With a busy programme year-round, the committee and officials of Stumperlowe Probus Club look forward to – and deserve – a break over the Christmas period, and our meeting on Monday, 15th December, will be the last until the New Year.
The meeting sees a return of writer, broadcaster and journalist Neil Hanson, who last year gave us a hilarious account of his days as landlord of the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub 1,732 feet above sea level at the head of Arkengarthdale in the northern Yorkshire Dales.
Neil started his career as a Red Coat at Butlins while gearing up for more serious pursuits such as writing historical novels, the Good Beer Guide, and many sports titles – in all, 70 published books.
His best known book is arguably the controversial “Venables – the Autobiography,” which Neil ghost-wrote for Terry Venables and which almost led to fisticuffs with Alan Sugar, then the chairman and part owner of Spurs. He’s also written on behalf of other sports stars such as Ian Botham, showbiz folk, surgeons – and a spy.
You can hear the latest batch of Neil’s anecdotes at Fulwood Sports Club where, like all our regular talks on the first and third Monday of each month, the meeting starts with tea or coffee at 10am followed by the main business of the day at 10.30am.
Our first meeting of 2026 – on Mon 5th January – also sees a speaker returning by popular demand. Professor Kevin Channer will be asking “Is this police brutality?” as, in an interactive discussion, he gives us insights into an inquest following the death of a man in custody. The audience will then be asked to act as jury and give their own verdict on the case – guilty or not guilty.
Click here for recent talks.
Our speaker programme through to March 2026 is now loaded, click here to view.