WHO WERE THE 'ORIGINAL SIX' ? 
 
MIKE ( 'Rat-Arse' ) PEART
Co-FOUNDER & CHIEF FARTER
Was a Team Leader at the Royal Mint, (where we all worked at the time of forming. Most of us have taken voluntary redundancy in 2002 / 03), and he's more than willing to show you his testimonials, not a pretty sight by all accounts !
Why 'Rat-Arse' ? Because we're all convinced that there's a dead one up there, and from the stench emanating from his posterior, it's been up there for some time !!! This guy could FART for Wales !
 
 
KELVIN ( 'Zeb' ) WHITE
Co-FOUNDER
Has acquired the unusual ability to scatter his atoms to the four winds and disappear at will ! Excellent company when out with us right up to the very moment he vanishes. Has a strong fetish for taxi rides and eats two spuds more than a pig - and the pig had better watch out too !  

 
COLIN ( 'Caruso' ) ELLIOTT
Co-FOUNDER
Has tendencies to break into song ..... unlike Mike who just breaks wind. 

 
PAUL ( 'Swede' ) DOSTER
Co-FOUNDER.
Loves his beer, cider, and horses and there's a very strong rumour that he once told Jan he loved her as well ! He's the only one still working at the Mint ... poor sod !

 
DAVID E. JONES
( No, not me. I'm the next one! )
Co-FOUNDER
Had stopped attending for some reason during 1997-98 !!! ( No .... he wasn't in jail ). Started attending again in '99 ! Good to see you back Dave. He had to finish work due to a back injury/complaint and was medically retired from the Royal Mint in 2001

 
DAVE ( The Sec-RAT-ary ) JONES
Co-FOUNDER, Sec-RAT-ary & 'JOKING' TREASURER
Title and job given to me for my ability to communicate with people and handle finances ..... well, no not really, I was the only one with a computer & printer at the time but I doo ave a good nollidge ov spelin ! Unfit, fat 'n' fiftysix is a very good description. 

 
WHY 'JOKING' TREASURER ? 
Because I do not handle subscriptions etc, only the money I collect for brewery visits and meal deposits for our Social Evenings.

 
SO THERE'S NO 'MEMBERSHIP' FEE THEN ? 
No, no fees whatsoever. To become a R.A.T. you just turn up for 2 or 3 outings and behave yourself, and your in !

 
WHO'S PAYING FOR ALL THIS THEN ?
Basically I've ended up paying for it all out of my own pocket. I gave up counting the cost in the December of 1999 when I calculated that to date, I have paid out in excess of £3000 to keep the society going, this is an accumulated cost of stationery, inks, postage and Internet bills etc etc ... with no financial help, (in the way of membership fees / club fines etc), from anywhere or anyone !!! Also there's the £5000+ for all the computer equipment, programs etc, etc. Obviously the bills will increase even further, so basically I've stopped counting ...

Oh go on then ...

It was in excess of £10,000 in January 2001 !!! ... and since this, I have bought yet another PC as my other one was getting on a bit, plus in November 2001 I applied to register the Society's name as a Trade Mark, (due to the fact that Morrell's had started up a Real Ale Taster's Society and they called it R.A.T.S.), and it has cost me a further £282.50p ... knocking the amount now up to about £13,500 approximately ... but, as far as I'm concerned, it has been money well spent 'cos I just love every minute of it !

In 2004 it had gone way past £15,000 ... plus in 2006 I bought a Scanner, and in 2007 a new digital SLR and yet another much faster PC ... now I'm definitely stopping counting !
 
These pages ... I hope ... will stir up some more interest ?

HOW DO PEOPLE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING ?
Well, before we went on-line in 1998, I used to print out street maps / train times and all other relevant info, then mail it on to those who showed some interest on the previous occasion out. When I used to work at the Royal Mint, I simply put up the posters I've printed. You can now subscribe to our 'R.A.T.S. Tales' monthly newsletter to find out more information etc.
 

HOW DOES A TYPICAL DAY START ?
If any rail travel takes us from Cardiff Central, (and more often than not it does), we always try to have a good breakfast to set us up for the day ... ( "Well at least until the train stops !" - Zeb ) ... and we used to, many moons ago, make our way to JOHN & KEN'S, "The Little Gourmet", in the Wyndham Arcade, Cardiff.

They gained the 'FLAVOURS of WALES' award on 23rd April '99 from the Wales Tourist Board. Sadly, on 22nd August 1999 Ken & John 'retired' (early), as they had an offer they "just couldn't refuse". Our best wishes to you both and have a long & happy 'retirement' from the R.A.T.S.

 
WHAT'S YOUR LARGEST ATTENDANCE NUMBER ?
Our R.A.T.S. 15th Anniversary (Sat. 17th Jan 2009), held at the 'Boar's Head' pub in Tyle Garw, Mid Glamorgan, when 57 Supporters and 7 guests turned out to make the day go with a swing and also drink 7 casks of Real Ale.
Our thanks to all that attended, also to Wayne the Landlord for the most excellent buffet and superb quality Real Ales, and to Val Williams for baking us the R.A.T.S. Anniversary cake. A limited edition R.A.T.S. badge in an 'antiqued gold' finish was produced to commemorate our 15 years of 'Ratting' !

AND THE SMALLEST ?  
Just me !

 
HAVE YOU EVER HAD TROUBLE ON A DAY OUT ? 
Yes, I'd be a liar to say otherwise ! We have a strict rule about it too. If a person causes trouble whether sober or under the 'affluence of incahol', especially aggressive behaviour and extreme bad language, and it's "Bye Bye R.A.T.S." I'm afraid.

Since forming (and in the past eleven years) we have banned ...

3 Visitors : for aggressive behaviour on a trip
1 R.A.T. : for aggressive & threatening behaviour / bad language. He also holds the record for joining and being banned in the shortest time !
 
We were going to bring in a choice of being ...

a) Banned

or ...

b) Being locked in a room with Mike, after he's had a curry !

Everyone has voted to be banned for some strange reason !

 
ARE THERE FEMALE R.A.T.S. ? 
Certainly. Our 1st Lady of the R.A.T.S. is none other than Mike's lovely wife, Olwen. She was voted in as such while we were on a long weekend away to Oostende a few years ago and she's not backward in coming forward about trying different Real Ales. On two previous visits to Bass in Cardiff we saw several women attending, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves ... and why not ?