LOTNA Review of 2014

by Caz Rudd

2014 was another great year for LOTNA with many fun events and activities for our members.

Thanks to everyone who organised events for us this year, and those who organised quizzes Steve L, Mark D, Mark M, Mark R, Dave, Dave B2, Jackson, Bianca, Blandine and Johanna, Peter and Ed.

Here are some of the highlights...which doesn't include the regular trips to the Geekatorium, Science Museum Lates, Film Premieres, LARPing, signings, conventions, occasional mid-week meet ups, concerts, various other film screenings the many calendar shoots and random get togethers!

January

LOTNA's 2014 started in The Mad Hatter with our first New Year's Eve party.

Before the first January meeting we had a get together to plan stuff for the rest of year.

At the Geeks Inc Joss Whedon Quiz our teams came third and sixth. Mark M also organised several other visits to their quizzes throughout the year.

Based on Victoria's idea David B2 organised the first of our Board Games afternoons. This grew into one of the great successes of the year, now a regular event organised by Steve. Thank you to everyone who attended and brought along fun games for us to play.

The second meeting in January was also Burns Night, so we had a Scottish themed quiz and haggis was on the menu!

The first Book Club book of the year was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell by Susanne Clarke.

Thanks to the contributors and Tony's team at GH Cityprint the first LOTNA'Verse of the year was available at the first meeting in February.

We made the annual trip to Piccon; the destruction of dodgy merchandise is always a highlight! Plus trips to see Robocop, Woman in Black and the Awesome Lego Movie.

Our 16th Anniversary party was also the 100th issue of LOTNA Today. Some of our finest thespians spoke forth ye ancient tale of the Star Wars.

This month's Book Club was The Princess Bride by William Goldman, we all agreed we preferred the film!

A visit to the premiere of Captain America The Winter Solider and then a trip to see it at the cinema

Jolly fun was had at The Fitzrovia Radio Hour!

LOTNA board gamers were part of Table Top Day, a whole afternoon and evening of dice throwing and meeple moving!

The end of the month was Sci-Fi London, a few brave souls survived the MST3K all-nighter and this year there was a special event, an interview with Trace and Frank. Among the usual excellent selection of films, Mark and I really enjoyed the festival opener, Mood Indigo. We had a great selection of costumes in the parade. Our Ed and Chris ran the quiz, two LOTNA teams had their mind grapes squeezed one of the teams came a very respectable third.

The Book Club read was The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

There was a bookstall before the 1st Meeting. Outings to see, Alien the stage play,

Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Dropzone, the annual Live Action Role Play event took place with a Stargate theme.

We had a meeting to discuss our online comms, we decided to move the email list over from Yahoo to Meet Up. Later in the year we also started a new Facebook Group.

The LOTNA'Verse was a Star Wars edition and the first issue from last year made available online.

The Book Club read was Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Outings to the recordings of the Sci-Fi sitcom Welcome to our village. Please invade quietly at the BBC.

The Annual LFCC, the last one at Earls Court and insanely busy, with epic queues but our fantastic LOTNA volunteers manned the stand, handing out a record number of leaflets.

Afterwards we had a very special guest at the meeting, Chase Masterton, who was lovely, entertaining us with stories and songs.

The cinema trip was Pacific Rim.

I am Groot! Guardians of the Galaxy was this month's film.

The Nineworlds Convention was attended by many LOTNA members and that was followed by the Worldcon at ExCel. The last time this was held in London was in 1965. LonCon 3 was a huge 5-day event attended by fans from over the world, with loads of authors in attendance and tons of fan activities.

A new series of Doctor Who, a new Doctor, where better to watch it than in the pub on a big screen with a load of geeky Sci-Fi fans! So we did!

The Book Club read was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Oxford was attacked by creatures from fantasy, fortunately LOTNA knows how to deal with a CRISIS! A fun away day out in the shires, organised by Mark D.

Meanwhile Tony Bailey was making his third attempt to swim the channel. This time he succeeded taking 25 hours 56 min. Well done Tony, a great achievement.

LOTNA members did the Time Warp again at the Sing-A-Long-A Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The LOTNA Auction was held in this afternoon this year before the main meeting and was a great success, even with "butter fingers" Mark helping out! Thank you to everyone who donated items and bid for them. Clare and Kelly also helped and Dave was on form as auctioneer but of course it wouldn't be the success it is without all Janine's hard work behind the scenes.

The Book Club read was Saga Volume 1 by Bryan K. Vaughn

Mark Madeley organised this year's London Can't Stop The Serenity screening raising £1500 for the charity Equality Now. It was a mighty fine shindig!

The last meet of the month was the awesome Halloween Party, thanks to everyone who brought along yummy goodies to eat and got in the spirit by dressing up. Special thanks to Bianca who organised all the fun!

The month started with I Need A Doctor - The Whosical at the Leicester Square theatre and Frankenstein (the flip side version)

Before the airing of season finale of Doctor Who Dave's quiz introduced us to the TEADIS! We had a really funny performance from our two special guests The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets, ably assisted by Kev Sunderland and Mark the technician!

We had a little wobble getting "stuff" for issue 7 of the LOTNA'Verse but number 8 was bursting with contributions - please keep them coming for next year.

An away team went to see, Lego, Art of the Brick. Everything was awesome? Followed by a cinema trip to see Interstellar.

The Book Club read was Machine of Death, A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die

Several of us spent the first weekend in December at the BFI, enjoying a Blake's 7 panel, At Last the 1948 Show with John Cleese and several classic sci-fi films

December's cinema outing was to see the final instalment in The Hobbit trilogy before the Christmas Party, where the LOTNA awards were announced a very special guest gave out the secret Santa gifts and the 2015 LOTNA Calendar was revealed!

The year ended the way it started in The Hatter for the New Year's Eve Party.

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