Dressed to Kill at the Cheshire Summer Ball 2005 Was it something in the air that day, or something in the food perhaps, or simply the innate vivacity of Merseyside Network, responsible for the extraordinary events that night? We may never know. However we do know that when a group of Scousers descend en masse, intentions in mind, something quite spectacular will (and always does!) unfold… We were a team of nineteen - lads and ladies alike – dedicated to the task of spreading the legacy of Merseyside Network across the land.

The story begins at Ruth’s house, a large and comfortable base from where we could begin and end the night’s performance. There we donned our tuxes and ball gowns – lads trimmed with network-pink bow ties and cummerbunds, courtesy of Ruth, and pink flowers for the ladies. This proved a spectacular form of PR, but we of course had plenty more secret gadgets to help fulfil our mission – mainly in the form of drunken debauchery and some skilful mingling later that evening.

But first, with the help of an irate bus driver with “no directions” a one-hour late arrival delayed everyone else from eating. Phil and Holty in particular made efficient use of this time and polished off a small bottle of Smirnoff en route. On arrival, a quick dash to the bar before the dining hall set our priorities before the pink posse finally strut their stuff into the dining hall, all eyes fixed upon us. There we enjoyed a delicious three-course meal, followed by coffee, speeches and a raffle, with plenty of excursions to the bar in between. It seemed as if it was Merseyside’s lucky night with Jo and Ruth each winning one, and P.J. winning two raffle prizes, each accompanied by roaring cheers from our tables. However some had their eyes on another ‘prize’. It was a huge helium champagne balloon that was later trophied from Cheshire by Joanne and Katy. But when Katy attempted to hide it behind her rear when asked to give it back, she said she didn’t have it, only to discover to her horror it was floating up behind her head.

The night was now well under way and it was time to get the revelries truly rocking. So in the words of Lee “lets get lashed” Allwood, we did as we were told and hit the bar. All fuelled up we began to implement the next stage of our plan. Our first target being the National Network Commissioner, Dave Williams, who could only say “yes” when asked to pose for a photo wearing our signature pink bow tie. George and Alex W thought the next to receive this honour should be the statue in the corner, so they dressed and photoed it accordingly. This of course is not to say that everything went down hill from there. No, no. Only when Holty chose to dress Chippendale-style in his pink bow tie and cummerbund did Cheshire begin choking over their G and T’s.

So as we ‘Hey-Macarena-ed’ and ‘Oops-Upside-Our Headed’, or in Alex’s case attempted to break-dance, the night became one that was greatly enjoyed by all, but was one remembered to a lesser extent by many. The night also provided a great opportunity to strengthen relations within our own group with some new and some old faces that all had an active role in the making of a wonderful evening. Following the ball, we were chauffeured back to base. Phil led the way in many songs with contributions from all, some in honour of our driver and others in send-up of ourselves. Back at Ruth’s, P.J. was the first to crack open a beer, sustaining the raillery further into the morning. Good company stimulates good conversation and this was no exception here. Chilled out chat with cigars appealed to some, while a more romantic finale charmed others.

They say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and we certainly did make an impression on all at the ball. Our fashionably late entrance, cutting-edge mode, raucous dance-floor antics and shear group size provided a façade for Merseyside that will stay clear in the minds of all for a long time to come – a true reflection of our energy, comradeship, and most of all, Scouting.

Mission Complete
Signing Out
Alex Williams

To view our photo gallery for the network ball, click here.

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