Centenary Anniversary of famous veterinary surgeon and author Alf Wight OBE FRCVS, (‘James Herriot’) with original cast members of the ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ BBC TV series.
When: Saturday 1st October 2016 from 7pm
Where: Tennants Garden Rooms, Leyburn.
Special guests from the cast of “All Creatures Great & Small” will be attending on Saturday, 1st October 2016 from 7pm at a black tie gala dinner at Tennants Garden Rooms in Leyburn, to celebrate the life and work of the famous vet and author Alf Wight OBE FRCVS (James Herriot) on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Paying tribute to 100 years of the life of Alf Wight will be his son and daughter Jim Wight and Rosie Page plus family members, friends and colleagues.
The evening will include performances by music icon Lesley Garrett CBE and hosted by BBC TV’s Harry Gration MBE.
Alf Wight’s stories, based on his very own experiences of being a young veterinary surgeon who worked amongst the North Yorkshire farming communities, have sold in their millions and have touched readers from all over the world.
Ian Ashton Managing Director of the World of James Herriot said:
“The Alf Wight 100th Anniversary gala dinner will be a fabulous evening and we are delighted that so many of the original cast of All Creatures Great and Small are able to attend. The event will bring together so many family, fans, friends and colleagues of Alf Wight and adds up to a fantastic tribute to a very special man, vet and author.”
Actor Christopher Timothy who played James Herriot is to attend the dinner alongside BAFTA winner Robert Hardy Esq, CBE, FSA (Siegfried Farnon), Peter Davidson, (Tristan Farnon and also the 5th Dr Who), multi award-winning actress Carol Drinkwater (Helen Herriot), Andrea Gibb, who played Deirdre McEwan in Series 4-6 and who is now a BAFTA nominated writer and her latest movie “Swallows and Amazons” has recently set sail into UK cinemas and Ali Lewis who was a local schoolgirl picked for the role of Rosie Herriot in the final series in 1990. Ali had the advantage of knowing the real Rosie, who was her Doctor! Ali has followed in the footsteps of James Herriot and is now an award-winning writer herself.
“To have all the main cast of All Creatures Great and Small together on this wonderful occasion is a real coup and will likely never happen again. The books, films and TV series are THE biggest thing to ever have happened to promote Herriot Country’ including the Dales and Moors of North Yorkshire which have become world renowned.” added Ian Ashton.
A fund-raising silent auction will be held during the evening and proceed will go to the James Herriot Foundation Trust that began with a very generous bequest made to the Friends of the World of James Herriot by the late Mr Thomas Frank Blinks who lived in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, and was a life member of the Friends of the World James Herriot.
Jim Wight and Rosie Page, son and daughter of Alf Wight, speaking about the Gala evening said: “This is a lovely opportunity to celebrate our father’s legacy and to support the James Herriot Foundation Trust that has been established to help young people who wish to pursue a career dedicated to animal welfare. Our father would be proud to be associated with this initiative and we are delighted that the dinner has been organised and supported by so many friends and colleagues together with the original cast for the tribute to his life and work.”
A limited number of places are still available for the event and can be booked online at bit.ly/HerriotHundred
