Welcome to the award winning Ilkley Chat!

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

Outside the Box Café are a finalist in the Café of the Year category The finalists have been announced for the Telegraph & Argus Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Awards and three local businesses are in the running. Nominations closed on 21 st September and both Jigsaw in Ilkley and The Carriage with showrooms in Burley-in-Wharfedale and Guiseley are nominated for Retailer of the Year , and Ilkley’s Outside the Box Café could walk away with Café of the Year . Amy Robinson

Mauro Bertolino (centre) surrounded by Ilkley Youth Choir Seniors and music teachers Emma (far right) and Stephen Bradnum (far right) Ilkley Youth Choir Seniors had the honour and pleasure of opening for Italian piano virtuoso Mauro Bertolino at his concert in Bradford Cathedral last week as part of his global tour. The choir sang two songs, You Raise Me Up and The Blessing , the dramatic setting and clear acoustics complementing the beauty of the music and voices. This was

The first afternoon concert will feature James Carrick-Buchanan and Glen Piano Trio Ilkley Concert Club has announced its fifth series of afternoon concerts show-casing talented students from the Royal Northern College of Music [RNCM]. These one-hour concerts are full of interest and variety, open to everyone and an afternoon treat for those who prefer not to go out on dark November evenings all taking place between 2.30pm and 3.30pm at the King’s Hall on Station Road in Ilkl

Emma Nelson, owner of Merry Paws in Burley A group of professional dog walkers from the Ilkley area have launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Emma Nelson, owner of Merry Paws in Burley, after rare, irreversible side effects from cancer treatment left her unable to safely run her business alone. The fund aims to cover the cost of a wheelchair and help allow Emma to continue to work in the job she loves. Emma beat cancer following intensive chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bra

Come and Sing at the Clarke Foley Community Hub Last Saturday the centre of Ilkley was ringing with the amazing sound of almost one hundred voices joining together in song for ‘Come and Sing’. Ilkley Choral Society arranged the event on 11th October at the Clarke Foley Community Hub, and participants came from as far away as Northumberland especially to take part. The musical focus for the day was Carl Orff’s well-known ‘Carmina Burana’, a dramatic and full-blooded 20th centu

L-R Steve Rhodes, Helen Rhodes, Felicity Rhodes (Photo: Heidi Marfitt) Ideal Extraction Ltd in Ilkley has been announced as a finalist in the category ‘Builders of Tomorrow - Construction, Property and Engineering’ at the prestigious Yorkshire & Humberside Family Business Awards 2025. Based in Ilkley, Ideal Extraction is a specialist engineering company providing bespoke dust and fume extraction systems, primarily in the woodworking sector. The company also offers ongoing m

Opening on Thursday 30th October in the Wharfeside Theatre at Ilkley Playhouse is The Unfriend by Steven Moffat. The play is a darkly comic and sharply witty exploration of British manners, social obligation and the unintended consequences of politeness. Peter and Debbie, a seemingly typical middle-class British couple, befriend Elsa, an eccentric American woman, during a holiday. In the spirit of polite conversation, they exchange contact details, expecting never to hear fr