Fylde Ramblers 1980 - 2020
A lockdown view of celebrating being
FIT, FUN & FORTY
2020. How many plans have been thwarted as the reality of the global pandemic has bitten
Indoors, outdoors, travel, socialising and ordinary life as we knew it is now so different.
This year is the fortieth birthday of Fylde Ramblers, who have organised rambling activities regularly for four decades, ironically never before having had to suspend operations, apart from the occasional cancellation of a walk due to bad weather. In the twelve months preceding this closure, the club completed 154 walks covering 1,200 miles.
Worth celebrating!
Beginnings: “I think we’re going to need a Steering Committee”.
The parent organisation, the Ramblers Association, was officially created on January 1. 1935 with its head office in Liverpool (1938) later with offices in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
July 1980 saw the inaugural meeting of Fylde Ramblers, previously a joint venture with Preston group, and at this time boundaries were being reshaped and more local groups being formed. As a whole, Britain was undergoing unprecedented political and social change, the 1980’s becoming known as ‘the Greed Decade’ with Thatcherism, privatisation of British Aerospace, yuppies, New Wave and punk music scenes.
“Who’s going to start this thing off?”
But beyond the flash and fashions of ‘the Greed Decade’, on Lancashire’s Fylde Coast a group of keen walkers was more interested in organising a public meeting in Wesham Council Chambers to sound out public opinion of Ramblers Association members living on the Fylde about the formation of a local group. Enthusiasm was sufficient to move forward with the appointment of a committee and officers, many of whom served for years and who remain legends in the history of the group.
Garry Alderson still joins the ‘strenuous’ band of walkers and is proud to be the last founding member still active within the club. Garry held the role of Chair from 1985 to 2015, when Robb Radford took over the Chair, not only its rich history but also a shining future with a comprehensive programme of weekly walks. Offering up to four fitness levels, usually on Wednesday and Sunday and in addition, members enjoy the friendship and social aspects, access to a network of clubs and connection to the wider objectives of the Ramblers organisation (ramblers.org.uk)
“I’ll do it if no one else will”, he said reluctantly
Credited with shaping Fylde Ramblers (fylderamblers.org.uk) into the club we know today, Alan and Joan Roy held office for many years. They were universally liked and respected and Alan was the very first secretary from 1980, a ‘people person’, drawing out the best in those around him and, with Joan, they were superb administrators, managing a workload which is currently shared by a committee of a dozen. They held joint presidency from 1995 to 2001.
“Wet, mud, wetter, muddier. You’ve got to laugh”.
Alan was the innovator of a series of ‘prizes’, some of which remain. The wettest/muddiest/endless stiles prize was not an intentional aim, but to the leader, an achievement! There was also a ‘wooden compass’ award - a comment on navigational skills, maybe?
Knowledge of our area, and the surrounding districts, of course, is imperative, and through the years experienced walkers and new leaders have the opportunity to guide groups, planning the route and all that entails. Local footpaths, stiles, signposting are observed and reported to the local authority to keep thoroughfares clear. Leading embraces random duties such as clearing brambles, providing a spur of the moment detour to avoid blocked terrain, administer first aid and think on your feet, as well as being the one at the front to lead the way.
Members have said that they joined the Ramblers Association ‘to have a nice walk’, never expecting to discover a lifelong passion, new challenges and worthwhile achievements. First you walk, then you walk some more, then suddenly you’re hooked and planning bigger and better adventures. A local member of significant age told me, “There’s always a bit of the day when you grumble to yourself and the weather or the distance make you wonder why you do this, but there’s never a day when you regret it. By the evening, your sense of wellbeing is enormous.”
“Come on lads, this will take more than me to get him back on his feet”
From the start of Fylde Ramblers, friendships were consolidated, encouragement and advice given and the social side of walking blossomed. It’s not just about distance and altitude but a desirable way to health and fitness.
Rambling weekends in the Lake District, Wales and beyond, were very well-attended and, as ‘off the peg’ walking holidays and long-distance footpaths became increasingly popular, members moved away from club events towards their own preferences and new horizons.
“A paper map and bit of string isn’t technology. Let’s get real”
‘Walking for Health’ schemes increasingly demand good, clear thoroughfares, easy passage for the novice walker and clear signage on mapped routes. Smart phones, global positioning systems (GPS) and digital mapping have put the good old ‘map and piece of string’ out of business and technology enables us to record routes and statistics accurately and simply.
Dawn of a new century
In June 2005, the club website journey began with a basic site to provide information and record photos of every walk organised by the club, and it is still accessible from our current website. A generous bequest from member Ron Lowe provided a new comprehensive website which developed to more than 1,500 pages of photos and information to 2019. This valuable resource is managed by Kath Atherfold, who has developed and tended the site from its inception, guiding towards the present position whereby Ramblers Webs fund our ongoing site. This is working well and a change of web wizard is lined up in 2021.
Put simply, it’s just one foot in front of the other
You may observe that ‘going for a walk’ is easy for most people, so why would you get involved with special gear, upkeep of footpaths, committees, website development? The answer is about quality of life, health and friendship, achieving the sense of wellbeing brought by a good day in a beautiful place. Supported by folks with similar plans, Fylde Ramblers use car shares to reach the start of the walk, some local, others further afield, maybe East Lancashire or the Lake District, the Yorkshire or Derbyshire Dales and travelling together is all part of the fun.
“Hot pot supper or a game of ‘find the meat and potato in the gravy?’ “
Through the years, social events like slide shows, talks, aspects of nature such as plant life and birding, local history, hotpot suppers (with a cautionary note of ‘varying quality’) coach outings and meals have all added to the Fylde Ramblers programme. The fortieth celebrations have been in the planning for more than twelve months, headed by committee members, Jeanette & Jim Carr and assisted by the club committee. These plans are currently ‘on hold’ but will be resumed.
FIT, FUN & FORTY – give or take a year or so
The plan was that monthly from April 2020, a series of ‘Legacy Walks’ will take place; re-creation of original routes enjoyed by members through the years. Original leaders have recommended favourites, and, if necessary, new leaders found. A Midsummer Medley of walks is planned - eventually - a one day event for all walkers with a variety of distances, all completing at Longridge Golf Course, a favourite Christmas Party venue, with a meal for all. Other ideas are in the pipeline and the original horror that all this could be cancelled would now simply mean deferring the plans for twelve months or more and celebrating getting through our fortieth year rather than heralding it.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and this current state of concern nevertheless gives time to reflect, relax and plan for our next forty years.
Footnote. Facts are distorted by the passage of time and referencing data may not always be absolutely factual. If there are errors, my apologies, and also my congratulations to all who have contributed to the success of Fylde Ramblers 1980 – 2020
A version of this article was published by the Lancashire & North West Magazine, Summer 2020
Pat Fergusson