Contents of the Summer 2011 Northants News

        The Northern Area Weekend                Diana Capel

Now Diana brings us this report from the Northern Area Weekend held at Alston Hall 4th - 6th March 2011. Looks like the Capels had a good time!

On a dry but chilly morning the 4th March Jeff and I left home at 10.30am to go to the Northern Weekend at Alston Hall, in Longridge near Preston.

Alston Hall is a splendid Victorian Mansion located in the beautiful Ribble Valley a few miles to the east of Preston. It was built in 1876 as a family home for Mr John Mercer. Mr Mercer started his career as a railway surveyor but later became a colliery proprietor. It was established in 1962 as a Day Learning Centre and is now the Lancashire Adult Learning College South & East Area.

We arrived at the College at about 2.30 pm after taking a short break. We got into the wrong lane on the M6 just before Birmingham and had to take the Toll Road, this is not a cheap option at £5.30 but it is not so stressful and a lot more comfortable than struggling through Birmingham on a Friday. After finding our room we went down to the Conservatory where attendees gather to have a cup of tea and a chat. There did not seem to be so many attending this year and a few of the familiar faces were missing.  At 7.00pm we were called to dinner, which consisted of Minestrone soup with hot rolls, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and a delicious blueberry pudding with cream, bang went my diet.

John Miller was the speaker after dinner, he arrived just in time to give his talk as he had been held up on the M6 motorway due to an accident, his talk was called ‘Around and about in Mexico’, a digital presentation with excellent pictures of Mammillarias, Opuntias, Pilocereus and many others, finishing at around 10.00pm when everybody rushed to the bar for a drink, (or two).

Saturday morning after breakfast, Tim Marshall gave an excellent talk and digital presentation on ‘Cacti and their associated flora in Central South America’, which consisted of pictures of shrubs, herbaceous plants and cacti in Bolivia. Tim is Head Gardener at Holkham Hall in North Norfolk a 25,000-acre agricultural estate. The estate now comprises a deer park, holiday park, several shops, a building company and an internationally acclaimed hotel and pub.

After coffee and biscuits Derek Tribble, who is a member of Harrow Branch, took to the floor with an exciting talk called ‘Extreme Plant hunting in Namibia 2007’ which included an excellent slide show.

After a buffet lunch, the afternoon is free with the Sale of Plants, books and raffle tickets and if you feel able you can go for a walk in the beautiful woodland down to the Ribble Valley, or down the road to see the Observatory. Tea and cakes were served at 4.00pm.

John Miller then gave an excellent talk and presentation on ‘Turbinicarpus’.

After an excellent dinner (the diet had now fallen by the wayside), which left us all full up and barely able to keep awake, but needs must as Petr Pavelka was next to give a talk. Petr, who comes from the Czech Republic and who was a speaker at the Zone 6 Convention hosted by N&MK in 2008, gave a talk and digital presentation on ‘The best of Madagascar’. The talk was excellent and it included the devastation and destruction of Madagascar and he spoke about the eventual Civil War that he could see coming.

Time for a drink and bed.

Sunday, a lovely fine sunny morning, bags packed and in the car and then into breakfast after which Petr Pavelka gave another presentation on the ‘The Genus Copiapoa’. This is a new talk and the first time he had presented it as it had only been completed in November of last year.

Coffee and biscuit time again after which Derek Tribble gave a talk and slide show on ‘The Tanquana Hunt - Succulents around Laingsberg’.

We returned home with fond memories of another great weekend at Alston Hall, and as always the highlights for us are the good company, the food and of course the excellent talks and slide shows. Thanks to Dorothy and Ralph for the excellent organisation and hope that, if circumstances allow, to do it again next year.

Diana

 

Alston Hall Conference Centre

View of Alston Hall Conference Centre, near Preston

 

 

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