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Phyllis Court Club

Club News Regatta Edition Summer 2015

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Inside this issue

Regatta Facts and Gallery 4-7

Regatta & Festival Review 8-9

Forthcoming Events 10

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Chairman’s Regatta Review

The sun that we had all hoped for had

his hat on for the first day of Regatta

and he kept it on all week.

I stepped out onto the terrace and

was greeted by the scene which our

staff had worked tirelessly for three

long days to create, a wonderful

setting for us all to enjoy the 2015

Henley Royal Regatta. The results

were the culmination of a full year’s

planning.

Many more members and their

guests graced the grounds than I

have seen before on a Wednesday.

The new dark wood tables and chairs

with cream umbrellas in the 150

Members’ Enclosure, along with

the beautiful flowers, prompted

many favourable comments. By

11.30am the temperature was

soaring and at 12.55pm I announced

that “Gentlemen may remove their

jackets”. We later learned that it

was the hottest July day on record

reaching 36 degrees.

Lunch Rapide was a popular choice

for enjoying outside as was the

ballroom with its air conditioning.

Thursday saw a welcome drop in

temperature with a few early drops

of rain, but this soon cleared and

it was another sunny day with the

Finlay Marquee offering delicacies

such as crab and lobster – my idea of

bliss!

The weather held for the rest of the

event until a sharp shower just before

prize-giving on the Sunday.

We had greater corporate take up

this year in the Riverside Pavilion, and

many visitors from reciprocal clubs.

One of whom I spoke to deemed it

‘an amazing spectacle and a magical

experience’.

The Evening Events were full on the

Thursday and Friday with improved

take-up for the Wednesday and

Saturday.

Overall the atmosphere was well-

mannered and well-behaved –

we sold quite a few Club ties to

gentlemen trying to get in without

neckwear, some ladies tried changing

into short dresses in the cloakroom

once past security, but our staff and

security personnel dealt firmly and

diplomatically with any behaviour

which was not within the spirit of the

occasion.

My congratulations go to the Club

staff under Club Manager Stuart

Barr - it was a privilege to witness

him marshalling and inspiring the

troops each morning before opening

– and to our Charity Action Group for

raising the grand sum of £8,735. And

lastly, the rowing was superb.

It did not end there; Our wonderful

Riverside Pavilion proved the best

spot on the river for us to enjoy the

music of Henley Festival. I heard

many Members saying ‘how lucky are

we’ as they dined or just came for a

drink and enjoyed the sights and the

sounds.

There are many more events to enjoy

this year and I hope to see you all

there.

Tricia

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Regatta Facts 2015

Over the 5 days we welcomed 7132 guests to Phyllis Court Club, 605 visitors to our Riverside

Pavilion hospitality boxes, 98 Members to the Isis Lounge and sold:

1347 Jugs of Pimm’s

1189 Glasses of Pimm’s

523 Bottles of Champagne

544 Bottles of House White Wine

2221 meals from Lunch Rapide

427 Scones for Afternoon Tea in the Long Bar and Thames Room

An additional 130 staff were employed to help over the Regatta week along with 23 security

personnel from Assist Security.

Thankfully only 9 visits to The St John’s Ambulance tent were made over the 5 days and from the

Monday through to the Sunday of the Regatta period Stuart Barr the Club Manager walked 78.6

miles.

This equates to 167, 239 steps!

2016 Regatta Dates:

Wednesday 29th June - Sunday 3rd July 2016

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Regatta Facts 2015

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On the hottest day of the year so far, 108 Members came down to the Riverside Pavilion to enjoy an

informal cocktail reception to celebrate the First Night of Regatta! With a Tom Collins on arrival, guests

were able to take in some of the action on the Thames whilst waiters served a steady flow of tempting

canapés and bowl food including Wild Mushroom Risotto, Prawn & Chorizo Skewers and Chicken Curry!

Regatta 2015

On the second night of Regatta the Club was delighted to be able to

welcome back John Savournin of Charles Court Opera and Andrew

Nicklin who together treated Members to an uproarious yet

sophisticated evening of Flanders and Swann. A wonderful summer

menu of Chilled Melon & Mint Soup followed by Roast Corn Fed

Chicken and a delicious Dark Torte was substance enough to get

185 Members to join in a sing along at the end of the evening as well!

Wednesday 1st July - Cocktails & Canapés

Thursday 2nd July - Flanders & Swann

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Regatta 2015 Evening Events

As is now customary at the Club, Friday

evening of Regatta is all about the jazz,

and oh it was some jazz! After dining on

Lobster Bisque, Roast Fillet of Angus Beef

and Summer Berries in Champagne, 192

Members warmly welcomed to the stage

the superb ‘Red Hot Peppers’ with Martin

Litton. A fine ensemble and performance.

Oh what a night! This year the Club went Mediterranean

and 137 Members were treated to a mezze style dining

experience. It was a true feast for your eyes with the Chefs

creating dishes such as Bruschetta, Caponata, Arancini, Paella

and Tiramisu to name but a few! Guests were then treated

to the brilliant tunes of The Mighty Persuaders. To finish

Members were able to take a break from the dance floor to

enjoy the annual Henley Royal Regatta fireworks display.

Friday 3rd July - The Red Hot Peppers

Saturday 4th July - The Regatta Party

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Secretary’s Notes

As this summer celebratory

edition of Club News shows, we

had wonderful weather again this

year and a great time at Regatta,

with Wednesday proving to be the

hottest July day on record which

brought about a rare relaxation

of the dress code – Gentlemen

could remove their jackets!

There was strong support from

Members and guests plus welcome

contingents from reciprocal

clubs which made the Saturday

particularly busy. On that day 695

were catered-for in the Lunch

Rapide alone, and all other catering

and spectating areas were full.

Thursday evening’s trip down

memory lane with Flanders & Swann

was much enjoyed, culminating in

a rendition of ‘Mud, Mud, Glorious

Mud!’ but thankfully without the

actual presence of the substance

on-site thanks to the warm dry spell.

Jazz on Friday night was a sell-

out and the transformation of the

menu for the Ballroom Saturday

Night Party was warmly received.

Henley Festival week saw full use

of the Riverside Pavilion with a

bar facility on the Upper Deck

and full dining below with the

choice of early and late sittings.

Looking forward, the list of

forthcoming Club events appears

on page 10, but may I commend

to you in particular the 18th

August performance of Ruddigore.

On-line booking is available for

those who wish to use it as a

more convenient way of booking

places in the Orangery and

Dining Room, the booking of the

‘sporting venues’ (tennis, snooker,

croquet) and for Club events.

As ever, you can keep abreast of

all Club news via In Touch which is

published by e-mail each Tuesday

and Thursday. To ensure your

correct e-mail contact address is

on the distribution list please email

emma.forster@phylliscourt.co.uk.

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In what is an astonishingly quick time

the Buckinghamshire side of the river

is transformed from Regatta rowing

to Henley Festival rockstar ready!

This year’s line-up showed a nod to

the classical with Gershwin and the

contemporary to Jessie J highlighting

it’s the diversity of Henley Festival

that makes it such well enjoyed

event. It is a dynamic festival and of

course the floating stage adds to the

experience! As ever the Club hosted

the Sea Cadets who volunteered

their time to ferry Members from

one side of the river to the other

enabling dining in the Riverside

Pavilion before venturing the festival

site. The Pavilion served as the

perfect venue to either enjoy drinks

on the Upper Deck or fine dining on

the Lower Deck from Wednesday

through to Friday and both early

and late sittings were fully booked.

Saturday evening saw Black Tie

dining with a delicious set menu from

Tarik Ramjaun the Head Chef and of

course the Champagne was flowing!

Henley Festival 2015

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARYThe Gurkha Welfare Trust Grand Curry Lunch

A very special event this year sees the

Club supporting The Ghurkha Welfare

Trust Grand Curry Lunch on the August

Bank Holiday Monday. Following a

Nepalese cuisine buffet lunch, the Pipes

and Drums of the RGR will perform with

Pipers and Dancers from QG Signals.

There will also be a raffle and performance by

RAF Benson Military Wives Choir and a static

display from the Classic Car Section. We hope

to see you at the Club showing your support

and celebrating the remarkable milestone of 200 years of service to the Crown.

Classical Concert & Dinner with the Karavai Balalaika QuartetFrom Oxford’s twinned city Perm come Russia’s

foremost Balalaika players for their third visit to

Phyllis court. Winners of numerous accolades

in their home country, their repertoire covers

almost every musical genre - their own versions of

songs from their native region, film themes, jazz,

Beatles and world music as well as arrangements of

classics by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturyan

and others. Their virtuosity and musicianship

together with the warmth of their personalities

combine to make their concerts unforgettable.

Ladies Late Summer Dinner

After the success of the Mothers &

Daughters dinner supported by The

Fragrance Foundation last September the

Club will be hoping to host an annual late

summer dinner for the Ladies of the Club,

their friends, mothers and daughters.

The event is a wonderful opportunity to

enjoy a lovely evening in the Riverside

Pavilion before autumn creeps up on us!

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Charity Action Group at RegattaThe Charity Action Group would like

to thank all members and their guests

for their generosity at Regatta 2015.

The total now stands at £8735.95

for both. £5013 for the raffle and

£3722.95 for the Silent Auction.

Our next event is the extremely

popular annual Quiz run by

Wendy and Paul Vye who

have already prepared a range

and variety of questions.

This event attracts many members

who are happy to make up new

teams and add to the fierce

competition which exists between

the Interest sections who provide

at least one and often more teams

to compete. This year teams might

like to find appropriate names!

Annual Quiz

Thursday 17 September

7pm

£32

2-course meal

Raffle

All proceeds raised by the Charity

Action Group are in aid of:

One Year Member DinnerA relaxed dinner hosted by the Club’s Chairman

to welcome those who have joined the Club

within the last year. It is an excellent way to

meet other new Members and find out a little

more about Club life and the many Interest

Groups available! Invitations will be sent to

all One Year Members so keep the date free.

Please click here to view the forthcoming Charity Action

Group events

Events are bookable 6 weeks in advance online or by phoning Reception on 01491 570500.

To view all the photos from Henley Regatta and Festival at Phyllis Court Club please visit the

‘photo gallery’ page on www.pccmembers.org.