Newsletter  08th December 2016

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Artificers All,

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 As we approach the end of year celebrations we thought it time to give you all an update on progress toward our 150th Anniversary commemorative event.

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 We have secured the prestigious Guildhall in London as the venue for the event and we have engaged ‘Seasoned’ as our caterers. The Guildhall has generously given us an advantageous rate and by paying ‘Seasoned’ a deposit we have secured 2016 prices.

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 Our Royal Navy Guest of Honour will be the Chief Naval Engineer Officer, Chief of Materiel (Fleet) and Chief of Fleet Support - Vice Admiral Simon R Lister CB OBE CEng, FIMarEST.  We are also planning to engage a celebrity guest speaker and he or she will be sponsored by the Royal Naval Engineers’ Benevolent Society.

You will see that your new website www.artificer150.co.uk is now up and running and we will be able to receive payments from February 2017. The question has been asked whether the ticket price of £150.00 has been selected because it is the 150th Anniversary; but this is not the case. It simply arises from the estimated costs of staging this scale of event in the Guildhall and you will have the option of paying in three installments of £50.00 to make this feel less painful. We will of course also welcome full payment up-front in March 2017 as this will help meet expenses as the organisation progresses. Please keep an eye on the website for further details on options and methods for buying your tickets and for all aspects of our Gala Dinner.

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 We already have well over 200 expressions of interest to date and we expect to welcome many overseas visitors. If you know of any ex-Artificers who might wish to be part of the event but cannot attend please remind them that they can still be involved by sending a donation to Artificer 150 on the website and their names will be included in the event’s sponsorship information.

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 Sponsorship is an ideal way for businesses and individuals with an interest in Royal Navy engineering to become involved with the event and we are busily pursuing a number of opportunities. We have already had some limited success but would appreciate any help or advice on obtaining sponsorship that anyone might be able to give to help ensure this will be, truly, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

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 We will be happy to paste your photos into the website and for it to be used as a message board. Menu options will be posted there in due course and you will be able to add your seating preferences etc. A full list of attendees will be added as payments are received but before that we will list all those who have already expressed an interest so that you can check on friends and oppos and also check up on those who haven’t yet heard or responded to the call.

If you have any questions after viewing the website then please just use the Contact Us link and one of the organising team will respond.

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 In the meantime, the team at Artificer 150 would like to wish all Artificers across the World the best of good cheer for Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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 Best Regards,

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 Artificer 150 Team

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