Category: Speakers

President Denise Houghton welcomed forty members and six guests to the meeting on November 16^th at Tennants Garden Rooms.

Following lunch our speaker Richard Cameron, introduced himself as someone who “tells stories for a living”. In his career as a drama teacher in a South Yorkshire secondary school in the 1970’s, Richard starting writing plays for his students as there was nothing relevant that the kids could relate to. Richard’s fundamental principle to writing a good story is knowing the characters and the place intimately, otherwise the story does not come across as authentic. Richard wrote several plays for his students which won National Playwright Awards. After teaching for sixteen years, Richard wrote for theatre, television and radio, and won the Dennis Potter Award in 1997 for his television play “Stone, Scissors, Paper”. Richard has written several critically acclaimed stage plays, including “The Glee Club”, which transferred to the West End. His play “Pond Life” was made into a film in 2018. The vote of thanks was given by Anne Day.

The next meeting is on December 21st when we will be entertained by Rodney’s Ukulele Band. New members are always very welcome, as are guests.

President Denise Houghton welcomed forty-one members and eight guests to our meeting on October 19^th at Tennants Garden Rooms.

Following lunch our speaker Major Dillikumar Rai MVO RGR presented a video with a history of the Gurkhas and Nepalese people. The Gurkhas as a fighting force are recognised worldwide as brave, loyal, honest and disciplined. Thirteen Victoria Crosses have been awarded to Gurkha Officers.

The recruits undergo grueling selection tests in Nepal to enter the Gurkha Regiments and an Officer serves on average twenty-two years. Only two battalions of Gurkhas remain, one in Brunei and another in South Kent. Their regiments are based all over the UK.

Queen Victoria introduced Gurkha Officers to serve in Royal Palaces and Major Dillikumar Rai personally served to Queen Elizabeth II.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust was established after WW2 to provide financial, medical and development aid to Gurkha veterans and their families. Originally set up by Field Marshal Montgomery, King Charles is Patron and Joanna Lumley DBE Vice-Patron.

The vote of thanks was given by Denise Houghton.

Our next meeting is on November 16^th when our speaker is Richard Cameron, Playwright. New members are always very welcome, as are guests.

President Denise Houghton welcomed 31 members and 9 guests to the first meeting of the season on September 21^st at Tennants Garden Rooms. Denise announced that there was now a full committee appointed and gave a resumé of this year’s speaker programme. She told the group about the Club’s new Facebook page and website and the Secretary Gina Roberts, gave background information on the new media.

After a delicious lunch and time for us all to catch up after the summer break, our speaker Julia Polley, Headmistress of the Wensleydale School and Sixth Form, spoke about the key principles required in the school – positive, respectful, hardworking and successful. She detailed changes that had been made in the school pre and post Covid and stressed that the mental health and wellbeing of the students was very important to the running of the school. Future hopes of academy status and plans for a school Himalayan expedition also featured in a very informative presentation.

The next meeting is on October 19^th when our speaker is a representative from the Gurkha Regiment. New members are always very welcome, as are guests.