Another Big Weekend, another
October and another AGM for the Guild: Blencathra was a great location and Storm Amy made it, well, memorable! Despite flooding, uprooted trees and truly wild weather, the AGM was wellattended and some great suggestions were proffered. Firstly, we welcome Rachel Mead and Chris Scaife to the Committee as Membership Secretary and Media Officer, respectively.
Good things will surely follow.
The topic of OWPG champions with a public profile was raised in the context of membership recruitment, and we agreed to look into potential ambassadors for the OWPG that could appeal to a broad spectrum of potential members.
The main topic of particular interest and discussion was that of Artificial Intelligence( AI). With divergent views on its usefulness,
Kevin Sene big weekend
infringements and integrity, it is clear the OWPG needs to produce a policy and statement on its relationship with AI in the field of outdoor content creation. This process has started, thanks to the work of Chris Howes, and will continue. I envisage a statement and a suitable graphic to be produced and available to download from the website in the coming weeks. We will then pass on this material to the Society of Authors as a courtesy.
Time. I need more. I’ m sure you do too. There never seems to be enough and I want to express a massive thank you to all the members and Committee officers who give their precious time to the OWPG. We cannot exist as an organisation without other people’ s time spent for our benefit. Talking of Committee Officers, we need some more!
Can you be the next Big Weekend Organiser? We need you by January 2026!
Can you be the next Treasurer? We need you by October 2026!
Being on the OWPG Committee is a way to mould its future, give a little back and have some fun. Talk to me if you’ re interested.
Josephine Collingwood, OWPG Chair, reflects on the Annual General Meeting
PHOTOGRAPHS Chris Howes
Congratulations to all award winners, and those highly commended for their work, in this year’ s OWPG awards for excellence. Pictured below are some of those present receiving their awards at the Big Weekend( from left to right): Mark Richards, Member’ s Award; Viv Crow, Best Feature; Chris Howes, Best Photography Portfolio; Lisa Drewe, Best Guidebook.
Winter 2025 OUTDOOR FOCUS 11