Ashdown Probus Club
The original Crowborough Probus Club was formed out of The Royal Tunbridge Wells Club in 1987 with a nucleus of just 4 members. By January 1991 the Crowborough Club had reached its constitutional ceiling of 50 members and had a waiting list of 14 with others showing an interest in wishing to become members. The Crowborough Club under its then President, Eric Nailard, set up a meeting on 28th February 1991 to discuss the formation of a new club and thus the Ashdown Probus Club was born. By the time of the first AGM of April 1992 the membership had risen from 16 to 47.
Ashdown Probus Club currently has over 60 Full members with a small number of Waiting and Occasional members. The Club is administered by a committee comprising The President; Vice President and up to 9 other members elected at the AGM held in April/May each year. The committee allocates responsibilities as it sees fit provided that there shall be a Treasurer and Secretary.
Ashdown Probus Club is for retired or semi-retired professional or business people, who meet once a month, for social drinks and a Lunch, at which we host a Speaker.
Centred on Crowborough, we draw our membership from a wide area that extends east to Rotherfield, north east to include Tunbridge Wells and Wadhurst, south west to include Buxted and Uckfield and north west towards East Grinstead.
The purpose of The Ashdown Probus Club is purely social and to promote fellowship and friendship among its members. The Club used to meet for a monthly luncheon at The Plough & Horses pub in Crowborough until this establishment closed its doors in 2016. It then relocated to Crowborough Beacon Golf Club, Beacon Road, Crowborough, TN6 1UJ for its monthly meeting and luncheon on the second Monday of each month and has remained there ever since. Members gather at 12.00 noon for a 12.30 p.m. two course meal and coffee followed by a guest speaker and questions.
With the exception of the monthly luncheon, members’ wives and partners are invited to join in all social activities. 2024 functions so far have included the President’s Lunch in the Spring at the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, a Summer picnic hosted at a member’s private home and, the highlight of the year, in early December – the Christmas lunch, when members, their wives/partners and guests will gather at the Golf Club to celebrate the start of the Christmas season.
Outings to varied and fascinating places are enjoyed during the year. We started with a trip to the Theatre Royal Brighton for the play “The Woman in Black” then a guided tour of the Inns of Court in the City of London followed by our regular outing to Tunbridge Wells to see the TWODS musical production “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in May. Another theatre visit was to see the Rude Mechanicals outdoor theatre group’s 2024 production “The Dressing Book” in July with a trip to another of the City of London’s Livery companies – the Armourers and Braziers’ Hall in September.
There is also an active Golf section with Spring and Autumn meetings scheduled at various golfing venues around the South east – London Beach, Tenterden in early June and Weald of Kent, Headcorn at the end of September.
Other activities include Croquet in Tunbridge Wells on the second Tuesday of each month (May to September) and regular countryside walks of around four miles organised each month during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn typically ending with a pub lunch.
If anything of what you see on this website is of interest to you, we would be pleased to welcome you to lunch as a guest, with a view to your becoming a member. Please use the ‘Contact’ tag at the top of this webpage or e-mail: info@ashdownprobus.org.uk.
