North West 30s - Progressing in Faith and Friendship
INTO A NEW DECADE WITH NEW HOPE AND RESOLUTIONS

Hello to you all and welcome to the first installment of the Programme of Events for 2010 

I hope you all had a happy and holy Christmas and enjoyed bringing in the New Year in with family, friends and loved ones and are ready for the challenge that 2010 provides 

Before I provide details of the forthcoming events for January/ February I would like to draw your attention to a particular piece of Good News - Project 2030 is now in its tenth year of existence and much credit and praise is due to Father Hugh who had the wisdom,foresight and vision to start a group that continues to bring together people of varying ages and backgrounds with one essential factor in common - their sense of spirituality.
 
With this in mind there are a number of events being organised by the various groups over the next year and I would like to encourage you all to try and be a part of these as they promise to be very entertaining.  We are looking at having a joint event with the other North West groups on 23rd - 25th July.  If you have any ideas you would like to suggest/organise/host then it is never too soon to put them forward - the more that we can offer the other groups the more likely they are to attend and enjoy what the North West has to offer. Details of the groups weekends are as follows :-

1 Belfast - March 19th-21st - this recently formed 40somethings group are hosting their first weekend open to all the other groups and their formation is a further testament to the continuing popularity of the group and proof that it is growing from strength to strength. 

2 Iona and Fingal's Cave, Staffa - 31st April - 3rd May - Iona is a small island on the west of Scotland, off Mull, which some of the group have visited nearly every year. It's where St Columba founded his monastery in the 6th century and is now a place of pilgrimage, with a restored abbey and small Catholic Centre where we say Mass.  Leaving Glasgow Central Station at 11.00 am on the Friday morning. Train and ferry to Mull. Staying at Ffionphort, just across the narrow channel from Iona. Time to explore the abbey and island, the possibility of going to visit Fingal's Cave on Staffa, a world heritage site made famous by Mendelsson's Overture. Monday morning travel back to Glasgow in time to catch flight back home.   This is a 30somethings event.  The London 30s are already getting names together to go on this annual event.  We need a North West Contact  to help co-ordinate travel etc.
 

3 Dublin - May 28th - 31st - this 40somethings weekend event in this location is always well supported by the local group members and there is always plenty on offer for the many people from other groups that choose to attend 

4 North West - July 23rd - 25th - there have been weekends held here on a number of occasions in the past few years but it would be great if we could together make this a success and maybe it could become a regular fixture in the yearly events.  

5 London - No date has been set for this years weekend but is usually in mid-late September so when I have further details I will let you know - this group always hosts a great party on the Saturday of this weekend and also the hotel owned by the family of one of the members Hans is always a great choice to stay as it centrally located and reasonably priced and therefore a great base to explore the variety of options the Capital has to offer

6 Glasgow - October 22nd-24th - Again another well organised weekend - this group works very hard to provide a wide range of activities for the friends from other groups and is well supported by locals and not so local alike

Now that I have provided a long term view of the group activities over the coming twelve months I would like to outline the events for the next few weeks

Friday January 8th - Regular Monthly meeting at the Pumphouse, Liverpool  - as the first Friday fell on New Years Day this has been resheduled for this Friday and as always is a relaxed get together in this pleasant bar in the Albert Docks - Contact Jane to confirm that you are going to be there and if you are coming for the first time contact Maria to make arrangements to be there   

Saturday January 16th - Regular Get Together in Manchester City Centre - Meeting at the Kro Bar in Piccadilly Gardens - meeting at around 7.30pm for a few drinks and then head onto a few other bars in the city centre for a chance to catch up with other members of the group. Contact Donna to confirm that you would like to be there and if you are coming for the first time contact Maria so that all details can be arranged.

Saturday January 23rd - Mexican meal in Waterloo - help to banish the winter blues and get together in a newly established restaurant in the renowned location of South Road - if you are interested in coming contact Maria for more details and to make arrangements

Saturday January 30th- A Walk Over Longridge Fell To Hurst Green (40s event with open invitation to 30s)  7½ miles, 3-4 hours. Forest tracks, pasture and some lane walking. Mainly easy but with a gradual ascent to top of fell.  Not too strenuous but waterproofs & walking boots required.Meet 1pm: Forestry car park: Clitheroe Old Road - 6 miles east of Longridge. [GR 687405] From Longridge centre follow signs for Jeffrey Hill off B5269. Where lane divides keep right, past caravan park. Continue to next road junction. Cross and continue for further 2 miles. Notice a signpost on right indicating Hurst Green 2½ miles. Car park is on right a mile beyond this signpost. Contact Duncan.  

Friday February 5th - Regular meeting at the Pumphouse, Liverpool - details as for January 8th

Saturday February 13th - Masquerade Ball at the Bungalow in Stockport - following on from the highly successful Halloween Party held here last year and inspired by the trip made to Venice last year by the twenties it would be great to celebrate Valentines day with a fun get together - it will take a similar format to the previous party with the exception of fancy dress (although if you want to dress up in an approriatly themed costume you are welcome to) but the only thing you need is a half or full face mask - you can either get your own (and maybe decorate it to make it very personal) or I can purchase a number of them and provide it for you ( no scary masks as that is more appropriate for Halloween) - for more details contact Maria as soon as possible - particularly if you are planning to stay at the bungalow overnight on Saturday as places are very limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  You can also get reasonable B & B accommodation at the Saxon Holme Hotel, a few hundred yards away.  Hugh will say Mass for us on the Sunday morning at 11.30 am.  Even if you can't get to the party you are welcome to come along on the Sunday for the Mass.  Some of us usually go across the road to the carvery then for lunch. Directions:  As you turn off Wellington Road North into Denby Lane you’ll see St John’s immediately on your right, at the junction of the two roads.  The next house along (across the car park from St John’s) is the The Bungalow, 6 Denby Lane.  If you are catching a taxi give the directions as ‘6 Denby Lane, off Wellington Road North’.  If you are catching the bus from Stockport or Manchester it's the 192 and get off near the Toby Carvery, near Heaton Chapel railway station. 

Saturday February 20th - Regular meeting at the Kro Bar , Manchester - details as for January 16th 

Sunday 28th February - Winter Sports Part One - Ice Skating
Whether you have been ice skating before or not feel free to join us at the rink in Altrincham - the price is approximately £4.50 with an additional £2.00 for skate hire - we are hoping to meet at about midday as it should be very quiet and therefore give us space to make our way round in peace. The address for the event is Silver Blades Ice Rink, Oakfield Road, Station Site, Altrincham WA14 1BA - For more details contact Maria and hope to see you with your skates on

Saturday 13th March - Winter Sports Part Two - A Day at the Chill Factore
Why not have a day out to remember at Manchester’s coolest indoor real snow venue.Whether you’re hitting the slopes or simply want to sit back and enjoy the après ski atmosphere of the Alpine village then Chill Factor^e. We can offer a number of discounts on snow activities for groups of 10 people or over and based on minimum spend.If you don’t fancy skiing, you can have some fun in the snow – sliding down the slope in snow tubes, or whizzing down the 60 metre long ice luge slide. There’s even a 12 metre high climbing wall to tackle in the Alpine village. Chill Factor^e is a truly unique setting to experience something fun.Panoramic views of the sparkling real snow slopes also provide a unique party backdrop for after your snow activity, so why not embrace the whole alpine experience all under one roof?You are guaranteed a day out with a difference, with a wide range of well known brands of shops, bars and restaurants. 

Getting there by car -Chill Factor^e is situated less than four miles from the centre of Manchester.  We are opposite the Trafford Centre and conveniently located just off the M60 motorway at junction 10.  Chill Factor^e ski slope is signposted from the motorway exit.  We offer free parking and have over 300 car parking spaces available.  Chill Factor^e,
Trafford Quays Leisure Village,
Trafford Way,
Manchester
M41 7JA

Getting Here By Bus- The nearest bus station is at the Trafford Centre which is opposite Chill Factor^e (5 minutes walk away).

ML1: The Trafford Centre Metrolink Shuttle Bus - The Trafford Centre Metrolink Shuttle Bus is a direct, express service to Manchester’s Metrolink Tram service.  The shuttle bus links The Trafford Centre to Stretford Metrolink Station and runs 7 days a week, 363 days a year, with services every 20 minutes, from early till late.  One ticket will enable you to travel direct to The Trafford Centre from anywhere on the Metrolink network.  Just look for the ‘Trafford Centre Shuttle Bus’ button on any Metrolink ticket machine.  

Bus route 250 - The 250 service, operated by Stagecoach Manchester, is a high frequency bus link direct to Manchester City Centre via Old Trafford. The service runs from early till late 364 days a year, every 10-15 minutesBuses run regularly from all over the Greater Manchester area to the Trafford Centre's on-site Bus Station, at the end of Regent Crescent.  Full details of all bus services running from the Trafford Centre can be found on a public transport leaflet at
http://www.traffordcentre.co.uk/gettinghere/busandtrain/

For further travel information please contact The Trafford Centre Bus Station on 0161 749 1788 or 07771 971187. 

Getting there By Train -There are regular main-line trains into Manchester Piccadilly station, which is in the centre of Manchester.  From there you can access a connecting Metrolink tram to Stretford station.  You then need to board the Metrolink Shuttle Bus which travels directly to The Trafford Centre, which is opposite Chill Factor^e and is a 5 minute walk away.Alternatively you can take a taxi from Manchester Piccadilly train station which takes 15-20 minutes and costs approximately £15. If you are interested in joining us for some fun on the slopes can you contact Martin so that we can get booked in as soon as possible -  - don't forget to wear warm clothing as the climate on the slopes is very authentic  

So that is the next few months outlined - I hope that there is something there that appeals to you and that I will see you at an event in the near future. If there is something you think of to add to the above events feel free to contact me via e-mail and I can do my best to include it at short notice. Also I would like to start work on the newsletter for March/April at the end of this month and would really appreciate it if you could put forward your suggestions as soon as possible as that makes my job as diary secretary so much easier

Take Care and God Bless you all

Maria (NW 30s Diary Secretary)