The University of Leeds Ladies' Club
Spring 2025
Diary Dates
Tuesday Drop-in Coffee Mornings (10.30am at the Golden Beam, Otley Road, Headingley LS6 1BL)
Photo: Joanne Fox
14th January 13th May 9th September
11th February 10th June 14th October
11th March 8th July 11thNovember
8th April 12th August 9th December (TBC)
Visit the Gallery to see more photos taken at The Golden Beam – and many other places too!
University of Leeds Ladies’ Club
January 2025 Newsletter
University Gryphon presented to the University of Leeds Ladies’ Club
by Vice Patron
Mrs Margaret Roberts
Photo: Joanne Fox
Diary Dates
The University of Leeds Ladies’ Club
invites all members and guests to a rescheduled talk by Dr. Giacomo Savani entitled :
‘Women and the Baths: Ancient Medicine, Hydrotherapy,
and The Female Body in Renaissance Italy’
To be held at
Headingley Golf Club, Back Church Lane, Adel, Leeds. LS16 8DW on
*WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2025*
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£7.50 per person payable on the door to include refreshments
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Bookings should be made with the Ladies’ Club Secretary, Mrs Moira Wallace, on the separate booking form attached to your email letter.
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Please note that for catering purposes, attendance must be booked no later than
Wednesday 12th February 2025.
Thursday 27th February: Talk at 1.30 for 2.00 at Headingley Golf Club
‘My Life as a University Chaplain’: The Revd Melvyn Kelly
The Chaplaincy provides spiritual support and pastoral care for staff and students of Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds, working to offer all members of the two University communities the opportunities to explore the spiritual aspect of their lives. We lead many services of worship and make facilities available to students and staff groups for worship and prayer.
Thursday 20th March: Talk at 1.30 for 2.00 at Headingley Golf Club
‘The History of Crisps’ with samples! : Robert Gee
(Many members will remember his very enjoyable talk on The History of Pies in 2023)
Details and booking forms for the above two events will be circulated nearer the time (and subject to confirmed availability of the venue).
Details of any other forthcoming events will be included in the February newsletter
Mrs Margaret Roberts
Margaret Roberts centre, with President Carole, right and husband Colonel Alan Roberts.
Photograph Joanne Fox
Dear Ladies,
We are sorry to announce that our Vice Patron, Mrs Margaret Roberts, has decided to resign from the club. She is now 93 years old and, as many members will remember, has served the club in the role of Vice Patron since 1990, for which we are very grateful. Together with her husband, Colonel Alan Roberts, former Pro- Chancellor of the University, she has encouraged and supported the Ladies’ Club in an exemplary fashion.
She has been a most welcome guest at all our functions, and we were very disappointed that she was unwell at the time of the Centenary Afternoon Tea and was therefore unable to join us on that very special occasion.
The club is also very grateful to her, and to Colonel Roberts, for their most generous donations of the bronze University Gryphon statuette (see above) and the bell with which we start all our proceedings. I am sure that whenever we see these gifts they will serve to remind us of Margaret’s sterling contribution to the life of the club over so many years.
We will miss her at our meetings and functions in the years to come and we send her all our very best wishes for the future.
Carole Tabbron
News of Members
‘I have heard from long-standing member Ann Stephenson that her husband, John, passed away last Sunday (19th January). He was 91.
Through Ann, John has been a stalwart supporter of the Ladies’ Club for many years but is perhaps better known to some of our members as a leading member of the committee of LUOSA (the Leeds University Old Students Association) to which so many of our members belong.
In the meantime, we send our most sincere condolences to Ann, and all her family, at this sad and difficult time.’
Carole
Extracts: The History of the University of Leeds Ladies’ Club: Gillian Roche 2005
Interest Groups:
‘Whilst the Club generally focused its efforts on constructing an annual programme suitable for all its members, attempts were made over the years to encourage and develop special interest groups. A Theatre Group and a Bridge Group came and went, a Swimming Group never even made it to the pool, and a Flower and Floral Decoration Group died in the bud, but the Book Club, started by Mrs Joy Thody in 1966, continues to thrive, meeting on a monthly basis. …... This group was joined in 1985 by the Gardening Group (now the Garden Group), thanks initially to the work of Mrs Margaret Ward, where members who were keen gardeners and lovers of garden history could exchange cuttings and ideas.’
Mrs. Heather Harrison has run the Garden Group for nearly 20 years but has limited space. Consequently the Club would still like to set up a second Garden Group. Is there is any member keen and willing to co-ordinate it?
Proposals for a Theatre-going Group are currently being considered by the Committee. If you think you might be interested in this then please let a committee member know.
Local groups
‘Local groups, as they currently exist, arose out of the Jubilee Project in the Golden Jubilee year of 1974/75. ….Under the Jubilee Project there were early expressions of interest from members living in Adel, Pool, Alwoodley, Bramhope, Headingley and Roundhay.‘ By 1976 the Adel Group was flourishing, the Bramhope Group was meeting periodically and members in Alwoodley and Roundhay were still attempting to get together. At the 1976 AGM it was reported that there were now groups in Adel and West Park and, by 1984, the Roundhay Group had been established’
After all these years the Adel and Roundhay Groups still meet up locally and eat cake ….and there is also now a monthly coffee group open to all members at The Golden Beam. See above. If you have not yet been along, you might want to give it a try. (Lifts can be arranged.)
The history of the Club up to 2005 is on this website under the tab: About Us
January Report from Book Group 2
Our November Meeting was cancelled due to an unexpected snowfall so Muriel Spark’s Loitering with Intent was carried over to the December meeting. Val Milner gave a clear and concise introduction to a novel, which is full of autobiographical reference and brittleness. The rather ‘bookish’ and perhaps over-clever approach dimmed the enthusiasm of most of us. Discussion was necessarily brief as Christine Roy’s traditional and splendid Xmas buffet awaited us!
We are looking forward to reading Barbara Pym’s An Academic Question at the end of January. Considerable delight in Barbara Pym was sparked by our reading of Excellent Women in 2022.
The book chosen for February is Staying On by Paul Scott (often seen as a conclusion to The Raj Quartet). JW