Greater Bristol

To find out more about Greater Bristol Branch please contact Roger Gamlin by scrolling down to the end of the page and completing the form. Scroll down for photographs and reports on events.

The Greater Bristol Branch encompasses Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, part of Wiltshire and an area of Wales around the Severn Bridge. It is a friendly and welcoming branch which meets four times a year. The usual attendance is between 20 and 30 on each occasion.

The gatherings which normally include a lunch have included canal boat trips, tours of the BBC Bristol and the Theatre Royal, also garden visits to Bristol University Botanic and Yeo Valley Organic gardens. There have also been several meetings in the coastal town of Clevedon.

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On Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, the final lunch of the Gt. Bristol Branch of the SMBP 44 Club took place at "The George", Farleigh Backwell, just south of Bristol. We were 14 in number. Maurice Husbands had provided us with a good display of photos and magazine articles reminding us of our previous meetings and lunches over the 19 years of our association. The festive lunch was very enjoyable, and we had a great time remembering many enjoyable past times going down memory lane.

It does not have to end. If there is a wish by members to continue meeting up in future, our current chair Roger Gamlin, has offered to test the idea by arranging an informal lunch or two in the coming year. If you would like to participate, please email Roger – just scroll down to the bottom of this page and fill in the form.

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Roger and Maurice Husbands have added their best wishes to all the membership who have supported the Greater Bristol Branch over the last 16 years. Sadly, our stalwart treasurer Keith Long suffered a stroke several months ago and for the time being has been unable to carry on as treasurer. He is now back home, and we are sure that we all trust that he will make a full recovery in due course.

In addition, whether you are a Shell or BP pensioner, our local Shell Pensioners Assoc., Severn and Avon, have invited you to join them. Christine MacFarlane is their Chair. They hold several events each year. For more information on this please email Roger.

Our first event for 2025 was at the Failand Inn, which is situated just a few miles south of Bristol. Numbers were to be ten but unfortunately reduced to seven on the day, mainly because of car problems. Perhaps a sign of the times or did we overlook what day it was? May 8th,VE day.

This is one of our regular luncheon places and as usual we were well looked after. And no complaints regarding both the food and drinks. And as usual Roger had organized good weather. There was plenty to chat about and we came away with smiles on our faces.

Roger will be arranging another lunch for September and then our Christmas get together in early December which will be our final SMBP 44 Club lunch. Roger is happy to continue to arrange get together lunches for 2026 if that is what our members would welcome. Please let us know your feelings about continuing get-togethers from 2026.

And remember to take a look at the Greater Bristol branch photographs and write up in the SMBP 44 Association web site whilst it is still there. Plenty of photographs of our various events for you to examine, remembering old friends.

Christmas Lunch 2024

Our Christmas Lunch was held at the Plough Inn, Wrington, Somerset, a few miles to the south of Bristol on Thursday, 5th December 2024 . As usual the lunch was arranged by our Chair and Events Organiser, Roger Gamlin. There were 14 of us in number. The food and service was excellent and tasty. We have already decided to reuse the venue for one of our 2025 events.

There was plenty to chat about including: There is only one more year of the 44 Club and what shall we do then? Can we continue for those members who wish to continue to meet up?

As we usually do at meetings, our absent friends were also remembered.

Richard Coffin thanked Roger for organising the lunch and the other meetings for the past year, before we went on our way home well contented.

The committee will now be planning our 2025 events. It is to be hoped that we can "perhaps close" having had an eventful year.

Roger would appreciate hearing from branch members regarding future events and lunches.

Woodford Lodge Restaurant – June 2024

Our second event for 2024 was a June visit to the Woodford Lodge restaurant, situated just outside of Chew Stoke village, on the banks of Chew Lake, a few miles south of Bristol. We were 13 in number, a sign of the times. As ever, the food and service were excellent. The weather was not kind – drizzle, windy and chilly. But there was plenty to chat about. Absent friends were remembered. Our Chair and Event Organiser, Roger Gamlin, was thanked for organising.
The committee will now be considering an Autumn event, possibly at the Salthouse in Clevedon, during September. Other venue suggestions would be appreciated. They will then consider a Christmas lunch to be held somewhere around Bristol for early December. Again, suggestions for a venue would be appreciated.

Our first meeting of 2024, a lunch event, was a return visit to The Failand Inn – just south of Bristol – on Thursday 15th February. It has been a regular place to meet. The venue was still excellent, as was the service, food and drinks. Our group of 17 found much to chat about and to reminisce over events in the past. As usual we all came away with a smile on our faces, having remembered times gone by, and absent friends.

The committee plan to arrange meetings for the Summer and Autumn this year.. Other suggestions would be appreciated.

Our Autumn lunch event was a return visit to The Woodford Lodge, situated beside Chew Lake in the Chew Valley just south of Bristol on Thursday 21st September 2023.

It was a couple of years since our last visit there mainly because of Covid restrictions! The venue was still excellent, as was the service. The same can be said about the food and drinks. Our happy group found much to chat about and to reminisce over events in the past. We all came away with a smile on our faces, having remembered times gone by, and absent friends.

The committee will now be busy thinking about a Christmas or New Year lunch. The event may need to be held early in January as our usual golf club venue has indicated it may not be available, partly because of changes in staff and other changes in the organisation. We are considering an event at the Royal in Portishead which has recently reopened at the end of July. Other suggestions would be appreciated.

Failand Inn – 25th May 2023

Our first event for 2023 was a return luncheon meeting held on Thursday, 25th May 2023 at the Failand Inn, Failand - just a few miles south of Bristol. We were 16 in number and once again our chair Roger Gamlin had been lucky in organising lovely weather for us. The food and service were both very good. There was plenty to chat about and to reminisce over. Roger was congratulated on organising the event and we all came away with a smile on our faces and having remembered absent friends. We were pleased to have received the Spring 44 Club magazine only a few days beforehand.

Our next event another luncheon meeting, in September, possibly the Salt House in Clevedon. That will be followed by a Christmas lunch, hopefully at Henbury Golf Club, in December. We tend to go for tried and tested venues.

Maurice Husbands - Secretary

Christmas Lunch – 13 December 2022

The Gt. Bristol Branch Christmas lunch took place once again at Henbury Golf Club on Tuesday, December 13th 2022 organised by our Chair and Events Organiser, Roger Gamlin.

An excellent venue and Roger had arranged good weather once again for us. We were 25 in number, same as last year. Unfortunately, Geoff and Barbara Clemens had to cancel attending at the last moment due to the weather down in Devon. The food and service were both very good. There was, as ever, plenty to chat about and to reminisce over. The raffle raised £120 for branch funds. Roger was congratulated on having organised yet another successful event. We all came away with a smile on our faces and having remembered absent friends.

There will be no change to the committee for 2023. There’s a surprise! But if anyone would like to join please contact Roger.

Maurice Husbands - Secretary

Christmas Lunch – 13 December 2022

Our first event for 2022 was a return luncheon meeting held on Thursday, 19th May at the Failand Inn, Failand – just a few miles south of Bristol. We were 19 in number, and our Chair, Roger Gamlin, once again organised lovely weather for us. Once again Geoff and Barbara Clemens travelled up from Plymouth to join us!

The food and service, as ever, were both very good. There was plenty to chat about and to reminisce over. Roger was congratulated on organising the event and we all came away with a smile on our faces and having remembered absent friends.

We will now be arranging our next event, yet another luncheon meeting in the autumn either at the Woodford Lodge on the banks of Chew Lake or the Salt House in Clevedon. Roger would appreciate hearing from members as to their preference. That will be followed by a Christmas lunch hopefully, once again, at Henbury Golf Club.

Maurice Husbands – Club Secretary

Failand Inn – 19 May 2022

The Gt. Bristol Branch held its Christmas lunch on Tuesday, November 30th 2021, once again at Henbury Golf Club and organized by our Chair and Event Organiser, Roger Gamlin.

We were 25 in number and the Golf Club had arranged an excellent Christmas spread for us. Maurice Husbands masterminded the raffle which raised £160 for our Branch funds and there were plenty of prizes.

Roger proposed a toast to absent/lost friends. Richard Coffin responded, thanking the Committee for organizing yet another excellent event.

There was no AGM this time. The current committee members agreed to continue for another year. If anyone else wishes to join the committee they will be most welcome. Subject to COVID, three or four events will be arranged for 2022.

Maurice Husbands

Christmas Lunch 2021

Once again, our Chair and Events Organiser, Roger Gamlin, had arranged both an excellent venue and good weather for our second 2021 event on 29th September.

The luncheon meeting was held at the Failand Inn which is just a few miles south of Bristol on a lovely sunny day. We were 19 in number, a few up on our first 2021 event, and despite the motor fuel panic buying. Special mention of Geoff. and Barbara Clemens needs to be made as they travelled up from Plymouth to join us.

The food and service were both very good. There was as ever, plenty to chat about and to reminisce over. Roger was congratulated on organising the event. We all came away with a smile on our faces and having remembered absent friends.

Roger will now be arranging a committee meeting to organise a Christmas lunch and a very brief AGM - COVID permitting. Plus raffle! Please do take a look at the SMBP 44 Association web site, Greater Bristol branch section, to enjoy the photos of our Branch events. Plenty of ex-colleagues faces to admire and recognise!

Maurice Husbands

Our first event for 2021 was a return visit to the Woodford Lodge restaurant, situated on the side of Chew Lake, held on 24th June. This was our first event for 18 months. We were just 15 in number but a start.

The weather was reasonable so we able to sit at one table and move around. We met for coffee from 11.00am which gave us plenty of time for chat. There was a lot of catching up to do!

The food was excellent as was the service. No staff shortages at the Woodford! Our Chairperson and Event Organiser, Roger Gamlin was congratulated for remembering how to organise such an event. We all went away with a smile on our faces.

Roger will now be arranging a committee meeting to organise an Autumn Lunch meeting and to start preparing for a Christmas lunch and AGM. COVID permitting.

Maurice Husbands

Roger Gamlin (third on the left – blue shirt, big smile!) and Liz Gamlin on his right.

Lunch at Woodford Lodge 24 June 2021

The Greater. Bristol Branch held its AGM and Christmas Lunch on Tuesday, 3rd December 2019 at the Henbury Golf Club in Bristol. Our Chairman and Event Organiser, Roger Gamlin, had once again arranged a beautiful sunny day for us. We were pleased to welcome Richard Coffin and we have been able to persuade him to finally join the 44 Association. Bernard Amos, our bobsleigh man, also attended, between running training courses for Shell and others.

We were 27 in total, a bit down on last year. There was plenty of time to chat with ex colleagues and to peruse various items on display. The food was excellent, as was the service and the dining room. The raffle was, as usual, run by Bert and Maureen Baseley, and contributed £130 to our branch funds.

There being no new nominations for the committee the current four members were voted en block to continue for yet another year. It is the intention to again arrange four events during 2020.

Roger proposed a toast to absent/ lost friends. He was warmly thanked for arranging another excellent event.

Christmas Lunch 2019

Our autumn pub lunch event took place on Tuesday, 10th September 2019 – yet another return visit to “The Salthouse” in Clevedon. We met at 11.00am for coffee/tea and there was plenty of time to put the world to rights. We were 21 in number. Our chairperson, Roger Gamlin, had again arranged good weather for us. We again sat down for lunch in a reserved area and ordered from the extensive menu. We were well looked after by the staff. Roger was once again thanked for his efforts in arranging the day.

Our next event will be our Christmas Lunch (and our very brief AGM) which will take place on Tuesday, December 3rd at the Henbury Golf Club in Bristol. Please record in your diary now!

Our Summer event took place on Thursday, 4th July 2019 - a return visit to "The Woodford", a restaurant built on the banks of the beautiful Chew Valley Lake, just outside the village of Chew Stoke, a few miles south of Bristol. Our Chairman and Event Organiser, Roger Gamlin, arranged another glorious day for us. We met for coffee at 11-30 and sat outside admiring the views and reminiscing as you do at these events.

We were delighted to welcome Geoff, and Jen Smith who were passing through on their way back to Cornwall. Geoff, is the new South West Regional Coordinator in the BP Pensioners Society and came to say hello. We hope to see more of him and Jen. in the future. We were also delighted to welcome Pat and Ruth Moxey who travelled up from Bridgewater, their first visit to one of our events.

27 of us sat down inside the restaurant having chosen food from a very varied menu. The meals were excellent and very well presented. Service was great. Roger was warmly thanked for his efforts.

Our next event will be a pub lunch some time during September. Contact Roger for details. (Scroll down to bottom of page for the contact form.)

Group photograph from the Summer Lunch on 4th July 2019

Our Spring event was a return lunch time visit to The Failand Inn, Failand on Thursday, 11th April. The venue is situated just a few miles south of Bristol.

We were only 16 in number this time, no doubt due to schools being closed for Easter and grandparents being otherwise involved. Our chairman, Roger Gamlin, had organised the event and had once again arranged for the sun to shine down on us. It really was a beautiful day.

Plenty of choices on the menu and the food was delicious. There was plenty of time for a chat and to reminisce. Hardly a mention of Brexit! Roger was “warmly” thanked for his efforts.

Our next event will take place on Thursday, 4th July - a return trip to the “The Woodford Lodge”, situated on the banks of Chew Lake just outside of Chew Stoke. For details please contact Roger - just scroll down to the contact form.

The Greater Bristol Branch held its AGM and Christmas Lunch on Tuesday, 4 December 2018. Once again the venue was The Henbury Golf Club in Bristol. Our chairman/event organiser, Roger Gamlin, had again arranged a beautiful day for us, slight frost but very sunny.

Our guests of honour this year were Roy and John Weedon, all the way from Camborne. Roy is an honourable member of the 44 Club and is chairman of Mitchell and Webber Ltd. His son, John, is Chief Executive. We were delighted to see them. We were also pleased to welcome back Geoff and Barbara Clemens who had travelled up from Plymouth to be with us, Richard Coffin who we had not seen for many a long year, plus Bernard Amos, our bobsleigh man, recently back from running a Shell training course in the Hague. The remainders were the usual suspects from around the Bristol area who loyally support all our events.

There was plenty of time to chat with colleagues of yesteryear and wander down memory lane. Many photos were on display plus a published book on the history of Mitchell and Webber Ltd and a few other items of memorabilia. The food, the service and the room were excellent. The raffle organised by Bert and Maureen Baseley contributed £118 to our branch funds.

The current committee members were once again voted en block to continue for another year under the leadership of Roger Gamlin. It is our intention to hold another 4 events during 2019. Roger was warmly thanked for arranging an excellent event.

Maurice Husbands 07/12/18

Our Chairman, Roger Gamlin, organised another lovely day for our Autumn Pub Lunch event which took place on Thursday, 13 September 2018 – a return visit to “The Salthouse” in Clevedon. We met at 11.00am for coffee and there was plenty of time to reminisce. We were only 16 in number but we were very pleased to welcome a new member – Bernard Amos, who still does some training work for Shell.

We sat down for lunch in a reserved area and ordered from the extensive menu. Roger was again thanked for his efforts in arranging the day.

Our next event will be our Christmas Lunch (and our very brief AGM) which will take place on Tuesday, 4 December at the Henbury Golf Club in Bristol. Please record in your diary now!

Greater Bristol Branch Summer event took place on Thursday, 19th July 2018 – a visit to “The Woodford”, a restaurant built on the banks of the Chew Valley Lake, just outside the village of Chew Stoke, a few miles south of Bristol. It was a glorious day (as can be seen in the photograph above), not a ripple on the lake. 23 attended and sat outside for morning coffee (paid for by branch funds) which gave time for reminiscing. Lunch was taken inside – very varied lunch choices which were excellent and very well presented. The event was organised by the Chairman, Roger Gamlin, who was again warmly thanked for his efforts.

The next event will be a pub lunch on 13th September at the Salthouse, Clevedon. Contact Roger for details.

Photographs taken at previous events are shown below.

Greater bristol branch

To contact Roger Gamlin or for more information please complete the details below and then click on 'submit'.