Busy in Bournemouth

The training pool at RNLI

Sales Manager, Claire Buckley, spent last weekend with the New Meridian Association Bournemouth on their ‘sunny’ Fam trip. She certainly was kept busy from the moment she arrived at the Cumberland Hotel on the Eastcliffe following her train journey from Cheshire.

First on the list of things to see was the Russell-Cotes Museum, a 10 minute stroll from the hotel, the spectacular seaside villa is home to Victorian art and collections from around the world. A must see when visiting the area. This was followed with a specially arranged Hop on Hop off bus tour from outside the hotel to Poole Quay, the journey takes in Sandbanks to see the homes of the rich and famous. Waiting at Poole was Granny Cousins and her sidekick Red who took us round the spooky nooks and crannies of the old town on a Ghost Walk. Leaving us at the pier, we had a surprise of the wonderful Meridian Corps of Drums play while we boarded the City Cruises Solent Scene to enjoy an evening sailing around the harbour while having traditional Fish & Chips and a disco.

Following a hearty breakfast, we again drove to Poole to start our day at Poole Pottery, where we had a demonstration from one of the potters, looking on in awe as he made a teapot in a few minutes. With a coffee stop at the Quayside Emporium and time for some retail therapy, before the short walk to the RNLI Headquarters for a 90 minute Discovery Tour to see how crews and lifeguards are trained. The volunteer guide told us how a crew member has 8 minutes from when the alarm goes off to get to their station and many more interesting facts. Unable to take the Swanage Ferry due to the size of our coach, we sat back to enjoy our packed lunch and the views before arriving in Swanage to board the steam train to Norden. The six miles of track weaves through the picturesque countryside and past the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle. Our next stop was the Bovington Tank Museum, a 30 minute drive from the station, celebrating 100 years of tanks and their crews are brought to life in the world’s best collection of tanks, exhibitions and events. Brad Pitt visited while making ‘Fury’ and the tank featured in the film is on display.

The evening started with a cocktail demonstration and the new Meridian around the world cocktail went down a treat before the Gala Dinner. Entertainment was provided by the fabulous Di James who sang all our favorites we requested.

With a meeting taking place on the Sunday, Claire had a spare hour to visit Bournemouth before boarding the train back North to recover from a very busy, enjoyable weekend.