Welcome to the award winning Ilkley Chat!

📋| ILKLEY CHAT JOBS BOARD |📋 28.10.25 every Tuesday with Right at Home Ilkley, Keighley & Skipton  - recruiting CareGivers to provide quality care in a client’s home: www.rightathome.co.uk/ilkley-jobs 🖱 To add a vacancy next week or view the Jobs Board on our website visit ilkleychat.co.uk/jobs-board There are three sections - main jobs, apprenticeships and volunteers. ■■■ MAIN JOBS ■■■ WORKSHOP JOINER AND KITCHEN FITTER/JOINER – WHARFEDALE INTERIORS, ILKLEY Join our well-

Little Free Ilkley marks its 2nd annivrersary {Photos: Robbie Moore] Ilkley MP Robbie Moore joined the volunteers from Little Free Ilkley at the weekend to mark the group's second two year anniversary of community clean-ups. Over the past 24 months the group have cleared mountains of dropped litter to keep Ilkley and nearby moorlands clean and tidy - they average about 1,000 bags a year as a group. Sunday had a Halloween theme, which included music from the Stephandhersax an

Tesco Winter Food Collection is taking place in Ilkley Superstore from 27th to 29th November 2025 With food banks and charities facing continued high levels of need this winter, Ilkley residents are being urged to give the gift of their time to take part in the UK’s biggest food donation drive. Now in its 13th year, the Tesco Winter Food Collection is taking place in Ilkley Superstore on Springs Lane from 27th to 29th November. Tesco’s charity partners, Trussell and FareShare

The Unfriend runs from 30th Oct to 7th Nov The Unfriend opens this week in the Wharfeside Theatre at Ilkley Playhouse. Running from Thursday 30th October until Saturday 7th November, The Unfriend is written by Steven Moffat. The Scottish writer and producer is the creator of many TV hit shows, such as Sherlock, Dracula, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Coupling, Douglas is Cancelled and many of the best and most loved episodes of Doctor Who. The Unfriend centres on suburban couple P

The Island Croft Local artist Tony Dexter has ten paintings on show at the Art Shop Gallery in Ilkley. Tony, who is a regular exhibitor, creating vibrant large acrylic images inspired by a variety of subjects, told Ilkley Chat: “Over the years my creative work has been influenced by recurring themes such as boats and beaches, wood and barns and Scottish Crofts and I’m delighted to have a selection on show and for sale in the Gallery. “My paintings are not photographic represe

The Winter Swing Band Dance is on 22nd November at Clarke Foley Community Hub Ilkley-based Two Rivers Swing Band are staging their ever-popular Winter Swing Band Dance on Saturday 22nd November in a new venue, the Clarke Foley Community Hub. The band will entertain you with a selection of Big Band classics, including both instrumental and sparkling vocal favourites. A spokesperson for the swing band said: “We’ll bring you a musical assortment from the era of classic swing thr

The Jigsaw Festival returns to Christchurch in November Hundreds of completed jigsaw puzzles are emerging from storage at Christchurch in Ilkley ready to be sold at the 11th annual Jigsaw Festival being held between the 6th and 8th of November. The puzzles have been worked on by dissect ologists (jigsaw enthusiasts) far and wide. Organisers say because the puzzles are displayed in completed form, customers can see all the pieces are there; so none of the frustration of realis

Ilkley Town Council has approved a grant of £10,000 to Ilkley Grammar School to help sustain and enhance mental health provision Ilkley Town Council has approved an exceptional grant of £10,000 to Ilkley Grammar School to help sustain and enhance mental health provision for students during the 2025–2026 academic year. The funding comes at a time of increasing need for well-being and mental health support among young people, alongside significant financial pressures on school

Demian Dorelli will perform at Ilkley Manor House next month Visit Ilkley Manor House for an intimate solo piano performance from pianist & composer Demian Dorelli on 14 November. He will be playing pieces from his Nick Drake Reimagined projects & his David Hockney-inspired original album, My Window. Demian Dorelli, born in London to an Italian fashion photographer and an English ballet dancer, grew up in an artistic environment. He chose music and, more particularly, the pia

As the nights draw in and the clocks go back, Ilkley Live has announced a host of exciting community music events for everyone to look forward to. First up on Saturday 1 November , Natural Voice Leader Keely Hodgson is offering a ‘ free singing workshop ’ to anyone who fancies coming along and having a go. Keely says: “Absolutely no previous singing experience is needed and people don’t need to be able to read music - all the songs are learnt by ear. "The natural voice is the

Ilkley Harriers will host a special community run on Tuesday 28 October to support the #LetsLiftTheCurfew campaign. The club says it's proud to stand behind this movement — raising awareness and promoting safer spaces for women to enjoy physical activity. Ilkley Harrier invites local runners and community members to a sociable 5km run designed to raise awareness and promote an inclusive, safe activity for all. Participants are asked to meet at 6:30 PM in the Ilkley Tennis Clu

Ilkley Grammar School’s 1st XV rugby team Ilkley Grammar School’s 1st XV rugby team are taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for new school rugby training kit. All available squad members will take on the challenge on Wednesday 29 October, and along with the training kit, funds raised will purchase team ties, which each player will receive after making their first appearance. The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge takes on the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent (694 me

Christopher Rathbone, Director of Music at St Margaret's Ilkley Christopher Rathbone, Director of Music at St Margaret’s in Ilkley, will perform his 150th organ recital as part of the Ilkley Arts Festival.   The landmark occasion will take place on Friday 7 November at 12.30 pm, This extraordinary achievement marks Christopher’s dedication, artistry, and service to the musical life of the church and wider community.   The celebratory programme will feature works by Kenneth Le

Ilkley Town Council is pleased to announce that its annual Remembrance parade and service will be held on Sunday 9th November 2025. Remembrance events are an opportunity to officially remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. This year’s service will commence at 3.00pm at Ilkley’s Memorial Gardens and will be led by Father Alex Crawford from St Margaret’s Church . If you would like to take part in the parade

Sam White with volunteers and veterans at the summit of Beamsley Beacon beside the restored memorial, overlooking the Wharfe Valley (Photo: Chris North) Volunteers and local veterans have climbed Beamsley Beacon to clean and restore the memorial dedicated to the crew of a Royal Canadian Air Force Lancaster bomber that crashed there almost 80 years ago. The Lancaster, which took off from RAF Leeming on 5 November 1945, came down on the slopes of Beamsley Beacon, tragically kil

Ilkley Playhouse opens its doors to anyone curious about improvisation with two new monthly workshops designed to be welcoming, reflective and playful. The sessions, led by professional facilitator and embodiment coach Chris Kenworthy, take place on Tuesday 11 November and Tuesday 9 December, both running from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Improvisation is the art of accepting and building on ‘what is,’ with playful curiosity in the here-and-now. These two-hour workshops offer a gentle

📋| ILKLEY CHAT JOBS BOARD |📋 21.10.25 every Tuesday with Right at Home Ilkley, Keighley & Skipton  - recruiting CareGivers to provide quality care in a client’s home: www.rightathome.co.uk/ilkley-jobs 🖱 To add a vacancy next week or view the Jobs Board on our website visit ilkleychat.co.uk/jobs-board There are three sections - main jobs, apprenticeships and volunteers. ■■■ MAIN JOBS ■■■ ASSISTANT SHOP MANAGER – SHELTER, ILKLEY Salary: £24,938.55 per annum pro-rated Locatio

Trustees Andrew Davies and Jamie Kemp The Principle Trust Children’s Charity has announced the appointment of Jamie Kemp, Platform Director at Ilkley based online training and compliance provider, High Speed Training, as its new trustee for Marketing and Communications. The Principle Trust Children’s Charity provides crucial breaks for children experiencing trauma or abuse, poverty, mental health issues, serious illnesses, or disabilities. These holidays offer a lifeline, giv

A burglary occurred on Victoria Avenue at the weekend Police in Ilkley have issued a warning following a burglary in town at the weekend. The burglary occurred on Victoria Avenue between 9:20pm on Saturday 18 th  October and 7am on Sunday 19 th  October. The method of entry was by snapping the cylinder lock allowing entry.  Police say: “The unidentified suspect/s gained entry to the kitchen door and conducted a tidy search of the ground floor rooms before leaving empty handed

Entries for the 2026 Ilkley Half Marathon and Ilkley 5K open next week Entries for the 2026 Ilkley Half Marathon and Ilkley 5K will open next Monday [20th October], promising another unforgettable weekend of sport, community spirit, and scenic running in the heart of Wharfedale. Organised by the Ilkley & District Round Table, the event has become one of the region’s most anticipated races since its launch, attracting runners from across the UK to experience Ilkley’s warm hosp