Upcoming Events

Our December seasonal social gathering will take place at St Wilfrid's Church Hall from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Expect wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee and, of course, mince pies and Christmas cake - and a Christmas themed entertainment at 3.30 pm.

Our popular sale of local interest books will also be there. You can pay by cash / cheque or (easier for us) debit/credit card.

Take a break from Christmas shopping on 9th December and put in your diary now- and better still email us to let us know that you are coming.

There is some parking in the church car park (accessed from Duchy Road) and unrestricted parking on Duchy Rd and side roads. Watch out for uneven surfaces in the car park please.

Come and enjoy our third informal coffee morning at the Cosy Club on Cambridge Street.

An opportunity to meet and chat with other members, make suggestions for future events and enjoy the coffee!

Sue Wood, North Yorkshire Council Horticultural Development Officer and RHS Britain in Bloom judge, will talk about the gardens in her care - Valley Gardens, Conyngham Hall, Knaresborough House and Castle, and Ripon Spa Gardens.

Since 1988, Sue has been with Harrogate Borough Council (now North Yorkshire Council) – initially as the Parks Technical Officer for 12 years where her responsibilities included designing and preparing bedding schedules for the whole District and then she became the Community Liaison Officer, for 7 years liaising with eight local “in Bloom” groups across Harrogate District many of which she has supported and mentored in both the Britain in Bloom and Entente Florale campaigns helping them achieve extremely high standards. Her current role is Horticultural Development Officer which includes designing flower bed and landscape schemes across the District. Sue has been a judge for Yorkshire in Bloom since 2001 and
on the Yorkshire in Bloom Executive committee since 2003, a RHS Britain in Bloom judge for 11 years and has judged at several flower shows across the country.

Dr Paul Jennings will give an illustrated talk that will take us through how the census was taken between 1801 and 1921 and what that means for users. We will then look at how to research a variety of topics, including family history, with examples drawn from Paul's own research. We will follow this by a day time coffee meeting at the Library in March where members can bring along the results of their own census explorations, or just hear what other members have discovered.

A tour of Allerton Waste Recovery Park, just off the A1. See what happens to 320,000 tonnes of North Yorkshire waste that does not involve landfill. Waste is anaerobically digested or burnt (providing enough electricity for 40,000 homes). This will be a 2 hour visit, and requires thick soled shoes with no open toes. Legs must also be covered preferably by trousers but leggings or similar are acceptable. Anyone unsuitably dressed will not be allowed on the tour.

Car pooling will be arranged nearer the time.

Harlow Carr is a beautiful well-kept garden but it is also a haven for wildlife.

Andrew Willocks will lead us on a walk through the garden, telling us about the native flora and fauna which make their homes there and detailing the efforts the gardeners make to encourage and support them.
The walk will take approximately 2 hours and you will need to be prepared for whatever the weather might be!

Assemble in Car Park No 3. for a prompt 10.00 a.m start.