2022 BIG WEEKEND
Stan Abbott, Chair and Big Weekend Organiser, looks back on a successful event …
And so to Grange-over-Sands – the“ accidental” venue of October’ s Big Weekend. Accidental, because this venue had �irst been booked to stage our 2020 event when it became clear that we needed a larger venue than Malham Tarn if we were to comply with the tightening regulations around social distancing.
Ah, COVID regulations – we can almost begin to feel nostalgic for them in a world of war, hyper-in�lation and governmental chaos and incompetence. Of course, in the event, we ended up with no Big Weekend at all in 2021 as rules tightened further, leaving us with two Big Weekends booked – one at the Malham Field Studies Council centre and one at Grange.
The passage of two years since our original introduction to Grange did raise a few organisational issues but, against many of the odds, our Big Weekend was smiled upon favourably by the weather gods and members and guests were able to enjoy a range of activities to get a feel for this special part of the world on the edge of the vastness of Morecambe Bay.
With tidal conditions and seasonality unfavourable to the idea of walk across the sands of the Bay, we did the next best thing by sharing time with Michael Wilson, local �isherman and now King’ s Guide to the Sands and his partner, Joanne. I also very much enjoyed hosting our Golden Eagle winner, Nick Owen, and Alison and learning more about the mountain rescue volunteers, who are so close to the hearts of our members( indeed, we can count such volunteers among our own membership).
It was great too to host the family of the late Kev Reynolds, a muchmissed member of the OWPG family, and to hear how they intend to honour his proli�ic legacy by working with Cicerone to keep his guide books up to date. Indeed, thanks as ever to Joe Williams and the Cicerone team for sponsoring our annual dinner and for ongoing support in so many ways.
The positive feedback I have had tells me that David Bellamy’ s landscape class was especially enjoyed, as was Nori Jemil’ s Photography for Writers. Neighbouring Hampsfell was comfortably conquered, revealing the panorama of Morecambe Bay, while I was pleased to share an exploration of Neolithic and Bronze Age Furness, including a �ine view across the Bay from the small but perfectly formed stone circle at Birkrigg.
The book table was well received, and your committee has endorsed the idea of extending this next year to include the opportunity for members to share their recent work of all kinds.
This was my valedictory Big Weekend as organiser, it being fully �ive years since my hand de�ied my brain by rising at the 2018 AGM at Newlands to agree to take on the organisation of our annual gettogether. My �irst act was to rename the AGM as the Big Weekend, with
8 outdoor focus / winter 2022