Morris Ring Meetings for 2010

26^th - 28^th March ARM Hosted by Stafford Morris Men

Abbots Bromley School for Girls, Staffordshire, WS15 3BW

BAGMAN FOR THE WEEKEND: Peter Copley: Stafford Morrismen :

Download the application form and details from the Files section of the Morris Ring Google Group {as an MS Word Document}.

Please complete the form with the above details and return to Peter Copley with full payment, payable to Stafford Morris Men (Misdemeanours), by 12th February 2010. Confirmation and directions will be sent to the contact named below unless otherwise specified.

Charlie Corcoran, Morris Ring Bagman, says:
"I would like to thank the several sides who at very late notice offered to host the ARM in March. The lucky winner of the 'honour' are Stafford MM. For those who have not seen Morris: A Life with bells on we are negotiating a screening on the Friday evening. You will see that we are again offering Workshops / Instructionals on the Saturday. More information in the pre-Christmas Newsletter"

30^th April - 2^nd May, Morrisdansgroep Helmond 75^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting

There will be two tours running in opposite directions round the same 5 stops with lunch taken at the middle stop. The feast will be at the Theo Driessen Institute (named after the club's founder) and following Ray Kings advice (Squire for the Helmond meeting in 1985) this will be followed by an indoor show to a paying audience. Guest teams will be to contribute "turns" or "acts" to make this a varied show. There will be a formal display around Sunday lunch time.

30th April is the Dutch Queen's Day in Holland and a public holiday. Helmond MM usually perform inHelmond from about 11 until 4 o'clock that day. It is a uniquely Dutch day with everyone in ahappy mood. Those visiting teams who are able are invited to arrive a day early and to join us on that day.

There will be a separate price for this to cover Thursday evening meal and Friday breakfast - lunch will be at your own cost).

Monday 3rd Mayis a bank holiday in the UK (but not in Holland)and we will try to keep the accommodation open for men who may want to delay their departure until the Monday. We would suggest a "Dutch treat" meal in town on the Sunday evening and the only other costs to the men will be Monday breakfast.

4^th June - 6^th June Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting

The overwhelming success of the 75th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting in Thaxted, the so called Great Northern, where 33 sides, over 400 dancers and eight tours left a lasting impression on AA Gill in the Sunday Times, BBC Panorama and an early day motion in parliament, and not least Thaxted, who are still recovering and the church where the feast of feasts took place. We are hoping for a slightly more modest meeting for 2010 in the run up to our Centenary in 2011, but that of course is up to you.

If you are a fan of anniversaries and the work of the Morris revivalist and social worker Mary Neal, it is the 150th anniversary of her birth on the Saturday 5th June. It was one of her Esperance teachers, Blanche Payling, who taught the first Thaxted side which numbered 50 plus in 1911. Unlike this year when we were the most northerly Morris Ring meeting, next year we are the only UK Morris Ring meeting before the Autumn so come and see what all the fuss has been about and make our classic 77th meeting in our 99th year even more special and worth celebrating.

The Thaxted Morris Meeting is the one against which all other meetings are compared. Sword dance in front of the medieval cutlers guildhall, folk and mummers plays in front of the guildhall and church, feast in style, process from both ends of the town and experience massed dancing in the arena of Town Street and just when you thought you had reached experience overload, all will go quiet and the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up for the climax of our Horn Dance. We are fully licensed, wired up and prepared for whatever you may want to perform provided it is of a high enough standard. Join those who come year after year and make it the spectacle that it is and an experience to remember. Reductions for children and day men, individuals and scratch sides as well as full sides are very welcome. There is extensive indoor and outdoor camping available. Cost estimated between £65 and £70 for the full weekend with all meals, but can be reduced if you dont book every meal.
Numbers approximately 300.

3^rd - 5^th September Trigg Morris Ring Meeting

Due to a shortage of meetings Trigg foolishly and belatedly offered to stage another one after a lapse of some 14 years. This will give us an excuse to celebrate our 40 years of existence. After making the decision, we had to overcome a further setback when shunned by our original choice of venue; but we are pleased to say that is all behind us.

The date was not chosen to give us extra organisational time, but to give you an easier time getting here, in the past when we have had earlier meetings there have usually been problems for some of you actually getting here on the Friday evening.

We will be using Poltair School in St Austell where we can accommodate a 100 or so men, where the main accommodation will be in the Sports Hall, and we are currently negotiating the possibility of providing space for some of the hardier souls who might want to camp, and those needing the comfort of their camper vans!

We will be using a common format and Saturday tours will be arranged so that everyone will get to dance somewhere in a town and in the countryside as well as at the coast as you must have some sea air if coming to Cornwall. Ale connoisseurs will know that in the County we have at least 3 very popular breweries and your tours should give you occasion to sample their wares.

Sunday will be reserved for the customary visit to church and a show for the public before you lunch and take the (long) journey home.

If you had not already guessed, the cost of your weekend with us will cost you between £65 and £70.

We know it may be a long way, (it is the same for us every time), but if any side wants to extend their stay for an extended Morris Tour, or just for any other relaxation I am sure we could help you find accommodation or let you know where you should go! (There might even be those who want to bring families or partners for the weekend on the Riviera whilst they get on with the serious business of the Morris, we might also give them a few pointers too!)

10^th - 12^th September Castleford Longsword Ring Meeting

This Northern Morris Ring Meeting will be located close to the historic market town of Selby, in the village of Thorpe Willoughby in North Yorkshire.

Accommodation will be mainly outdoor camping with limited (20 men max) indoor camping in the village hall.

The beverage for the weekend will be specially brewed for us by the local Brown Cow Brewery at a cost of £2 a pint. Due to many limitations this will be a relatively small meeting of 120 men max with tours visiting the very historic city of York and its surrounding villages by double decker buses. Saturday lunch will be taken at The Yorkshire Air Museum near the village of Elvington and once again beer will be brewed by the Brown Cow Brewery.

We would advise anyone wishing to partake of a drop or two of the amber nectar in York take their own Tankard as glasses are not allowed in outside areas in the centre of York.

Massed display on Sunday in Selby will follow the Church service in Selby Abbey. Lunch will be taken back at Thorpe Willoughby village hall before you depart on your journey homewards.

Cost of the weekend will be £54 per man, limited space may be available on Saturday or Sunday for those wishing to attend for part of the weekend, but will depend on how popular the weekend proves to be, and preference will be given to full weekend attendees. We look forward to seeing you in Yorkshire.

And from 2009, a Memory of Bramble Bank