Guest Speakers & Events: 2026

14th April – David Wadkin, MBE – Idioms and why they are important

Hopefully, David will not be under the weather or beat about the bush, but will spill the beans on what an idiom is, without pulling the wool over our eyes! This talk could be the best thing since sliced bread!

28th April – Saltaire: After Titus Salt 1876-1958 – Maria Glot

After a career in the tourist industry, where for many years Maria trained Blue Badge Guides for Yorkshire, she is now a guide to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire. In this talk, Maria reveals the ups and downs of Titus Salt’s legacy as it passed to Titus Junior, and how, just a mere 16 years later, the estate of Saltaire was lost to the Salt family, but was saved by James Roberts, bringing the mill back to profitability, even during the challenging years of the Great War.

12th May – Scam Awareness Session

This talk will be presented by two police officers working within the Yorkshire & Humber Economic Crime Unit, whose role it is to raise awareness around the types of fraud and cyber-crime that are currently circulating. This is a unique opportunity to learn about current fraud threats and how to deal with them.

26th May – From Sleuth to Solopreneur – Tee Bylo

Tee was bitten by the genealogy bug as a teenager, setting her on the path to researching the riddles and riveting history of her family tree. After years of delving into local archives and pottering amongst tombstones as a hobby, Tee is now a professional genealogist and the company founder of The Polite Tourist, offering true crime walks around her hometown of York.

9th June – Annual Educational Trip to Liverpool

23rd June – Hum and Sing Along to your Favourite Songs with Faded Cells – a 4-piece Ukelele Band

Exactly what it says – an afternoon of musical entertainment and a chance to join in with some familiar songs.

7th July – Qualifications None, but Achievements Many! – Allan Shalks

Allan shares stories about his life experiences, which start with him almost being orphaned when his parents were in a severe car crash, yet despite all odds, he was running three businesses at the age of 22, leading to a successful business career. More recently he became a wedding planner, appearing in a BBC2 documentary about weddings, has also appeared in films and other TV shows, and is now a regular radio presenter on Salford City Radio.

21st July – Rhubarb, Royalty and the Rings of Saturn – David Lewis

Local historan, David Lewis, has lived alongside the B1222 road for over 30 years. This presentation is a travelogue covering the history and heritage to be found along this unassuming Yorkshire byway. The place of the “new Charlemagne”, a lookout post for the end of the world, and the Cassini-Huygens space probe – all this and much else will feature in the talk.

4th August – Social afternoon

18th August – Social with Book & Jigsaw Exchange