The ladies who have lunched every month for 50 years

A record-breaking hot summer, prime minister Harold Wilson's resignation, and Abba topping the charts were all subjects of conversation in 1976.

In the quiet West Yorkshire village of Ledsham, it was when a group of young women began meeting for a monthly lunch club which is still going strong 50 years later.

Then new mothers, they wanted the lunches to offer friendship and companionship, and the socialising continues now the original members are in their 70s and 80s.

Inviting the BBC into her home, the 50th anniversary hostess, Jan Knight, answers the door warmly.

The group gathered inside are enjoying flutes of prosecco as they chat with an easy familiarity only achieved through five decades of friendship.

Back in 1976 and uninspired by keep fit or baking classes, the group decided to socialise over a meal instead - and have never stopped meeting up.

Alongside Jan, the original eight are Beverley McHale, Sue Reilly, Anne Chamberlain, Mary Derrett-Smith, Margaret Aung, Pat Rodgers and Brenda Finan.

Vicky Moss and Alex Caddick were later additions, and in recent years, husbands have occasionally been allowed a seat at the table, a relaxation of the long-standing rule to "completely and utterly" ban them, according to Jan.

In the 50 years since, the women have stuck together through "births, deaths, marriages and illnesses", according to Brenda.

"We've just been supportive of each other in every way," says Jan.

The saying is "what happens in ladies' lunch, stays in ladies' lunch", she explains, adding with a chuckle: "Not always, but that's the idea."

The set-up is simple; one person hosts and provides a main course, with the others bringing the starter, dessert and drinks between them.

"We've had some amazing food. Among us, we've got some great cooks," Jan says.

"But we've never written these recipes down. We always meant to have a ladies' lunch recipe book."

That's not to say every meal served has been a roaring success.

Jan and Pat, with a twinkle in their eyes, recall a very suspect pumpkin soup starter and an equally as disastrous pineapple dessert, which had spoiled by the time it was served.

Because they don't discuss beforehand what each cook will bring, it can lead to some interesting culinary combinations.

On one occasion, rice featured in all three courses.

However, the women all agree that really, the label of "lunch club" is arbitary, as the meet-ups are much more about the company.

Get-togethers can stretch into the small hours, especially when the dancing begins.

"We've had some wonderful times, but we've all sort of tempered a little, some more than others," Jan says with a wry smile, topping up the drinks.

"But we only need an excuse."

Everyone blames Sue for being the main instigator of the late-night living room disco, a title she's more than happy to receive.

Has their music taste changed over the years?

It's a resounding no from the group - The Beatles, Elton John and Abba have always been firm favourites.

Now all over the age of 70, they've known each other longer than they were ever strangers, with their own children and grandchildren just as close as their parents.

"We all looked after each other's children and that's how we coped," Sue explains.

In the early years all of the women were stay-at-home mums, but as time passed they returned to careers including nursing.

"The children literally all grew up together and all of them are all very close friends and still meet up," Pat says.

"That was a lovely thing that came out of it. They're all very close."

"They're my family," Beverley adds of her friends.

Given the length of time they've known each other, even a minor fall-out would be understandable, but as Brenda firmly asserts, it's never happened.

Although some of the group have since moved away from Ledsham, they rarely miss a lunch.

When Sue and her husband Malcolm moved to Australia for his rugby league career for four years, she felt a pang of homesickness whenever the date loomed large.

"I hated it when I knew it was ladies' lunch," she says, adding that "it was lovely" the others would still find time to video call her so she didn't miss out.

Two hours, and many anecdotes later - things move at their own pace, the ladies confirm - everyone sits down for the starter.

It's soup - thankfully not pumpkin this time.

The centrepiece of the table, a 50th birthday balloon, reminds everyone the significance of this particular meal, even if it's hard for the women to put into words.

"It means everything. People put it as a top priority." Jan says.

"As we get older, it's very, very important that we can meet up. These people are my friends, my best friends."

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