Camera Club: The digital image competition was well-supported with a great variety of images presented. Tony Rostron took first and second place and also had the best set of five pictures. Gill Threadgold was third.

Speakers Club: Craven Speakers Club met at the Soroptimists Rooms last Monday. Anna Larkin started with a speech called Gandhi and the Badger Cull and Elaine Davies spoke about The Wild and the Wind. Michael Corcoran gave everyone a glimpse into his largely hidden world of epilepsy with his speech called He’s on the Bottom. The latter part of the evening concentrated on topics chaired by Judith Allinson. Members of the audience were invited to the podium and given the name of an activity which they were asked to visualise and comment on. The next meeting will be held on Monday at 7.45pm. For more details, ring 01535 652915.

History Society: Dr Ian Dewhirst talked to a packed meeting, with his special mix of humour and serious comment, about Yorkshire Life between the Wars. This was a period of great contrasts. People were ready for entertainment, as shown by the popularity of theatres, cinemas and charabanc outings, and yet the late 1920s saw a period of slump and unemployment leading to the General Strike of 1926. There were also substantial social advances. Next Thursday, February 13, Martin Winterton will talk about the architect Cuthbert Broderick who designed Leeds Town Hall and other important buildings. The meeting will take place in the Swadford Centre at 7.30pm.

Naturalists: A Ramble through the Galaxy was the title of an illustrated talk given to Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association, by Martin Lunn. The next meeting on Monday is the recorders evening, when there should be reports on meteorology, archaeology, botany and ornithology. This will take place in the Swadford Centre at 7.30pm. Visitors are welcome for a charge of £2. For details, call 01535 642180.

Parkinson’s UK: Exercise was the topic of a talk by physiotherapist Rachael Sharples. It covered various topics including physiotherapy, daily exercise and details of walks Rachael had accomplished. The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 20, when Mr and Mrs Fothergill, from Nelson, will talk about their visit to the Orkneys. Members of the committee attended the Three Links Club where they were presented with a cheque for £1,242.

Museum friends: The next meeting of the Friends of the Craven Museum will be on Wednesday when Margaret Knox will give an illustrated talk entitled John Crowther: the Grassington Antiquarian and Countryside Campaigner. The talk will be at 7.15pm in the Craven Museum.

Oddfellows: Next Saturday, February 15, Skipton District Oddfellows will welcome back Steve Place in a Roy Orbison Tribute for Valentine’s weekend. On Saturday, February 22, local group REHAB will entertain. Both events will take place at the Three Links Club from 8.30pm. Non-members are welcome. The final amount raised by the Lodge for the local branch of the Parkinson’s Society was £1,242.45. Thanks go to everyone who contributed. For more details, contact 01756 798022.

Lacemakers: Seventeen members attended the January meeting of the Guild. They were reminded of the Harrogate Lace Day on March 29 at which member Hazel Calcott will be manning the Lace Guild stand. The next meeting is at the Swadford Centre on Wednesday, February 19, from 10am to 3.30pm.Visitors are welcome. For more details, call 01535 656637.

Retired Men’s Forum: Ken Geddes gave a slideshow of a trip to China, where he concentrated his attention on the last steam locomotives still in use. One of these had been offered to a museum in Lancashire which had declined the offer because the engine was too large for railway bridges in this country. Next week, David Wathen will speak about the Tour de France coming to Skipton.

International Club: The next meeting will be on Tuesday when Rex Geldard will give a talk on Garden Matters. The meeting starts at 7.30pm in the Soroptimists Rooms, Otley Street.

Esperanto Group: Skipton Esperanto Group discussed a range of topics at the January meeting and studied grammatical aspects of the international language. Additional reading practice between meetings was provided by seasonal greetings and newsletters from friends and contacts in other countries such as France, China, Nepal and Japan. Members also looked forward to the Yorkshire Esperanto Federation meeting in York in March and the 95th annual conference of the Esperanto Association of Britain, to be held over Easter in Sheffield, where a number of foreign Esperantists will be guest speakers. The next meeting of the Skipton Esperanto Group will be on Monday at 7.30pm. Visitors will be welcome to sample the language and hear about the particular international culture of Esperanto speakers. Information about the language, learning opportunities or meetings is available from 01756 799912.