Ilkley

Ilkley Inner Wheel club recently celebrated 67 years of friendship and service to the community, with an afternoon tea at Rombalds Hotel.

Top table guests included Inner Wheel District 4 chairman Enid Bennett, of the Bingley Club; Rotary Club of Ilkley president John Metcalf; Gill Wilkinson, president of Soroptimist International of Ilkley; and the Rev Diane Weaver, Vicar of Barnoldswick and Bracewell.

President Deirdre Bonner welcomed everyone to the meeting, making special mention of her husband Rotarian Edwin Bonner, who had, as always, given her tremendous support during her year in office.

The candle of friendship was lit and greetings were brought from both District 4 and the Rotary Club of Ilkley, before members settled back to listen to an inspiring talk by the Rev Weaver, who, with openness and sincerity, outlined the varied route her life had taken.

Her message was that, if she could achieve her heart’s wishes then anyone can – follow your dream. Flick Read gave the vote of thanks and a delicious afternoon tea, much enjoyed by all, was served.

GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION: Roll up, roll up! – come along to our meeting tonight for the first chance to enter this year’s Mystery Fuchsia Competition. For only £1 per plant you get the chance to show off your green fingers by producing a magnificent house plant to be judged at our September meeting. The speaker tonight is Peter Stirk, a volunteer speaker on behalf of Yorkshire Water, telling us about the work done to make sure we can water our gardens and keep our pond fish healthy. The meeting starts at 7.45pm at Church House Hall. Entry costs £1 for members and £2 for visitors, including tea and biscuits. Membership costs £7 per garden, no matter how many family members use it. The stores at the sheds on the Leeds Road allotment site are open every Sunday from now until June 18 and then less frequently. Grab a bargain – good prices for members from 10am until noon. More details at ilkley gardeners.org.uk.

CAMERA CLUB: With the current programme of events coming to an end in April it was time to allow the members themselves to be competition judges for the evening and honoured were Peter Farmer, Robert Marshall and Richard Spurdens. A departure from the norm saw the club membership formed into two teams which would go head to head to convince the judges that they had the ‘best print’ in each of over 30 different categories. A great evening was had by all and the team led by Liz Stringer claimed a ‘narrow’ victory over their rivals led by Rodney Marsh. Tomorrow is the penultimate meeting of the programme when we have the AGM and presentation of awards. The club meets on Fridays at 7.30pm at Church House. New members and guests are most welcome.

BUSINESS FORUM: Our next meeting is on Wednesday at the Wheatley Arms, Wheatley Lane, Ben Rhydding from 5.45pm to 7.45pm. The main speaker will be Becky Leach of People Buy People, a trainer and sales consultant. She will tell us how all of us can generate more business and customer loyalty Using Simple Sales Skills With Confidence. Becky will be preceded by two of our members giving brief presentations about their firms. The IBF is working on its latest project – a full day Business to Business conference on Thursday, September 25, at The Craiglands Hotel. All members interested in booking one of the 40 stands should reserve their booking at a reduced member rate before April 11. Thereafter, the bookings will be open to all-comers. All members will have received their renewals and any others interested in joining are welcome to do so at £65 per year. For more details about the conference and joining e-mail enquiries@ilkley businessforum.co.uk. See ilkley businessforum.co.uk for more information.

BLUE RIBBON LUNCHEON CLUB: The speaker at the next meeting of the club on Monday will be Timothy Kirkhope, the Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber. Meetings are held at the Craiglands Hotel at 12.15pm. New members are always welcome. For details, contact the membership secretary on (01943) 608234.

BAPTIST CHURCH: On Saturday, a coffee morning was held in the church lounge. Various stalls included bric-a-brac, cakes, books, crockery and glassware, clothes, linen and so on. The result was a magnificent £602 to be divided between Christian Aid and Education for Life, a charity which supports an education project in Kenya. Our thanks to all who supported this effort and congratulations to Elaine Thompson and her band of helpers. The morning service was conducted by one of our deacons, Philip Thompson. Desmond Longfellow read the lessons. The theme of the sermon was geared to Mothering Sunday and Philip had arranged for a picture of a mother and child to be put upon screen to focus thoughts. The evening service was conducted by Julie Bacon, who is a member of All Saints and will shortly be ordained deacon in the Anglican church. Janet Claxton read the lessons, and the sermon was based on the way Simeon had perceived the significance of the baby Jesus, and encouraged us to look beyond the surface of events to discern where God is at work. The speaker at this week’s Wednesday fellowship will be Julie Fyfe, married daughter of Colin and Dorothy Ashton, who will give an update on the Education for Life project.

OLICANA BRIDGE CLUB: News for week ending March 28. Monday, March 24, afternoon, eight tables, N/S: Pat Atkins and Cathy Lamb; E/W: Lauren Ingram and Jill Hewitt. Monday, March 24, evening, 13 tables, N/S: Alison and Peter Speller; E/W: Irene Rothnie and John Godden. Tuesday, March 25, ten teams, winners: Brian Davison and June Manning, Malcolm Copley and Judith Biles. Wednesday, March 26, morning, nine tables, N/S: Michael and Audrey Dawson: E/W: Jacky Snowden and John Godden; Wednesday, March 26, evening, five tables, winners: Rita Garside and Margery Barlow; runners-up Margaret and Stuart Edwardson. Thursday, March 27, 13 tables, N/S: Tim Emmott and Peter Speller; E/W: Judith Biles and Stephen Pollard. Friday, March 28, four tables, winners: Janet Leach and Marjorie Gill; runners-up John Godden and Di Roberts.