December 2023

Here is a round-up of the events at The Swan during December, 2023.

2nd December: GRC Winter Fayre

Our students hope that everyone who attended their Winter Fayre had as magical a time as they did. Here are a few pics from the night, and some shots of the Windsor Living Advent performance (The Swan was Day 2 of this Windsor institution).

Backstage view out to the packed crowd in The Courtyard.
Santa and his helper.
Richard Allen in full flow with the GRC play.
The students also provided music.
The play in full flow.

2nd December: Cycle Hub

Today's Level 1 ride took the hardy gang to Dorney Lake - which was a little hard to see. Despite the mist, they had some good wildlife spots: green woodpecker, heron & loads of cormorants. They were certainly reminded of the importance of layering up & how restorative hot chocolate is.

At the breifing before the guided ride.
Out at a misty Dorney Lake.
Another picture of the guided ride at Dorney Lake.

5th December: Warhammer

What a blast! Warhammer 40k Apocalypse Event 'Nuclear Winter' was an absolute joyride! From rolling our best dice to immersing ourselves in the chaos of the apocalypse, everyone brought their A-game and made it a day to remember. The battlefield echoed with the clatter of dice, and every roll brought cheers, groans, and unforgettable moments. The thrill of strategizing, the laughter shared over unexpected twists, and the immersive experience of our second Apocalypse event were simply unparalleled.

But beyond the battles, it's the incredible community that truly makes these events special. The friendships forged, the shared passion for gaming, and the collective enthusiasm create an atmosphere that goes beyond the tabletop. A massive thanks to everyone who joined in, making 'Nuclear Winter' a resounding success.

Close up of the Warhammer beautifully painted models.
Close up of the Warhammer beautifully painted models.
Close up of the Warhammer beautifully painted models.
Players directing the field of battle.

Warhammer takes place on a Tuesday evening. For more information or to book a slot, please email the Game Masters of Windsor at gamemastersofwindsor@gmail.com

9th December: Cycle Hub

Thanks to everyone that supported us today, by volunteering, visiting & donating. We rode to Runnymede, fixed some bikes and had our team Xmas lunch at The Swan. Thanks to our L1/L2 regulars for their generous donation towards it.

Preparing for the ride out.
Enjoying the guided ride.
Small repair was required during the ride.
The lads of the Bike Kitchen enjoying the Crimbo lunch.

13th December: Xmas Quiz Night

This week's Christmas special was a corker, with Quiz Lord Martin compiling a seasonal brainteaser that was tight at the top. For the first time in a year, regulars Santa's Swans pipped the rest by just half a point to win the £25 bar tab!

Dawn being presented with the cash certificate by Anne, one of the volunteers.
The Christmas Quiz winners - Sant's Swans.

And at last, the raffle jackpot was won! Dawn Chojnacki picked the correct envelope to scoop the £150 prize - what a Christmas present!! Well done to the Swans and congrats to Dawn! The Jackpot will now reset at £20 for the Quiz of The Year on 27 Dec - book your table now!

15th December: Chatty Café

Despite the colder weather, many of the regulars came along to this pre-Christmas chat and natter sessions at The Swan. The chatters had some nibbles too to keep away the lunchtime stomach grumbles. It's confidential and it's safe. Above all, it is goofd fun to get out for a wee while and meet up with like-minded people. All welcome.

The Chatty Caf' at The Swan.

15th December: Christmas Market

Stalls included: The Cheesemunger: Artisan Cheeses, White Lillies Island Honey, Sarah Williams: Silver Jewellery, Pixie Tiger Art: Pottery, Beaulaine Crafts, BooksandHooks: Earrings, Michelle Thomas: Christmas Crafts, Scarves and Friends of The Swan Merchandise with our gorgeous Swan Christmas cards.

Early taster poster.
Christmas Baubles handpainted from Miranda.
Christmas Baubles hanpainted from Miranda.
Detailed taster poster.
View of The Courtyard from the Outside Bar.
Another view of The Courtyard from the Outside Bar.
The Market inside The Coah House.
A busy Courtyard during the Market.

17th December: Christmas Carols

It was another special evening of carol singing with the musicians of The Broom Farm Ensemble. Although cold, it was another warm festive evening with the community joining in with well known, traditional carols. A thoroughly enjoyable evening!

The Broom Farm Ensemble with traditional Christmas carols.

18th December: Christmas Carols

We were delighted to have Voci, a local chamber choir, come to the pub to perform a range of Christmas Carols.

Voci singing carols inside The Bar

There is a small video snippet on our YouTube channel which demonstrates the beautiful harmonies.

18th December: Datchet Morris

It was great to welcome back the Datchet Morris who performed a range of traditional dances in the covered area of The Courtyard.

Traditional Morris dancing
The announcer is on the left.
Interaction with the audience is an essential part of the performance.
Traditional Morris costumes with lots of colour and painted faces and ...

The players also performed their traditional Mummers Play inside in The Bar. This had the pub totally enthralled as the various characters joined 'the stage'. A magnificent sight and a huge thanks to all those involved.

Datchet Morris - an evil spirit.
Datchet Morris - Santa arrives.
Datchet Morris - the Doctor arrives.
Datchet Morris - the final battle with the knight overcoming evil.

If you missed it, we have added some videos to our YouTube Channel.

21st December: Bingo Night

Just because it was Christmas week, our regular Bingo players were not resting on their laurels! Our last Bingo of the year turned into a riotous affair, with much singing along to 'Dancing Queen' and 'Staying Alive' with Sue Rigby winning the final golden card cash pot as an early Christmas pressie! Thanks to Trudy for stepping in to do the calling.

The bingo players in the bar.
Checking the cards for a house.

22nd December: XMas with Santa

Sanata visited The Swan to have a festive breakfast with local children (and their parents/guardians). The kids had a fantastic time as did Santa who promised to visit them all on Christmas Day. With a Ho Ho Ho! he went off to Lapland to finish packing his sleigh with Christmas presents. BTW, the brekkie was excellent too!

Santa trying to get the attention of two youngsters.
Santa with two young admirers
Sanat saying goodbye ... until Christmas Day.
The breakfast spread is visible ... looks good!

Please note that we have received the appropriate permissions to use photos including children.

27th December: Quiz Night

Despite Quiz Lord Martin being a bit under the weather, his 'End of Year Quiz' went ahead and was enjoyed by all, particularly Four Candles who claimed the Swan Card prize and Peter Clifford who won a house spirit and mixer in the raffle. The cash jackpot rolls over to £30 at the next Quiz on the 10th January.

31st December: Hogmanay Party

There was a "chilli-off" between the directors: Willie (brewery), Richard (school) and Hollie (community). They put blood, sweat and tears (not literally) into making their dishes.

Hollie and Willie hard at them.
The three directors making their chillies.
Looking calm and composed on the outside, but inside? ...

Micky, as well as doing the bar later on, was also acting as waiter bringing out the chillies. You could have a specific one or, as one person had, a taster of all three.

Micky with the three chillies.
All three chillies on one plate.

The chillies were well received by the diners in the bar.

The Allens enjoying their chillies.
The Calverts enjoying their chillies.

Music was provided with Swan favourites Mark & Sherridan.

Mark and Sherridan entertaining the revellers.
The pub was packed for Hogmanay and the music.

They played a wide range of classics that had the revellers up dancing.

Dancing in front of the bar.
Lots of sparkles were worn - jackets, dresses, you name it!
Quiz Lord Martin srtutting his stuff.
Dancers concentrating of their funky moves.
Dancing in the middle of the pub.
An intimate moment between two revellers.
As with tradition, the ladies dancing with the handbags in the middle.

And there was the traditional singing of Auld Lang Syne at The Bells. Was it the best ever version? Probably!

Just after the bells.
Auld Lang Syne.

December Newsletters

Although our news page has all the newsletters, we thought it might be easier to access this month's ones from here.

Events in November, 2023 Events in 2023