Ladies who lunch
Glynis Fox meets nonagenarian Pat Woods, founder and president of The Lincoln Contemporary Club.
Sprightly 92-year-old Pat Woods loves nothing more than staying active, enjoying travelling, meeting friends and chats with fellow members of the rather special luncheon club she founded in 1962!
When we were invited to meet Pat and discovered how she founded The Lincoln Contemporary Club, and has also been honoured with a Mayoral Medal, the curiosity got the better of us.
This was especially the case when we learned that Pat – who lives in Lincoln and who has two daughters, Philippa Clark (in South Carlton) and Nicola Steele (in Austin, Texas) – is the driving force behind an organisation which boasts 130 members and has a waiting list of others who are keen join them!
Pat founded The Lincoln Contemporary Club in her late twenties and this characterful lady – who once ran her late father’s business, Spencer’s the Boot Repairers (which did military repairs), then later owned the renowned Cathedral Secretarial Agency in Lincoln – is it not just its proud president, but very much at the heart of its activities.
When Pat decided to launch a ladies’ luncheon club in Lincoln there were other options, but she did her research and decided that another group, which had older members who went out to lunch wearing hats and gloves, was probably not for her!
Underlining that fact, she chose the name The Lincoln Contemporary Club for hers, deciding it was modern and future-proof. That title has stood the test of time, being as perfect today as it was back then!
Pat recalls: “It all started when I noticed that it was the men who always seemed to be going out for lunch, whilst the ladies were at home, busy cleaning and cooking.
“I thought it was time for us women to enjoy something similar.”
Creating conversations
After doing her research and finding out just what was available locally, Pat decided there was definitely room for something fresh. She and a few friends started going out for lunch to see what was possible.
“We kept our lunch dates going through September until April, which didn’t interfere with the routine of taking children to and from school and holiday time,” said Pat.
“Eventually a group of about 10 of us began trying different hotels, checking out their suitability for a group meeting, their facilities and ambience. We explored some of Lincoln’s best-known places, like the former Grand Hotel in St Mary’s Street, which sadly no longer remains, the Assembly Rooms in Bailgate and before those, The Annesley, The Albion and The Queens hotels.
“We kept doing that for about three years, but our reputation grew and many more women soon wanted to join us. So, the club became a real success, creating lots of conversation and really self-generating itself through word-of-mouth recommendation.”
Today it has grown to have 130 members. The club meets eight times a year (still from September to April) for a tasty lunch and to hear a stream of high-quality speakers.
Mix and meet
“Currently 80 or 90 members attend our lunches, often arriving at the Lincoln Hotel – which is our regular meeting place – to enjoy a drink and a chat at the bar before the lunch gets underway. It’s all about fun and friendship,” said Pat.
“Ladies pay £30 a year for membership, with lunches charged separately, and we meet for roughly two hours on the third Thursday of the month, to enjoy a meal and listen to our invited guest speaker.
“Sometimes our guest will be a local person, or a national celebrity. They may have also written a book and we allow them to bring some copies for members to buy and also have personally signed if they wish, which is a bonus.”
Because the Club is so determined to encourage people to mix and meet new people – which can be difficult for first-timers – each diner has to take a raffle ticket which guides them to the table they are to sit at. Pat said this really helps to ensure that new visitors get to meet people they have not met before.
“The club has a lot of retired members, but there is no barrier to younger ladies coming along and hopefully going on to become members,” she added.
Guest speakers
Guest speakers typically get to talk for about 45 minutes after lunch and the club is proud to have hosted a number of high-profile visitors, who have entertained their audience with some great talks, which have proved to be both informative and caused plenty of laughs.
This coming season, member Terri Williams is taking over the reins as Speaker Finder. Fortunately, she has a book which promises to be a useful aide-mémoire when it comes to getting down to this task, because it details the names of guest speakers over the years!
Previous speakers include mountaineer Chris Bonington in 1967, Joan Bakewell in 1973, James White (the son of famous Yorkshire vet James Herriott) in 2023 and the late television presenter Harry Gration, who graced the club with his presence in 2005 and 2014. Lincolnshire historian and author Tracy Borman, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces, is another popular guest who, along with the Palaces’ curators, loves sharing stories with the nation.
Other favourites have included Ann Widdecombe and Edwina Currie, who proved to be very entertaining and the diners had an enjoyable talk by the UK’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who spoke about his work in advising the government and the public throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mayoral medal
The Lincoln Contemporary Club’s current chair, Elizabeth Wilson, was delighted when her nomination of Pat for the Lincoln Civic Award and Mayoral Medals competition resulted in the club’s founder being honoured with a Mayoral Medal.
This was presented to Pat by Lincoln’s former Mayor Alan Briggs during a private ceremony in the city’s historic Guildhall, in front of several club members and officials.
Pat said: “It was a real surprise. I was speechless, but it was a magnificent pleasure to receive it. It was amazing!”
Elizabeth added: “It is also amazing that Pat has kept the club running for so many years and with such a large membership. It continues to provide a friendly setting for women to enjoy a healthy meal, foster friendships and wellbeing, and listen to talks on a wide variety of subjects.”
Secretary Sue Grayston adds: “Our meetings are friendly and extremely interesting.”
Member Christine Kessler said: “The Club was a super idea and it encourages people to mix.”
If you would like to find out more about The Lincoln Contemporary Club and its forthcoming meetings, please contact its incoming chair Alison Clarke on 07881 387294
We Recommend
Never miss a copy!
Big savings when you take out a subscription.
Lincolnshire Life Magazine Newsletter 12/25 - mailchi.mp/lincolnshirelife.co.uk/lincolnshire-life-magazine-newsletter-12-25