Hi All,

Thanks for all the railcard and doodle info so far!

Apparently 34 seats on the bus have already gone within 2 days of opening up for bookings, so if anyone would like to go then I'd suggest deciding asap. I've checked about whether they will go to Westerhope (out of curiosity) - there is currently a plan to stop there as apparently it isn't all that inspiring these days, but the bus will be going past it. However - if we by some miracle had a Westerhope team going, then Vince might be able to arrange for it to stop (I doubt we'd have the numbers though!).

Thanks,
Hannah

On Thu, 17 Jan 2019 at 15:06, Hannah Norman <hannahruthnorman@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi All,

Two very important things for DERT... travel and accommodation! (Please do read to the end, I know it's a long email!) 🚂

But first, I have some further information about the Friday Coach Tour... 🚃
Summary as follows (for more detail, I've pasted the full email at the bottom of this email):
Pick up in central Newcastle (somewhere convenient for the station) at 1230, back at DERT Q for 6. Will try to fit in as many of the mining villages as possible (except Amble and Beadnell - too far north and Murton - too far south) with commentary en route. Sallyport will perform some dances in the relevant locations, unless anyone wishes to volunteer to do it for them!

If you arrive around 1230 or just after at the station and you let them know, then they'll do their best to arrange to wait for the train. Tour will cost £15-£20 depending on how many are interested, and you book by emailing vincerutland21@gmail.com - though I am happy to help arrange this if there are multiple people interested.

Travel
Advance tickets are currently available for the Friday, but not the Sunday, so nearly time to book! It'll take about 3 hours each way. On the Sunday we tend to leave after lunch, generally together, though if anyone has any specific times they need to be back / don't want to travel with us, please let me know. In terms of the Friday as we all have differing work commitments, we'll probably end up split out into groups - so please fill in the doodle about what time of day you would like to travel: https://doodle.com/poll/chi25gspzrxpzzer This will help us group up people on trains and might help get some cheaper tickets if some of those people don't have railcards.

I think the following people have a railcard - if that is no longer the case or you won't have a valid railcard for DERT, please let me know. Likewise and if you have one and are not on the list. I feel like I'm missing some people...
16-25: Hannah TD, Emma, Katherine
26-30: Hannah N
Senior: Sue
Two-Together: Becky, Ffion, Rachel

Accommodation
After my check of the accommodation in the area near the train station and the Ouseburn, hostels are way more expensive than a cheap hotel. The cheapest two were the Jury's Inn and EasyHotel - with preference from those there on Monday for the Jury's Inn - which will probably work out at about £30 or so each for the weekend (depends on configurations as we can put wither 2 or 3 people in each room). Would be good to get this sorted asap in case the saver rate expires.
So, would anyone like to stay with someone that isn't already coming? (e.g. partner from another team, random plus one you forgot to mention before...)

There are now evening tickets available for the showcase, so any guests can come to the whole thing as there isn't a charge to be in the pub! If you would like to bring an additional person, please let me know asap, as I want to get accommodation booked asap.

If there is anyone that you would particularly like to share a room with, please let me know as that might help me work out the logistics.

Congratulations, you reached the end! Have a biscuit! ☺

Any questions, please shout! 

Thanks,
Hannah

Full Invite to Coach Tour:
Dear all,

Hop on the bus to see where rapper began!

Hundreds of us will be at DERT 2019  in Newcastle – but how many can bore their pals with a myriad of stories about the places our dances began and what went on there?

 

Your peers may have uttered mysterious place names such as Winlaton, Walbottle or Westerhope in deep conversations on the origins of rapper.  But do they know which team danced with tiny cymbals in their insteps, or what the Amble team used clothes pegs for?

 

Now’s your chance to find out for yourself and bring all of this to life!

 

Your chance to find out comes on Friday, 5th April, when DERT 2019 puts on an afternoon guided coach tour taking in as many of the villages which once had rapper traditions as we can fit in.  Legendary villages like Swalwell, where Cecil Sharp saw his first rapper sword dance back in 1910,  and Earsdon where he went next.  Not to mention Winlaton, Bedlington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

 

We’ll take in all these places and, where possible, stop for a small libation and a practical demonstration of some of the dances in their original locations, courtesy of Sallyport.  A commentary will keep you entertained (or help you nod off) and informed on some of the local sword dancing and other history before we arrive back at DERT HQ some time between 5.30 and 6pm.

 

The tour will leave Newcastle at around 12.30pm, from a venue close to Central Station.  If you’re due to arrive around that time or maybe shortly after, and let us know as soon as possible, we’ll do our best to arrange to wait for your train. 

 

To book, email vincerutland21@gmail.com (copied in) as soon as possible.  Tickets will cost somewhere between £15 and £20 per seat, depending on numbers, and are strictly limited.


Many thanks,
The DERT 2019 Committee