The Team

Erik Wilkinson | top

I was born in Shipley a long time ago now and grew up in the Leeds-Bradford area of West Yorkshire.
From the age of about thirteen I have had something to do with the licensed trade, as my father was a club steward at two Working Men’s clubs in the area.
On leaving school, I joined the Army as an Avionics technician with the REME attached to the Army Air Corps, being stationed in England and Germany and on detachments to Ireland, the Far East, the Med and Norway.
I enjoyed playing sports during my time in the forces, playing football and rugby to regimental standard. I had also enjoyed scuba diving while in England and, at one of my postings in Germany, met up with one of my old diving pals. He was leaving the forces to take up diving as a career in the Middle East and I jokingly asked him to get me a job there. Six months later I was blowing bubbles under drilling rigs in Qatar !!
I worked all over the Gulf for eight years on and off, before returning to the UK.
Since then, I have worked as a Training / Personnel Officer for an electronics company, driven buses and, together with my wife, worked as pub managers for Whitbread for ten years.
As I had always enjoyed drinking cask ale, we re-introduced them at our first Whitbread pub and, in 1994, I happened across a management vacancy for a “Hogshead” cask ale pub in a small North Yorkshire town. We applied for it and ran it for almost four years during which time we treated our customers to over 500 different cask ales.
With quite a bit of sadness, we left the Cock & Bottle in 1998 to open a brand new “Hogshead” in the centre of Glasgow, returning south of the border to run one of the older types in Manchester.
We left the trade in 1999 due to family reasons but, in early 2001, we learnt that the Cock & Bottle was being sold by Whitbread and let out to tenancy. And the rest, as they say, is history . . .
If I can escape for any length of time I like to play golf ( handicap – totally inconsistent ) and, as my wife will always say, “spend hours on the computer” sorting out things for the pub.

Lorraine Wilkinson | top

Leigh Wilkinson | top

I am the younger of my parents’ two daughters and the only one who works regularly at the pub when I’m on holiday from university and on the odd week-end.
I was born in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1983 and spent the first 7 years of my life in sunny Skegness. Obviously as my parents moved around the country, I moved with them, until the age of 15, when I went back to Skegness to live with my aunt whilst finishing my GCSEs and A-levels. I was accepted to read Archaeological Science at the University of Sheffield, where I am in my 2nd year. I hope to follow this into a Masters degree in Forensic Anthropology, another of my many strange interests.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading sci-fi and fantasy novels and watching sport, particularly football, rugby union and Formula 1. I also enjoy going to the cinema and socialising with friends.

Sandra Cawthorne | top

I was born just down the road in Steeton, my father is English and my mother Maltese, which explains why I’m so gorgeous !!
I had a relatively quiet childhood in Cross Hills, so I’m making up for it now, although I’ve recently bought a house which tends to slow me up a bit.
I’ve worked in a number of the other pubs in town but this is by far the best ! I’ve been full-time here for 3 years and take over the running of the pub when the bosses go on their travels.
I’ve also worked in a few bars abroad including some PR work and waitressing in Faliraki ( No, I wasn’t in the TV series )
I still love holidaying abroad ( hot countries only ) and my ambition is, one day, to open my own beach bar.

Nicola Lynch | top

I was born in Rochdale and grew up in Whitworth, Greater Manchester. I moved around between North Wales, Bacup and Earby before settling in Skipton 13 years ago, and have been at the Cock & Bottle since 1995.

I am married with two small boys and can usually be found at the Cock & Bottle either making a brew or falling on my bum in front of the regulars on my night off (Oh, the shame!!)

I was born in London and grew up in the nice “quiet” area of Stanwell, less than a mile from the end of the main runways at Heathrow. In 1984, my parents retired and bought the New Inn at Clapham about 25 miles north of Skipton, where I lived for a couple of years before returning to work in London.
In 1988, I moved back to North Yorkshire when my parents decided to take retirement more seriously and sold the pub to live in Settle. Whilst at college, I started working part-time at The Shambles fish shop in the town, working there full-time after I left college.
In 1996, I moved into Skipton, working at the Co-op and using the Cock & Bottle as my local and have been a part-time member of staff for two years.
My spare time is spent playing “Quake” on my computer, watching Star Trek and going out for drinks with the boys.

Alison Burnett | top

I was born just down the road in Keighley, but now live in the famous village of Haworth, home to the Bronté sisters.
I work full-time in Customer Service for a major High-Street bank and have worked part-time at the Cock & Bottle since January 1996.
I am a Formula 1 nut and, in March 2002, was lucky enough to drive round the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne whilst on holiday there.
I enjoy holidaying abroad and have managed to visit all the continents with the exception of the Arctic and Antarctica. ( too cold !! )

David Wood (Woody) | top

I was born in August 1974 in Rochdale and have lived in Skipton for a number of years.
I work full-time for a local engineering company and have been part-time at the Cock & Bottle for nearly seven years. The night before I started at the Cock & Bottle, I was involved in a major car crash which meant I did my first shift with very badly bruised knees.
I tend to get the mick taken out of me at the pub for my dodgy haircuts and my most embarrassing moment was on one particularly busy Saturday night when all the staff were suffering from colds. A toilet roll that was being used as a never-ending handkerchief was kept at the top of the cellar steps and had become partly unwound. As I came up from the cellar after changing a barrel of lager, the end of the toilet roll became attached to the bottom of my shoe and I spent the next five minutes dragging a length of the toilet roll around the pub like an Andrex puppy.
My main interests are drinking strong lager and eating doner kebabs. I’m always game for a laugh and like to wind people up ( in the nicest possible way, of course ).

Kathy Wright (Loony) | top

I was born in Sunderland (don’t blame me, I wanted to be close to my mum) but, after discovering the A19, my life changed.
I have worked at the Cock & Bottle for some eight years and enjoy a “quiet” night out with the staff from time to time. On one such night I managed to collide with a lamp post ( while still sober, the shame !! ) and knocked myself out, ending up on the pavement with next week’s washing on show. After a policeman used his jacket to restore a bit of modesty, I spent the rest of the evening in hospital with mild concussion. ( most would say they’re not sure I’ve completely recovered )
My hobbies include reading – mainly James Herbert – no sloppy stuff and listening to most types of music.