Category: Speakers

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.

President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-five members and nine guests to the first meeting of the season on September 19^th in The Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn. Denise announced that as this was to be her last year as President, our Vice-President Lynda Lees would chair the December and January meetings to ease her into her forthcoming new role. The Vote of Thanks rota for the forthcoming year will be published and the volunteer members were thanked.

Following lunch and time for everyone to catch up after the summer break, our speaker Neil Mechie spoke about his life as a local vet, racehorse trainer and farmer. Following an internship at York Equine Hospital and working in equine practice, Neil joined Johnston Racing. It was here that his passion for the sport of racing grew and along with his wife and fellow colleague Lucy, Neil successfully trained point to point and National Hunt racehorse winners. In 2020 Neil and Lucy set up Mechie Racing, a 16-box stable yard and also diversified into farming with Northern Dairy Short Horn Cattle and Border Leicester Sheep. Neil, Lucy and their two children are fully involved in all aspects of the racing yard, vet practice and farming. They try to do things in a sustainable and scientific manner intending to protect the environment, profession and sport they are involved in. Julia Barnard gave the vote of thanks for an enjoyable presentation.

At our next meeting on October 19^th, Tom Orde-Powlett will speak about conservation on The Bolton Estate. New members are always very welcome, as are guests. You can find more information on our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk.

Club President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-five members and eight guests to the meeting on April 18th in The Garden Rooms at Tennants. Included in our guests were the Chairman and Membership Secretary from Richmond Ladies’ Luncheon Club. Denise updated members on the proposed price change for the lunch fee which was agreed by the majority.

Following lunch our speaker Jane Graham, Senior Clinical Physiologist told us about the role Physiologists play in measuring bodily functions in all areas of medicine, providing expert clinical support to medical teams. Her specialism is measuring and tracing heart function and performance and she explained the many issues that can affect the heart. Following her years in practice she conducts advanced procedures and now works as a freelance independent practitioner in the Shetland Isles. Jane gave us a great insight into Shetland as a place to live and work. Lynda Lees gave the vote of thanks for the very interesting presentation.

Our next meeting on May 16th is our Members’ Day and AGM and is the final meeting of the season. If you would like more information about the Luncheon Club you can visit our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk or contact the Secretary Gina Roberts at geroberts@btinternet.com.

President Denise Houghton welcomed thirty-five members and six guests to the meeting on February 15^th at Tennants Garden Rooms. Denise announced that the committee would soon be compiling the list of guest speakers for next year and that member suggestions would be very welcome.

Following lunch, our guest Ronnie Tempest gave a very lively presentation with a News of the World look at the “Wayward Wynyard’s”. This was an entertaining talk covering the history of the Wynyard Estate and the life and times of the Tempest, Vane and Stewart families and their estates through the ages. Rachel Smith gave the vote of thanks.

The next meeting will be on March 21^st when our speaker will be Ben Spence from Curlew Dairy, who will tell us how their micro dairy in Wensley was born and bring samples of their different cheeses.

New members are always very welcome, as are guests. You don’t have to live in Leyburn, we welcome ladies from all surrounding areas. If you are interested in trying the Luncheon Club or would like more information you can visit our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk or contact the Secretary Gina Roberts at geroberts@btinternet.com.

The first meeting of 2024 took place on January 18th at Tennants Garden Rooms as usual. President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-two members and two guests to the meeting.

Following lunch, our speaker Richard Sanderson spoke to us about life as a Funeral Director. Richard is a sixth-generation undertaker and the family business goes back to 1860. His presentation was in part a factual description of the undertaking process but also a light-hearted look at what can go wrong during a funeral service. This was an enjoyable, highly informative talk about a sensitive subject, that prompted many questions from the ladies. Judy Metcalfe gave the vote of thanks.

The next meeting is on February 15th when our speaker will be Ronnie Tempest on the subject of “Wayward Wynyard’s”, a tale of the Wynyard Estate and its associated families over the centuries. New members are always very welcome, as are guests. You don’t have to live in Leyburn, we welcome ladies from all surrounding areas. If you are interested in trying the Luncheon Club or would like more information you can visit our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk or contact the Secretary Gina Roberts at geroberts@btinternet.com.

President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-four members and one guest to the meeting on December 21st at Tennants Garden Rooms. There were two important matters arising. The drop off day for monthly lunch cards will now be the Saturday preceding the monthly luncheon date and the luncheon fee will increase to £23 with a £20 cancellation charge.

Tennants provided a delicious festive lunch in the beautifully decorated function room and an extended raffle with ten stunning prizes was held. Following lunch, Rodney’s Ukulele Band entertained us with a varied programme including Christmas songs and carols. Denise Houghton gave the vote of thanks.

The next meeting is on January 18th when our speaker will be Richard Sanderson. Richard will speak about his experiences as a funeral director as well as his career in general and his involvement with local sports teams. New members are always very welcome, as are guests. You don’t have to live in Leyburn, we currently have members in Upper Wensleydale, Richmond, Bedale and Northallerton! If you are interested in trying the Luncheon Club or would like more information you can visit our website www.leyburnlunchclub.co.uk or contact the Secretary Gina Roberts at geroberts@btinternet.com.