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The SPARTA Art club have been hosting Watercolour sessions, organised by John (MHCLG), Ahad (MHCLG) and Aishwaree (DfT). The sessions have involved familiarising with water consistency and learning watercolour techniques before painting their own creation to take home. The sessions have proved to be very popular and were quickly totally booked up, (almost as quickly as Oasis tickets). The club is hoping to continue to run similar sessions going forward and also to explore ways to restart oil painting in the near future. Now attendees are starting their own projects. I look forward to seeing the end results!

At SPARTA we are always trying to make a difference by improving what we can offer you but to do that we need your help. Volunteers Our clubs are run by volunteers. They help at the clubs because they enjoy the particular activity that their club does. Without their help their club would struggle to continue operating. Some of our volunteers have been doing their work at the clubs for a long time and they need your help to ensure that the clubs continue to operate and develop. We also need volunteers to help at events such as Sport and Wellbeing Day. So if you fancy volunteering for a club or at one of our events then please do get in contact with us at SPARTA@dft.gov.uk Without your help SPARTA would not be able to do all the great things that it does, so we thank you for all your continued help. Membership Review SPARTA has found some inconsistencies in our membership lists so we are currently undertaking a review of our membership. We will issuing new membership numbers to everyone who joined before July 2020 and contacting most of you to confirm your membership status, so watch out for an email from us. SPARTA AGM So what do you want SPARTA to do? Let us know by attending the SPARTA AGM The Date - 3rd December The Time - 5pm - 6pm Where - Room 2.7, GMH or Online using Teams Website Design Are there any budding website designers out there? Are you interested in helping us to review and update our website? The current SPARTA website has been around for 5 years now. Websites across the internet evolve so quickly that we cannot keep up with the latest designs but do need to know what our website should look like. Do you have any ideas about our website design? Send us some examples of good websites and let's work together to create a really good future SPARTA website. Get in touch at SPARTA@dft.gov.uk

GOLF, GOOD, COME, JOIN . Golf is good. Come and join in!! This year the SPARTA Golf Society has made changes to its event and competition formats to attract more newcomers. Both of their Spring and Autumn meetings were reduced to just 18 holes and members were given the choice of playing just morning or afternoon at our 36 hole events. The spring meeting at Knole Park was very successful with a reasonable turnout, however, only four members decided to play the full 36 holes at President’s Day at Chigwell, which was disappointing. As such, there was no competition for the morning round and the four players just had a practice round. There was a better number for the afternoon where one member subsequently had his handicap severely scrutinised after scoring 46pts, 11 clear of second place! There was another poor turnout at Old Fold Manor for our Summer meeting where it was a case of keep it in the family – with a father and son duo taking two of the three major prizes. Thankfully, the latest meeting for Captain’s Day at Kingswood GC saw a better turnout and with the captain’s goody bag in hand a great day was had by all, despite heavy rain during the morning round. At the time of writing, the SPARTA Golf Society are gearing up for their autumn event which will be held on 5 September at Ealing GC and we hope for a good turnout. We hope absent and new members can join us for a fun day out. Full details of all our events can be found on our website at www.spartagolf.co.uk and for newcomers email our secretary at secretary@spartagolf.co.uk for full details. GOLF IS GOOD. COME AND JOIN US

The SPARTA Art Club has organised some watercolour classes, the first of which is taking place at the end of September. Since they announced that they were going to hold this class they have been overwhelmed with responses from people wishing to be involved, so much so that the first class is already oversubscribed. We hope to bring you some pictures from the class in future newsletters. Due to this amount of interest they are planning to hold more of these classes. Future dates have yet to be set for the classes but if you are interested then please get in contact with the SPARTA Art Club. Email addresses can be found later in the article. Do you have any artwork that you would like SPARTA to publish? If so get in touch with us today SPARTA@dft.gov.uk The Art club can be contacted by emailing either john.norman@communities.gov.uk or aishwaree.mahadea@dft.gov.uk They will be glad to hear from you so get in contact with them today.

The fledgling SPARTA Astronomy Society has launched and cleared the tower!  So far we’ve 10 members and we are looking for more.  The summer days are long and nights short and bright but astronomical darkness returns soon and there’s always lots to see.  So if you are interested in observing the cosmos, or learning and chatting about astronomy, space or rocketry, send an email with ‘Astronomy’ in the title to neil.nevill@dft.gov.uk  or go to our teams channel Astronomy | SPARTA Astronomy Society (CDG-PPD-PAPD) | Microsoft Teams

The SPARTA Sport and Wellbeing Day 2025 took place on 18th July 2025. Teams and participants from locations across the country from both the DfT and MHCLG attended the event which, for the first time, was held at Imber Court Sports Club near Hampton Court. The change of venue was necessitated after the previous venue cancelled all Government Sports Day bookings at very short notice leaving the holding of the event this year in great doubt. It was only due to the hard work of the SPARTA team and all the volunteers on the day that the event was able to go ahead. Despite all the troubles leading up to the day it turned out to be a glorious day (but probably a little too hot for some) filled with incredible teambuilding, wellbeing and most importantly fun. SPARTA was pleased to welcome the Swinging Mandarins band to the event to provide live music. The band is made up of civil servants and they performed all afternoon with some wonderful jazz music. A short video of one of their numbers is available to view in the sports day gallery (link can be found later in this article). Despite this year’s change of venue, we were still able to hold the four main team competitions - Football, Netball, Cricket and Rounders – and there were still lots that could be entered on the day including tennis, pétanque, wanging the wellie, the sack race, table tennis, darts, the ever-popular quiz and a couple of running races. We will explore what else can be brought back for next year’s event. We would really like to hold more events that you would like to see added so please send us feedback in our survey. The results of the events can be found on the SPARTA website at https://www.spartarecreation.co.uk/sparta-sports-day-results Feedback SPARTA would really like your help in improving Sport and Wellbeing Day. Please give us your feedback by completing our VERY short survey https://forms.office.com/r/Y4AP3wmhmm We were really pleased that Nick Joyce, the Director of the DfT Corporate Delivery Group, was able to join us again and present the medals at the end of the day. We thank him for all his help. If you won medals in any event and were unable to pick them up on the day and would still like to receive them then please contact Jason Marchant jason.marchant@dft.gov.uk Our official photographer, Paul Weekes (DfT), has provided us with a selection of superb pictures which are available on our website at https://www.spartarecreation.co.uk/sparta-sports-day-gallery Feel free to take a look and see if you feature in any of them. Above, A rare occurrence in the rounders, Joint Winners. The teams of MAJOR ROUNDERS PROJECTS and THE THROWBACK TO PHASE 2B who could not be separated despite playing a tiebreaker.

Just over two years ago Ben and Dave wrote to SPARTA and suggested that we needed a board games club. SPARTA agreed and now we now have up to 15 regular attendees. The club is not exclusive so external people can come along such as partners or adult family members who are always welcome, though we do need to book them into the venue in advance. So that everyone enjoys themselves we try to ensure that the quality of games that we play is good ( boardgamegeek.com is a good place to look) and also feel a bit challenged. The fact that frequently our players are often within a few points of each other is a great sign of competitive play. Codenames where two teams compete to pass messages about their contacts on the board. Typically we start with a light card game or two as people rock-up to the canteen area on the 5th floor of Great Minster House every other Wednesday at about 6pm, but we play the longer games after. We always have snacks available too :-) The Settlers of Catan in English (hard to find as it was first published in German) If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the Board Games club why not get in touch with them, details below. David.Misell@dft.gov.uk 07977 285117 Ben.Payne@communities.gov.uk 07874 008024

During 2025 the SPARTA history Society has organised a number of online and in person talks in London and Leeds, these continue in September. The Society will also be helping with a Railway 200 exhibition and following Railway 200 will be restarting our history talks covering all aspects of history. 200 Years of Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) Talk - Tuesday 11 February 2025 If there are any talks that you have missed then many of them are available as recordings, Please contact Robert Baker for details. Below is a list of the exciting upcoming talks planned for the near future. Please contact Robert Baker if you are interested in attending any of these future talks and need further details. robert.baker@dft.gov.uk     September Talks Thursday 11 th September Historic Building Mythbusting James Wright                  Online Talk 1pm James Wright is an award winning buildings archaeologist and author.   Tuesday 16th September  Railway 200 National Archives Dr Jessamy Carlson  GMH room 2.7 1pm To mark the 200th anniversary of the first passenger train on the Stockton Darlington railway, join Jessamy Carlson, family history specialist at The National Archives as she talks about National Archives collection of the surviving records of private railway companies before nationalisation in 1947.   Tuesday 23 rd  September An Accidental History of Tudor England Professor Steven Gunn Online talk from GMH room 5.7 1pm How did ordinary people live in Tudor England? This unique history unearths the ways they died to find out. Professor Steven Gunn is Professor of Early Modern History at Merton College, Oxford.   Thursday 25 th September Roads to Rome - Catherine Fletcher Online 1pm The Roads to Rome: A History Explores their cultural significance in the two millennia since their original construction. Catherine Fletcher is Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University and the author of several books.   Thursday 2 nd October Railway 200 Taking the train: the passenger experience in Britain over two centuries with Simon Bradley GMH LG9 1pm Talk based on Bradley's Railway Guide: A journey through two centuries of British railway history, 1825-2025.  Simon Bradley  is series editor of the Pevsner Architectural Guides. He has a longstanding interest in Britain’s railways and their history, and is author of Bradley’s Railway Guide and The Railways: Nation, Network and People    Tuesday 7 th  October British Rail design talk Andrew McLean Online talk 3pm   Tuesday 14 th October Crispina Peres: The Heretic of Cacheu, Dr Toby Green  Online talk 12 noon   Wednesday 22 nd  October Jewish History in Westminster walking tour 5.30pm   Thursday 6th November The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of James VI & I with Professor Clare Jackson Online talk 1pm   More talks planned for November and December 2025.

The Superstars Cricket club went on an early season tour of Oxfordshire over the weekend of the May Day Bank Holiday. Their first game was against the Wantage and Grove second XI team at the amazingly picturesque Warborough & Shillingford ground, surrounded by thatched cottages and a pub. Superstars won the game by five wickets. The full report from the game can be found here https://www.superstarscricket.org.uk/tour/2025.html Back row: Guy Boubly, Aarron Harris, Mike Taylor, Paul Gaught-Allen (c), Arun Saajan, Jubril Sunmonu, Adnaan Ali. Front row: Dan Forman, Matthew Conway, Barry Gigg (w), Vijay Anand. They finished the evening with a cracking team dinner at the Six Bells with the Superstars, family and friends pretty much taking over the pub.               The second day of the tour involved a game against Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is a South Oxfordshire village of picture postcard prettiness.   Nestling in a hollow below Wittenham Clumps, it has at its heart the CAMRA award-winning Red Lion pub and a lovely recreation ground. Superstars elected to field first in this twenty/20 game.              And with a true team performance from the Superstars with everyone contributing they managed a good win against excellent opposition. Once again, the full match report can be found here   https://www.superstarscricket.org.uk/tour/2025.html Back row: Vijay Annad, Arun Saajan (w), Dan Forman, Mike Taylor, Mike Duggan. Front row: Gary Plahe, Mary, Paul Gaught-Allen, Barry Gigg, Matthew Conway (c), Steve Meyler, Izzie, Aarron Harris. The final game of the tour was against the Bicester and North Oxford CC 4XI at the Merton College Sports Ground in Oxford City Centre. The game was a very tight 35 over match with Superstars losing by only 6 runs at the end of the game. Once again, the full match report can be found here   https://www.superstarscricket.org.uk/tour/2025.html l to r: Michael Duggan, Aarron Harris, Suleman Ali, Adnaan Ali, Gary Plahe, Dan Forman (c), Matthew Conway, Mike Taylor, Alok Singh, Abhi Singh, James Hewlett (w). [not pictured, Arun Saajan] If you want to know more about the Superstars Cricket Club then check out their website at https://www.superstarscricket.org.uk/ or email them at osdsuperstars_cc@hotmail.co.uk Superstars have fixtures throughout the summer and hold a yearly tour. If you are interested in joining them then do get in contact with them.

Would you like to see the stars, galaxies, planets and other wonders of the universe? Would you like to hear talks about celestial events, astro-physics, space exploration and rocketry? Would you like to visit observatories, the national space centre, or other sites of astronomic or space exploration interest? Would you like to be part of SPARTA Astronomy Society? Of course you would. SPARTA is pleased to announce that a new SPARTA Astronomy Society is being set up for 2025. If you are interested in joining then Neil Nevill will be pleased to hear from you and give you more details. Drop him a line and let him know what you might be interested in, talks, informal meet-ups to talk astronomy, stargazing sessions, visits, or something else? As this is a new society Neil would also like some help organising any events, so please do let him know if that interests you. You don't have to have any experience in astronomy to join so why not just give it a try. Please email at Neil at neil.nevill@dft.gov.uk and put ‘Astronomy’ in the title, or visit the Teams Channel

SPARTA are pleased to report that the inaugural event of the new Northern Golf Society took place on 17th April 2025 at Silkstone Golf Club, Barnsley. Nick Lyell reports. Silkstone Golf Club The newly formed Sparta Golf + North society hosted its inaugural event on April 17th at Silkstone Golf Club, Barnsley. The course was in excellent condition, offering a challenging yet enjoyable experience, featuring water hazards, raised greens, and dog-legged par fives. The weather was sunny and clear, providing ideal playing conditions. The competition format was Stableford. Following initial interest, four golfers formed a small but well-balanced group: Nick Lyell, Jordon Scott, Carl Davies, and Callum Mellor . Each player demonstrated moments of skill, alongside some more unconventional shots. Event Winner & Scores Callum Mellor  emerged victorious with an impressive score of 35 , showcasing two strong runs of pars mid-round that contributed to his success. He was a well-deserved recipient of the Wellington Cup , named after the Leeds Government Hub. Final Scores: Callum Mellor (36 handicap)  – 35 Nick Lyell (21 handicap)  – 34 Carl Davies (28 handicap)  – 31 Jordon Scott (17 handicap)  – 15 Post-Round & Future Events Following the round, participants indulged in a local delicacy— pork baps with gravy —accompanied by a refreshing beverage in the sun. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with strong enthusiasm for more regular events. Since the event, additional interest has emerged from MHCLG golfers , which is highly encouraging. If you are keen to join, please feel free to reach out—we welcome new members and aim to foster a relaxed and sociable golfing environment. The next provisional event is scheduled for August 7th . Nick Lyell 22/05/2025

SPARTA is pleased to announce that the SPARTA Sport and Wellbeing Day will be taking place on 18th July 2025. SAVE THE DATE NOW AND ADD TO YOUR DIARY! There is a change of venue this year, so the event is taking place at the Imber Court Sports Club in Thames Ditton so put the date of Friday 18th July 2025 in your diary now! As usual the event will be taking place in the afternoon starting around 12 noon. We apologise for the change in venue and later than normal comms, but the previous venue of Kings House School cancelled the bookings for all Government sports days, and we needed time to come up with an alternative plan. We are planning a fantastic day for everyone that attends, and full details will be available soon on our website at https://www.spartarecreation.co.uk/sparta-sports-day-2025 Imber Court Sports Club Team entries open on 3rd June and close on 4th July. Make sure you enter early to ensure that you get into your chosen competition. Opportunities for Team Building The day is a great opportunity to bring your teams together from across the country for a day of healthy activities and to help improve the wellbeing of all staff and their families. We will be hosting as many of the usual sporting activities as possible along with fun events such as wanging the wellie, the sack race, and the egg and spoon race. The day is one of enjoyment and comradeship across DfT and MHCLG and always brings happy memories to all. Start putting your teams together and brushing off your sports gear. Fancy helping at Sport and Wellbeing Day? We couldn’t hold the day without the help of the wonderful volunteers from across both Departments that make the day so special. It is a great way to use your Departmental allowed volunteer time, give something back to your colleagues and feel that you have made a difference. If you would like to help, then please do get in touch with us at SPARTA@dft.gov.uk