about what they were doing.

The first meeting in June was a walk led by Sue Hallam in the Bulwell area of Nottingham, and included a walk over an old colliery tip to see some spectacular views.

Following this we visited an arable farm in the Vale of Belvoir where we were hosted by the Stanley family. Ruth Stanley talked to us about the history of the farm and told us it is now in the hands of the third generation of the family. The farm had been started by Ruth's grandfather and passed down through her father, now semi-retired. Ruth doesn't work on the farm herself, they now have a farm manager for the day to day running, but she is still very much involved. Ruth's father has an engineering background and much of the equipment they use on the farm is home engineered. However, their showpiece item was a large combine harvester with a flexible header enabling it to follow the contours of the land and to cut the stubble very short. The evening was rounded off nicely with pork pie, cake, and (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) cold drinks.

Our first meeting for July has now taken place during which we visited a former Notts CL member at her home to meet the guide dog puppy (Indigo) who she is hosting during the first year of its life. Lynne generously provided light refreshments in return for a donation to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. A fellow puppy walker from Lincoln brought her puppy along, as well as another friend attending who has a working guide dog. We raised £125.00 on the night for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

We will soon be visiting Flintham museum which looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Shopping before Supermarkets! There will be another coffee morning at the end of July before we start August playing croquet, and bowls, at Steve Tooley's farm in the Vale of Belvoir.

June days out started with a visit to the Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln on Sunday 1st. Four people were there from Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire, The visit included an interesting talk about the history of the museum. There was an air raid shelter that two people ventured into, and a small allotment area showing what vegetables would have been grown during the war. There is a report about this visit on the website (see below).

Two members from Warwickshire spent the day at Cheshire County Show later in the month where they met some members from the Cheshire group. The highlight of the day was a ride on the back of a monster truck. That was £10 well spent.

Lorraine also visited a local vintage vehicle show where she had the opportunity to drive some vintage diesel steam rollers, and engines.

On Sunday 1st June three members from Nottinghamshire Country Link (Pat Bosworth, John Greasley, and Peter Hunt) joined Lorraine Clarke on her National Day Out at the International Bomber Command Centre near to Lincoln.

The visit began with a guided tour around the peace gardens, where the volunteer guide explained that 27 trees had been planted here to represent each of the (27) WW2 RAF stations based in Lincolnshire.

Moving on from the peace garden we walked to the 31m tall spire and the memorial 'Walls of Names' which display the names of almost 58,000 men and women who lost their lives serving or supporting Bomber Command during WW2. The height of the spire is the same as the wingspan of the Avro Lancaster bomber.

During WW2 more than 1 million people, men and women, served or supported Bomber Command. They were from 62 different nations across the world and included Aircrew, Ground Crew, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Auxiliary Air Transport, Auxiliary Transport Services, NAAFI, as well as many others. They were united in their efforts and we have them to thank for the freedom we enjoy today.

Special tributes are made to the roles played by women. Some of those roles involved control room operations, with many women flying solo delivering planes to RAF bases across the country.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day there is currently a display of ceramic poppies, the centre of which displays the shape of a Lancaster Bomber.

The Chadwick Centre uses state of the art technology and interactive displays to tell the story of Bomber Command. The stories are told by those who witnessed the events first hand.

Entry to the centre is with an annual pass and with so much to see and experience another visit is definitely on the cards.

For more information about the centre visit https://internationalbcc.co.uk/visit

On Sunday 9th March seven members from Warwickshire and Derbyshire visited Sudbury Hall and Childhood Museum, and spent some time in the gardens there.

Many of the members could remember playing with a variety of the toys in their own childhood, and there were toys that they had bought for their own children.

In the house there was a beautiful painting that was actually painted directly onto the wall with a fake frame put around it to make it look like a picture. With the warm and sunny weather they also had a perfect weekend weather wise which was a bonus.