"With a Little Help From Our Friends"
at the European Capitals Meeting (ECM) 2024
41 Club members and their wives/ partners from European capital cities have been meeting since 2015 – so next year will be our 10th Anniversary (excepting of course the “pandemic gap”). Where’s the last 10 years gone?
What’s the ECM all about?
It’s a chance to experience 41 Club internationally and to form links between our respective 41 Clubs, and it was really great that we had 3 Capital cities joining us for the first time in Copenhagen – Bucharest, Oslo and Stockholm.
Last year we all met up in Luxembourg and here we are, 12 months later, in Copenhagen with Kim and Christina our hosts all ready and waiting to welcome us to a Nations Night on Thursday………… well, at least to welcome those whose flights weren’t delayed by storms.
And a certain lady didn’t seem too put out by the bad weather.
Did the weather make any difference?
No, of course not!!!
We all quickly came together to renew friendships and make new ones – that is what the ECM and Fellowship is all about.
Friday and Saturday saw us being guided round Copenhagen by Kim and Christina, going to some great places including a visit to Christiania, an amazing commune right in the middle of the city.
A few of also joined in with a regular “Round Table and Ladies Circle Friday Bar” which starts at 4.00 pm every Friday in a pub and was still going strong when we arrived at 10.30 after a great meal in a restaurant owned by a local Tabler.
And the weather relented ……..
And then we came to the formal dinner on Saturday night at the Kayak Bar by the waterfront – if you get a chance go.
So, we had a choice – go on the water in a kayak or perform the La La song for a crowd of curious locals.
Guess which we did?
But Saturday night did have a serious element to it.
Graham Hunter, the Chairman of London Old Tablers Society (LOTS) has “Taken the Pledge” for the whole of 2024 (he has not drunk any alcohol in 2024!!) so LOTS established a weight loss challenge with all proceeds going to the House of Hope, a much-needed sanctuary in Moldova for Ukrainian refugees.
The “Weigh In” was scheduled to take place on the Saturday night at the European Capitals Meeting in Copenhagen …………
And the result of the Weigh In?
Graham started the year at 20.5 stones and on Saturday night we all agreed his officially confirmed weight was 17.3 stones, a difference of 3.2 stones (we have of course adjusted from the continental result of the weigh in).
The photograph shows Graham acknowledging his overjoyed supporters in celebration!!!
There was tremendous support for Graham’s efforts at the ECM to the extent that we raised well over €2,000 on the night.
Once all the “Weigh In” money is gathered in we will make another donation to House of Hope which will bring the total contribution from LOTS to over €4,000 – a magnificent effort from everybody, and a particular “Thank You” to Isak Stjarnlof from Stockholm 41 Club for his very significant contribution.
What a great 2024 ECM in Copenhagen.
Where are you Vienna, Dublin, Edinburgh – join is Bucharest in 2025 and Oslo in 2026. What are you waiting for? You won’t regret belonging to the ECM.
Ralph Preston
London Old Tablers Society