Skipton Step into Summer tea party declared a great success

THERE was a wonderful atmosphere in Skipton Town Hall when almost 100 people got together for afternoon tea.

The ninth Step into Summer tea tea party was a chance for lonely and vulnerable people to come together, and enjoy some food followed by entertainment from The Skipton Choir before playing bingo and try their luck at a grand raffle.

Organised by The Rotary Club of Skipton Craven together with its partner charity Skipton Step into Action, it brought together community groups from Friends of Skipton Step Into Action, Dementia Hub, Skipton Baptist Church, Greatwood community, as well as People First Keighley and Craven and Maureen's friendship group.

The highlight of the afternoon was the entertainment provided by The Skipton Choir, which included a medley of songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The grand raffle, offering a great number of prizes, raised £280.50 for Skipton Step into Action.

Rotarian David Squire, lead organiser for the event said: "The Rotary Club of Skipton Craven started running these events in the spring of 2019 because we wanted to bring together the lonely and vulnerable in Skipton and offer them a traditional afternoon tea, followed by entertainment, a couple of rounds of bingo and a grand raffle.

"We were delighted when our charity partner Skipton Step into Action came onboard last year. Such has been the success of these tea parties, that this latest one was our ninth."

He added: "Thank you to my fellow Rotarians and to our friends at Skipton Step into Action for making the day the success that it was."

Sarah Wilson from Skipton Step into Action said: "What a wonderful event it was. Huge thanks to Skipton Choir - they were amazing. There was such great feedback from our community on how everyone had enjoyed their delicious afternoon tea and the Choir and how they had lots of fun with the bingo and raffle.

Thanks also to all the local businesses who supported our raffle."

Skipton Step into Action volunteers support adults in Skipton and South Craven. It runs befriending services, projects and activities and aims to 'build a sense of pride and belonging, supporting people to live their best life possible'.

It also offers volunteer transport, accompanying people to appointments and activities, and a wellbeing hub and cafe.

To find out more about Skipton Step into Action, visit https://ssia.org.uk/ or telephone 01756 802 098, Monday to Friday, between 9am and 1pm.