EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Spring Talks

All talks start at 7:30pm and will be in either the cafe or main hall, depending on numbers.

Entry : £4.00 (includes glass of wine / soft drink)

If you have a story that you would like to turn into a Cafe Talk, please contact: Judy O’Shaughnessy – tel. 01765 658728 or judy@grewelthorpevillagehall.co.uk

Some Previous Events

21 May 2025 - Chris Knopp - ‘Flying without an Engine’
Gave an illustrated talk, and explained how and why he became hooked on flying gliders. He covered topics such as how gliders work, how they get thrown into the air and what keeps them up once they are airborne. Also, the camaraderie in the gliding movement that inspired him to try and emulate some of the achievements of the people in whose company he found himself. Flying gliders has been likened to flying like a bird and it was this that first caught Chris’s imagination. Consequently, he took his first gliding lesson in 1995 at RAF Dishforth in North Yorkshire.

25 June 2025 - Iona Taylor - ‘The Life and Times of a Local Parish clerk’
Iona gave an interesting insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a Parish Council, with tales from the smaller parishes around Grewelthorpe, to what’s been involved in setting up the newly formed Harrogate Town Council

17 September 2025 - Helen Hays - ‘An Audience with His Imperial Majesty’ Encounters with Ladies, Dukes, Emperors and Admirals on a quest to see every British butterfly
Helen Hays is on a mission to see all 59 British butterflies. It is a quest which has taken her to places she’s never been before, from the Chalk Downlands of Hampshire to the Lakeland Fells, via the West Country and the Norfolk Broads. Along the way she has made new friends, had a few scrapes and massively increased her step count, in the search for some of Britain’s most beautiful insects. Helen talked about some of her most memorable journeys and revealed how many of the 59 she has managed to track down.

15 October 2025 - Jo Cromarty - ‘How can Mindfulness Help us Live Well in a Frantic World?”
Jo is an Occupational Therapist and a Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy teacher/trainer. She has worked in NHS mental health services for 30years. In the last 10years Jo has set up, developed and managed a unique NHS mindfulness service for public health care staff, service-users living with depression and stressed carers of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities. She also trains MBCT teachers nationally and internationally.
This cafe talk will explore what mindfulness is/isn’t, who it can benefit and how.

4th March 2026 - Steve Konya - ‘The Digital Switchover’
Steve is a key member of the Masham Community Office’s project, supporting local communities with their IT issues and questions. He has been Grewelthorpe’s Digital Champion for some time now, visiting the Café every fortnight to help all of us with our tech challenges. Steve explained how the digital switchover, a significant transition in the Uk, will affect landlines, and talked through the implications for all of us here in Grewelthorpe.