Providing opportunities for people who are retired from full-time employment in Skipton and neighbouring areas

Thursday – Groups

Updated July 2024

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Adventure into Classical Music (1)

Group Leader - Chris Skidmore Weekly Thursday 2.00 - 4.00 pm 14/1/2027 to 18/3/2027 St Andrew's Church primary room Do you enjoy listening to classical music but wish you knew more of it and more about it? This group aims to cater for you - we shall listen to all sorts of music - often starting from something familiar and then exploring pieces that relate to it, always accompanied by some explanation or story which sheds new light or asks an intriguing question. There will also be a strand of discovery in each meeting - in this presentation we shall be looking at French music through the ages. Venue Surcharge - £10.

Art and Calligraphy (1)

Group Leader - Anne MacDonald Weekly Thursday 10.00 am - 12.00. Autumn 8/10/26 - 10/12/2026. Spring 7/1/27 - 11/3/27. Skipton Sports Community Hub Enjoy spending time sharing your artistic skills and learn from each other using different media, watercolours, pastels, pencils, charcoal and acrylics. Come and spend a couple of hours, relaxing with friends, painting or drawing. Beginners are welcome for Calligraphy and guidance will be given by experienced Calligraphers. Practising beautiful handwriting is mindful and relaxing. Come and join our friendly group. Venue surcharge - £10 autumn and spring.

Badminton (1)

Group Leader - Jon Tomlinson Weekly Thursdays 12.00-1.00 pm 3/9/2026 to 26/8/2027 Sandylands Sports Centre Played on marked courts in the main hall at Sandylands, Skipton. Clothing as for indoor sports with non-marking shoes. A reasonable level of fitness is required. Game details: we usually play doubles but also singles depending on numbers. 2 games played to 11 points with 2 points clear. Players rotate between courts. Rackets and shuttlecocks provided. Fees - £4 on a “pay per play” basis. Payable by bank transfer to the Group Leader. Venue surcharge - £0.

Bridge Play (1)

Group Leader - David Lowe. Thursdays 13.45 - 15.45pm 1/10/26 to 10/12/26 and 14/1/27 to 25/3/27. Draughton Village Hall This is a friendly group who enjoy playing duplicate bridge in a relaxed setting. It is intended for people who have played bridge before, but inexperienced players are most welcome. There is a host system, so individuals without a partner will always get a game and players are allowed to refer to their bidding system during play. £1 a year is charged for materials and a 50p charge for tea/biscuits. Members are asked to arrive by 1.35pm. Venue surcharge £10 per 10 sessions autumn and spring. Podcast - copy and paste the following link into your web browser address: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QG55Oj59CDElIqFmWdFvX?si=ad5e504861bf40ac

Drumming Circle 1 Beginners (1)

Group Leader - Charles Green Weekly Thursday 1.30 - 14.45 pm 8/10/26 - 3/12/26 (no session 29/10/26 Skipton Sports Community Hub Would you like to bang a drum? Then join this group. No experience necessary. Drum circles have grown in popularity in recent years as a means of enjoyment and improving people’s wellness. The circle will involve playing a mixture of simple rhythms on hand drums and other percussion from African to Latin. It will be led by an experienced drummer who will help you to play. Some drums will be provided. The course will initially be limited to 12 people due to instrument availability. Please let me know if you have your own drum as this could help the number on the group to be extended. Let’s get banging those drums! Venue Surcharge £10.

Drumming Circle 2 Continuers (1)

Group Leader - Charles Green Weekly Thursday 3.00 - 4.15 pm 8/10/26 - 3/12/26 (No session 29/10/26 Skipton Sports Community Hub This course is for those who have previously done the beginners course or who have previously played djembe or some other type of hand drum. Whilst the course will recap on playing technique it will primarily focus on playing together as a group and playing a range of more complex beats and rhythms. The aim as always is to have fun playing together. Some drums will be provided. The course will initially be limited to 12 people due to instrument availability. Please let me know if you have your own drum as this could help the number on the group to be extended. Let’s get banging those drums! Venue Surcharge - £10.

Films on Thursdays (1)

Group Leader - Jean Crampton Weekly Thursday 1.30 - 4.00 pm 8/10/26 - 10/12/26 and 14/1/27 - 18/3/27. Champions Church Champions Church is a comfortable venue close to the town centre. We show films from a variety of genres, foreign and English. They all have English subtitles. We welcome new members. Like the Tuesday film group, we are happy to see members who just want to come occasionally. If you cannot come every week, it is a good idea to enrol anyway so that you are on the mailing list. We break for refreshments halfway through the film. We find the films stimulate plenty of conversation. Details of the programme will be available at the Open Event in August. There is a weekly charge of £1, which covers refreshments and the purchase of DVDs. Venue surcharge - £5 autumn and £10 spring.

Floral Art (1)

Group Leader - Jesca de Rijk Twice monthly Thursday 2.00 - 4.00 pm 10/9/26 - 8/7/27 (on second and fourth Thursday of month) (except 3/12/26). St Stephen's Church Hall, Skipton This group is aimed at people who enjoy flowers and creative thinking. With a different theme each session, and including development of technical skills, it provides an opportunity to interpret titles in individual ways. There is no right or wrong, just your own take on flowers, foliage and mechanics. A supportive and friendly group shares ideas, materials and conversation. We finish with discussion of our ideas and the pleasure of admiring each other’s arrangements and learning from each other, before some planning for our next session. Venue surcharge - £10 autumn and spring.

History Happens (1)

Group Leader - Jane Houlton and John Hoole Fortnightly Thursday 10.00 am - 12.00 1/10/26 - 10/12/26 and 7/1/27 - 18/3/27 Swadford Centre Assembly Room A series of lively talks, on all things historical, with a variety of speakers. Fortnightly, from October to March, specifically designed for our members who enjoy hearing about historical topics that cover unfamiliar ground . . . that take them to unexplored realms . . . that open up new vistas. On a broad range of topics - ancient to modern. From social and cultural history to people, events and politics - such as the story of Rapanui (Easter Island), the peace that followed World War One, archaeology in Uganda, plus geology, garden history and much more. Plenty to entertain and stimulate. Venue surcharge - £5 autumn and spring.

Mah Jong (1)

Group Leader - Andrew Todd Weekly Thursday 2.00 - 4.00 pm 8/10/26 - 10/12/26 and 7/1/27 - 11/3/27 Three Links Club Mah Jong is an old Chinese game based on three suits, winds and dragons. It stretches the mind, is competitive and satisfying, but needs concentration! Venue surcharge - £15 autumn and spring.

Politics Discussion Group (1)

Group Leader - Dick Newson Weekly Thursday 1.00 - 3.00 pm 24/9/26 - 3/12/26 (except 29/10/26) and 7/1/27 - 18/3/27 (except 11/2/27) Swadford Centre Assembly Room The Politics Discussion Group meets weekly to discuss current political events. We also consider the background to political decisions, and the processes of government (in the UK and elsewhere). Group members will bring to bear their wide-ranging experience(s), knowledge, reading and viewing to try to get a better understanding of what’s going on and where it might lead. Occasionally, a member of the group may offer a more formal short input to inform and focus our discussions. The group is not intended to be a forum for political knockabout from entrenched positions, (although members will clearly have, and express, their own views), but rather an enlightening experience from which we emerge having learned something new and/or questioning our previous assumptions and interpretations. Venue surcharge - £10 autumn and spring.

Walk to Lunch 26-27 (1)

Group Leaders - Jenny Robinson and Brigida Martino Fortnightly Thursday 10.00 am 8/10/26 - 23/9/27 We offer morning walks of up to 5 miles, every fortnight, followed by a pub/café lunch. Please note that a regular commitment to walks is required and pre-booking for walks/lunches is essential. Members must be fit to walk at a good pace and able to manage hills and stiles. Meeting points and pub menus are circulated by email a week before each walk. You’ll need boots, waterproofs, email access and (sometimes) a sense of adventure !! Your own transport to the varied meeting points is required. Venue surcharge - £0.

Walking Group (1)

Group Leader - Janet Hirst Weekly Tuesday and Thursday 2/9/2026 to 1/9/2027 Yorkshire Dales & surrounding areas. We walk every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the year for walks within 1.5 hours driving distance with lengths between 6 & 13 miles, graded as easy, moderate or strenuous. A programme is published for Spring, Summer and Autumn walks. You will receive a copy as a member.

Weimar Republic (1)

Group Leader - Nigel Holden Fortnightly Thursday 10.00 am - 12.00 Oct 8th and 22nd, Nov 5th and 19th, and Dec 3rd Swadford Centre The combination of defeat in 1918 and the exceptionally harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 traumatised the German nation. Against this grim background the newly installed Weimar Republic sought to bring democracy and stability to post-war Germany. But it was destined to preside over a tumultuous, fractious era only to be ousted in 1933 to make way for the Nazis under Adolf Hitler. But the Weimar Republic was no mere ‘mechanical’, let alone inevitable prelude to the Third Reich. It was also a period of striking developments in new social freedoms as well as in art, architecture and cinema. In short, the Weimar Republic was a momentous, epoch-changing era in German and hence European history. Try to attend all five talks. Venue Surcharge - £5 for 5 sessions. Podcast - copy and paste the following link into your web browser address: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bVjIW9f4gegEbWK0VYxSE?si=036cc42e312a4ffe