Forum events

The Forum is a regular meeting for older people to have a say about the things that matter to them. The Forum offers a chance to find out about different services available to older people and to help influence the way these services are delivered. It is also a good opportunity to meet people and enjoy a social gathering.

Following the successful launch in July 2012,  the Forum now meets regularly at Forum meetings every other month ….. not to mention other special events throughout the year!

You can also keep up-to-date on all our activities by reading our newsletter.

Please note:  

  1. All our Forum meetings take place in St Paul’s Church Meeting Room in Victoria Avenue (opposite Harrogate Library). Admission is £3 and includes refreshments and a raffle ticket.
  2. We do not issue tickets for any of our events, unless otherwise stated on the booking form.
  3. There are no refunds for non-attendence for the day trips.
  4.  All bookings for the Lunch Club need to be received at least 4 days before the date of the lunch please, to Suzanne Marsland  01423 560384.  Please book early, as numbers are rising. If you are subsequently unable to attend, please contact the organiser in fairness to the restaurant and other members.
  5. Cheques should be made payable to ‘HDOFF’ (only).

Please follow this link to view our Covid 19 Risk Assessment (1)

 

 

2024

January 9th         12.30pm        Lunch at Efes Bar and Grill

Efes Bar & Grill

 

Turkish and Mediterranean food restaurant at 28 Swan Road, at the entrance to the Valley Gardens.

Bookings by January 5th, please.

 

January 25th    2-4pm     Magic Mushrooms

MushroomsDr Raymond Baker will enlighten us about the amazing world of fungi and their role in forming mycelia, weblike structures which infiltrate their growing medium, and provide vital support to other plants. Fungi also provide several types of antibiotics which benefit humans.

 

 

February     12.30pm   Lunch Club     Portofino’s Italian restaurant, Albert Street, Harrogate

Portofino restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 13th            12.30pm   Lunch at ‘Worlds End’, Knaresborough

Worlds End Knaresborough

English pub food. Any route 1 bus to Knaresborough passes nearby. Get off bus at High Bridge (Mother Shipton’s).

To book a place, please contact Suzanne on 01423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

 

 

March 28th       2 – 4pm   Ripon Cathedral – The story      A  Presentation by Godfrey Wilson             followed by AGM

ripon_cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

April  9th              12,30 pm   Lunch Club   – The Inn at South Stainley

South Stainley Inn

 

To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

 

 

April 18th**        Day trip to Beamish Museum      Price  £27.50 per person

Beamish Museum

** Please note corrected date

It’s seven years since we last visited and the museum has been changed and improved, so be prepared for a great day trip to Beamish Museum, the Living Museum of the North. Fascinating to take a stroll back into the past at the outdoor museum. Remember the great fish and chips at the ‘chippy’?  During the coach journey to/from county Durham, there will be a comfort stop for those who might find it would be too long without a break.

Pick-up time in Knaresborough at 9.15am and 9.30am in Harrogate. To book a place, please contact Ann Hill 01423 861795.  Please read the notes at the top of this page.

 

May 23rd         2 – 4pm       Discharged from hospital – what happens next?

 

June 27th         Day Trip to Burton Constable/Burnby Hall Gardens in Pocklington.   £33 per person

Burton_Constable-1390x611

Burton Constable Hall, an Elizabethan Grade 1 listed Hall with 18th and 19th century interiors, is set in a 300 acre park designed by Capability Brown. The stable Kitchen Cafe serves tea/coffee, light lunches and afternoon teas. Burnby Hall Gardens is renowned for its Water Lily collection and large ponds. The Lliy Pad Cafe serves light snacks, cakes and tea/coffee.

Pick-up time 9.15am at Knaresborough, York Road Car Park and 9.30am Harrogate library, Victoria Avenue. To book a place, please send cheques (payable to HDOFF) to Ann Hill, 14 Bond End, Knaresborough HG5 9AQ. Please read notes at the top of this page.

 

 

 

July 25th         2 – 4pm       Forum Afternoon Tea Party at St John’s Hub, Knaresborough

Afternoon teaOur speaker will be Keith Tordoff. Following his presentation, there will afternoon tea and the opportunity for members to catch up on each others’ news. £8 per person.

To reserve a place, please send your name, phone number and a cheque made payable to HDOFF by Friday July 19th to: Tania Brightmore, 3 The Bungalows, Calcutt, Knaresborough, HG5 8JQ

 

 

August 13th  12.30pm   Lunch @ Pine Marten,    Otley Road, Harrogate

Classic country pub food – two courses £18.95.  No 6 bus from Bus Station stand 3 to Harlow Pines stop. To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

September 10th   12.30pm   Lunch at Rubin’s, 5 Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate 

Mediterranean cafe and restaurant owned by the Rubin family. To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

October 8th  Bradleys Fish restaurant, 8 Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate

(Used to be Graveleys). A pensioner’s menu will be available nearer the time. To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forum Events 2023

 

January 10th       12.30pm      Lunch at Buon Gusto, 15 Cheltenham Crescent

buon-gusto

 

 

 

A popular restaurant specialising in Italian food.

 

 

 

 

January 26th        2  – 4pm      Forum Meeting    ‘Stay Safe’

Take care

 

 

Lucy Walker (PCSO) will discuss how we can stay safe, both physically and financially, while out-and-about and White Watch from North Yorkshire Fire Service will discuss how we can safeguard our wellbeing at home.

 

 

 

February 14th      12.30pm     Lunch at Cosy Club, 37 Cambridge Street

Cosy Club

 

A new venue for the our members to explore good British cooking. The restaurant is upstairs, and access is via a lift next to the entrance.

To book a place, please ring Suzanne 01423 560384.

 

 

March 14th          12.30pm     Lunch at The Pickled Sprout, Yorkshire Hotel via John Street entrance

Pickled Sprout

 

Another restaurant specialising in English food.  To book a place, please ring Suzanne 01423 560384.

 

 

 

March 23rd         2 – 4pm       AGM followed by ‘The Air Ambulance’ – a presentation by Mike Bevington

Air ambulance NYorks

 

Mike Bevington will give a presentation about the work  of the air ambulance service.

 

 

 

April 11th             12.30pm     Lunch at The Empress, 10 Church Square

Empress Pub

 

 

Perhaps it’s time for members to return to one of their favourite restaurants. Good homemade food. (Disabled entrance at the side).  To book a place, please ring Suzanne 01423 560384.

 

May 4th                 Day Trip to Wentworth Woodhouse  near Rotherham     Price: £25 per person

Wentworth-woodhouse(1)Wentworth Woodhouse is one of the grandest stately homes in the country, built from 1725 for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham and after four decades passed to the Fitzwilliam family. Now owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. We will be given a guided tour starting at 11am.

The coach will depart from Knaresborough York Place at 9am and Harrogate Library at 9.15am. Leaving for home at 3.30pm and arriving in Harrogate at 5pm (approximate journey time 90 minutes).

 

May 9th             12.30pm        Lunch at Rubin’s, 4 Cheltenham Parade

Rubins restaurant

Offering a Mediterranean mix of Turkish and Italian cuisine.

To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

May 25th              2 – 4pm      Forum Meeting       ‘Listening to your views on healthcare’ – Healthwatch followed by  ‘Voice and

Representation of People 50+ Network’ 

HWNY_launchposter.indd

Update from Healthwatch on their latest studies and surveys

Also

Progress report from Voice and Representation of People 50+ Network representative and Carly Walker NYCC

 

 

June 13th            12.30pm     Lunch at Worlds End,  Knaresborough

Worlds End Knaresborough

English pub food. Any route 1 bus to Knaresborough passes nearby. Get off bus at High Bridge (Mother Shipton’s).

To book a place, please contact Suzanne on 01423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

 

 

 

June  29th                   Day trip to Hovingham Hall and Helmsley walled garden   –  Details to be confirmed

 

July 11th               12.30pm           Taverna Greek Restaurant,  23 Cheltenham Crescent

Taverna Greek

Greek food.

To book a place, please contact Suzanne on o1423 560384. Bookings close 4 days before the lunch date (see notes above).

 

 

July 27th                2 – 4pm       Forum Meeting     Health and Social Care in North Yorkshire

A discussion on the current status of care by Richard Webb, NYCC Corporate Director, Social Care, North Yorks and Chris Watson, Alliance Director for Social Care/NHS.

 

August 8th     12.30pm       Lunch at Graveleys, 8 Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate

One of Harrogate’s famous names has made a comeback! They have gone back to basic serving quality fish and chips and seafood. There is a Seniors’ menu for £15.

 

 August 24th               Day trip to Raby Castle and High Force     £29.00 per person

High Force waterfallRaby Castle was home to Cecily Neville, mother of two kings of England, it was also the scene of the plotting of the Rising of the North and a Parliamentary stronghold during the Civil War. Today, Raby is the seat of Lord and Lady Barnard and the Vane family. It is also home to an impressive range of art, textiles and furniture from England and Europe dating from the 17th to the 20th Century.

High Force is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in England, located at Forest-in-Teesdale, in the heart of the Durham Dales, Co. Durham. The dramatic waterfall drops 69 feet into a plunge pool amid a secluded forest with paths.

Pick-up:  9am at Harrogate Library   or 9.15 am at York Road Car Park.   Returning approximately 5pm. To book a place please contact Ann Hill 01423 861795.

 

September 12th    12.30pm   Lunch at Ripley Castle Tea Rooms  (No 36 bus stops in the square).

 

September  28th         2 – 4pm      Forum Meeting      ‘From Prison to Palace’ – Veronica Bird OBE

Veronica Bird (speaker) was the first female Governor of Armley Jail and was awarded an OBE for her work. She initially joined the police force and then moved to the prison service where she spent 36 years serving in various roles eventually rising to the rank of Governor. She trained in Holloway Women’s  Prison before serving in several other women’s institutions around the country and, after the introduction of equal opportunities legislation, she became Deputy Governor at Armley Prison, one of the first females to achieve this rank in a men’s prison. During her career she has had many exciting experiences including prisoner escapes, riots and hostage taking and has encountered several notorious prisoners.

 

October 10th          12.30pm     Lunch at Sasso, 8 Princes Square

Italian fine dining with stylishly presented dishes

 

 

October  12th                  Day trip to Bishop’s Palace, Bishop Auckland    £34.50 per person

Bishops Palace AucklandAuckland Castle is one of the best preserved bishops’ palaces in the whole of Europe and is at the centre of the Auckland Project.The castle recently reopened after undergoing major conservation works, which have transformed its staterooms to their original Georgian gothic splendour, as designed by the renowned English architect James Wyatt.

The trip includes entry to the castle itself and entry into the Spanish art gallery. There is also a mining art gallery, which has not been included: entry to this is £4.50 pp. There is an onsite cafe for refreshments. Pick-up: 9am Harrogate Library or 9.15am York Road Car Park, Knaresborough.  Leaving for home approximately 3.30pm. To book a place please contact Ann Hill 01423 861795.

 

November 14th    12.30pm    Lunch at West Park Hotel, Harrogate

West Park – Quality Gastro boutique hotel

 

November 17th          Day Trip to the Christmas Market at the Piece Hall, Halifax  £15 per person

Piece Hall HalifaxThere will be a Winter Makers’ Market offering local artisan products and presents for sale. A taste of mulled wine or hot chocolate can be found in one of the residents’ bars or restaurants. Come and join us for a magical festive day out. The Piece Hall is in the center of Halifax so you could have a wander around the town itself.

Pick-up: 9.15am York Road Car Park, Knaresborough   or 9.30am from Harrogate Library. Leaving for home 3pm. To book a place please contact Ann Hill 01423 861795.

 

November 23rd        2-4pm        Forum Meeting     Christmas decorations  with Caroline Baldwin

Christmas-wreathIn preparation for Christmas, Ripon Cathedral Flower Guild coordinator, Caroline Baldwin will be demonstrating the art of making table decorations and a Christmas wreath, which will be our raffle prizes. Many of you may have seen the wonderful floral displays that Caroline and her team produce for Ripon Cathedral.

Entry fee will be £3 to include mince pies, tea or coffee and the raffle.

 

December 12th   12 noon   Forum Christmas Lunch in the Mountbatten Room at the Cairn Hotel

Menu details to follow.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see what we got up to in previous years, please follow these links: 2023  2022  2021  2020  2019   2018    2017   2016     2015     2014