What's on 2026
'Mr Shakespeare's Midsummer Madness' is an original and entertaining (we promise!) pop-up Shakespeare promenade around Arncliffe, to be performed by some 30+ members of theDiscover Shakespeare project during the afternoon of Saturday June 20th. Visitors will be encouraged to wander around the village and encounter more than a dozen extracts from Shakespeare's best-loved plays in a variety of settings....there'll be Hamlet giving the Players his instructions outside Amerdale Hall; a top society wedding (Count Claudio and Hero from Much Ado About Nothing) taking place in St Oswald's Church, with the Rev Tom Lusty officiating (as Friar Francis); a town vs country culture clash (from As You Like It) kicking off on the green, where Macbeth and Viola (from Twelfth Night) will also be roaming. There'll be wandering minstrels, a man with a donkey's head, a sprite called Robin dropping in on the Falcon (!) and all manner of very strange goings on along the underbank....even a scene taking place in someone's back garden!
Event programmes and teas will be available from Amerdale Hall from 1.30, and the whole thing kicks off outside the hall at 1.45. There is no specific route to follow as the extracts do not tell a single story but are linked by theme ......midsummer madness (a phrase borrowed from Twelfth Night)...... and location. We all get to have a drink at the end - gathering outside the Falcon for a grand finale at 3.45. If we're unlucky with the weather, performances will move indoors (church, hall, pub)
There is no charge for watching - but there will be chance to make donations towards the ongoing work of Discover Shakespeare.The group welcomes all-comers with an interest in discovering Shakespeare through active participation, and includes many Upper Wharfedale residents as well as members of the Bradford Shakespeare Nation group.
We are grateful for the support of a grant from the Two Ridings Community Foundation which helped to make this event possible, and enabled us to put on a day's training session with professional actor/voice coach Niall Costigan
Another event not to be missed........
Save this date, Wednesday 23rd September 2pm when Esther Rutter will be talking about Marie Hartley, Joan Ingilby and Ella Pontefract at Kilnsey with Conistone Hall .
As you know, these women wrote a number of books, including ones about Wensleydale, Wharfedale and Swaledale; they were beautifully illustrated with Marie's woodcuts. Today the three are very much respected for their meticulous and tireless documenting of life in the Dales, as well as for the part they played in the development of The Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. I have heard Esther speak and her research is fascinating; I can promise an entertaining and informative afternoon. So, save the date and further details will be circulated nearer the time.
UWALS presents…………
Saltaire : A Victorian Vision to Contemporary Arts Space
by Dr Maddie Hewitson
Dr Maddie Hewitson is an art historian specialising in nineteenth-century British art. She is a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, exploring how Victorian artists reimagined the Bible in a rapidly changing world. She has also curated exhibitions at major UK museums. Maddie is also a lecturer for Travel Editions, leading specialist tours on British art history.
This illustrated lecture explores the remarkable story of Saltaire, the model industrial village founded by Titus Salt in the mid-nineteenth century. Developed around Salts Mill, the village embodied Salt’s vision of enlightened industrial paternalism, combining textile production with high-quality housing, education, and civic amenities. The lecture situates Saltaire within the broader context of Victorian model villages, comparing its ideals and realities with later developments such as Bournville and Port Sunlight. It considers what made Saltaire distinctive in its time, both socially and architecturally. Finally, the talk traces Saltaire’s transformation in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries into a vibrant cultural destination, highlighting its cultural revival and its celebrated association with David Hockney, whose work has brought new audiences to this historic site.
Kilnsey with Conistone Hall. 2pm Wednesday June 10th. £6 including tea, coffee etc. Please reserve your place by emailing uwalsociety@gmail.com or phone 01756 770350
UWALS AGM 2025
Wednesday 12th November 7pm at Conistone with Kilnsey Hall
You are invited to join us for our AGM. As usual, business will be dealt with swiftly and at 7.30pm cheese and wine will be served. Then we are very pleased that Jonathan Riley will be delivering a talk. His talk is entitled
“From the Peak District to the Yorkshire Dales via Orkney, Stockholm, Sydney and London".
This will be an entertaining tour of Jonathan’s life and an insight into his love of railways as well as the Yorkshire Dales and its hostelries. Something for everyone!
As well as his career in railways, Jonathan has enjoyed many overseas stints, notably in Portugal, Sri Lanka, Australia and Sweden. He is chair of Friends of the Dales, taking the lead in reviewing the charity’s future. He was also a trustee of Dales & Bowland CIC (DalesBus). Alongside campaigning on the key issues facing the Yorkshire Dales, he volunteers for the Yorkshire Peat Partnership and Woodland Trust, while doing consulting work in the rail industry. Recently he has joined the committee of the Black Horse Pub Community buy out in Hellifield. Retirement to the Dales has enabled Jonathan to dedicate his time to making a difference locally whilst continuing to walk, cycle, read, listen to music and frequent the Dales many fine hostelries!
Our AGM is free but to help with catering, please indicate your attendance by emailing uwalsociety@gmail.com or phoning 01756 770350
An Introduction to Painting with Watercolours
To be led by Gail Evans, local tutor and artist. Saturday 22nd March 2025 10am to 4pm at Conistone with Kilnsey Village Hall.
Further details to follow.
Chocolate making
Paula Bui of Fusion Chocolate, Ilkley to give a demonstration, with samples of course! On Monday 12th May 2025 at 1pm. The venue will be Conistone with Kilnsey Village Hall.
More details to follow.
2024
UWALS AGM
Wednesday 27th November 7pm at Conistone with Kilnsey hall.
You are invited to join us for our AGM. As usual, business will be dealt with swiftly and at 7.30pm cheese and wine will be served. Then we are very pleased to have Dr. Malcolm Petyt speak to us . He will explore what is covered by the term “dialect” and how Emily Bronte displays many features of her local dialect in Wuthering Heights.
'What are ye for?' he shouted. 'T' maister's down i' t' fowld. Go round by th' end o' t' laith, if ye went to spake to him.'
Malcolm Petyt, a native of Bradford, spent his career in universities. An interest in dialect came with a growing awareness that his own speech was different from that of his Cambridge contemporaries! He grew up not far from Haworth, and noticed that the local speech seemed to be reflected in some of the writings of the Brontes; this led to his first published work. After a doctorate on the speech of the West Riding, he wrote a well-received survey of the development of dialectology. In retirement he has worked with various organisations, including Friends of the Dales.
Our AGM is free but to help with catering, please indicate your attendance by emailing uwalsociety@gmail.com or phoning 01756 770350
2024 UWALS Workshops
Winter Photography Workshop with Andrew Brooks - Saturday November 2nd, 10am to 4pm at Conistone with Kilnsey Village Hall.
An opporunity to create personalised Christmas cards and gifts.You will need no experience or fancy equipment a phone camera is fine. You will learn things about yur camera, you never knew. Many of you will know Andrew from previous workshops; he is a first rate tutor. By he end of the day you will have photographs that can be uploaded to any of the man internet sites to be transformed into cards, calendars, prints etc. Andrew will explain how to do this. Places are limited, so please contact Geraldine if you would like to book a place.
Felting - *Please note the change of venue*
Friday June 7th 2024 10am to 4pm at Threshfield Institute : FELTING WORKSHOP led by Louise Curnin.
Louise is a Feltmaker, Tutor and Milliner. She lives in beautiful Wensleydale and the surrounding landscape is her inspiration. Louise has been a feltmaker for over 12 years, having been taught initially by the world-renowned Sheila Smith and she is passionate about spreading her feltmaking skills to new enthusiasts and thoroughly enjoys teaching workshops to groups and individuals hoping they also get the feltmaking bug! Wetfelting is a very versatile medium however Louise’s specialities are lighting and wearables such as scarves, hats and bags. More details about Louise and her workshops can be found on her website www.handmadefromloPeandlou.co.uk
Course description
The day will be separated into two halves. To start, Louise will guide you through the process of creating a beautiful garden or landscape inspired design, and then you will spend the rest of the morning session laying out your design in wool and silk fibres and working the fibres to make the felt fabric for your tealight shade using the wet felting method. Your felt fabric will then dry over lunchtime and we can then spend the afternoon constructing the tealight shade and testing our shade with the tealight provided. The day is suitable for everyone, especially novices. All materials and equipment are provided.
Equipment the participants will need to bring to the course:
A notebook and pen if you wish to take notes, a camera or mobile phone if you wish to record in pictures.
A waterproof apron to protect your clothes, not essential.
Waterproof gloves if you have skin allergies.
A hand towel
A ruler, pen or pencil and scissors for cutting paper.
Cost: £20 (UWALS subsidy), tea, coffee etc included. Please provide your own lunch.
Tapestry Weaving
Wednesday 10th July 10 am to 4pm Threshfield Institute: Tapestry Weaving led by Anna Wetherall. Anna has been weaving tapestry since 2013 exhibiting her work as part of several group exhibitions. She studied with a number of leading UK tapestry weavers, is an active member of the British Tapestry Group and runs Nearly Wild Weaving with colleague, Irene. Her inspiration for weaving comes from the natural world, the landscape and its history. She aims to convey a sense of place, the touchstone of a point in time. As a geologist and ecologist, she sees the processes and patterns that have shaped what is around us, this is reflected in the tapestries she weaves. She is passionate about connecting people and nature, and has found that tapestry weaving and other approaches to artistic creativity can make a massive difference to people’s health and wellbeing.
Course description
Come and explore the patterns, textures, colours and shapes in the landscape, translating them into simple woven tapestry. We will take a short stroll outside to look at the views and local features (weather permitting), taking our inspiration from what we see and perhaps hear. We will then return indoors and explore how we can translate our ideas into tapestry in simple ways, or, if you have woven before, perhaps stretching your skills in new ways. Suitable for beginners and improvers. Bring your own equipment if you have it, but there will also be looms warped up ready to go and a range of weft yarn for you to use. Additional equipment will be available for sale, should you wish to continue weaving after the workshop day.
Cost: £20 (UWALS subsidy), tea, coffee etc included. Please provide your own lunch.
Lino-printing *please note the change of venue*
Wednesday 4th September 10am to 4pm Kettlewell Village Hall : Lino- printing led by Tilly Dagnall
Some of you may have attended Tilly’s very well received workshop some years ago We were asked to bring her back so here she is!
Tilly is a printmaker, usually working with found and reclaimed timber. (This will be a lino-printing workshop)
She draws influences from Japanese woodblock printing, the arts and crafts movement (especially William Morris!) and the natural world around her.
All materials will be provided but participants are encouraged to bring along pictures that inspire them. Tilly will also provide books etc to stimulate ideas.
Cost: £20 (UWALS subsidy), tea, coffee etc included. Please provide your own lunch