CANCELLED - Countdown in Peterborough (CoPet) 2020 - Saturday 6th June

Discussion and announcements relating to unofficial Countdown competitions, held online or in real life. Observation, discussion, reflection, and other stuff ending in -ion.
Post Reply
User avatar
Mike Brown
Legend
Posts: 1413
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:16 pm
Location: King's Lynn
Contact:

CANCELLED - Countdown in Peterborough (CoPet) 2020 - Saturday 6th June

Post by Mike Brown »

*** EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 ***

It will probably come as no great surprise to anyone that this event has had to be cancelled due to the current pandemic. All monies will of course be refunded immediately (that won't take me long!). I can also confirm that I have provisionally booked the venue for Saturday 12th June 2021, so perhaps I will see you in Peterborough next year!

Mike

--------------------------------

I'm pleased to announce that the first ever Countdown in Peterborough will take place on Saturday 6th June. Like previous events I've organised in Cambridge and King's Lynn, this will be a Lincoln/Edinburgh-style tournament, with everyone playing six 9-round games in groups of three, through three stages of competition, followed by a 15-round grand final between the top two players at the end of the day.

The event will take place at the Fletton Centre in the south of Peterborough (http://www.lifechurch.eu, postcode PE2 8BY), which is a large space with plenty of room (there's even somewhere to sit outside if it happens to be a nice day). It has free wi-fi and there is a screen where the scores will be shown throughout the day. The building has an accessible toilet and there is level access throughout.

We will have access to a dining area and kitchen — tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided, as well as a few homemade cakes. Lunch is not provided, but there are a couple of general stores nearby and a cafe (Jinja Express) that's open until 2 in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, there is no space for cars at the venue but parking is available on many of the local side streets - although these could get busy on a Saturday, in which case you may want to consider parking in the city centre (perhaps at the station) and taking the bus (see below).

Peterborough has good transport links: it's on the East Coast main line and is just 45 minutes from King's Cross (if you take the fast train); for those coming by road, it's just off the A1(M) and not far from the A14. If anyone happens to be flying, there are trains from East Midlands airport (usually via Leicester).

For those coming by train or parking their car at the station, the centre is around a 30-minute walk away if you're the little man on Google (although I managed to do it in just over 20). There are also regular buses (citi 3 towards Park Farm) from the bus station (which is close to the train station) that stop close to the centre and run approximately every 10 minutes. Taxis are of course also available!

Peterborough has several hotel options, including the usual Travelodge and Premier Inn as well as the Park Inn which is well situated for the station. There's also an independent hotel close to the venue (The Queensgate) which I can't personally vouch for but looks worthy of investigation.

If you fancy staying in the area for a bit or just taking a look around, the main attractions might include the Nene Valley Railway (do we have any rail buffs who attend events these days?) and the Cathedral, probably best known for being the resting place of Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It's also quite good for shopping, the main attraction being Queensgate which has a large John Lewis store.

There isn’t anything formally planned for post-event food and drink, but the most likely post-event venue is the Draper's Arms in Cowgate, which is a Wetherspoon's and is just a few minutes' walk from both the bus and train stations.

The entrance fee for the day is only £10, which can be transferred to me through PayPal at mike@mjbrown.demon.co.uk. Those of you who would prefer to pay by cheque can do so — snail-mail address available on request.

The timetable for the day is likely to be:

10.30 Doors open
11.15 Welcome / Round 1 Draw announced.
11.30 Round 1
12.50 Lunch
13.50 Round 2
15.10 Break
15.25 Round 3
16.45 Break
17.05 Grand Final (15 rounds)
17.30 Prizegiving
18.00 End / down the pub!

Hope to see you there!

ENTRANTS:

James Robinson
Jeff Clayton
Post Reply