Join members of Cambridge Society of North and West Yorkshire for their Annual General Meeting, and hear from special guest speaker Jane Ritchie MBE (Newnham 1968).

Following the meeting, guests are very welcome to stay at the Harrogate Club for a Carvery lunch (£12, vegetarian option also available). 

AGM Agenda: A final agenda for the AGM will be available on the day.  It will include the Chairman’s report, the Secretary and Treasurer’s report on our finances for 2016 and the election of Officers for 2017. 

Subscriptions: The Committee proposes this should continue at £10 per head for the year from March 1st 2018 and there will be a vote on this at the AGM. 

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

About Jane

Jane had a long career with Durham County Council 1972-2006, initially as a Careers Officer and later as their Education Business Partnership Manager. She was a founder member of the National Education Business Partnership Network and appointed its first Secretary (4 years) in 1995.  Her life took an unexpected turn in 2004 when she inherited £9 million from a cousin.  This allowed Jane:
•    to build The Work Place in Newton Aycliffe and some affordable housing in Wensleydale
•    to serve her local community including preventing part of the Village Green from being sold
•    to keep a promise to her mother to tidy up her paperwork.  This included commissioning ‘The Grit in the Oyster’ recording her family’s contribution to Agincourt, banking, the Statue of Liberty, Leed’s Infirmary, the ‘biggest bang of WW1’, Dunkirk and the Normandy Landings.  It also records the family’s Cambridge connections.
 In 2005/06 she set up the Elm House Trust and the Vocational Learning Trust (VOLT), followed in 2008 by the The Work Place opened in Newton Aycliffe.  In 2009 she received the Hotspur Award from the Northumbrian Assoc.  Client of the Year runner up in the National Construction Excellence Awards 2014 elected as the Health Engagement representative for Richmondshire to the Hambleton, Richmondshire & Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group’s Governing Body and re-appointed in 2017 2017 set up the Health Accommodation Trust.

More information about Jane and her work can be found at the links below:

2007 Express article 'I will spend my millions to help local teenagers'
2014 Newton News article 'Story of Jane Ritchie and The Work Place'
2015 Darlington and Stockton Times 'Extraordinary family story of woman who gave away millions'

Jane will bring copies of the book “The Grit in the Oyster” by Mike Keeble.