Members and partners of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers gathered at Nailcote Hall, the seventeenth century country house hotel near Berkswell, for this year’s Summer Social and AGM, one of the highlights of the Group’s calendar.
A Warm Welcome
Arrivals began from mid-afternoon, with guests checking in before a welcome of tea, coffee and scones in the hotel restaurant. It set the tone for the weekend, giving old friends and colleagues plenty of time to catch up and reminisce about days gone by in Midlands motoring journalism before the Group got down to business.
The AGM followed in the Pavilion Suite, the hotel’s dedicated events space set apart from the main house. As ever, it proved a useful chance to have the whole membership together in one place to discuss Group business.
Drinks On The Decking
With the formalities concluded, members spilled out on to the decking, taking in sweeping views across Nailcote’s golf course and the Warwickshire countryside beyond as the evening light softened over the fields. Glasses of wine, prosecco and beer were raised, and conversation flowed easily between old friends and familiar faces.
Dinner, Stories And Chocolates
The evening moved back inside the Pavilion Suite for dinner, with members taking their seats across three round tables dressed in white linen. The wine kept flowing late into the night, as did the stories, and Bob Hickman kept everyone going with a generous supply of chocolates, a small touch that summed up the warmth of the evening. No get-together would be complete without the traditional group photograph, and members duly gathered on the decking to mark the occasion before the night wound down.
Breakfast And Farewells
Many members made a weekend of it, staying over at Nailcote Hall and taking the chance to enjoy the hotel’s leisure club before gathering for breakfast the following morning. It brought a fitting close to a weekend that, once again, ranked among the best on the MGMW social calendar.
