I fly to the U.K. (Chester) on the 27th of April, and am having a Biopsy in Wrexham Maelor Hospital on the 30th of April. Biopsy is 1st thing in the morning and was just wondering if there is anything going on in Wrexham (model railway wise) that day that I could visit before returning to Chester later in the day.
Don't fly back to Tenerife till the 5th of May, but am in Mold, North Wales overnight for a Wedding on the 2nd of May.
As it is Bank Holiday weekend are any events/shows/fairs in the area whilst I am over that I could call in at?
This is always my first stop for shows: http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/y2014/m3 (http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/y2014/m3)
does chester have an airport? or is this the one airbus use in the area???
sorry random comment!!! just read you were flying to chester...
tim
Quote from: bluedepot on March 10, 2015, 07:42:17 PM
does chester have an airport? or is this the one airbus use in the area???
sorry random comment!!! just read you were flying to chester...
tim
The Romans built lots of things in Chester - and you still see Romans wandering the streets - usually followed by a load of kids brandishing swords & shields. There's an ampitheatre there currently being excavated, but they haven't uncovered the Airport yet.
To get to Chester usually fly to Manchester (or Liverpool), and there is a train from Manchester Airport Station that takes you to Chester but you have to change at Crewe normally. However this time picking up an Arnold Clarke hire car rather than taking the train.
If I see anything in Railway Modeller (which I'll get this weekend) I'll let you know, Terry.
I'm not sure what shows are on, but if you venture into Chester itself there is always Chester Model Centre .... might as well spend those uk pounds before you head off home.
Quote from: cjdodd on March 11, 2015, 01:23:35 PM
I'm not sure what shows are on, but if you venture into Chester itself there is always Chester Model Centre .... might as well spend those uk pounds before you head off home.
Trouble is I would have to pay VAT if I bought anything in Chester Model Shop whilst over, it's cheaper to buy online and have them sent to Tenerife VAT free (postage is only about a fiver but I save £20 on every £100 spent).
You can recover the vat by filling in the right forms
Regards,
Alex
Pedant alert :sorrysign:
..........£16.66 VAT on every £100 spent.
Quote from: Hailstone on March 11, 2015, 04:08:14 PM
You can recover the vat by filling in the right forms
Regards,
Alex
I am aware of that, and have done it many times, but it is time consuming - both for the shopkeeper and myself, and you need all sorts of information to hand such as passport details & flight numbers etc. The big boys (such as Hattons) are usually cheaper anyway before deducting VAT, and there is usually an "admin" charge added when you fill in Global Refund forms.
That doesn't mean to say I don't support the small shopkeeper, have bought quite a bit of model railway stuff from Dutfields in Chelmsford when visiting my daughter there, and they have always been helpful in filling out VAT reclaim forms.
Quote from: FeelixTC on March 11, 2015, 04:10:48 PM
Pedant alert :sorrysign:
..........£16.66 VAT on every £100 spent.
See where you are coming from - but depends on whether your £100 price tag is inclusive or
exclusive of VAT. If it is exclusive you
are saving £20.
It's all irrelevant really - I'm not sure how you've managed to convince retailers to deduct the VAT as EU residents can't reclaim VAT on UK purchases! Go and give Chester Model Centre a visit, you won't be disappointed!
JB
Edit: Handy PDF (http://www.heathrowairport.com/static/Heathrow/Downloads/PDF/Multilingual_PDF/VAT_Refunds/vat-refund-leaflet_EN.pdf) from the Heathrow Airport website that sets out who's eligible for VAT refunds. Unless there's been a major development that I've missed, Tenerife is still in the EU and so retailers will probably want to avoid getting involved in VAT fraud...
The Canary Islands are not in the EU although they are part of Spain, only mainland Spain and the Balearic islands are part of the EU. You try bringing more that 200 cigarettes back into the UK from the Canary Islands and you will get them all confiscated, if you watch the "Nothing to Declare" program on TV you will see how often this happens as people are always trying it on and pretending ignorance. ;)
have a good flight then and a good shopping trip for new model trains!
tim
Well there you go, I didn't realise the Canaries were in the EU for everything except VAT.
Even so, it seems like a lot of paperwork for very little gain... Removing the 20% UK VAT just to add the 7% Canary Islands import tax back on when you land is possibly interesting for a few grand's worth of kit, but on £100 it's only a couple of quid saved, to be balanced out against how you value the time it takes you to complete the paperwork. I doubt I'd bother with it, personally. It's not like it's an obligation.
In any case, for anyone reading and thinking of being smart by ordering their model railway stuff while on holiday, all this applies only to people who qualify as non-UK residents. The previous owners of my house apparently thought spending a decade going to France for four months a year made them non-UK residents for tax purposes. Needless to say, HMRC didn't quite agree and, although I didn't know it at the time, the huge UK tax bill they were slapped with meant I was in a rather strong negotiating position when it came to agreeing a price for the house...
But veering back on topic, Chester Model Centre is an excellent and very interesting little shop, and I always make a point of going in when I go back to the UK. The owner Paul is a lovely chap, as are the other employees I've spoken to when I've been in.
JB
Isn't all this talk of VAT a bit off-topic? Poor TDM only wanted a few ideas for coming to the UK and it's ended up as something completely different.
Anyway TDM, the exhibition diaries in the mags I have don't quite go up to the dates you ask about - the latest is 25-26 April. I'm getting the new Railway Modeller tomorrow though so if there's anything in there I'll let you know.
There is however an advert in April's Model Rail for an exhibition in Bristol on May 1-2-3 if that's any good, but it is quite a way away from Chester / Mold:
http://www.bristolmodrailex.co.uk/page8.html (http://www.bristolmodrailex.co.uk/page8.html)
TDM, the closest one I can see is Craven Arms, about an hours drive for you:
Craven Arms Model Railway Exhibition 2015
Saturday 2nd May, Craven Arms & District Model Railway Circle
Craven Arms Community Centre, Shrewsbury Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire
Only problem is that it is on on the 2nd.. you may have to choose between the wedding or the model trains... I know what I would choose! :D
Cheers
Mark
Quote from: scruff on March 11, 2015, 08:48:27 PM
Only problem is that it is on on the 2nd.. you may have to choose between the wedding or the model trains... I know what I would choose! :D
Cheers
Mark
And having met Maz, I know which one you'd choose, too >:D
The Canaries are to Spain a bit like what the Channel Islands are to the U.K.
They have their own rules and taxes, and by the way JiveBunny it is rare Customs will stop a small package and charge I.G.I.C. on the goods it contains - so you are still getting a NET 20% reduction.
When it comes to good quality Laptops & cameras etc., there is a decent saving to be made by deducting the VAT, purchasing them in the U.K., and carying them back to Tenerife.
My very 1st model railway purchases were from Modelzone in Chester before they went bankrupt, and I have made purchases there since they were taken over by the Penketh model railway shop, but they don't always reply to emails I have sent them - for example recently I emquired about the Brighton Belle set they were advertising but never got a response.
Will probably call in anyway whilst over as have an appointment at Boots in Chester for a new hearing test as well as one in Wrexham for what will be my 3rd biopsy (the previous 2 being in Tenerife). I have a mild form of prostrate cancer and need regular blood tests and a biopsy every couple of years to determine that it is not malignant and doesn't need an operation - only monitoring.
The specialist Urologist I see who will do the biopsy tells me that probably one in every two men in the U.K. have some form of prostrate cancer - but they don't know it unless they have been tested for it.
If you are in Wrexham in the evening, on Mondays the Wrexham area group of the NGS meet in the Salisbury Park United Reform Church Hall on Percy Road from 7pm to 9:30pm. The Wrexham Model Railway club meets at the same place on Monday and Thursday.
Hi TDM - You have my sympathies. I am awaiting the result of my 2nd prostate biopsy. All the Doc's can tell me at the moment is that a) I have a very high PSA count, (varies between 12 and 25 every blood test) and b) I have a very enlarged prostate. I was told in December 2013 that it "probably was" cancer and then in January 2014 that it "probably was not". After all this time/blood tests/examinations, it would be nice, (I think :hmmm: ) to at least have a definitive answer! I know this is off topic, but for all you gentlemen out there, (especially if you are 40+), can I suggest that you seriously consider a PSA test? My family, on my Fathers side, has a strong leaning towards getting cancer, but prostate cancer, if you have to get it, is one of the 'better' ones to get. :) David.
Quote from: dannyboy on March 12, 2015, 11:16:09 PM
Hi TDM - You have my sympathies. I am awaiting the result of my 2nd prostate biopsy. All the Doc's can tell me at the moment is that a) I have a very high PSA count, (varies between 12 and 25 every blood test) and b) I have a very enlarged prostate. I was told in December 2013 that it "probably was" cancer and then in January 2014 that it "probably was not". After all this time/blood tests/examinations, it would be nice, (I think :hmmm: ) to at least have a definitive answer! I know this is off topic, but for all you gentlemen out there, (especially if you are 40+), can I suggest that you seriously consider a PSA test? My family, on my Fathers side, has a strong leaning towards getting cancer, but prostate cancer, if you have to get it, is one of the 'better' ones to get. :) David.
I sympathise with you David.
I discovered I had prostrate cancer about 3 years ago when I started passing blood in my urine and a PSA test that followed showed a reading of about 9%, and anything above 4% means you have prostrate cancer.
Turned out to be an infection though causing the high reading, and now it is just over 4%.
My U.K. Urologist says anything between 4% & 10% it is sufficient just to monitor (regular blood tests, and a bi-annual biopsy), and only if it is above 10% should an operation to remove the prostrate gland be considered (but there are possible side affects of that operation).
Different Urologists have different opinions - for example the Tenerrife one wanted to operate to remove the prostrate straight away, whereas the U.K. one (one of the top Urologists in the Country who happens to live in Chester and my son is his Accountant) says he doesn't recommend the operation unless the reading is above 10% and a scan and biopsy shows it might be malignant.
I would suggest a 2nd opinion David as I undertook, even if it costs you money.
Hi Tdm, thanks for the thoughts. I appreciate that we are still off topic, :sorrysign: but, in my case, an infection was ruled out what seems like a long time ago! As regards a second opinion, I work along the lines, (see what I did there?), that asking another Doc' about prostate problems would be a bit like asking two railway modellers the best way to do something - they would both have a different opinion, even though they were talking about the same thing :confused1:. Anyway, I repeat what I said yesterday to everybody else - please consider getting a PSA test - prostate cancer is easily treated and it is not the worst thing to get. :) David.
I have been taking Dutasteride for a enlarged prostate for months now. I originally took Tamsolusin as well but fortunately it seems to be under control now and only have to take the one drug for it. I have regular blood test's for PSA and vitamins, I also have Crones disease, I have colonoscopy checks for that, my next one a week on tuesday, I am not looking forward to that.
Good luck Chris, I hope things work out okay. David.
Nothing showing in Railway Modeller this month but there may be something in next month's issue, Terry.
There is this, but it's on the wedding day May 2nd but also open on the 3rd............................
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=26562.0 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=26562.0)
If you haven't seen the 'North of England Line' it's worth going for that layout alone :thumbsup: