|
Peter Padwick
and Christine Ball (Christine Padwick since July 2000) will not
be running their (S)Laughter Weekends after 2008. This is despite
their continued popularity and an average attendance of 62 guests
per weekend over the years which peaked at 42 a year.
On two frantic
occasions two Lake District Hotels, 1.5 miles apart double booked.
Peter and Christine with car (and bike added), ran both weekends:
2 plots, 2 teams, 2 schedules in 2 venues! Then there was a 312
mile drive home for Christine to go back to her full-time teaching
job on Monday.
The very first
weekend was at Theobalds Park College in Hertfordshire. The weekends
developed from a mock trial that Peter, as Principal of the college,
had organised for several years as a part of company training
courses for John Laing, Mowlem and other commercial firms. Peter
later added the murder itself, then talks, a show and other stuff
(including Christine) and finally got rid of the actual trial
and the first proper Murder Weekend was held in November 1981.
By the end
of 2008 we will have:
Run 519
Murder Weekends with 519 different plots
Murdered over 3000 people
Spent 3 years in hotels
Not needed to buy coffee for 25 years (the hotel sachets are
much fresher)
Entertained more than 32,000 of you - our guests.
We also will
have missed many social functions including:
Several
barbeques (thank God)
Christine's sister's wedding (unfortunately)
After 27 years
(at the end of 2008) our weekends will have finished, but we are
still doing shows, talks and quiz evenings for fun, charity or
profit, depending on the circumstances.
Charities
have included :
The Star
and Garter Home, Richmond
Cancer Research UK
The Hospice at Salisbury
The Nightingale Hospice Enfield
Cherry Lodge Barnet
Wilton Rotary Club
Bishopstone Village Hall
Chase Farm Breastcare Support Group
…amongst others
So, Goodbye
and our thanks to all you lovely people we have met over the years
at any one of the 68 venues: from Loch Awe in Scotland to Looe
in Cornwall, and from Scarborough to Freshwater, Isle of Wight.
Above all
we have made a lot of people laugh over the years, and that, says
Victoria Wood, is one of the nicest things you can do for somebody
(with one exception - and we'll leave you to ponder that one).
Best Wishes
to you all,
padwick.ball
(at) googlemail.com
|
