A short AGM will be followed by a talk reflecting on the diversity and adventures in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

The iconic Blue-footed Boobies and Giant Tortoises are many peoples first thoughts of what might be seen on the volcanic islands of the Galápagos. These and many more close encounters with the unique flora and fauna were experienced on a “holiday of a lifetime” to Ecuador. As well as cruising the islands, we visited the highest capital city in the world, straddled the equator, were canoed along Amazon Rainforest creeks and saw over 30 species of Hummingbird in the Cloud Forest.

Claire will be talking about the experiences and showing some of the photographs taken on this memorable trip.

Andy Fox is a recently retired Counter Fraud Coordinator for the Yorkshire & Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) after serving 40 years in the police service, the last ten being in Economic Crime (Fraud).

He is now volunteering as the Chair of CrimeStoppers (North Yorkshire). His talk will cover fraud, how to spot a fraud and more importantly how to safeguard yourself from fraud and also what steps you can take should you unfortunately become a victim of fraud.

Fraud is the single biggest crime category and each day we are all subject to scam phone calls, emails and text messages. Andy is aiming to help community groups within the North Yorkshire area by delivering the fraud presentation he did whilst in the police.

Mary will present a story of school life during 2nd World War. This will feature the recently discovered and exquisite artwork of a school art teacher at a secondary school where she was headteacher. This teacher set out to document in paint and pencil the lives of school children and their teachers as the war unfolded.

The teachers' work features in paint the disrupted schooling, air-raids, doodlebugs, and underground lessons in shelters which were experienced by so many children. Mary is not aware of a similar art collection.

The talk also features fascinating photos of the underground shelters where those lessons took place.

The history of pubs in the UK dates back to the Roman invasion of Britain, when the Romans set up tabernae, or shops selling wine, which, after the Romans left, evolved into Anglo Saxon alehouses. Following the Anglo-Saxon period, Medieval inns and taverns sprung up, to cater to the needs of travellers on the roads, but pubs as we know them today only emerged in the early 19th Century. This talk explores the very beginnings of the pub and how it has reflected social changes in our society.

“How the Courts Work - or Don’t Work!” - is an informative and light-hearted talk about the workings of the magistrates’ courts in England & Wales, with real-life experiences of the highs and lows, the serious and the humorous. It walks through the types of cases, how they progress, the outcomes - and brings some reality to the TV & media versions that most people experience.

Brian Watt retired after a long career in the chemical industry and has been a magistrate since 2021 and now works as a Crime Magistrate and as a Presiding Justice in the Family Court, operating across North & West Yorkshire.  He is also a Search Warrant magistrate for the North-East. He leads the ‘Magistrates in the Community’ outreach program in North Yorkshire regularly presenting to schools, community groups, universities and the Police.

The talk is all about theatre costume - working from the script of a stage play, studying the costume design, considering the fabrics and their suitability to the show. Then cutting the patterns before making up the garments in a way they can be used on stage, sometimes for a quick change in 60 seconds.

Janet will bring costumes from York Theatre Royal for whom she has worked during the last 25 years. Janet has made everything from Operatic Tu-Tus to Pantomime Dames and costumed a cast of 600 in the 2012 York Mystery Plays.

Joanne Aston has been a Shackleton buff for some years and actually saw his grave on a recent cruise in Antarctica. She will describe Shackleton's 1914 journey, covering the fates of the ships Endurance (which many know) and the Aurora (which many don't know), as well as some interesting follow-up stories of the crew.

She has given this talk in Wetherby and Whitby, and many places in between, and actually met a relative of one crew member in Whitby.

Dulcie Lewis happily retired at 50 from her college teaching job. She now writes on social history subjects and loves doing the research and meeting people.  Since retiring she has written several books, including 'Kent Privies - a nostalgic trip down the garden path' which became a bestseller and some TV and radio work followed.

On moving to Wensleydale, Dulcie was asked to do for Yorkshire what she had done for Kent. 'Down the Yorkshire Pan' was published in 2000 and 'A Flush in the Pan' in 2003.  Other books followed: old medical cures in Yorkshire and then another for England; 'Not Just Yorkshire Pudding - The Story of Yorkshire's Food and Drink and 'Casting Off the Corsets - A Brief History of Underwear'.  She is currently working on a humorous book about old age, which is proving to be almost impossible and may never see the light of day.

Dulcie's talk 'Down the Pan', based on her books on that subject, seemed a good 'entry level' and she warns that any members hoping for an in depth look at Thomas Crapper's development of the flush mechanism may be disappointed.

Steve and Keith take the audience through the history of York Hospital Radio (YHR), the changes which have taken place, some background aspects of what it takes to operate a Hospital Radio and how everyone can now listen, not just in the hospital.

York Hospital Radio – the voluntary radio service broadcasting 24 hours a day to the patients, visitors and staff in the York Hospital. In 2024 they are proudly celebrating 60 years of broadcasting in York.

The station is staffed entirely by volunteers who together provide a mix of entertainment, information, great music, news and friendly chat. They regularly broadcast from various locations around York including York Theatre Royal, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York Community Stadium and more.

York Hospital Radio is self-funded through sponsorship and other fundraising initiatives run throughout the year.

“Remember, Remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot” – but what do we really know about the events of 1605 that created our modern bonfire night celebrations? This talk details the background as to why dissident factions sought to assassinate King James I and the entire British establishment by blowing up Parliament during the State Opening.

It tells who was behind the plan, how the conspirators were recruited and who they all were. Specifically, who was that most famous of the plotters, Guy Fawkes himself, where did he come from and how did he become involved in the conspiracy?

It tells why the plot failed, the discovery of Fawkes with the gunpowder and the final capture of the rest of the plotters, their trial and subsequent executions.

It discusses whether the plot could have succeeded and examines a modern-day re-construction of the planned explosion and what the result would have been.