70th Anniversary Ale weekend 9th to 11th July 2027 - invitation
Wessex Morris Men invite interest from sides to join with them next year in celebrating 70 years of dancing in Dorset and beyond.
The weekend will be based in Cerne Abbas, home of the famous chalk giant, and will hopefully
see us reunited with sides with whom we have shared good times and maybe some itinerant
team members.
It will be a relaxed affair and afford the opportunity to see what Dorset has to offer, particularly
on coach tours of the area on the Saturday.
Accommodation will be largely indoor camping in the village hall which will also serve as our
meal venue, so there may be a degree of de-camping required. For those more used to
'glamping' in their own vehicles (or even preferring outdoor camping) we are investigating local
options and of course the area boasts many a B&B should you require the comforts of home.
Our plans are at an early stage but the outline schedule is:
Friday – arrive mid-afternoon onwards, settle in, share ale and enjoy tea/supper in the hall, with
optional do-it-yourself entertainment in the village hostelries (short walk) in the evening;
Saturday – after breakfast depart on coach tours of Hardy country and our bucolic surroundings.
Lunch will of course be provided to break the day. Back for tea and a relax before a sumptuous
feast in the evening and entertain yourselves as Friday evening until you retire;
Sunday – activities still to be determined, but will include optional Morris involvement in the
church service. A 'Dorset' buffet lunch will follow to set you up for your journey home.
We will have a natural limit of 100 (including Wessex MM) imposed by the size of the hall. The
anticipated (subsidised) cost will likely be between £80 and £90.
Would you please respond with your side's initial interest (and potential numbers) to the e-mail
below. ‘Oddfellows’ are welcome to represent sides and share their talents with others over the
weekend, and there will be facilities to accommodate female side members separately as
required.
Please contact Ray Dyson, Wessex Morris Men bagman at: wmmbag [at] btinternet.com
