DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY: A day of special interest featuring a talk on Tribal rugs treasures of the black ten by Brian Macdonald will be held on May 22 at Tempest Farm, Elslack. The price is £38 and includes three richly-illustrated lectures, coffee on arrival, a buffet lunch and tea and coffee at breaks. Information from Ginny Wilkinson, 15 Whinfield Court, Skipton BD23 2UY, 01756 798381. The cut-off date is May 20 but your firm commitment and cheque would be welcome at Thursday’s meeting.

FAMILY HISTORY GROUP: The next meeting of the group will be tonight at 7.30pm at Salem Methodist Church Hall, Burley-in-Wharfedale, when our speaker will be Roy Stockdill on The Life and Crimes of Mary Bateman, the Infamous Yorkshire Witch. Mr Stockdill is well known as an expert in all genealogical fields so this should be an excellent talk with, I think, a twist at the end! Refreshments will be served afterwards and everyone is welcome.

NATURALISTS: Tuesday, March 25, saw the last indoor meeting of our autumn winter season and was a very successful annual general meeting with all the officers giving healthy reports about our progress over the last year. After the formal part of the proceedings came the treat for the evening when former president and geology recorder for our society David Leather gave us an insight into the flora and fauna of the Canary Islands, landscapes origins and oddities. This turned into a highly entertaining look at one or two of these fascinating places namely Tenerife and Lanzerote whose landscapes have been created by volcanic eruptions. Afterwards our president Peter Riley paid a handsome tribute to Mr Leather and the resounding ovation spoke for itself. We will back again in September so look out for us then.

GARDENERS’ GROUP: The group held its AGM in March and welcomed a new chairman, Gillian Spencer. After the AGM, Jeff Lunn, area manager for Natural England, noted Yorkshire botanist and researcher with Sheffield Hallam University, gave a fascinating talk entitled The Hanging Gardens of Grimethorpe. He told us how an old slag heap in Brassed Off country was transformed into a wonderful site, billowing with wildflowers and grasses. He told us how, after the closure of coalpits in the late 80s and 90s, there were many spoil heaps left, and here wildflowers had naturalised; where there was subsidence, wetlands had developed. It was apparent that although much planting has been done artificially, the most successful areas were those that had been left to nature. Jeff had been one of the co-authors of The South Yorkshire Plant Atlas. The next lecture on Tuesday at 7.30pm, at Otley Methodist Church, features The making of the Gardens of Littlethorpe Manor by Eddie Harland, head gardener at Littlethorpe Manor Gardens, Ripon. On May 13 at 7.30pm, Wharfedale Gardeners is holding its plant auction, where members bring their surplus plants, from the “good-doers” to the sought after. Non-members are most welcome to come along and buy.