Leeds Bradford StarFleet

Before Appleton, there was something else entirely…

Leeds Bradford StarFleet (LBSF) has an even longer history than the Appleton herself. Original existing as Leeds StarFleet, LSF could be traced back as far as at least 1993, if not before, however official records are hard to find. LBSF as we know it today was taken over by Erica Smith, later joined by Clare Williams and Matthew Briggs, and held its first meeting on 19th July 2015. The amazing double act that is Smith and Williams took it upon themselves to breathe new life into the social club, bringing their inimitable style of fun and organised mayhem. It was not long after this that they were recruited into STARFLEET International, and the Appleton was born.

LBSF remains an integral part of the Appleton. Any new Appleton crew are automatically crew of LBSF, while LBSF members can choose to join STARFLEET by paying an annual subscription. LBSF meetings are something else, a mix of joyous chaos and bedlam, presided over by Smith and Williams. There is nothing quite like a room of adults being let loose with Lego, crayons, or even PlayDoh. And yes, you can imagine what they come up with…

LBSF maintains strong connections to long running convention SciFi Scarborough. Held annually at the Spa Complex on Scarborough sea front, this geeky weekend is run “by the fans for the fans” and is in its tenth year already. LBSF provide a team of volunteers for the event, easily identifiable in their bright blue tee-shirts and hoodies, who run the events official Merch and Raffle stalls, looking after the VIP guests, and even hosting the Guest Interviews on the main stage throughout the weekend.

While membership of STARFLEET – and therefore the Appleton crew – is a paid membership, of $10US per year (barely the cost of a couple of coffees so cough up!), membership of LBSF is totally free. We are a social club dedicated to all things Trek, and of course, any and all science fiction, fantasy and horror franchises. If we can take the mick out of it, we’ll love it. The most important quality of being an LBSF member is to not take yourself too seriously. Not at all, in fact. The dafter the better, really.

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