A World of Activites

Joining Round Table gives you a passport to a world of valuable and diverse activities you wouldn’t otherwise experience. From the excitement of Skydiving and Rally Driving, to German beer festivals and running with the bulls in Pamplona, getting together to share the fun is a big part of Table life.

Ask many Tablers what it is that they like most about their club, and they’ll tell you it’s the opportunity to take part in a diverse range of activities they would never try alone.

The focus is on fun and experiencing new things – trekking the Great Wall of China; running the London Marathon; competing in a Triathlon, and climbing Mont Blanc – they’re all activities that Tablers have got together to enjoy.

Many Tablers, however, organise activities because there’s something they’ve always wanted to do, and they can’t think of anyone they’d rather share it with than their fellow Tablers. Lee Maclaughlan, 38, did just that when he and a group of mates from Moseley Round Table decided to take part in the ancient tradition of running with the Bulls in Pamplona, in July 2009.

Lee described the “high-adrenaline moment of madness” that came about after a conversation between five members – Paul Walton, Mark Wilkinson, Tony Shipway, James Thompson and himself – in the pub three months earlier:

“Clothed in the traditional white trousers and shirt, adorned with red sash and neckerchief, we waited… and waited… for the first of four rockets to signal the release of the six fighting bulls and six steers.

“At 8am, they were let loose. A shade over 60 seconds later hordes of runners came into view as they turned ‘Dead man’s corner’ pursued by the hulking beasts. It was time to make a run and try to keep out of the way!

“Some runners fell, others felt the urge to touch the horned marauders and some to swat them with a rolled up newspaper as is the tradition. The five of us, who had picked differing points to risk our lives, then joined up for a celebratory drink in Pamplona’s main square, which was still being cleaned from the previous night’s revelries.”

For the Moseley five, the trip epitomised what being a Tabler is all about:

“It was an incredible feeling to have done the run – satisfaction mixed with relief,” Lee said.

“That relief was palpable when within the hour we discovered that one of the bulls – Cappuccino – had inflicted the first death of a runner for 15 years.

"It was a sobering moment, but not one that would have prevented anyone from taking their chances another day or returning to a festival that epitomises the camaraderie and opportunities of being in Round Table.”

Cappuccino the bull was unavailable for comment, but his agent released the following statement:

“Cappuccino never meant to hurt anyone, but unfortunately one of the revellers got in his way. He wants everyone to know that he deeply regrets the incident.”

We can’t promise that every Table meeting will be filled with such excitement, but find your nearest Round Table club and go along to a couple of regular events for free. You never know what you might end up doing!