A Night to Remember

I am still shell-shocked after a most memorable occasion last night to mark my retirement as Group Co-odinator of the Derby Ranger Group.  The organisation was absolutely brilliant and a well kept secret (from me that is).
It was great to see so many of my good friends coming along to Phil and Sue's lovely house at Egginton and I am most grateful to them and their collaborators for putting on such a wonderful event which I will remember for the rest of my life.  I know that it is not easy to get everyone together at one time but you succeeded with a score of 99%.
I have been so fortunate, not only in having such a great Ranger Team to work with over the last 10 years, but also in making so many good friends all with a variety of talents which have been put to good use in developing and maintaining the local Sustrans Cycle Routes.
We have shared many successes and a few frustrations over the years and the general public (bless them all) have derived great benefit from your efforts.
In the meantime the National Cycle Network and Sustrans itself have developed over the whole country but we have, I think been leading the way for quite a while and many other Ranger Groups have followed in our footsteps (or should I say "tyre tracks").
So once again, thanks to you all for your invaluable assistance and support over the years and I hope to keep in touch in the future, as I cycle along the Greenways disguised as a member of the public.
I will remain as a Ranger but be rather less active.

Herewith the cartoon with which I was presented, and also the card.
Val says that the card should say "I've had a brilliant idea", and she should know, hearing me say it every day (well almost!).  I must admit that all my ideas are not, on reflection,  all that brilliant, in fact some go down as the proverbial lead balloon,  although most ideas are, inevitably "brilliant" to the originator.

She also asks me to thank you for the beautiful flowers presented to her last night. The blooms may eventually fade but our memories of last night will remain for ever.

Yes, it's me folks .........wearing a tie (a rare event), if only to show that I haven't forgotten how to tie one.

And last but not least, the celebratory cake cooked to perfection by Mavis Ratcliffe, whose cakes are known throughout the land.

Strong men swoon at the sight of her Cherry Bakewells.

No Rangers event is complete without such a cake, and it is rumoured that some people (who shall be nameless) only came to our Ranger's Meetings for the cake.

Photos by kind permission of Alan Locke.