Looking back through the archives of The Keswick Reminder from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Coronation foal wins prize
Retired Threlkeld school caretaker Mrs Joyce Airey of Keswick has her own unforgettable memories of Coronation Day 1953.
Now those memories have made her a winner in a Royal Mail letter-writing competition, organised to coincide with a special stamp issue marking the 50th anniversary of that great event.
Now 81, Joyce has vivid and humorous recollections of that day. These involve the excitement of local preparations to celebrate when Joyce and her family lived at Wallthwaite near Penrith.
She wrote that her son Stanley, then five years old, was invited to a local farm to see “the little Coronation foal” born that very morning. He went off full of glee only to return looking glum — “But Mam,” he said, “it isn’t a Coronation foal, it’s not red, white and blue!”
Joyce had written: “I’ve always wanted to tell the Coronation foal story to somebody”, and as a Coronation Memories winner she will receive a selection of special products associated with the new Coronation stamps which were issued on June 2nd.
Long distance walk cancelled
The annual Four 3,000 Peaks Challenge, one of Cumbria’s longest established walks, has been cancelled due to a lack of entries.
The 46 mile walk was to have been held later this month. Organised by the Ramblers’ Association, it normally attracts super fit walkers from all over Britain. This year’s walk would have been curtailed from four 3,000 foot peaks to three because Scafell is off-limits due to the position of an unstable boulder in Lord’s Rake.
Martin Jordan, one of Keswick’s long distance walkers, says he was looking forward to this year’s event. “I wonder if it got enough publicity in the national walking magazines” he says. “I have just completed a 100 mile walk in Yorkshire which attracted 480 entries and long distance walking is becoming increasingly popular.”
30 years ago
Keswick skier
Steve Scott, a 28 year old Keswickian, has been selected to join the elite “Red Arrows of the snow slopes. As a member of the British demonstration ski team — a squad of the country’s finest technical skiers — he will spend two weeks in Japan in 1995.
Steve is the son of Keswick builder John Scott. He learnt to ski on the slopes of Skiddaw and Latrigg under the guidance of Brian Spencer who was a member of the staff of Keswick School. Steve now spends much of the year in France where he is one of a handful of British people to have passed the French national ski school examinations.
In Japan the British demonstration ski team will be performing before the TV cameras and crowds of 30,000. Japan currently has the biggest ski market in the world and there is massive public interest in the sport.
Steve earned his place in the ten man squad at a qualifying event in the Cairngorms under the auspices of the British Association of Ski Instructors. There were some 100 applicants for the team, mostly former racers and top instructors.
40 years ago
Editorial
There are many small areas in Keswick which are in need of tidying, but there can be few worse eyesores than the plot on the corner of St. Herbert’s Street, Helvellyn Street, and Eskin Street. Right in the centre of a residential area, this plot is owned by a firm of booksellers who make use of the site for only two weeks in the year, Convention weeks. The rest of the year it is literally left to the weeds; the fence is falling down; it is utterly derelict; it is a disgrace to Keswick.
Keswick businesswoman is 90
There can be few more remarkable ladies than Mrs. Irene Lee who celebrates her ninetieth birthday on Sunday.
The fourth daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Martin of Eskin Street, Mrs. Lee had traded for the past sixty years in her wool and baby linen shop at 19, Lake Road, and she still continues to do so.
She has a wonderful memory and can tell many tales of old Keswick.
Mrs. Lee has one son Martin, who lives in Bristol, two grand-daughters and one great grand-daughter.
Keswick carnival survives
Keswick Carnival came very close to going into abeyance once again when, at a meeting at the Pack Horse Inn on Wednesday evening, no-one present seemed to want to take the position of chairman, vacated after four year’s service by Mr. Tom Maxwell.
Mr. David Dixon chaired the meeting, and fifteen local people turned up — four more than last year. Mr. Dixon thanked Mr. Maxwell for his service as chairman, also Miss Judith Sanderson, who was retiring as secretary, although both will remain as members of the committee.
Mrs. Joan Sanderson was appointed secretary, with Mr. David Branthwaite as press secretary.
After some discussion, Mrs. Hilda Thomas offered to be chairman, and another meeting is to be arranged shortly to begin preparations for the 1984 Carnival.
Keswick fell runners in England team
Two Keswick Athletic Club runners have been chosen to run for an England team in an international mountain race in Italy next month.
Ken Stuart, the former professional guides racer who was reinstated as an amateur last summer, and Keswick club secretary Jon Broxap, fly out from Manchester to take part in the 13.9km race at Verona on July 3rd.
The other two members of the England squad are former Fell Runner of the Year John Wild, who runs for Cumberland Fell Runners but is actually serving in the R.A.F. at Cosford in the Midlands, and Bob Whitfield of Kendal A.C. First reserve is Billy Bland of Keswick. West Cumbrian Danny Hughes will travel with the team as manager.
Jon Broxap, who is also secretary of the British Fell Runners’ Association, said: “I have seen a rough description of the route of the race, although my Italian is pretty basic and it’s rather difficult to understand fully. However it is a figure of eight course, starting from a central village, and goes over cart tracks to the top of a hill where there is a rough path.”
50 years ago
Appointment
Appointed to be Whipper-in of the Blencathra Foxhounds in succession to Mr. Stanley Mattinson, 16-year-old Barry Todlunter of Nether Hall Row, Caldbeck, will be well known to many followers of the pack which his family have followed for years and with which he has hunted frequently since he was old enough.
He will, in fact, be 17 when he joins Huntsman John Richardson for next season, but he will nevertheless be one of the youngest in the county to occupy such a post and has behind him the experience of a couple of seasons as Whipper-in with the Lunesdale.
He took the post immediately on leaving Caldew School, Dalston, and has been well thought of by Lunesdale supporters.
Golf Club
After long and complicated negotiations, and preliminary work by contractors, the Golf Club is now in a position where members can get down to the physical task of constructing a course and voluntary labour is being co-ordinated by the Course Development Committee.
A tractor and trailer with the necessary hydraulic gear have been bought and are on the site, and the first work which has been undertaken is the re-flooring of the hog-house on the site to provide a machinery shed.
The course has also been thoroughly surveyed by members of the Development Committee and a hole by hole schedule of work has been drawn up.
This, it is intended, will be available on the course all the time so that anyone will be able to go there and undertake whichever task they feel suited by merely looking at the schedule, such as stone removal, tee building, etc.
The previous week: Cranston was a proud Scot and an even prouder Keswickian
