TOURIST guide Maria Glot will be back in Otley next month to discuss the history of Saltaire.

Maria gave a talk about the earlier part of the World Heritage Site’s story, from 1803 to 1876, when she visited Otley Courthouse in April.

It will be the years 1876 to 1987 that are the focus of her next appearance at the arts venue, on Friday, August 2.

The presentation will focus on the time after Titus Salt’s death and on key characters and businesses including Titus Junior, James Roberts, Ernest Gates, A R Remington Hollins and Illingworth Morris.

Maria, a long-term resident of Saltaire village, is part of a team that presents guided walks around the area while acting ‘in character’ as some of the original inhabitants.

She has gained a reputation for providing refreshingly different guided walks, talks and after dinner speeches.

Tickets for the talk cost £8, concessions £6.

Music fans can look forward to seeing Ronnie Lane’s old band, Slim Chance, in action after the summer break.

Ronnie, a founder member of the Small Faces and The Faces, formed Slim Chance during the last stage of his career and they went on to record several acclaimed albums.

Although Lane died in 1997, aged just 51, Slim Chance has continued and the band’s current lineup has three original members, Steve Bingham, Charlie Hart and Steve Simpson, who are joined by Brendan O’Neill on drums, Billy Nicholls on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Geraint Watkins on keyboards and vocals.

As well as performing versions of Lane penned classics such as How Come, The Poacher, Ooh la la and Debris, the group is now also playing songs from its latest album, New Cross Road.

Slim Chance’s Courthouse show takes place at 8pm on Saturday, September 7 and tickets cost £16.

Literature fans, meanwhile, can enjoy An Evening with Margaret Atwood at the Courthouse on Wednesday, September 18.

The Canadian author, appearing via a recorded National Theatre Live recorded screening, will discuss her long career.

The event has been timed to coincide with the release of her new work The Testaments, the much anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

The screening starts at 7pm and tickets cost £14 or £12 for Courthouse Friends.

For tickets for these and other forthcoming events visit www.otleycourthouse.org.uk, call (01943) 467466 or pop into the Courthouse, on Courthouse Street, Otley.