DABBERS at the ready, we put down our glasses of wine and stop giggling. A hush sweeps over the hall as the bingo caller gets down to business.

“All the fours, 44,” announces the man with a song in his voice.

It’s Wednesday night and I’ve joined members of the newly reformed York Ladies Circle for a girls’ night out.

It’s their second outing to Mecca in Fishergate, and both times one of the gang has won the house pot in the national game. No wonder they keep coming back for more.

But there is more to being a Circler than nights at the bingo for this crowd of young women. The Ladies Circle is the female arm of the Round Table, whose purpose is to have fun, but serve the community too.

There were once three Ladies Circles in York, but they all fell away because of lack of members.

But now the Ladies Circle is on the road again, after York solicitor Victoria Latham got the wheels turning once more.

In the break between bingo games, 33-year-old Victoria fills me in on her endeavours.

“My parents were in Circle and Round Table for years, so I was aware of it through them,” she begins. “Through the internet, I got in touch with the national membership office and they told me there were no Circles in York, so I emailed my girlfriends suggesting that we restart one, then word spread and more and more girls became involved.”

Since its launch last year, some 13 women have joined the York Ladies Circle. Their biggest fundraising event so far has been a Memory Walk at Castle Howard’s Arboretum, which raised £800 for Alzheimers’ research.

The Alzheimer’s Society is the York Ladies Circle’s charity of the year; selected by Victoria, the chair. It is a cause close to her heart. “My granddad suffered from Alzheimer’s and my boyfriend’s father is suffering from vascular dementia,” explains Victoria.

Members meet once a month, and while they are motivated by the spirit of public service, the emphasis is on having a good time.

“Service clubs seem old fashioned when you think of the Rotary and the Masons; you get the impression of gentlemen of a certain age,” says Victoria. “But we are all ladies in our 20s and 30s and it’s entirely up to us what we do.”

The fun so far includes nights at the bingo, a trip to the Ice Factor, and a late-night shopping trip to Hobbs. Also planned is a trip to Go Ape at Dalby Forest. Victoria is keen for more women – aged between 18 to 45 – to join.

Diane Grayson, 37, is enjoying her time in the Circle. “I have two small children, so I don’t get a lot of opportunity to go out. We always have a giggle and you always meet nice people. It would be great for somebody who has just moved to York and wants to meet people.”

Making and keeping friends seems to be the lasting legacy of the Circle. The organisation began in 1932, primarily for wives of Round Tablers, although that is no longer a requirement. There are some 250 Circles in the UK.

Ann Groom and Geraldine Kay were members of the York Ladies Circle in the 1970s, when they were busy mums in their 30s. They both held the post of chairman. Now aged 70, they are still great friends.

Ann says: “I loved it and made so many friends. We did lots of fundraising and lots of socials. At Christmas time, I remember sorting packages for old people in the nursing homes and we’d draw up rotas for visiting people.”

Ann says she still meets many Circle friends for coffee mornings – and everyone still exchanges Christmas cards.

She is heartened by news of its revival in York. “Young people are now so busy, but it’s good to know there are groups of people who still have that spirit.”

Geraldine Kay held office in 1976, passing over chairmanship to Ann the following year. Her strongest memory is of a cheese and wine fundraiser at the Guildhall to help buy a mammography machine for York hospital.

“We had a fantastic tombola,” recalls Geraldine. “Two of us went round every shop in Petergate asking for donations. It was a lot of work and we raised £500 – which in those days was a lot of money.”

Geraldine remembers speakers coming to Circle meetings, barbecues, and fun challenges such as welly throwing. “We had really good fun and got to meet lots of people,” she says. “It was a bonding of people with the same aims in life: to raise money to make someone else’s life better.”

Geraldine is a member of Tangent, where Circlers can graduate once they reach the age of 45. Geraldine hopes the revival of the York Ladies Circle will be good news for its sister organisation.

She says: “It will help keep us running. It’s like a school: you have to keep having children coming through the nursery and juniors if it is to stay open.”

Find out more by visiting yorkladiescircle.co.uk or emailing info@yorkladiescircle.co.uk