What’s been happening?
Here are some of the highlights from the last month, and a few other bits ‘n’ bobs:
Cask ciders – punters are responding keenly to our provision of two real ciders available from the fridge in crisp chilled condition! Shiv will offer these as long as there’s interest and we hope they complement our range of up to five cask ales.
‘Summer Solstice Flower Crown-Making’ – this was a charming and very original occasion which demonstrated the more decorative side of celebrating the solstice, which took place on the actual evening itself, Wed 21 Jun. Our sincere thanks go to ‘The Girl Who Gardens’ AKA Renée for all her excellent efforts to prettify so many of our female customers!
‘From The Light Into The Dark: Ying And Yang Morris Dancing Tour’ – despite most of us not understanding the title, this proved to be very popular indeed, and our thanks go to Mark Stevens who adeptly organised the event for us on Sat 24 Jun. More Morrising to come methinks – watch this space!
Kelly Bennett – performed for the second time doing a more intimate indoor session on Sat 24 Jun, which was well-attended and her unique vocal style and uncompromising presentation always makes for a memorable night (see ‘What’s On – One-Off Events’ below for details of our upcoming live music bookings). Garioke – for the duration, a monthly rather than quarterly event, which seems to have gone down quite well with most punters, with well-subscribed events run via our own auspices on Sat 17 Jun and Sat 8 Jul setting the ‘DIY’ template for the next couple, but for those who prefer the laid-on facilities, these will be back for our customary Hallowe’en-themed event (see ‘What’s On – Regular Events’ below for the dates).
‘Garioke’
now monthly at 7.30pm, from Sat 19th Aug
Live Music: Stormy T & The Bluesman Lane
Sat 29th July – 7.30pm
Brewery trip – more of a ‘lowlight’ sadly as a combination of our trusty trooper Annie Clark being unable to provide the transport owing to illness and too many late-doors cry-offs rendering it unviable. But don’t fret for we are a determined bunch, especially in matters of drinking, so anyone still interested see details below of the next planned excursion into our local beer-brewing scene.
Garden volunteers – my regular shout-out in recognition of our team helmed by the splendid Sarah Maye, who turn up without fail every Sunday to keep our outdoor space as tidy and beautiful as possible. If anyone would like to be involved, please let the bar staff know and they can put you in touch. Also, while we’re on the subject of the garden, any requests to hire it should be sent to [email protected].
Glassware collection – we find ourselves somewhat short of staff to collect glassware, particularly during the drier months where garden usage is greater, forcing staff to frequently desert their primary posts at the bar to pick up used glasses! Any volunteers to assist with this over the summer would be most welcome; please speak to Shiv or a member of the team. The only stipulation is that you are 16 or over and able-bodied, as it involved a bit of stair-climbing. Think of it as a great way to increase your daily step count!
Clubs at The Gari – thank you all who responded to our plea for ideas as to possible club activities that could be run via the pub. We received a goodly number of suggestions and while regrettably some will not be suitable, there are others which should have legs, provided people are prepared to get them up and running. Golf events (which used to be a regular feature at The Gari prior to its reopening), and a book club are possible goers, so if you’re keen on such things please do register this with someone at the bar and this will help gauge likely interest and who should be put in touch with whom.
Regular fundraising activities:
EasyFundRaising – spend spend spend (and give give give)!
The Garibaldi Pub One Lottery – the typical winning amount equates to around 1 1/5 of a pint so well worth it!
‘Your Fund Surrey – Join The Local Conversation’ – we continue to keep a background eye on the ultimate dream of taking the pub on fully!
Meat raffles – meat is not murder here at The Gari; it is money!
What’s on – regular events:
Bhunny’s food – all customers please note that Bhunny’s are taking an extended break from now until August, and so will not be available at The Gari during that time. You are free to order your own takeaway food while none is being sold here, but please do ask beforehand as it is only courteous. ‘Forces Fry-up’ – monthly at 10am, from Sat 19 Aug – the ‘NAAFia’ await your bookings for the monthly military munch-down! Next date Sat 23 Sep.
Meat raffle – weekly at 5pm, from Sun 23 Jul – still a quid a punt; I won the ‘breakfast tray’ t’other week and believe me it’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Quiz night – fortnightly at 8pm, from Thu 20 Jul – quizmistress Fran Frost has all the questions; all you need is to have the answers!
‘Music Bingo’ – fortnightly at 8pm, from Thu 27 Jul – the bingo-meets-music juggernaut driven by Alex Ashley rolls on, so be sure to swing yourselves a table in advance!
‘Garioke’ – now monthly at 7.30pm, from Sat 19 Aug – being run as a monthly event during the summer/autumn. The subsequent dates are: Sat 23 Sep. Sat 28 Oct (Hallowe’en – a properly-curated karaoke for this one!).
What’s on – one-off events:
Live music – ‘Stormy T and The Bluesman Lane’ will be back with us to rock things up from 8pm, Sat 29 Jul.
Brewery trip – after the unfortunate last-minute cancellation of our long-delayed excursion to Titsey Brewery near Oxted, we’re having a third attempt at it next month, so let Shiv know if you’re interested and if you swing a seat on the bus, please be at the pub for 11am, Sat 12 Aug for some pre-journey refreshment and thence to the brewery. It’ll be interesting as it’s only just fully-opened after many months of development
Live music – this time we have our ‘house band’ ‘Three Times Seven’ making a rocky reappearance from 8pm, Sat 26 Aug. A great way to kick off the long summer bank holiday weekend.
‘Friends of The Garibaldi’ CIC Annual General Meeting – those of you who are already FOTG members, or who would like to become one, are welcome to join our AGM which is to be held at the pub from 10am, Sat 9 Sep. It’s a great opportunity to see what things are discussed and get a fuller ‘behind the scenes’ picture of the work the company does on everyone’s behalf. Remember, you only have to attend two meetings before becoming a fully-fledged member. We also want to take this opportunity to make very clear for avoidance of any doubt that it is completely free to join our CIC! We’ve become aware that some still seem to imagine that we operate on some sort of ‘share scheme’ basis, with members pledging or transferring their own funds into the pub either as a one-off or regular occurrence. THIS IS NOT (AND NEVER HAS BEEN) THE CASE! At no stage has any FOTG member had to contribute money towards the rental or running of the pub, as happily, from the outset, our profits have been sufficient to mean we’ve never got anywhere near to this absolute last resort being required. So, if anyone is considering membership but has been uncertain on grounds that they’d be expected to stump-up some cash first – don’t be, as you won’t!