Driffield Probus Club

Event Reports

25th March 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed 37 Members plus Speaker Chris Renn to the meeting.

Sick Members: Ron Jones.

Minutes of last Meeting 11th March: Received by Members, agreed as an accurate record of the meeting, with no matters arising.

Any other business: Gerald Massey mentioned that there were still places on the Cannon Hall Farm trip, please contact him if interested. Tina Shelton spoke to Members about proposals for the Annual Dinner to take place in October. She had information from 4 possible venues: The Trout, The Masonic Hall, Driffield, The Rugby Club and The North Star, Flamborough. After a discussion, The North Star, Flamborough was chosen on a show of hands, with Thursday 22nd October being the date offered for the lunch to take place. Further information will be provided in due course.

With the business meeting completed, David Woolley handed over to Chris Renn to give his presentation on ‘The Russian Outrage’.

Chris told Members he had become interested after seeing pictures of trawlers being attacked by Russian ships, and the funerals which followed, in some ‘Postcards from Hull’ from 1904.
Research led him to discover information about ‘The Dogger Bank Incident’ when the Russian Baltic Fleet were ordered to sail 18,000 miles to engage the Japanese in Korea, but due to a lack of preparation, unsuitability of vessels and inadequacy of sailors/crews it was doomed to failure.
Incorrect reports of Japanese naval vessels in the North Sea also added to the problem, so that when the Russian Fleet encountered a British fishing fleet (including 50 trawlers for the Hull-based Gamecock Fishing Fleet) pandemonium occurred resulting in the deaths of British fishermen.
A serious diplomatic incident resulted between Britain & Russia; Royal Navy vessels prepared for war, whilst certain ships shadowed the Russian Fleet enroute to Korea.
An International Commission set up to investigate found there ‘should be no repercussions towards the Russian Admiral or his crews’, with the Russian Navy having to award £66,000 compensation to the British crews affected.
A memorial statue was later erected to some of those who had died, its location being the junction of Hessle Road (where many of the fishing crews had lived) and The Boulevard.

David Woolley thanked Chris for a ‘very interesting and enlightening’ presentation, which neither he nor many Members had ever heard of previously; all found it interesting and gave a round of applause. [The Club will make a donation to Chris for The Wolds Hedgehog Rescue Centre.]

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11th March 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed 35 Members to the meeting, as well as Guest Speaker Harry Houldsworth and wife Brenda (both former Members).

Sick Members: Ron Thompson.

Minutes of last Meeting 26th February: received and accepted as an accurate record of the meeting.

Matters arising: Gerald mentioned the write-up about Rainsu, the Nepalese schoolgirl that the Club sponsors; he also told Members that The Driffield Post will be running an article about Rainsu and our sponsorship of her.

Any other business:
GM told Members that the coach for the visit to Cannon Hall Farm was now half full, and that it was the last day for priority bookings for Probus Members.
Arrangements for ‘The Concert for Denise’ were going well and almost all of the 100 tickets available had been sold.

DW handed the meeting over to Harry Houldsworth for his talk ‘Writing for Pleasure’.

Harry explained to Members that his talk would cover the following topics: including Hobbies, Creative Writing, Book cover design, Publishing a book, Websites & Selling books.
Being an amateur didn’t mean your work isn’t of a ‘good standard’; rather it’s just that you don’t do it to receive a wage!
Many sources can be used to help start writing – Writing a diary, letters to local newspapers, articles in professional journals.
Harry noted some of his books:

‘Audition to Die’ (late 1990s).
‘Holy Huddles’ (C.2000) [written & published through Kindle Direct Writing, sold by Amazon].
‘The Driffield Town Trail’ (2020) [this was a project done in conjunction with Driffield U3A during the Covid lockdowns.]
He is happy to received enquiries about his books by email: houldken@gmail.com, or they can be found on his website: harryhouldsworthbooks.co.uk.
After a number of questions for Harry, DW thanked him for a very interesting and informative talk, and asked Members to show their appreciation in the usual way.

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25th February 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed everyone to the meeting which comprised a total of 34 members and one guest - Richard Neale
David then invited John Ford to present Peter Grant with an Honorary Life Membership Certificate. Peter thanked everyone and said Probus was originally a ‘men only’ club and, when attending a meeting, the members had all worn suits and an official Probus tie. When he took over as Chairman the membership was almost down to single figures and it was agreed they would allow ladies to join. This decision has turned the Club around and has made Probus into the great success it has become today.

Sick members: Ron Thompson.

Minutes of the last meeting – 11thh February: Agreed as a true record with no matters arising.

Any Other Business:

Tina said she had put a copy of the menu for the White Bull Restaurant at Cannon Hall Farm on the table for members to look at.
Tina also explained why there were photographs of a young Nepalese girl called Rainsu on display. Susan Marshall, a friend of Mike and Marjorie Battams, came to Probus last year and gave a talk about a trip that she and her daughter had taken to Nepal in 2001. They had been moved by the degree of poverty they saw and decided to set up the Nepal Education Fund charity.
Mike said he and Marjorie had previously sponsored 2 girls through school and college and were currently sponsoring another girl and a boy. He said that following college the youngsters often leave Nepal to go abroad where they find jobs and send money home to help their families
Finally, Tina had a message to pass on from Gerald who wanted to send his thanks to anyone who had given tombola or raffle prizes towards Denise’s concert. Marjorie will gratefully accept any further donations until the concert takes place.

David Woolley then handed over to Julian Morgan whose talk, ‘Cryptingo’, was on a subject guaranteed to get our grey matter working.

Before starting his presentation Julian asked if everyone had been given a sheet of paper containing 16 words set out in a grid pattern. He then told us a little bit about himself.

He teaches Latin and asked if any of the Probus members would like some lessons? He said “you are never too old to learn” and had taught one lady who was 79 years old.
He told us that there was a Latin word ‘Probus’ which, when translated, means ‘A jolly good chap’.
He has written up to 18 puzzle books.
He has written Quick Cryptic Crossword Puzzles for The Times newspaper.

He then explained that the word ‘Cryptingo’ stood for ‘Cryptic Bingo’ except that the answers on the bingo sheet were words instead of numbers. The members then proceeded to play the game of ‘Cryptingo’ by crossing off the word on their bingo sheet if it was the answer to the cryptic question asked by the speaker. Three members were given a prize by the speaker for achieving the right answers to some very difficult clues.
David thanked Julian for coming along to our meeting and explaining how cryptic crosswords work.
Everyone agreed that the game of ‘Cryptingo’ had been a real brain-teaser and gave a round of applause to show their appreciation.

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11th February 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed 43 Members and 4 Guests (of Stuart Nelson) to the meeting – Dorothy Keating, Julie van Walsum, Helen Buxton, Jenny Townend.

Sick Members: Ron Thompson.

Before continuing with the Business Meeting, The Chairman mentioned an important duty that had to be carried out, and which he said was an honour to announce – the presentation of certificates to one serving Honorary Life Member and two newly appointed Honorary Life Members:-

Peter Hyde – certificate presented by Tina Shelton
Malcolm Winn – certificate presented by Liz Smith
John Sharman – certificated presented by Sue Hyde

(Peter Grant had sent apologies for today’s meeting, therefore his certificate will be presented at the next meeting.)

Malcolm Winn thanked everyone and said it was an honour to be a Member of Driffield Probus Club.
John Sharman agreed with MW, commenting on the friendship he had received during his time as a Member. [Gareth Shelton stood up to say that had it not been for the Zoom meetings that John had introduced during Covid, the Club may not have survived and be running today!] All Members present responded with a round of applause.

Correspondence: Gerald Massey mentioned a note from Pam Woodcock thanking the Club for her invitation to the Annual Dinner, saying that although it had be written some months ago, it had only ‘just come to light!’

Minutes of last Meeting 28th January: agreed as an accurate record with no matters arising.

New Members: Helena Konow, who had attended as a Guest at two meetings had made an application to join the Club; her application was agreed by a show of hands and she was welcomed to the Probus Club.

Any other business: Tina Shelton had recently sent out an email to Members seeking their interest in another Annual Dinner in October. The general consensus was that the Club should organise a Dinner in a different venue this year, with a number adding their intention to attend. TS will contact a number of local hospitality venues for information as to menus, cost etc; this will be reported back to the next Committee meeting, with final options presented to Members at a future General meeting.

DW handed the meeting over to Stuart Nelson for his talk about his 999.3km walk which raised a significant amount for the Saint Catherine’s/Driffield Support Group Cuddle Bed Appeal –

‘Walking the Unknown Caminos’

These are ancient routes to Jerusalem and Rome, and from about 800AD to Santiago de Compostela.
Stuart described how and why these walks/Caminos came about.
He told us of the numbers that take part in these walks each year, and how numbers have increased since 1908.
He described the different Caminos that are walked by ‘pilgrims’ each year.
He then described his walk of last summer, which was made up of a number of different ‘named’ Caminos, with photos to illustrate the different areas he walked through.

It was a very interesting talk, and David Woolley thanked Stuart, not just for the talk about his walk, but for all his effort in raising money for a very good cause. GM added that he and Stuart had the privilege of attending the ‘hand over’ ceremony of the Cuddle Bed to Saint Catherine’s Hospice a couple of weeks previously. There was a resounding round of applause from all present showing their appreciation for this talk.

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28th January 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: John Ford (on the Chairman’s behalf) welcomed 37 Members and 2 Guests (Helena Konow & Maureen Amies) to the meeting, stating “how very nice to see David Woolley back with us!” He also introduced Speaker, Chris Cade.

Sick Members: David Woolley thanked all for the good wishes and his card.

Correspondence:

Gerald Massey had sent a ‘thank you’ letter to PC Rachel Edwards for her talk last Meeting; she replied saying “you have very good social group in Probus!”
GM and Stuart Nelson attended the hand-over of the new Cuddle Bed to Saint Catherine’s Hospice (it was mentioned that Probus had raised about £4000 towards the final total). GM said a commemorative plaque had been put on the end of the bed which mentioned the Probus contribution. He had said there would be an opportunity to send a group for a ‘guided tour’ around the Hospice, and a meal in their Bistro afterwards.
Saint Catherine’s Support Group had arranged an event at The Rix Pavilion, ‘Posh Frocks and Flat Caps’; a meal would be followed by a talk from Derek Mathewson about the World of Bangers & Cash. (GM will send out information; contact him if interested.)
The Celebration Concert for Denise: tickets now available – see GM. The Driffield Support Group will run a Raffle and a Tombola (& have made a request for donations of Prizes – please bring along to Meetings if you have anything suitable – 11th Feb or 25th Feb.)
Next week, GM has 11 tickets for those going to Madame Butterfly; however, there are currently TWO spare, so contact GM if you may be interested.
Next meeting will be the final date for booking on to the Bird of Prey Centre trip.

Minutes of last Meeting, 14th January: sent out to Members, and accepted as a true record with no matters arising.

New Members: Andra and Malcolm Batchelor had applied for Membership; all present gave a show of hands in agreement, therefore Andra & Malcolm were welcomed into the Club.

Any other business: Mike Battams mentioned that on leaving The North Star (after the Probus lunch there) he asked Ray Jones (who had given a lift to Malcolm Winn, John Sharman and John Witty) “how many years are in your car going home? The reply he received later “356 combined years!!”, which was given a round of applause.

John Ford closed the Meeting and handed over to
Chris Cade to give his talk, appearing as ‘The Butler of Brodsworth Hall’.

We learned many interesting facts:-

That a Junior Housemaid is ALWAYS called Jane;
The duties of Junior Staff were explained to us (as two applicants for the posts);
Some implements used by the Junior Staff were introduced and explained;
That the wages in 1871 were £4.00 per annum, for each.

Chris brought his story to a close, saying that because of a scandal amongst the servants, he would be in need of a 2nd housemaid (Annie) and that the successful applicant would be contacted by Royal Mail!

John thanked Chris Cade for a very amusing and interesting tale of life ‘below stairs’ at Brodsworth Hall, asking Members to show their appreciation with a round of applause.

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14th January 2026

Chairman’s Welcome: John Ford opened the meeting by wishing everyone a Happy New Year and welcomed 36 members and 3 guests to the first Probus meeting of 2026. He explained that he was standing-in for David Woolley who had recently suffered a stroke. He was in hospital having treatment but was expected to be home within the next few days. A ‘Get-well Soon’ card was in circulation for members to sign and would be forwarded to David this afternoon. John then introduced our 3 guests - Helena Konow and Andra & Malcolm Batchelor.

Minutes of last Meeting 26th November 2025: these had been received by members and accepted as a true record.

Matters arising:
Gerald referred to the last meeting when a minute’s silence had been observed in remembrance of Denise. He said he had chosen to spend Christmas on his own so that he could read through the 227 Sympathy and Get Well cards he had received and reflect on the memorable times they had enjoyed together.

Those who had attended Denise’s funeral will remember it as a celebration of her life and not a sad occasion. A total of £2067 had been raised on the day and that money would go towards renovating a patient’s room at St Catherine’s Hospice in Denise’s memory.

In 2024 Denise had been a member of the Driffield Silver Band for 50 years and had been presented with a gold tie in recognition of her long service. The Band will be holding a Memorial Concert for Denise at the end of March in the Rix Pavilion. Details of the event will be published shortly.
Gerald asked Bill Strath if he would read out to the members an email he had received which contained a very moving and emotional tribute to Denise.

With the business of the meeting completed John Ford introduced
PC Rachael Edwards from the Humberside Police.

During her talk Rachael pointed out the numerous schemes that criminals use to trick you into giving them your money. She interspersed her talk with video clips which highlighted the various methods used by scammers and how sophisticated and believable they have become. She listed the types of scam that are now the most prevalent and what you should do if you think you are being targeted.
The scammers can try to get personal information and money from you through various means such as: calling you on the phone; coming to your house and knocking on the door; contacting you by email; sending you offers through the post or trying to gain your trust through friendship.
Unlawful phone calls are now the most common scam in Humberside. The police or your bank will never ask for your details over the phone. If you are suspicious, worried or concerned that a call is not genuine just put the phone down. There is a 5 second delay when your phone is still vulnerable. After a suitable time lapse, ring the police or your bank on a number you can trust.
Rachael gave us numerous facts and figures during her talk – 70% of scams now come from abroad, £4 million was lost through fraud and scams last year, one lady lost £35,000 of her savings and investment fraud is on the rise.
Some useful phone numbers to contact are: Dial 999 in an emergency if you feel unsafe.
Dial 101 if you want to report an incident and you are not in immediate danger.
Dial 159 which is a UK-wide helpline designed to help you quickly and safely connect with your bank if you suspect a scam.
Ring the number shown on the back of your bank card.

John Ford thanked Rachael for her talk and said it had been really useful to make everyone aware of the danger of scams and fraud. The members gave a round of applause to show their appreciation.

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26th November 2025

Chairman’s welcome: David Woolley welcomed 39 Members and 2 Speakers (Julie & Yvonne of the Tickton Tarts) to the meeting; He asked for a minute’s silence in remembrance of Denise Massey; Gerald thanked everyone for their support and kind words, also praising Saint Catherine’s Hospice for the care given to Denise. Sue Hyde also said a few words in memory of Denise having known her for over 40 years.

Sick Members: Ron Thompson.

Correspondence:
GM gave an update of the Café Leon evening which included the presentation of a cheque to Saint Catherine’s Hospice Driffield Support Group. The fund-raising efforts over the year had raised a total of £3183, which put the total raised by the Support Group just £217 short of the £15,000 needed for a Cuddle Bed (this sum was donated by Member Stuart Nelson). GM also mentioned that he had received a message from the Support Group stating how surprised and so very grateful they were to receive this donation. DW thanked all Members for their support of these fund-raising efforts, and GM gave a special ‘Thank You’ to Marjorie Battams, Sue Hudson and Stuart Nelson for the extra work they had given.
At their last meeting, Committee Members had discussed offering Honorary Life Membership to three long-standing Probus Members: John Sharman, Malcolm Winn and Peter Grant. [GM said how grateful Members had been to John Sharman for keeping the Club going through Zoom meetings during the Covid pandemic]. GM announced that he had received a letter from each nominee, thanking the Club and accepting the honour.

Minutes of the last meeting – 12th November: these were accepted as a true account of the meeting, with no matters arising.

Any other business: There was mention of the Christmas Concert to be given by the Driffield Silver Band in the run up to Christmas, and taking place at the Driffield Methodist Church. There was also information given out about a Christmas Wreath-making class taking place in December. GM also told Members of a Memorial Concert for Denise, and involving the Driffield Silver Band, which would take place in the New Year at the Rix Pavilion – details will follow in due course.

With the business meeting completed, David Woolley handed over to
The Tickton Tarts (Julie & Yvonne) to give their presentation entitled
‘School Dinners’, during the 60s and 70s.

They said that much of the information had come from a book called ‘School Dinners’ by Sally Berry.
They then began with a quiz, asking Members to decide upon the ‘most popular answer from a selection of choices, given by a sample of 100 people’ to the questions asked.
They gave a brief history of school meals, starting in 1907 with the ‘Bradford Experiment’.
By 1944 school meals were available for every child. In the 1980s, the provision of school meals was taken away from LEA control in favour of private contractors – this was the downfall of ‘nutritious school meal’ provision for children.

DW thanked the ladies, saying how enlightening and engaging the talk had been, and “it makes us all think back to our own experiences!”

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12th November 2025

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed 38 Members to the meeting.

Sick Members: Ron Thompson, Denise Massey (Gerald gave an update on Denise’s condition.)

Correspondence: GM had received a note about a concert by Middle 8 Singers – ‘Christmas Carols & Songs’, on Friday 19th December at 7.00pm, in Driffield Methodist Church; £6.00 payable on the door or contact Peter Grant.

Minutes of the last meeting, 22nd October: agreed accurate with no matters arising.

New Members: Kathryn Hearfield was accepted as a New Member.

Any Other Business:
Gareth Shelton mentioned that in visiting Denise recently, he was reminded how pleasant an environment there was at Saint Catherine’s Hospice; it was also well worth visiting their on-site Bistro, where the food was ‘really very good’.

Gill Helliwell informed Members that Driffield Silver Band would be performing their annual Christmas Concert at Driffield Methodist Church on Saturday 6th December, from 2.00pm; Free Entry with refreshments included.

Annual Dinner – Tina Shelton thanked all those who attended, and although disappointed with service and food at Hotel 41, was hoping to organise another Annual Dinner for 2026, but at a different venue. She asked for feed-back from Members. Gerald Massey added that there was a really nice article in the Driffield local newspaper, with photographs of those on each table.

Barbara Hall had recently been presented with the Driffield Armorial Shield for her voluntary work in the local community.

Mike Battams had mentioned the article in the local newspaper, "a really nice piece about Malcolm Craggs"

David Woolley then handed over the meeting to
Digby Sewell for his talk about ‘Victorian Letters’.

He told us that letter writing for the Victorians was as prolific an activity as sending emails today.
All the examples that were used in his presentation were taken from ‘Correct Guide to Letter Writing’ by A Member of the Aristocracy, from around the end of the 19th century.
For each letter, Digby handed the book to different Members who were present, for them to read aloud .
There were various different scenarios, e.g.

A letter from a Father to a company requesting a job for his son;
A letter from ‘a Gentleman’ declaring his love, with an offer of marriage to ‘a Young Lady’;
A reply from ‘a Young Lady’ rejecting the aforementioned offer;
A different letter with a declaration of love;
A reply repudiating this declaration from ‘the Father of a Young Lady’;
Various other letters describing different situations or scenarios.

David Woolley thanked Digby for his presentation saying how very amusing and enlightening it had been. He thought that nowadays there seemed to be less respect in the tone of letter-writing. Mike Roberts thought it interesting that people wrote, expecting a reply the same day! Gareth Shelton said that there were 5 deliveries a day at some point, with Digby adding that in London there had been 8 deliveries per day! Everyone agreed that it had been an interesting talk, and gave a round of applause to show their appreciation.

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22nd October 2025

Chairman’s Welcome: David Woolley welcomed 32 Members to the meeting, thanking them for electing him as Chairman, and saying it was his first meeting in this role; he also apologised for his absence. He also welcomed one guest, Kathryn Hearfield, and our Speaker, Angela Beaumont.

Sick Members: John Bate – had been in Hospital but now back home and being monitored; Denise Massey was comfortable, and MacMillan Nurses were on hand.

Correspondence: a message from Susan Marshall about the troubles in Nepal (where Rainsu, Probus’ sponsored child lives) – these had now quietened down however, more were anticipated with elections due next year (SM will keep the Club updated).

Minutes from last meeting, 8th October: these were agreed as accurate by Members, with no matters arising.

New Members: Etta Page, Alison Grinter and Susan Worrell have all attended previous meetings and now applied to join the Club they were proposed and seconded, with a unanimous show of hands from Members accepting their applications, they were all welcomed as New Members.

Any Other Business:
Gerald Massey mentioned that he had received quite a few responses for the Café Leon Social Evening, at which the cheque for monies raised for The Cuddle Bed, will be presented to the Saint Catherine’s Hospice Driffield Support Group.
Gerald also informed Members that at the next meeting (12th November), the ladies from the Driffield Support Group will be selling Christmas cards, etc. before the 10.30 start.

With the business meeting completed, David Woolley handed over to Angela Beaumont, for her to recount to Members her journey from Kathmandu, Nepal to Bali, Indonesia (the second of a number of talks describing her trips to various regions around the World.

It was an interesting talk, with many amusing tales of her travel experiences, the venues which were visited and some of the entertainment provided by these establishments. She experienced encounters with leeches and many other creatures; visited many different villages where the locals were very welcoming, but all the facilities were quite basic, even, in certain places ‘primitive’.

David Woolley thanked Angela for recounting her ‘very interesting adventure’, and Members gave a round of applause in appreciation.

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24th September 2025

Chairman’s Welcome: Gareth welcomed everyone to the meeting, stating it would be ‘his last full meeting as Chairman’. He introduced the speaker, Richard Hampshire, and guests Richard Myerscough, Alison and Sue.

Sick Members: Ron Thompson, Denise Massey (Gerald gave an update as to Denise’s condition).

Correspondence:
Susan Marshall had sent an update on Rainsu (the Probus Club’s sponsored Nepalese child), stating that there had been ‘troubles’ in Nepal which had been concerning, but these had now calmed down; Rainsu and her family were doing OK.

There were 2 tickets for a performance of ‘Downton Abbey – the Finale’ at Pocklington available FOC (from Gareth & Tina, who were unable to attend due to another commitment).

From Sarah Ryalls – there would be a performance of 2 ‘silent films’ with an accompaniment on the organ at Bridlington Priory.

Denise Dunnington would be reading excerpts from her book ‘Carry Your Case, Sir?’; there would be free tea & coffee available.

Minutes from last meeting, 10th September: Accepted as correct, with no matters arising.

Any Other Business:
From Marjorie Battams – there will be a ‘Grand Raffle’ at the forthcoming Annual Dinner, so “please bring plenty of money!”

Gareth mentioned that the next meeting would the Annual General Meeting, and asked Members to ‘please try to attend’ as there would be some important matters to vote on!

With the Business Meeting completed, Gareth handed the rest of the meeting over to
Richard Hampshire from Yorkshire Water and the Reserve Warden
at Tophill Low Nature Reserve, near Cranswick.

He said Tophill Low covered 180 hectares (approx. 300 acres), with lots of wildlife on site.
He mentioned a study that was currently ongoing by a group called TOAST – Tophill Low Archaeological Survey Team, who are researching the history of the site. His talk focussed on the History of the Water Treatment Site of the 1950s.
Prior to this date, the area was a farm – Tophill Low Farm, but this was compulsorily purchased to make way for the subsequent water treatment site.
Records showed that in the 1920s, the land and farm was bought by the ‘Ness’ family. At this time, the area was called ‘Topilow’.
Richard recounted much more history of the Site and surrounding area, going back much further in time.

Gareth gave the Vote of Thanks, saying that “there was just so much history in the story of the site”, and asked for a round of applause as a show of appreciation.

Richard Myerscough, who had come along as a guest to hear the talk mentioned that if anyone would be interested in joining TOAST, please send him an email address, adding that ‘researchers would be particularly welcome!'

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