Jersey 2021 with U3A – first day

Thanks to our organisers our arrangements for our first Leyland U3A holiday went flawlessly – it was even arranged the added excitement of our coach to Liverpool airport getting a puncture just before Charnock Richard services.  We were able to pull in to the services and a replacement coach came within 30 minutes and we still reached Liverpool airport in good time.  The choice of Greatdays as our travel company for the holiday was inspired and everything went oh so smoothly.  The sun was also arranged to shine for almost the whole holiday, a triumph for late September!

We stayed at the Merton hotel, which was very large but lovely.  I would go so far as to say it was possibly the best hotel I have stayed in.  My room was spacious and comfortable.  I have never seen so much choice in the breakfast and evening meal buffets and all very well cooked.  The waiters were all attentive and pleasant.  We had entertainment in the Star Room every evening.  There were two quizzes each evening before the main acts appeared – we all particularly enjoyed ‘Rock and Roll Bingo’.  The highlight of the entertainment was Abbaloo, which is self explanatory and Sequoia who were three of Abbaloo in a different guise and genre.

The Merton has a commemorative statue of Jambo the gorilla in its garden – pictured above.  This is for an incident in 1986, when five-year-old Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Durrell Zoo and lost consciousness. Jambo saved the boy and when he regained consciousness the giant silverback led the other panicked gorillas away.