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Great Weekend Cambridge

Thursday 16th – Sunday 19th September 2021

 Incorporating the EAZ AGM & Members’ Forum 

The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to move our Great Weekend in Cambridge to 2021.  The result is not only a change of dates but also an expanded programme giving more time in the city of Cambridge itself.

The programme now includes two black-tie dinners at Cambridge colleges and a whole day in Cambridge visiting some of the architectural gems of the University.  We will spend a day in Ely, visiting the Cathedral, the Stained Glass Museum and the Almonry Restaurant. Sunday morning will be given over to the EAZ AGM and Members’ Forum followed by a buffet lunch.  Transport by coach will be provided throughout the weekend.

Our base will be the Holiday Inn Hotel, Impington, Cambridge.  The hotel is just outside the city centre with ample parking.  (One word of warning however, you will need to register your car with the hotel reception on arrival to escape the possibility of a fine.)  We have negotiated a very competitive rate for the weekend and the hotel will also host the AGM and Members’ Forum on Sunday morning.  If travelling by train it is a relatively short taxi ride from Cambridge Station.

On Thursday 16th September the first event, will be a black-tie Reception and Dinner at Corpus Christi College; a coach will pick us up from the hotel at 6.30 pm.  Corpus Christi College was founded in 1352 it is one of the smallest colleges in Cambridge University.  It is unique in that, while other colleges were founded by wealthy benefactors or religious orders, Corpus Christi was founded by the townspeople of Cambridge.

Friday 17th September will be spent in Cambridge.  Our coach will pick us up at the hotel and take us into the city.  We will enjoy a guided walking tour around some of the other colleges followed by a private tour and light lunch at St John’s College and a private tour of Queens’ College.  The coach will return us to the hotel for a short break before taking us back into the city for dinner at the University Arms Hotel.  Dinner this evening will be a smart casual affair.  One of the icons of Cambridge, the University Arms now has a young chef, Tristan Welch who is making something of a name for himself reinventing British classics using locally sourced ingredients.

On Saturday 18th September, the coach will pick us up at the hotel for the short drive to Ely.  We will spend the morning exploring the splendours of the medieval cathedral and the Stained Glass Museum which is unique in the UK.  There will be some free time either to explore the town itself or another museum, Oliver Cromwell’s house is nearby, or you may wish to ascend one of the cathedral towers.  (The towers, 165 and 288 steps respectively, demand a reasonable level of fitness and a head for heights.  There would also be an additional charge for this option.)  In the early afternoon we will head for the Almonry Restaurant and a special Afternoon Tea.  The Restaurant is situated within the Cathedral precinct.

Magdalene College will host our dinner on Saturday evening.  Magdalene was founded in 1428 and re-founded in 1542 by Thomas Audley, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor.  Samuel Pepys was a student at the College and subsequently a generous benefactor.  Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, became Master of the College in 2013.  Our Reception and Dinner will start in the Pepys Cloisters (weather permitting) before moving to the College Hall.  Dress Code will be black-tie.

The EAZ AGM and Members’ Forum will take place at the Holiday Inn on Sunday morning after which a buffet lunch will be provided before we all return home.  

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