From Haydock Park Where The Trees Kiss The Horizon

As a vibrant city, London has a lot to offer in terms of civility, recreation, tourism and all that comes with it.

But, how about taking a leap of faith while hopping on to a train and hoping to get the best deal out of a gamble from a city to a town or village away from London.

Breaking bread with the Mecca Family via the Avanti-West-Coast-Line, the journey started.

It was indeed a great pleasure to treasure, given the awesome hospitality from Molson Coors at leisure to the expense of Mecca Bingo.

At first, leaving the beauty and sparkle of London as the City to somewhere up north was a bit of a bother.

But after thinking thoughtfully of the noisiness of fleeting cars and traffic, I seconded the idea of simply leaving the hustle and bustle of the city for a better greener pasture. Hence my acceptance to Molson Coors invitation.

Setting trail from my ends to meet Tracy at Euston Station was smooth but not without its pitfalls.

Waking up at 4AM, I started throwing my bits and bobs into the hand luggage for the journey to Haddock Park.

Instead of cutting across from where I live to board a train to Euston, I decided to rather look for a corner shop to buy a Day’s Pass to Euston. It was so early no shop was opened to advance my silly Idea.

So, ending up in East Croydon, that is where I hopped on a train to London Victoria and a tube to Euston.

Tracy on the other hand, was making her journey via another Underground Line.

In the end, we met at Euston Station and straight for our ticket collection for our long journey to our mission.

On the train, it was cool and calm on a Friday morning. Not much geographical scenery to write home about, since the speed of the locomotion did not give any view a chance.

The only chance, was that of trees on both sides of the rail tracks as we zip zap our way up north.

Getting off at Warrington Bank Quay was amazing. Meaning, we had just two more stops in the name of Earls-Town and Newton-le-Willows to finish our journey.

Tracy called in a taxi, and off we went straight to our final destination.

Holiday Inn was our lodge, but upon arrival we couldn't check in straight away. We had to leave our bags safely tagged by the receptionist in order to check in later.

We hanged out in the lounging area not long before meeting our bosses and other staff members from the various Meccas.

After exchanging pleasantries and introductions, Vicki gave the day a rousing appetite by detailing what was to expect in terms of fun, joy and entertainment as far as food and drinks were concerned a la Molson Coors.

We made a trek to Haydock Park. And it wasn't a walk in a park of 'ten minutes' according to my feet.

Along the stretch of the road to Haydock Park was fantastic, because the crowd, were well-dressed people. Some aristocrats, others, very meaningful in society.

Fashion everywhere, food and drinks to boot. Punters and spectators got their emotions running wild as soon as the galloping business started.

I punted the King's topmost sterling and got just four pounds back. Well, the essence of betting is not only to win but the experience as well.

Somebody did and won and they gave me 20 of their currency, which was great. One good turn deserves another according to history as usual.

Capturing a wonderful view from the V I P lounge was the best part of the deal. Because the position of the box gives a commanding view of the turf in its entirety.

A Camera in one hand, a chilled Madri Beer in the other, you won’t be wrong if you say, someone is drinking on the job. But not in Mecca though.

Serving is my job in Mecca Bingo, but the moment that I was being served, was great. Is that not good, your guess is arguably right.

So eight races saw the day lapsed into closure for all horsing activities.

It was now time to go to the hotel refresh, re-group and reset to the tunes of the night.

The night unleashed a venue called eighteen unto us, even though all of us were above that age.

The food was brilliant, but getting there was not easy. We had to travel a bit out of town in order to get the best.

The Stake and Fries went down somewhere, according to my German pint of beer.

It was a decent night out with a welcoming initiative that gives the ordinary Mecca Bingo staff a good reason to work hard and be part and parcel of the entertainment fruits that fall from the upper echelons.

And of course this scenario was immersive, because of its essence.

Essentially,
Essentially, some great time was had, despite someone's toe giving them a problem, all day all night.

In this light, shout outs to Wayne, Michael and all the top officers for making the Avanti-West-Coast-Line, a journey to envy.

BY WILFRED CLARKE.
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