Category: Speakers

Lynda Lees, our President, welcomed 51 members and two guests to our November meeting.
We welcomed speaker Pat Burgess, a volunteer from The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who spoke about the wide range of work undertaken by the Commission. Members heard the history behind the Commission and the establishment of the first cemeteries to commemorate those who died in the First World War. Pat informed members about wide range of work undertaken by the Commission today, including holding archives which the public can access for research.
Pat also outlined how the graves within cemeteries differ and reflect the local geology of the grave, although the inscription on all headstones will follow a set criteria. For example, graves in Cornwall and Wales are made of slate, whilst graves in France are of Portland stone. The important role of garden volunteer was highlighted; these teams ensure that the cemeteries are maintained to a high standard, across the globe. Statistics shared by Pat revealed the extent of the Commission’s work.
You can find out more about The Commonwealth War Graves Commission here: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission | CWGC
Next month we meet on Thursday 18th December. Colin Bailey, from BlueBoxt Music, will be providing seasonal entertainment.
Please note the new deadline for members’ lunch bookings:
• online by midnight, 12th December
• by acceptance card at Milner’s, by 5pm, 12th December.

We’ve had our first luncheon of the 2025/2026 season at The Garden Rooms at Tennants! It was lovely to see everyone after the summer break and friends catching up with each other.

Our President, Lynda, welcomed 56 members and 9 guests. Lynda reminded everyone that paying for lunch online does not book a lunch place; members also need to book a place for lunch. Members were also signposted to a flyer promoting the ‘Breast Cancer Now’ coffee morning on 10^th October at Leyburn Methodist Hall.

A delicious lunch was followed by a lively talk by the Rt Hon Wendy Morton MP entitled ‘Tales from Westminster: My journey through politics’. Wendy gave us historical information about women’s presence in the Houses of Parliament since they were first allowed to stand as MPs in 1919 once some women were allowed to vote, for example, by July 2024 there were 263 women Members of Parliament.    

We heard about Wendy’s varying roles over the years, including as Chief Whip of the House of Commons, as well as insights into the quirks and traditions of the Houses of Parliament. Now we know why MPs bob up and down all the time…

Members raised interesting questions at the end of the talk, including asking Wendy who her hero was and whether she would ever like to be the Prime Minister.

Next month we meet on Thursday 16th October to hear Philip Metcalfe’s talk: ‘The Metcalfe Farms story’. If you’re interested in joining us, please visit our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk or contact the Secretary, Caroline Fisher, at ladies@leyburnlunchclub.co.uk

Vice-President Lynda Lees welcomed sixty-one members and eleven guests to the Garden Rooms at Tennants for the meeting on March 20^th. Our guests included the Chairman and Secretary of the Richmond Ladies’ Luncheon Club.

Following a particularly delicious lunch, Kathryn Cuthbertson MVO spoke about her working life and how she became Royal Pastry Chef to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from 2006 to 2017. During her 32-year professional career, Kathryn has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious five-star hotels, Michelin starred restaurants and has dedicated a lifetime to pastry and the culinary arts. In 2017, she became a Member of the Victorian Order (MVO), awarded by The Late Queen in the New Year Honours List. Highlights of her time working for The Royal Family include creating and executing menus for state occasions, diplomatic receptions, Jubilee and other special celebrations. Examples of her work can be seen in the Royal Collection publications “Royal Teas” and “A Royal Cookbook”. Kathryn has now founded her own business in the Yorkshire Dales creating handcrafted luxurious chocolates, bespoke occasion cakes and holding culinary masterclasses. Stella Swan gave the vote of thanks for Kathryn’s fascinating talk and the opportunity to sample her Finest Collection of Chocolates and Truffles.

The next meeting is on April 17^th when Tennants Auction House Director Jo Fletcher-Lee and Jewellery Specialist Jessica Fall will share the history and work of Tennants. New members and guests are always very welcome, more information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

Our President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-eight members and three guests to the Garden Rooms at Tennants for our meeting on February 20^th. Members were asked to consider joining the Committee for the new season and Carron Kennedy introduced future online payments.

Following lunch, Angela Metcalfe spoke about the history and making of gin which originated in the 1600s. Masons Gin was founded 2013 in Aiskew with two stills, Steve and Lefty. The main still Steve exploded in May 2019 but following local support, temporary offices were set up to keep the business going. New premises were leased just outside Bedale with a distillery, laboratory, events space, bar, offices and dispatch area. Masons also invested in new stills, Tony and Anthea, although Lefty is still used as a backup. Another crisis was faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, but a skeleton crew continued through lockdown and hand sanitiser was produced which was donated free for non-commercial use as a way of giving back to the community. Masons currently export to USA, Europe, Australia and India but their main market is domestic. Denise Houghton gave the vote of thanks for Angela’s interesting presentation.

The next meeting is on March 20th when our speaker will be Kathryn Cuthbertson MVO, Pastry chef to Queen Elizabeth II. Kathryn has worked within some of the world’s finest hotels and Michelin star restaurants. She now has her own business in the Yorkshire Dales, and creates handcrafted luxurious chocolates, bespoke occasion cakes using world class craftsmanship and high-quality sustainably sourced ingredients.

New members and guests are always very welcome, more information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

Our Vice-President and Treasurer, Lynda Lees welcomed thirty-nine members and seven guests to the Garden Rooms at Tennants to our meeting on January 16th.

Following lunch, Posie Scrope spoke to us about how a freak accident led her to pilates and changed her life forever. Posie gave an insight into how pilates not only helped her recover from a skiing injury, but also the benefits that pilates brought both physically and mentally. We heard about how she retrained to teach pilates and how she set up her business in North Yorkshire. Posie Pilates now runs classes for all levels, including men only and online courses. She also holds one and three day retreats which combine pilates with breathwork, massage, a speaker and healthy food. Carron Kennedy gave the vote of thanks for Posie’s enjoyable presentation.

The next meeting is on February 20th when our speaker will be Angela Metcalfe who will talk about the history and making of gin, the founding of Masons Gin, the distillery and gin pairings. New members and guests are always very welcome, more information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

Our Vice-President and Treasurer, Lynda Lees welcomed fifty-four members and eight guests to the Garden Rooms at Tennants for our meeting on December 19^th.

Following a delicious festive lunch in the beautifully decorated function room, we were given a Christmas Flower Demonstration by Shannon Acton from Feather and Fern Florist located in Hawes. Shannon crafted three table decorations which were suitable to be used at different occasions over the Christmas period. All three had a theme and Shannon was very informative on how to use different effects and indeed, using flowers from our own gardens. Diana Dickson gave a vote of thanks. Our Christmas raffle did not disappoint with twelve excellent prizes as well as the three floral decorations kindly donated by Shannon.

The next meeting is on January 16^th when our speaker will be Posie Scrope of Posie Pilates. A freak accident led Posie to pilates and changed her life forever. This will be an insight into how pilates not only helped Posie recover after a skiing injury but also the benefits that pilates bring both physically and mentally. New members and guests are always very welcome, more information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-nine members and six guests to the Garden Rooms at Tennants for our meeting on November 21^st.

After lunch Diane Smith NYP PCSO Catterick Garrison, Elizabeth Pritchard-Jenkins NYP Domestic Abuse Co-Ordinator Northallerton and Rebecca Hodson IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Services) gave a talk about how North Yorkshire Police deal with domestic incidents from the start to maintaining support afterwards and a presentation on the signs and indicators of domestic abuse.

Diane Smith is a Police Community Support Officer from the Neighbourhood Police Team at Catterick Garrison and has worked in Richmondshire for 21 years.  Neighbourhood Policing Teams deal with low level incidents which cover an array of topics, however as extra training Diane chose to train in Domestic Abuse and to use her training to offer support to victims of Domestic Abuse and Violence in the area where she works.

Domestic Abuse is a topic that people find very difficult to discuss, but it is one that North Yorkshire Police takes very seriously and can affect both men and women.  

Diane and Elizabeth covered how domestic abuse was defined, how to recognise controlling and coercive behaviour, the cycle of abuse and Clare’s Law. Rebecca described how IDAS is now the leading specialist domestic abuse charity in Yorkshire. One in four women and one in six men experience domestic abuse, with one woman killed every three to four days as a result. All new Police trainees receive domestic abuse training and this is now being rolled out to all NYP Officers. Angela Batty gave the vote of thanks for a very thought provoking presentation.

Diane plans to link in with some community groups up the Dale and if anyone is interested in the delivery of an informative session on Domestic Abuse to please contact her direct at: diane.smith@northyorkshire.police.uk

The next meeting is on December 19^th when Shannon Acton from Feather and Fern Florist will give us a Christmas Flower Demonstration. New members and guests are always very welcome, more information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

Our meeting on October 17^th was very well attended and President Denise Houghton welcomed fifty-four members and twelve guests to The Garden Rooms at Tennants.

After a delicious lunch, Denise introduced our speaker Tom Orde-Powlett who gave a presentation on The Scropes, Paulet and Orde-Powletts of Bolton Castle. This detailed the history of Tom’s family’s connection to Wensleydale, the most significant local and national events they were involved with and how this has influenced the Bolton Estate. Tom described how sustainability was the goal of the Estate and how they contributed to conservation in the local area. One particular focus is the curlew, which is globally threatened and since 1970 has declined 64% across the UK, the Estate has one of the remaining healthy populations of both breeding and overwintering birds left in the UK.

The next meeting is on November 21^st when representatives from the North Yorkshire Police Neighbourhood Team, a Domestic Abuse Officer and a member of the Independent Domestic Abuse Service will talk about how NYP deal with domestic incidents from the start to maintaining support afterwards. New members are always very welcome, as are guests. More information can be found on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.