Previous attempts at forming a Skipton club had been delayed by the second World War but a meeting of prospective members was called in September 1949 and on 3rd October 1949 the first official meeting was held with 21 members. The club was chartered on 6th December 1949.
In 1953, to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation, a plot of derelict land in Newmarket Street was converted into a garden area by Skipton Soroptimists and was named “Coronation Garden” with an extension being added in 1975. The club also created another garden area in Otley Street which is now part of the Craven Law Courts Complex. Both of these gardens provide a place for residents and visitors to rest and enjoy this area of our town.
A building fund was started in 1956 to provide a clubroom. With the vision and financial support of founder members a property in Otley Street was bought and re-designed by member Mary Wales to include a ground floor clubroom and two first floor residential flats. The first meeting in our clubroom was held on 3rd October 1967 exactly 18 years after the first club meeting. Our clubroom continues to be not only our own meeting venue but has evolved into a community resource and is used on a regular basis by many local organisations and groups.
Skipton members have been and are still very active within the organisation at both local and regional level and we can boast of the fact that members of our club have served as President, Treasurer and Officers of the Yorkshire Region.