BBC political correspondent Chris Mason will be the chief guest at the annual dinner of former pupils of Skipton’s Ermysted’s Grammar School on Saturday.

Chris, who attended the school from 1991 to 1998, will join more than 100 other Old Boys and past and present teachers as part of the yearly celebrations of the school’s foundation more than 500 years ago.

The night will include a retirement presentation to three former teachers who left the school in the summer with a combined 87 years service to Ermysted’s. They are retired deputy head and English teacher David Clough, Peter Sykes (economics) and Ian McLean (design and technology).

There will be speeches from Mr Mason and headmaster Graham Hamilton. There will also be a chance to remember former pupils who have died in the last year, including former teachers Wally Evans and David Jenkinson.

After leaving school, Chris studied geography at Christ’s College, Cambridge, before going on to do a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism at City University. He worked as a trainee for ITN before joining the BBC 12 years ago. For the past three years, he has been a Westminster-based political correspondent, making daily appearances on national television and radio programmes.

The dinner, which will be held in the refectory of the Gargrave Road school, will also see Ken Oxley hand over the chairmanship of the Old Boys’ Society to James Tiffany.

James, who lives in Embsay and works for family building firm Roger Tiffany, attended the school from 1984 to 1991.

James said: “Ken has done a great job leading the Ermysted’s Old Boys’ Society over the last few years and continues as treasurer, a role he’s done for the last 40 years."