Brian's heart to heart
Luke Dodd talks to Brian Gibson, Chairman of Hertbeats, the St Albans and District Cardiac Support Group, about his attitude to organising trips for his members suffering with heart disease.
What struck me most about meeting Brian Gibson is his insatiable lust for life, as reflected in his group’s motto; ’”Carpe Diem” -Seize the Day’. Consisting of around 350 members, Hertbeats, a social club for heart disease sufferers and their families, covers the areas of St Albans, Harpenden, Redbourn, Wheathampstead and Hatfield in Hertfordshire and was set up with the help of the British Heart Foundation who provide information for their various meetings. Brian wants to raise awareness for other heart disease social groups affiliated with the BHF in the UK. “I would like it if similar groups in the UK read this article and took inspiration from it; despite having a medical condition, you can still have a lot of fun,” he says.
Having suffered from heart disease himself, Brian has a novel approach to group organising, which he feels other GTOs can learn from. “I like to do impromptu trips at the last minute as I feel, with the nature of the group, relying on people having free time in the future is a gamble and members may have hospital appointments they cannot change. I feel other GTOs can learn from this as I often find that the spur of the moment trips turn out to be the best ones,” he reveals.
The group was formed by Brian and other members 10 years ago after requests from other heart disease patients. Brian started off as Treasurer and then took over as club Chairman five years ago. There is now a committee of around five people who assist Brian in planning trips and with general club duties. He enjoys a cheeky relationship with his group members, looking on the brighter side of their shared medical problems. “Because the group is so active and are not hampered by our heart troubles, I could joke to group members that we are going to go bungee jumping and they would believe me!” he chuckles.
The inner workings of the club
Meetings are held once a month at the Woollams Sport Ground’s clubhouse in St Albans, where group members have the chance to discuss which trips they are going on and put forward ideas for forthcoming breaks and days out.
Brian also contributes to the club’s bi-monthly newsletter, Hearts and Minds, which offers information on recent and future trips, medical advice and word games as well as ing events held at the club house. These free events include talks given by various speakers on a number of subjects, with past topics including ‘Antarctica: The Land of Ice, Penguins and Albatrosses’ and ‘Roads, rogues and things that go bump anytime’, which detailed modern road policing methods.
An annual quiz is also offered as well as a Christmas party, which are both usually held in St Stephen’s Church Hall, also in St Albans. Additionally, a highlight of the events calendar is the ‘Special Meeting’, held once a year at the clubhouse, which includes talks from cardiologists in the area discussing a wide variety of heart issues.
Days away
When organising day trips, which usually number around 20 a year, Brian has to take into consideration his members’ specialist needs. “I feel that when taking a group out on a day trip, especially if they have a medical condition like several of my members, it is important to get everybody home by a decent hour, which is why I tend to shy away from nights out to the theatre,” Brian explains. “Especially with all the different issues surrounding coach parking in the West End,” he adds.
Brian usually takes his group to London for day excursions using St Albans-based coach operator Whites Coaches. “Whites Coaches are a great coach operator and we thoroughly enjoy its friendly service,” he states.
He likes to visit the capital with his group as it is easily accessible from St Albans and, whilst there, he heads for the usual tourist attractions including the British Airways London Eye. “I book directly through the attraction and think its level of service is excellent. I find the London Eye a great day out for the group, especially when combined with some sightseeing and shopping. Tremendous fun!”
Another London trip Brian enjoys is The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “We loved visiting Kew last year and it is a regular feature on our itinerary. We usually go when the Azalias are in full bloom,” he adds.
Staying on the theme of gardens, the group also likes to visit RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. “The RHS Garden Wisley is a gorgeous garden and is a sight to behold when the plants and flowers are in full bloom,” he says.
Although shying away from theatre trips to the West End, his day trips still provide some cultural relief in the form of classical music.
Brian takes his group on a trip annually to the Royal Festival Hall in London for a series of concert performances with his group, using MET (Minibus Executive Travel) in Watford. “MET always offer us a great service and have never let us down,” Brian says. Although unable to go to the Royal Festival Hall last year, due to refurbishment at the venue, Brian thoroughly enjoyed the Friday Series Packages the year before. “The performance we saw was beautiful, consisting of music composed by Britten, Barber and Beethoven and was conducted by a very charismatic American lady called Marin Alsop. Also, groups get a great discount on these nights so keep an eye out for them!” he advises.
Additionally, Brian took a group of 40 on a popular trip to the Glenn Miller Festival at Twinwood Airfield in Bedfordshire last August. “This festival of swing and jazz got some of our members venturing to the dancefloor, but most just listened to the big band music, which many of our generation love. This was a truly nostalgic weekend; although we only attended on the Saturday, there were thousands of visitors there, many of whom had dressed up in military and wartime costumes,” he explains.
Other days out the group enjoy are to The National Trust’s Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire to take advantage of the Christmas Fair and the various food markets held there. The group use Motts Travel, based in Aylesbury, to get there, due to the company’s knowledge of the area, and thoroughly enjoy the events. “The Christmas Fair is always special here; all types of festive gifts can be picked up. Fantastic,” he says.
Meanwhile, last August, Brian took a group of 30 to Bletchley Park in Bedfordshire, where during World War II, Enigma machines were used to crack the German army’s secret messages. “There is also the Churchill Collection there, filled with memorabilia once owned by the great man. In fact, my good friend Jack Darrah gave a talk to the group on the exhibition while we were there as he is the owner of several of the pieces,” he added.
Brian admits that he does get a lot of inspiration from Group Travel Organiser and directly booked a trip two years ago to the National Trust’s Wimpole Hall after reading an article in the magazine. The group of 50 enjoyed a tour around the site, which they loved. “My group thought Wimpole Hall was fantastic and a particular highlight of the calendar,” he says.
Although overnight stays in the UK do not presently feature in Brian’s programme as the group prefer overnight trips abroad, Brian took his group for a weekend break to the Eden Project in Cornwall eight years ago when the attraction had just opened. “It was nice to see the attraction in its infancy and maybe, in the near future, we will take a trip back there,” he adds.
Adventures abroad
Brian’s group tend to stick to Europe on trips abroad, using Motts Travel for transport and to book ferry crossings. Brian then books directly with hotels and attractions himself. “My group always enjoys eating in Langham’s Restaurant on-board P&O Ferries’ vessels as it offers quality food and we don’t need to pre-book as there is always plenty of space,” he explains.
Of his trips abroad, which number around four a year, one particular holiday sticks in his mind. “In the spring of 2000, we visited Monet’s Garden in Giverny; it was a beautiful place and groups of 20 or more received a discount on admission, which was ideal,” he enthuses. Staying in the Jardin de Paris hotel in Rouen, the group of 40 were in the region for four days and also visited the Bayeaux Cathedral to view the Bayeaux Tapestry. “One of my members took so much inspiration from the tapestry itself that she has created her own,” he explains. During the trip, Brian also organised impromptu detours to the local towns and countryside, which Motts were more than happy to cater for. “Motts is great when it comes to my changes in itineraries; it must be quite tiring to keep chopping and changing routes and plans!” he laughs.
In 2001, Brian remembers a four-day trip to Holland, where they visited Amsterdam and Keukenhof Gardens. On this trip, Brian had a bit of a worrying moment. “Other GTOs will know that it is such a worry making sure everyone is on your coach and that head counts are a necessity. However, on this trip, I did a head count in Amsterdam and everyone was present so we set off. Unfortunately, a lady had got on the wrong coach and one of my members had gotten on her coach by mistake! Luckily, once everyone was back in their rightful places, we had a good laugh about it!” he chuckles.
Another trip, which springs to Brian’s mind, was to the city of Arras in Northern France during July 2001. “This was a superb historical city, which holds two magnificent squares and we even went into the underground caverns, which run underneath Arras, whilst on a guided tour,” he says. The group also went to Douai to see ‘The Giants’ – two papier mache models – during the Giants of Douai Festival held throughout the streets of the city annually. From their base in Arras, where they stayed at the Express Holiday Inn, another excursion involved a trip to the Battlefields of the Somme, which Brian described as his favourite excursion of all time. “Visiting the Battlefields of the Somme was one of the most moving moments of my life. We visited with a local tourist guide and one of our group member’s found his Grandad’s memorial site,” he says. During the weekend, the group also made a day trip to Lille. “Lille was very impressive, we had a good old shop and wander around,” he explains.
Bruges is also a favourite location for Brian’s group and they have visited three times. “In 2001, 45 of us stayed at the Grand Hotel Oudeberg in the centre of Bruges, which was superb, just beside the Carillion Tower. We had an excellent time visiting chocolate factories in the region,” he surmises.
More recently, last October, Brian’s group of 40 booked a weekend trip to the Champagne region of France and stayed at the Chateau de Tourelles in Le Wast. “We loved staying at the Chateau as I have built up a personal relationship with the owners after becoming a regular visitor myself. They are very accommodating of group visits”, he enthuses. During their four day long holiday to the region, the group visited Boulogne and St Omer. “The trip was a fantastic success and we will definitely be going back again,” he adds.
Future aspirations
Brian likes to keep his itinerary fresh and interesting with a variety of different trips, as reflected in his future plans. “This year, we are hoping to visit the Tate Modern and the RSPB Sandy in Bedfordshire. We are also planning a cream tea day trip on the River Cam in Cambridge on-board the Georgina vessel.”
Brian also wishes to attend another Glenn Miller Festival next year. “After having such a good time last year, we definitely plan to visit the next event,” he adds.
Trips to France are yet to be scheduled for next year but Brian cannot wait to go back to meet up with some old friends. “I will definitely be going back to the Chateau de Tourelles with my group next year and it will be nice to catch up again with the owners,” he says.
Aside from future trips, Brian has one topic close to his heart he would like to publicise. “For heart disease sufferers, travelling abroad can raise various issues about what would happen if somebody had difficulties. This is why for each trip, I hand out personalised information tags, produced by one of my group members, which provide details of the member, their condition and contact numbers. I feel that these should be available for any heart disease sufferer on the NHS, regardless whether they are on a trip or not. It’s just common sense,” he adds.
For the future, Brian also hopes that he continues giving his members good experiences during some difficult times. “Heart disease is a hard illness to deal with; however, it is important to keep an upbeat attitude throughout it as this helps. I hope this is what the club does and that we continue to do so,” he concludes.