One dreary evening at the start of 2009, during the thick of the recession, four friends decided to create a club of their own – The Intellectual Dinner Club. They were in desperate need of social interaction, something that would take them away from the usual couch and television routine, offering mental stimulation and a chance to air their grievances to people who would just listen and understand, a faint glimmer of hope to take them away from all the doom and gloom and get them through the difficult months. So they set out to meet once a month and sample what their local community had to offer in terms of cuisine, trying out a different restaurant every month and criticising the quality of the service and food. They thus quickly earned their nickname “The Four Witches.” But rather than form a group of amateur food critics they decided to venture beyond criticism and turn their meetings into something positive and inspiring. True, they could just eat and bitch and moan about the state of the country. Instead, they decided to focus on a theme. Each month, they would bring to the table something to represent that theme. It was to be a modern day interpretation of the eighteenth century “Bluestockings” they would expand their minds whilst delighting their taste buds. The work and thought that they put into the themes stole them away from the depression of the real world, challenging them to dig deep into their minds and creativity and bring something inspiring to their table and learn more about each other as people.
Every month they would reflect on the weeks gone by and what they had achieved or experienced. The months wouldn’t always be easy and they would struggle through with their own personal crises but knowing that they had their meetings at the end of each month would push them through their problems and help them to remain strong. The ladies would have to deal with cancer, divorce, money problems, business worries and redundancy, yet they remain strong and support each other through the worst of times. Their story combines real life with good food and stimulating discussion. It’s a story they want to share with others to inspire them during these difficult times and they believe the club could go beyond their tiny world in West Yorkshire. It should be shared with the rest of the nation, inspiring people to come together in a trying time, offering the support and friendship that they have created through their group. They aim to get the whole of the nation forming new branches of the Intellectual Dinner Club. If they have success with that, maybe the whole world could join in too...
They are four real people, none of them are rich, none of them are privileged they have limited resources and limited time and they believe their story will reach out and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds. They woke up one morning and just decided to do something different, something that could inspire people to focus on the good things in their lives and challenge their creative side.
They couldn’t have got through the year without the group and now they want to reach out and share their inspiration with everybody else.
