Thread Number: 21158
UK MEMBERS - Weekend meetup |
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Post# 236952   6/18/2013 at 08:29 (3,937 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi folks,
So, I know this has been posted time and time again, but the subject has popped up once more. I'm more than willing to co-arrange this, but need to know a few things first. 1. how many people would actually be interested in a big UK weekend meetup? 2. how many people would be interested in an evening meal/buffet and stay over at the hotel? 3. how many people would actually be willing to pay for such an event? Obviously, the more people we have, the less it will be. I have a few contacts in the travel industry and could look into getting some quotes, but I need to know if there is demand for such a meet up. Many thanks, Chris This post was last edited 06/18/2013 at 08:52 |
Post# 236954 , Reply# 1   6/18/2013 at 09:11 (3,937 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)   |   | |
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Shame I'm not old enough! |
Post# 236955 , Reply# 2   6/18/2013 at 09:18 (3,937 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 236958 , Reply# 3   6/18/2013 at 10:08 (3,936 days old) by hoover119dude (england)   |   | |
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Post# 236959 , Reply# 4   6/18/2013 at 10:20 (3,936 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 236960 , Reply# 5   6/18/2013 at 10:27 (3,936 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)   |   | |
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I'm 13 |
Post# 236966 , Reply# 6   6/18/2013 at 11:03 (3,936 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Ermmm, hello ....
I have been arranging meetings since 2007. Chris, you have previously been invited but declined, and Gary, you were invited to my last and could not make it at the time either. Chris, you have, to my knowledge, been at get-togethers in Chester and Nottingham and maybe others where I have not been invited. Fair enough, these have been held in people's homes simply because there never seemed to be the will to set up a convention type scenario. And there is the issue of the cost of the venue, accommodation and transport to factor in too. However, if there now proves to be interest, then I would be glad to assist with such a project. But PLEASE, do not make statements like "but nobody has ever bothered to step up and arrange something" because several people have in the past, and I don't doubt will do in the future as and when their personal circumstances allow Al |
Post# 236969 , Reply# 7   6/18/2013 at 11:20 (3,936 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Al,
There have absolutely been some great meet ups over the years at eachothers homes, I was meaning a larger meet up. There are only so many people you can fit in a house and indeed there are a lot of members who have never met anyone from vacuuland and therefore would not be invited to a meet up at someone's house, purely because they don't know many people and haven't had the chance to meet everyone. I was more meaning the idea of a mass meetup on neutral ground - the idea seems to keep popping it's head up every now and then and loads of people post saying "oh yes, that seems like a really great idea" but nothing ever comes of it. The in-house meets are of course fantastic, this was more to do with the idea of a bigger meetup that keeps getting mentioned. I would have you all at my place if I didn't live a shoe box and had a more noteworthy collection :P. Chris |
Post# 236972 , Reply# 8   6/18/2013 at 12:21 (3,936 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 236973 , Reply# 9   6/18/2013 at 12:40 (3,936 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Chris
Sad to say, there is a reason for that :( Still, if you are prepared to make some enquiries, all power to your elbow and I will be glad to help out to bring it off. As I said in the other thread, I would stay away from London, Manchester or Brum but look towards Midlands, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or even South Yorkshire. A hotel with conference accommodation and free parking. And a tea urn :) For all those under 18 who might wish to attend there is no reason why you should not do so, as long as you are accompanied by a responsible adult (parent or even grandparent). Chris, you might need to arrange a naughty step too :) Al |
Post# 236974 , Reply# 10   6/18/2013 at 12:47 (3,936 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 236981 , Reply# 11   6/18/2013 at 13:16 (3,936 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 236997 , Reply# 12   6/18/2013 at 15:48 (3,936 days old) by paulc (Edinburgh)   |   | |
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Post# 236998 , Reply# 13   6/18/2013 at 15:56 (3,936 days old) by beko1987 (Stokenchurch, United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Could get a scout hut in chinnor for a tenner an hour! My only input, sorry! Will be interested to hear of details though |
Post# 237119 , Reply# 14   6/20/2013 at 06:16 (3,935 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Ok, folks, here's the low-down:
Date: Saturday 24th May 2014 Location: Best Western Crest Court Hotel, Altrincham, Cheshire Tea/Coffee & Biscuits provided Hot & Cold 2 course buffet lunch LCD Project Screen for laptop hook up provided Based on a MINIMUM of 40 guests, the price would be £26 per head. Rooms available at the hotel for a reduced rate of £69 Bed and Breakfast for attendees. Please note, this isn't booked. This is just a quote to give us an idea of what we can get to do a big UK convention style meet-up. Between VL and Facebook, I've had a total of 8 responses in favour of the idea, which does not warrant a large meetup of this scale unfortunately. It was most definitley worth investigating and I am pleased that this thread will be preserved in the archives, so the next time somebody brings this topic up again (and it no doubt WILL be brought up again), I can bring this thread back up and point out that we did try to arrange such a meet up and there wasn't enough demand for it. I will no doubt see a lot of you at various home based meet ups in the near future :). Al, keep me posted regarding mini meets, it's been too long since I've seen everyone. I'd love to have you all over at my place, but it's too small :( Thanks all, Chris |
Post# 237122 , Reply# 15   6/20/2013 at 06:32 (3,935 days old) by thekirbylover (Warrington, cheshire )   |   | |
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Post# 237126 , Reply# 16   6/20/2013 at 07:39 (3,935 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Chris
Thank you for doing the investigation. I do have to say that the prices are quite good and compare well with those of the convention currently going on in the US and it is useful information to have. Unfortunately I doubt that you would get 40 attendees, indeed you might be lucky to get 20. The details above are a bit short notice (I appreciate that it is an illustration) and it might be interesting to repeat the enquiry for the autumn and perhaps a hotel a bit further out of the way - Altrincham is quite an upmarket area after all - although I doubt there would be that much leeway on the pricing. And I will be glad to include you in the invites for my next mini meet - I might do one in the Autumn Al |
Post# 237128 , Reply# 17   6/20/2013 at 08:03 (3,935 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Michael, look at the date - it was for May 2014.
It was just a provisional enquiry and it did give us a good idea of pricing and what would be included with that. I wanted a clear idea of how many people would be interested, but seeing as we only got 8 supportive responses, it wouldn't make sense to do something so big for such a small number of people. Al, that sounds great, hope to see you soon. Take care everyone! Chris |
Post# 237130 , Reply# 18   6/20/2013 at 08:20 (3,935 days old) by thekirbylover (Warrington, cheshire )   |   | |
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Post# 237132 , Reply# 19   6/20/2013 at 08:32 (3,935 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237133 , Reply# 20   6/20/2013 at 08:43 (3,935 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237135 , Reply# 21   6/20/2013 at 09:03 (3,935 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237136 , Reply# 22   6/20/2013 at 09:12 (3,935 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237142 , Reply# 23   6/20/2013 at 10:34 (3,934 days old) by beko1987 (Stokenchurch, United Kingdom)   |   | |
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160 miles away from me, may be hard to get permission to go all that way! |
Post# 237144 , Reply# 24   6/20/2013 at 10:51 (3,934 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237161 , Reply# 25   6/20/2013 at 11:34 (3,934 days old) by beko1987 (Stokenchurch, United Kingdom)   |   | |
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you've not met the missus then! |
Post# 237165 , Reply# 26   6/20/2013 at 12:00 (3,934 days old) by ultraperformer (Derbyshire, UK, Europe)   |   | |
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Post# 237174 , Reply# 27   6/20/2013 at 14:11 (3,934 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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I have had a further idea with regards to something smaller.
I'm on the social committee at work and we're currently arranging a summer party. We're having it at our local rugby club. It was relatively cheap to hire and we have the place all day til late with a fully staffed bar and catering provided. It was pretty cheap too. If people are still interested, I can make inquiries there? There is a local Ibis with some very good rates. |
Post# 237195 , Reply# 28   6/20/2013 at 19:33 (3,934 days old) by guido (ITALY)   |   | |
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I wanted to say hallo to dear VACBEAR collector AL and to CHRIS for the good idea of a big convention that I WOULD FOR SURE ATTEND !!!!!!
After all, there is time enough to organize the thing and be free for that date ! Also because it would be the first official meeting for european collectors and we now really need to meet each other in person ! I am quite sure that also TOMMY from Milan would be very happy to attend but I'm sure he will reply this post soon anyway .... MINIMUM 2 COLLECTORS FROM ITALY ARE SURELY IN! If I can give a suggestion which could be of any help ( but would be very appealing for many many possible interested collectors ) I REALLY WOULD LOVE IF - AT LEAST PART OF THE CONVENTION - COULD TAKE PLACE AT PERIVALE HOOVER FACTORY, NOW OWNED AND RENTED BY TESCO GROUP.... I was there in january this year and i felt a a wonderful feeling, atmosphere and respect for a time gone by....IT REALLY WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR ME ! TESCO has taken much time and attention in preserving a good part of the wonderful art deco architecture so....maybe TESCO could even arrange some space for free inside the original building, which is actually vacant but renovated and usable in its interior. This would give the convention a very unique "flavour" and unique experience of visiting the original location - from the inside too -where many of our vacuums were actually built. That's just an idea, but whatever you decide it's ok for me. Unfortunately I would love to help with the organization but I cannot do much from ITALY. Should anyway some help be needed I will surely do my best ! HOPE TO HEAR FROM THIS PROJECT SOON !!!! GUIDO |
Post# 237206 , Reply# 29   6/21/2013 at 02:07 (3,934 days old) by watsonw (Newport, Shropshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hello Folks, I would be very interested in attending a UK meet-up/convention as a journey outside of England is not possible due to the responsibility of an elderly parent. Sadly I have no experience of organising such projects. Regards, Walter. (Shropshire, West Midlands) |
Post# 237216 , Reply# 30   6/21/2013 at 09:23 (3,934 days old) by hoover119dude (england)   |   | |
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hi all.
i like guido's idea of having a meeting in the old hoover building at perivale. jack copp had an interview with carol thatcher there a few years back where he displayed a nice selection of cleaners. plus the indoor space is large enough. failing that there are umpteen hotels here in bournemouth for those who would like a weekend by the seaside. gary. |
Post# 237565 , Reply# 31   6/24/2013 at 10:00 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi everyone,
Just to you know, I'm still receiving quotes from hotels for this. I have stuff coming in from Novotel Nottingham, Marriott's in Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Manchester and Mercure hotels. I *might* provisionally hold this and put tickets on sale. The great thing about group bookings is that you don't have to pay up front, you only have to pay a certain amount by a certain date, so I'm happy to put tickets on sale and see how we go. If we don't get enough turn out by a certain date, we can cancel at no cost and tickets can be refunded. The problem with holding a meeting in the old Hoover building, would be a. it could potentially cost a small fortune b. there are no dining or accomodation facilities c. it could be difficult for a lot of people to get to Hope this makes sense. More info to follow. Thanks, Chris |
Post# 237570 , Reply# 32   6/24/2013 at 10:38 (3,930 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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What Chris has stated makes perfect sense, although the building is actually not hard to get too as it is fairly near Perivale tube station. However you can add to Chris's list:
d. it is an empty office block - there will be no insurance fire or injury insurance for such a meeting e. the owners would not want to risk damage to a building they are trying to let (echo Chris's point above) f. Whilst some parts of the building have been maintained to the original design it has been refurbished (and much of it re-built) and actually let to Gallaghers (cigarettes) in the past so much of it will look like an late 90s office block. Its a nice idea, and a visit to the building (although not inside) is a possibility sometime, but to hold some sort of a meeting there is almost impossible, nice and all as the idea is. Chris, thank you for your continued work on this, it will be very interesting to see what the other quotes are like Al |
Post# 237575 , Reply# 33   6/24/2013 at 10:55 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Ok folks, I've had another quote -
Saturday 24th May 2014, 13:00 - 23:00 Novotel Nottingham East Midlands 3 course evening meal included. Tea, coffee and biscuits available throughout the day. Rooms available at £85 B&B Free parking East access from Nottingham train station by taxi. Central UK location based on 25 guests, tickets would be £28. This includes the meal and free tea's and coffee's. |
Post# 237576 , Reply# 34   6/24/2013 at 11:02 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Al, I'm very keen for us all to do...something! Preferably something that involves a hell of a lot of vacuums. And tea. It's pretty fantastic for us all to have found eachother through cyberspace, it's such a shame for us not to all do something together.
The US convention is a success year in, year out. And it's no secret that we Brits love playing host to parties. I know it may seem like I'm pushing this one, folks, but as I said I am keen to do something. And more support for this is creeping it's way out. The list has slowly increased from the original 8 up to 15 people in support of this. It's for this reason that I'm tempted just to confirm this with the hotel, put the tickets out there and see what happens. |
Post# 237663 , Reply# 36   6/25/2013 at 03:41 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi David,
Thanks for coming back to me and glad we can count you in! Also many thanks for the offer of looking into Brighton and Eastbourne hotels. However, I think most memembers are hoping for a more central location - a sort of mid-point for everyone. I will bare it in mind and if we need to investigate this further, we can :). Thanks, Chris |
Post# 237668 , Reply# 37   6/25/2013 at 05:23 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 237669 , Reply# 38   6/25/2013 at 05:46 (3,930 days old) by guido (ITALY)   |   | |
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Hi Chris and everyone !
The PERIVALE BUILDING idea was just a funny and romantic idea I had, even if I can understand difficulties can arise for a well done meeting which requires some basic services and safety, of course. Whatever you decide ... I WILL BE AT THE MEETING, wherever you decide to base it !!! Thanks again for your efforts in organizing this, we all care very much! P.S. I will be happy to post in the next few hours some images of my latest arrivals : 2 x HOOVERS mod. 262 with complete ATTACHMENTS&CARDBOARD&INSTRUCTION BOOKLET ( one just restored by me ) + a couple of nice working "motor heads" looking for a "body" : HOOVER 612 and HOOVER bakelite FLOOR POLISHER !!!!!! STAY TUNED !! |
Post# 237671 , Reply# 39   6/25/2013 at 06:04 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi Guido,
Fantastic that you'll be joining us!! It will be great to meet some of our European friends! Just to keep everyone up to date I am looking into the following: Best Western Nottingham-Derby Hotel for either 24th May or 31st May 2014. Tickets will be, roughly, £25 - £30. This hotel is only 15 minutes from both Derby and Nottingham centre's and near East Midlands Airport. Everyone is welcome to bring some of their machines - the more the merrier! Preferably, it would be nice for us to get a nice mix of vacuums from different era's and styles, but I'm sure we'd manage that between us. We'd be starting at about noon on the Saturday morning. If anyone has any ideas for activities to do during the day, please post your suggestions. If anyone would like to do any presentations, speaches etc or run a game/quiz, again this is welcome. Tea's and coffee's will be on tap. Evening meal will be included in the ticket price and I will make sure there is a vegetarian option. More details to follow. I will create a new thread when plans are more concrete with details on how to get tickets. Thanks, Chris |
Post# 237681 , Reply# 41   6/25/2013 at 08:01 (3,930 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Well congratulations Chris - I think that you have sorted out a cracking location there, nice and central with good links to roads North/South & East/West
Don't forget that Sat 24th May is the bank holiday weekend which could have an effect on the prices - not sure if it would be for good or ill. And I think you will find that, at least those bringing cleaners, will need to be there before 12.00noon so that they can get them set up. And, in all seriousness, we should try and co-ordinate what is brought so that there is the biggest possible selection for all to see, rather than have every flavour of Turbopower there with the inevitable duplicates - and I am not having a go at Turbopowers either! David I do not mean to pour cold water over your idea, any suggestion is welcome - but there would have to be a major reduction in cost to outweigh the benefits of the location that Chris has found. Al |
Post# 237686 , Reply# 42   6/25/2013 at 09:15 (3,930 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Al, I think you're right about the bank holiday. This could also have an affect on people's availability. I'm enquiring about both the 24th May and 31st May.
I have managed to get us a reduced hotel rate of £59 B&B. The day will also include a meal of some sort, tea & coffee and we will have access to the hotel bar. We are also welcome to bring our own home-made cakes and snacks to add on, if we so desire. My contact at Best Western has been an absolute GOD SEND! |
Post# 237928 , Reply# 43   6/27/2013 at 08:12 (3,928 days old) by tommymilan (milano)   |   | |
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Post# 237931 , Reply# 44   6/27/2013 at 08:44 (3,928 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Tommy
The date is already set, May 31st 2014, see the attached thread. If anyone from outside the UK plans to attend and would like accommodation for a few days before or after please do let us know, so we can sort something out Al CLICK HERE TO GO TO vacbear58's LINK |
Post# 238042 , Reply# 45   6/28/2013 at 10:28 (3,926 days old) by hooverbaby (Dalton in Furness, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 238101 , Reply# 46   6/28/2013 at 16:26 (3,926 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 238112 , Reply# 47   6/28/2013 at 16:43 (3,926 days old) by junct15 (Rushden Northamptonshire)   |   | |
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Let me know the dates and I will be there Col |
Post# 238117 , Reply# 48   6/28/2013 at 17:36 (3,926 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Col
The date is set - 31st May 2014 :) See the link below John If you can make it we would be delighted to see you, and of course we would be glad to show you the sights Al CLICK HERE TO GO TO vacbear58's LINK |
Post# 238126 , Reply# 49   6/28/2013 at 20:00 (3,926 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 239267 , Reply# 50   7/7/2013 at 13:08 (3,917 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 240744 , Reply# 51   7/18/2013 at 07:22 (3,907 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield & London)   |   | |
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Post# 243181 , Reply# 52   7/31/2013 at 20:16 (3,893 days old) by dys0nb0y (Luton)   |   | |
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Hiya, It is Josh. I will defo come and my mum will bring me. I'm very excited as I've never done any think like this! Let us know how to pay. I plan to bring my Dyson prototype / Cyclone and my Hoover Sensetronic Audio 300 / the talking one!!! Might change them by the time the event is on.
In America they do vacuum cleaner competitions to see which ones have the best suctions etc. Well done for arranging this. I might even make a cake!! Sos about your Grandad. Thanks, Josh |
Post# 243182 , Reply# 53   7/31/2013 at 20:19 (3,893 days old) by dys0nb0y (Luton)   |   | |
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Post# 243220 , Reply# 54   8/1/2013 at 03:03 (3,893 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)   |   | |
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But I thought that this had been cancelled? |
Post# 243221 , Reply# 55   8/1/2013 at 03:18 (3,893 days old) by Ultimatevacman ( Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 243222 , Reply# 56   8/1/2013 at 03:27 (3,893 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)   |   | |
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Hi Josh,
This has been canceled due to poor turnout. See link. Sorry! CLICK HERE TO GO TO Turbo500's LINK |