We left from Dow House and were transported by coach to the Vermont, Newcastle. The coach was very roomy and comfortable, with Christmas music wafting through the air, it certainly added to the occasion.

We arrived at the Vermont on time and were ushered into a nice lounge with very comfortable sofas (I thought, this is a good start). After a brief rest a waitress ushered us into the dining room and we sat down with a sense of anticipation for the first course to arrive, when it did arrive the food was good. The rest of the food was tasty, for those who ordered the roast, it was served with one of the biggest Yorkshire Puddings I have ever seen and it was delicious!

The service was a little slow between courses but it gave us time to chat and enjoy little sips of the wine. There was lots of laughter and talking, it got a little louder as the evening progressed, but its Christmas. I looked around the room and no-one seemed to mind as they were all enjoying themselves.

The evening went all too quickly, 9.30 arrived and it was time to get on our warm comfortable coach (it was cold outside) and the driver was most helpful, he ferried us to our home addresses.

The company we used was Seaham Coaches, based at Westlea. The driver said they have a 27-seater coach, which could be useful in future.

We all had a wonderful fun evening, enjoying one another’s company, it was a perfect start to the festive season.

Thank you, Gordon.