40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner and AGM 2026 – The Highdown HotelSaturday 21st November 20262026 AGM and Celebration Meal for the Club’s 40th Anniversary The AGM and our 40th anniversary celebrations are fast approaching and will take place on Saturday 21st November 2026 and we warmly invite you to join us at this auspicious event. We have dedicated a whole day to include a walk as well as the business part of the meeting and a gala dinner as follows: 11am: Walk: For our 40th anniversary walk we have planned a six-mile walk departing from the Highdown Hotel, Littlehampton Road, Worthing BN12 6FB (from the car-park by Highdown Gardens) The walk should finish around 2-2.30pm back at Highdown, where you can enjoy the Gardens and the Tearoom if you wish; alternately, for those members travelling a distance to join the walk, local members have offered space in their homes for you to change and have a rest before the AGM and Dinner. 3.45pm for 4pm start at the Highdown Hotel: AGM – the official business - please see more detailed notes below. Tea or coffee will be provided along with a traditional slice of Highdown cake. 5.30pm: Photo Montage and photo competition: this year in two chapters - our usual round up of the year in trips together with a carefully curated selection of older ones reflecting the history of the Club and past members; Brian Aldred will compere. 6.30pm: A complimentary glass of Prosecco or No-secco, followed by drinks at the bar (at your own expense); this is to allow the room to be rearranged with seating for our celebration dinner. 7.15 for 7.30pm: Celebration Meal: please see the menu below. Please choose between the two or three course meal options, and send full payment to the Highdown Club account: (20-98-74, 50171867, Highdown HMC, Reference: "Club Dinner 2026") If you would like to add a gratuity for the hotel staff at the end of our meal, this will be at your discretion and will need to be in cash. We suggest, as it is likely that we will be sitting in two areas of the hotel for this meal, that members move around between courses. Alison will co-ordinate this, so please be prepared! Once you have had an opportunity to read and digest the rest of this email, then please click here to complete the Response form to confirm your attendance, menu choices and one or two other items, no later than Friday 30th October 2026. If you have trouble accessing the Response form, please contact Alison ( Regarding the AGM: We will be in touch again a week or so before the AGM when we will send out the Agenda, the Reports of the Committee Members and the Minutes of the 2025 AGM (along with a report on the Actions arising out of the 2025 Minutes). Please complete the relevant part of the Response form or email Sue ( Committee Members All of the current committee members except Richard Wilton are happy to stand again for another year, so there is a vacancy for a member representative. If you are willing to stand for this post, again, please indicate this on the Response form or email Sue. And finally: Photos! This is the last call please for your photos for Brian to enable him to put together the photo montage slideshow for the trips and day walks for the year. It truly is a wonderful way to review the year. Please send your photos to the relevant trip or day walk link (as shown on the activities page n the website) and then email Brian at That’s all for now. See you on 21st November… hopefully! Alison (Club Chair), and Sue (Club Secretary) ________________________________________ Highdown Autumn Set Menu 2026 £32.95 for 2 Course /£39.95 for 3 Course Starters Sweet potato, lime and coconut soup crispy shallots, warm seeded roll (v) 595 kcal Chicken liver pâté, bramble chutney, toasted bloomer (gfa) 587 kcal Smoked salmon, Bloody Mary dressing, salted cucumber, horseradish cream 177 kcal Baked camembert, truffle honey, walnuts, rosemary, focaccia croutes (v) 799 kcal Marinated coconut feta, roasted peppers, harissa chickpeas, focaccia croute (vg) 521 kcal Mains Caramelised pork belly, ham hock fritter, apple gel, buttered greens and Calvados sauce (gf) 853 kcal Pan roast chicken, Dauphinoise potatoes, shallot puree, pickled mushrooms, truffle Madeira jus (gf) 528 kcal Beetroot, spinach and Beluga lentil Wellington, hasselback potatoes, mulled wine jus (vg) 455 kcal Buttercross red onion marmalade sausages, bubble and squeak cake, buttered greens, onion gravy (gf) 1216 kcal Fish pie, salmon, smoked haddock, king prawns, boiled egg, French style peas (gf) 960 kcal Dessert Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, vanilla ice cream (v, gf) 662 kcal Caramelised apple tart tatin, vanilla ice cream, Calvados toffee sauce (v) 624 kcal Rich dark chocolate cheesecake, raspberry sorbet (v) 614 kcal Hot waffle, caramelised banana, salted caramel sauce, honeycomb ice cream (v) 762 kcal Glazed lemon tart, raspberry sorbet (v) 365 kcal Additional Menu Information Please speak to a member of crew if you have any food allergies or intolerances before ordering. For calories and allergen information please ask a crew member for assistance. Gluten Free - Where we offer gluten free dishes, controls are in place to ensure that dishes contain no more than 20 parts per million gluten. v - vegetarian, vg - vegan, gf - gluten free, gfa - gluten free adaptable, just ask. The Highdown - www.thehighdown.co.uk - 01903 924 670 |
| Organiser: Sue Waton | email: |
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| Grid reference: TQ 098 041 Post Code: BN12 6FB what3words: : ///teams.assets.miss Coordinates: W 0.4426, N 50.8259 |
Planning Meeting – Alison’s HouseMonday 20th July 2026
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| Organiser: Alison Edwards | email: |
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| Grid reference: TQ 120 028 Post Code: BN12 4EU what3words: : ///senses.clocks.fame Coordinates: W 0.41083, N 50.81471 |
Outdoor First Aid course – TBCSunday 22nd June 2025Many thanks to all who responded to the google forms request re the proposed dates for a one day Outdoor First Aid course. We had a mixed response, but have decided to go for Sunday 22nd June, venue tbc. Currently we have 8 members available and 12 spaces, so if anyone would like to take one of the spare places, do please let me know. The club is covering half the cost, the total of which is £600 for the day; so those attending will pay a share of the remaining £300. |
| Organiser: Sue Waton | email: |
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Planning Meeting – Alisonʼs HouseMonday 28th July 2025Time for the Annual Club Planning Meeting! 24 Rosebery Avenue, Goring-By-Sea, BN12 4U The meeting will start at 7pm, with refreshments from 6:30pm. This is really important evening for the Club, as not only do we get to plan all the fabulous things we are going to do next year, but we also get to enjoy some cracking cheese and wine with fresh French bread — come and pitch your ideas for places you’d like to visit with the Club and places that you would like to walk. Maybe offer to help with some elements of the organisation of an of a trip? Whether you’ve been on lots of club trips or if this is only your first year, you’ll be made very welcome. Please let me know if you’re hoping to come, so I can organise enough seating and try and buy enough cheese (and wine). We had a fantastic turn out last year and had a very pleasant evening. Even if you’re unable to make it, all contributions, suggestions or offers to assist on a trip will be appreciated. See you then. |
| Organiser: Alison Edwards | email: |
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| Grid reference: TQ 120 028 Post Code: BN12 4EU what3words: : ///senses.clocks.fame Coordinates: W 0.41083, N 50.81471 |