INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 18TH SEPT 2020

Dear Members,

I do hope all is well with you in these difficult times. It’s now been over six months since we took our last trip out on the 13^th March this year, and at the moment it feels as if we are back where we started with the effect of this virus.

From the beginning when we realized the enormity of the covid problem we have been working to replace everyone’s payments for holidays outings and shows as quickly as possible. We have now managed to retrieve all the monies for the shows except Pretty Woman which hopefully will be refunded in October which is when we were due to see it.

Our holiday flights to Switzerland due to take place recently were cancelled by the airline, we are asking for our deposits back, this may take a little while and then we will decide about re-booking again.

The Lake District holiday which was originally due to take place in May and then moved to October is now scheduled for next May, we have left our deposit in place at the moment.

We are hoping to start taking trips from next April, if everything has settled down by then and we have the confidence to put out a realistic programme and it is safe to do so. Ken our driver for many years is looking forward to driving for us again and sends his best wishes to you all.

We are also posting information about the clubs on our website www.htclub.co.uk Please  click on the News Update(Covid-19) button.

If you have recently got an email address and /or changed your address, phone number etc. could you please let us know so we can continue to contact you with updates. Emails are preferable as they are quicker and easier to use.

Our Son and his family have moved in with us as an extension on their house is being built so we are keeping busy. I have taken up golf being taught by Robert and I really enjoy it and find it really challenging. We have also taken up jogging as there is no badminton taking place. We have found several walks locally to go on and the garden has also taken on a bigger role in our day.

We wish you continued good health and hope to see you soon.

Very Best Wishes

Marian, Robert and Emma.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 16TH JULY 2020

Dear Members,

We wanted to get in touch to give you an update on our proposed holidays this year.

Switzerland 18^th – 21^st September 2020

We have been in touch with the Swiss Tourist Company to change the date of this holiday to next year 2021. They are trying to alter the flights with Easyjet but it takes time!! We will let you know when we have some more feedback.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY BALANCES FOR THIS HOLIDAY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Lake District. 11th – 16^th October 2020

We have just emailed and spoken to the hotel and they agree with us that this is an impossible situation at the moment. Travelling on a coach for a long journey is out of the question. We are thinking of May 2021 but again we must wait and see what the situation is like nearer the time. We hope you agree with the decision we have taken regarding our health and safety, but we would welcome your feedback.

Thank you for your patience regarding our holidays this year. We are very disappointed of course, to be postponing these but it is the only way forward right now.

Shows

With regard to the last four shows still to be refunded, we have now heard from the ticketing agencies regarding Pretty Woman (8^th July)  and Burn the Floor, so we are hoping that in the next fortnight we will be returning the monies owed. The other x2 shows; Sonning – The Rat Pack and Pretty Woman in October are yet to be sorted out, again apologies for the delay.

All the trips have now been refunded.

Kent Holiday

We are hoping to refund this holiday in the next fortnight.

Warners - Bembridge

We have received back our deposit and have sent some back. Those who are waiting for the Kent refund and the Warners deposit we will be sending these back together to save on the amount of cheques. We hope this is clear. We apologise again for the delay in returning this money but it was the only opportunity of a refund we were offered.

 

***The Future of both Clubs***

Regarding the future of the clubs, it is impossible at the moment to put a time on this, as the situation is constantly changing. We are hoping that come next March or maybe earlier we might have a clearer picture of what is safe and possible to do. Until that time we are hoping to arrange a socially distanced coffee and get together when it is also ok to do so. In the meantime keep well and safe.

With love Marian, Robert and Emma.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 17TH JUNE 2020

 

Refunds

• We’ve now been able to get refunds for the following shows: Derren Brown, Russell Watson, Cinderella, Carousel and Sister Act.
• Hello Dolly, Being Ernest and Mocking Bird have also been refunded by returning your cheque to you or a cheque from us.
• Over the next week or so we will be sending out your refunds/returned cheques for the above.

Shows Outstanding

• Burn the Floor - Stevenage’s Box Office is still closed but I have been promised a refund when they open up but I don’t know when this is.
• Rat Pack - Sonning. I have just received a letter from Sonning offering a credit note but I have insisted on a refund and have replied to their letter .
• Pretty Woman - 7th July and 21st October - we have to wait until the production date has passed before I can apply for a refund, which I will do.

Holidays

• Switzerland - the country is opening up but not fully. STC have been in touch with me and I have replied saying that it might be better if we cancelled or postponed the holiday, I am waiting to hear from them.
• Lake District - the hotel opens again on the 4th July but it is too early to take a view on this yet as I have to make sure the itinerary venues are open. If not and this might be the case we may have to delay this holiday until next year.

 

Holidays

Isle of Wight holiday in August - I have just cancelled this holiday and I am waiting for our deposit payment back from Warners at the end of this month.

 

Negotiations take time and to get refunds, even longer as everyone else is doing the same thing.

Thank you for your patience.

Continue to be vigilant and we hope we can get together again soon.

Our best wishes

Marian, Robert & Emma

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 11TH MAY 2020

Dear Member,

We hope you are well and staying safe.

Please see below the latest news on our shows and holidays.

 

Shows

Thank you for your patience whilst we are await refunds from the various ticketing agencies and theatres we deal with; in order for us to pass on those refunds to you.

We are pleased we are now in a position to be able to refund for 13 of the 25 trips we have on our programme – as we have received refunds for these ourselves.

Please note: they are not necessarily in date order – for example we have not yet received a refund for Cinderella on 30^th April but expect it soon.

The 13 trips are listed below.

Show                                                           Date of Show

GLENN MILLER                                                       SUNDAY 29TH MARCH 2020

PRINCE OF EGYPT                                                 TUESDAY 31ST MARCH 2020

CARMEN                                                                WEDNESDAY 1ST APRIL 2020

TINA                                                                       THURSDAY 2ND APRIL 2020

MAMMA MIA                                                           THURSDAY 2ND APRIL 2020

GREAT CHORAL CLASSICS                                     SUNDAY 19TH APRIL 2020

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE                                     SUNDAY 31ST MAY 2020

FACE THE MUSIC                                                    SUNDAY 7TH JUNE 2020

THE DOCTOR                                                          TUESDAY 9TH JUNE 2020

BEETHOVEN                                                           SATURDAY 27TH JUNE 2020

MAGIC GOES WRONG                                             TUESDAY 30TH JUNE 2020

HAMPTON COURT                                                    FRIDAY 10TH JULY 2020

HALF A SIXPENCE                                                   WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY 2020

 

We are in the process of posting your refunds via cheque (which is guaranteed for 6 months) or by BACS if you had requested previously. Whilst we do have the ability to pay you by BACS -  but please do bear in mind this is a slower and less favorable option as we do not have you set up as a payee and we do not want to get your details wrong!

We have taken off an admin fee of £1 from your refund.

We will be issuing more refunds as they become available.

Please continue to check our web site for future updates.

 

Holidays

We currently have nothing more to report on our holidays as Switzerland is not until September and the Lake District in October.

 

All trips are now cancelled and the refunds have been issued.

Holidays

Kent: has been cancelled and the money will be refunded in 120 days from notification.

Warners: we have not heard from Warners yet as the final balance is not due until June. I am assuming we will be re-scheduling this holiday until next year – information to follow to those who have booked.

Please phone or e-mail us if you have a query or would like a chat.

We are missing our get togethers. It looks like this will continue for another 3 weeks at least so we must keep to our routines.

All the very best, Marian Robert and Emma.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 7TH APRIL 2020

Dear Member,

We hope you are well and staying safe.

It has been 3 weeks since our last email so we wanted to get in touch to keep you updated.

Please see below the latest news on our trips, holidays and theatre outings.

 

Trips

All GTC trips until the end of May have been cancelled and we are just in the process of refunding your money via cheques. We will be taking an admin fee of £1 per trip off of your refund to cover our costs. We hope you feel this to be fair.

Holidays

1. Kent – April: We have asked Success Tours for a refund and are still awaiting their reply which we hope will be on Monday. We are hoping to re-schedule this holiday next year.
2. Warners Bembridge – August: We are hoping this will still go ahead. Our final balance is not due until June so we may hear more news by then. I will keep you updated.

 

Trips

All theatres are now closed until the end of May. We are endeavoring to get refunds for each performance but we may have some where we are asked to re-schedule instead.  We will pay back by cheque or BACS where we can, but this will take time as the theatres will only react after the performance date has passed and it could take several weeks after that. Thank you for your patience whilst we wait for all of this to play out.

Holidays

1. Switzerland – September: We are hoping to run this holiday but will have to see what the situation will be closer to the time.
2. Lake District Holiday: this has been rescheduled for October and we’re hoping things will have improved by then.

Please check our web site www.htclub.co.uk for any up-to-date details and changes. When looking at e-mails please also check junk and spam folders and add our email address to your safe senders list.

Please phone or e-mail if you want to contact us - if you have a query or even if you just want to have a chat!

Marian Robert and Emma.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON 25th MARCH 2020

Dear Member,

You are at the heart of what we do and any decision we make. Therefore as a result of the Covid-19 situation and based on WHO and recent UK Government advice, we are taking a number of actions to prioritise your health and safety.

In response to the latest Government guidance, and owing to the fact most of our members fall into the vulnerable age bracket, we have made the decision to either move or suspend (until an alternative date can be suggested) many of our forthcoming trips & holidays. In some circumstances we may need to cancel – and in this instance it will be because no alternative date can be arranged. A full list of the affected trips/holidays is listed on this page.

Information about venues and suppliers

Milton Keynes Theatre closed its doors on the 17^th March until further notice. They have explained that they will be in touch over the coming days to explain what this means for our bookings.

Most theatres in London have closed their doors but have not been clear about when they might reopen. We are still unclear about how they will offer or issue refunds so we will keep you informed as the situation evolves.

I’m sure you can understand the level of uncertainty we are facing as we work through all of this and we ask you to please bear with us.

We hope this email will help answer many of your questions. However, please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any immediate concerns or questions.

Keeping you informed

This website will be updated regularly with the latest information on both the Herts Theatre Club and Go Together Travel Club. Those of you that have given us their email address will get their information by email as the situation changes. Please look out for these. If you're not sure whether or not you are on our mailing list, just provide your name and email address in the form at the foot of this page.

Otherwise could you contact us two days before the show or trip is due to take place for the latest position. Tel: 01582 469338 or my mobile 07771 617993

If we need to contact you directly, we will do so by email if we have your email address on our database, or telephone you.

Affected Trips

• 26^th March 2020 - Wimpole Estate;            postponed, new date TBC
• 6^th April 2020 – Burghley House;                postponed, new date TBC
• 16^th April 2020 – Maldon Boat Cruise;        postponed, new date TBC
• 23^rd April 2020 – Highclere Castle;            postponed; venue closed; new date TBC* updated*
• 4^th May 2020 – Highclere Castle;              postponed; venue closed; new date TBC *updated*
• 14^th May 2020 – Maldon Boat Cruise;        postponed, new date TBC

 

We are still working through each of the following trips.

Venues are closed and performances will not be running on the below dates. *updated*

We are awaiting information on whether they will be cancelling the performances or postponing

• Sunday 29th March 2020 - Glen Miller in Milton Keynes
• Tuesday 31st March 2020 -  The Prince of Egypt in London
• Wednesday 1st April 2020 - Carmen in Milton Keynes
• Thursday 2nd April 2020 - Mamma Mia in London
• Thursday 2nd April 2020 - Tina Turner in London
• Friday 17th April 2020 - Burn the Floor in Stevenage
• Sunday 19th April 2020 - Great Choral Classics at The Royal Albert Hall
• Thursday 30th April 2020 - Cinderella - Northern Ballet in Milton Keynes

Coffee mornings are being cancelled until further notice.

Could you contact us about the latest position two days before if you are unable to receive the updates from the website or email

• Sunday 17th To Friday 22nd May 2020 - Lake District Holiday
  We have talked to the hotel about rescheduling and they have given us a new date which is Sunday 11^th October to Friday 16^th October.  We still have places available for this holiday.

We have not yet acted on any trips beyond those dates listed. We plan to keep you informed and updated however via our website www.htclub.co.uk and email

Please stay safe and continue to follow government advice.

Marian, Robert and Emma
25 Stewart Road
Harpenden Herts AL5 4QE

01582 469338

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