The Wainwright Society celebrates its 20th Anniversary
Way back in 2002, when the Society was formed at Ambleside Youth Hostel, nobody could know the life expectancy of a membership organisation in honour of the late Alfred Wainwright. The Society would have to depend on
Way back in 2002, when the Society was formed at Ambleside Youth Hostel, nobody could know the life expectancy of a membership organisation in honour of the late Alfred Wainwright. The Society would have to depend on continuing subscription income and volunteers to run it. That tough test has now been passed for twenty years. That the Society has survived and prospered over that time is, of course, testament to AW’s enduring popularity.
Members celebrated the Society’s 20th Anniversary earlier this month at Ambleside. The day’s events started with a walk up Dove Crag following the route of ascent AW had depicted 70 years before, on 9th November, 1952, as he penned the first page for his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.
After the walkers returned to Ambleside the celebrations continued at Ambleside Parish Centre where Society Secretary, David Claxton, welcomed some 70 members, many having travelled a considerable distance to be there, for the afternoon’s events.
The Society’s President, Jane King, and Chairman, Eric Robson, gave their reflections on the Society’s development over the past twenty years and thanked volunteers, past and present, for their achievements in growing and developing the Society into the professional organisation it is today. Derek Cockell, past Secretary, and John Bewick, former Development Officer, spoke in more detail about specific Society projects and initiatives.
These are described in a special anniversary booklet, The Wainwright Society – The First Twenty Years, which was given to those attending and which is available as a free download on the Society’s website.
AW was persuaded to be a guest on Desert Island Discs in a programme hosted by Sue Lawley, which the BBC broadcast in September 1988. AW’s music choices were the basis of a music segment led by John Bewick on acoustic guitar with audience participation. This proved to be highly popular.
David Johnson then introduced a short film, courtesy of the Snape family, which has never been shown in public before. The film comprised clips from home movies, taken in the 1930s and 40s, that showed AW with family members at leisure at various locations in the north of England. No hillwalking was involved! AW was in his 30s at the time.
Jane King and Annie Sellar, Betty Wainwright’s daughters, cut a cake celebrating the Anniversary