Oct 17 Clevedon Centre Please keep a note of the following telephone number should you need to contact the NSCYM Clevedon Centre on a Saturday: 07824 085809 If you are contacting NSCYM to advise that a member is unavailable for that mornings rehearsal, it is easier if you send a text message. www.nsmusic4you.org.uk You responded to our tour survey, and we have acted upon your views. We are proposing in July 2018 the Clevedon Centre embarks upon a Loire Tour! We propose leaving on the 25 th July and heading by 83 seater double decker coach with trailer to the Loire Valley in France. The accommodation we have found is fantastic and situated within a lakeside leisure complex. We will stay at the Parc de Loisirs du Lac de Maine, Avenue du Lac de Maine 49000 Angers, France. Have a look on Google it is fabulous. The accommodation includes rehearsal space and is within the lake grounds, which as a community space is very safe with lifeguards etc. and offers all kinds of opportunities. However, it is also a brilliant base for the concerts we will give and the sights we will want to see!
We have an outline itinerary in the planning which currently is as follows. Decisions about the excursions still need to be made. Day 1 / Wednesday 25 July 00:30 hrs Departure 06:30 hrs Check in for ferry crossing (sleep on the coach) 07:30 hrs Ferry crossing from Dover-Calais 10:00 hrs Arrival (local time) in France 18:00 hrs - On arrival at your accommodation, check in to your rooms and then go straight to the restaurant for dinner. After dinner a group walk along the lake side and some outdoor games will stretch the limbs and get the circulation going after being sat on the coach for most of the day. Day 2 / Thursday 26 July Possible excursion to Langeais, visiting the chateau built in the 15th Century. A union of the two warring regions was finally made by a wedding between the Duchess Anne of Brittany and Charles VIII, so the building is full of interesting history. We could go on a guided tour (in English) of the Troglodyte Village and Museum. This very special site covers an area of around 1 hectare and displays the way of life of the Troglodytes. We would be able to visit two Troglodyte farms containing many historical objects, an underground chapel as well as a modern troglodyte home. Or of course we could go for a swim and try some of the attractions at the lake. 16:00 hrs Rehearsal at venue Evening meal at our accommodation 19:30 Concert as part of local cultural festival! Day 3 / Friday 27 July Excursion to Saumur which is a typical picture postcard French town, set among a landscape of vineyards and wineries. With its imposing chateau overlooking the Loire & exquisite medieval streets, it is a wonderful town to explore. The town is well known for its lovely shops and restaurants. We could visit the Château on the historic Kings Valley Route. Since its construction at the end of the 11th century, the Château of Saumur has been a fortress, a manor house, a residence for the town governors, a prison, and even an arms and ammunitions depot. The château, overlooking the town and the majestic Loire, was bought from the state in 1906 by the town of Saumur which, after having restored part of it, used it to set up the town s museum. Rehearsal at venue followed by a three-course meal in a tourist class restaurant. 20:30 hrs Concert in Saumur
Day 4 / Saturday 28 July Sightseeing in Angers: Angers is the capital of Anjou and gateway to the Loire valley. It is a city rich in cultural heritage and has more than 300 km of navigable waterways. The chateau in the town is a formidable fortress with seventeen circular towers which houses the spectacular Tapestry of the Apocalypse. Only ten minutes walk from here along the quayside is the splendid Cathedral St- Maurice with its dramatic stepped approach. We could go on a boat cruise along the Maine river. Just in case of rain at any time we could also visit the Bowling Alley. We could also visit to the Chateau d'angers and its fantastic gardens. 14:00 hrs Rehearsal at concert venue 17:30 hrs Free time for changing in to concert dress 19:30 hrs Concert: Salle Hugues Anglade, Langeais 20:30 hrs - Three-course meal in a tourist class restaurant,. Day 5 / Sunday 29 July 10:00 hrs Check out of accommodation 16:15 hrs Check in for ferry crossing 17:15 hrs Ferry crossing from Calais-Dover 17:45 hrs Arrival (local time) in Dover 23:00 hrs Arrival at drop off point in the sun shine state of North Somerset! We hope you agree this should be a fantastic tour, with the venues selected because they normally generate really good audiences, no shortage of things to do and see, good food and accommodation in a very safe environment away from the main town. However, we are pulling this together quite late and the accommodation is putting pressure on us to confirm very, very soon. In fact they only have the rooms on hold for us until next weekend! We are really sorry but this means everyone needs to make their decision about whether to be involved by next Saturday. So the attached slip and a non-refundable deposit for 100 (so long as the tour goes ahead) must be given to Rog Sansom at next Saturday s rehearsal. If not enough players bring deposits next weekend for the ensembles to be viable then the tour will not go ahead and we will return all deposits. If the tour is viable and does go ahead deposits will not be returned even if your child pulls out a later date, because we will have already paid the hotel and they won t refund us.
Cost The recent survey we conducted revealed that in order for most people to engage with the tour the cost needs to be kept to no more 500. This can only be done if 65 young musicians take part. If only 60 want to go on tour the cost per person increases to 520, and if only 55 players take part the cost will be 540. We hope most people will want to take part and the cost can be kept to 500. To help us make the decision about whether to go ahead if less than 60 sign up we ask on the reply slip for you to tick whether you are prepared for your child to still take part if the cost goes up to 520. This avoids us having to contact everyone again if the numbers are a little low. Although we believe this tour will be a fantastic experience for all that take part, both musically and socially we do not want anyone to feel pressured into allowing their children to take part.
Loire Tour! 2018 Young Musicians Name: Instrument/s: I would like my child to take part in the NSCYM Loire Valley tour in July 2018. Cheque for 100 (made payable to North Somerset Council) attached. I agree to pay the balance of 400 by Friday 9 th March 2018. If the cost of the tour increases to 520 in total I would Parent/Carer Name: Parent/Carer Signature: Contact Phone Number: Contact email: 1. Still like my child to take part and agree to pay the 420 balance by Friday 9 th March 2018. 2. Withdraw my child from the tour and accept the return of my deposit. The contact phone number and email you provide will only be recorded and used for correspondence regarding NSCYM activity. Please return to Roger Sansom with cheque for 100 made payable to North Somerset Council on or by Saturday 14 th October.