Updated:  Saturday, 1 December 2012

This year (2012) the Christmas Party will be on Thursday 6th December.

We've often celebrated Christmas at the Ferry Boat Inn on Ferry Lane which is between Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road tube stations.  It's an agreeable pub with decent beer and an inexpensive menu which should suit most people.  (However, they don't allow dogs in, so this may prevent me from coming!)

Here's where the pub is:

• maps.live.com
• Google Maps
• multimap.com
• streetmap.co.uk

Turn up in time to order at 7:30.

I’m conscious of the fact that some members will feel unable to take part in this gathering because it’s in a pub, and alcohol will be consumed.  I think it’s important to state that this is respected, and choosing not to take part in no way lessens anyone’s place in our club – which is a badminton club, and not a drinking club, of course.  Happily, we live in a society where everyone is entitled to follow (or even invent) their own traditions and way-of-living provided they do not impinge unacceptably on others.  I’ve certainly pondered once or twice whether it’s appropriate to have such an event in the context of so diverse a club.  However, British society has a long tradition of tolerance and acceptance, as well as a long tradition of “a couple of quiet pints, followed by a couple of louder ones”, above all around Christmas.  My own view is that there’s no reason to discourage this, any more than there’d be any reason to discourage an evening at the ballet, if that’s what some members wanted to do.  It’s worth noting that drinking alcohol is by no means compulsory, and while most of us tend to laugh a bit more at our own jokes towards closing time the Ferry Boat falls a long way short of any kind of depravity, so if your teachings and your conscience permit, it may yet be possible to join in on what is usually a convivial evening.  Certainly for some, though, this wouldn’t be countenanced, and I just wanted to state for the record that this is accepted and understood without prejudice to the mutual regard which is the norm for this club.
(Phil Herlihy, December 2012)