A Quick Reminder: Looking back through the archives of The Keswick Reminder from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Sun shines on jazz fans
Keswick’s 13th Jazz Festival was blessed with gorgeous weather as the sun shone on the three thousand jazz fans who came to the town at the weekend.
Fans arrived in Keswick on Thursday from all over Britain, together with a large number from overseas to celebrate and turned Keswick into Britain’s capital of jazz for the weekend.
The traditional Saturday morning jazz parade is always a crowd puller and this year’s was no exception – the Camelia brass band and charismatic parade master Peter Phillips, resplendent in bowler hat and jazzy coloured waistcoat, led the parade through the town centre to Derwentwater. Hundreds joined in the colourful procession, many of them brandishing multi-coloured umbrellas, while others lined the roads to watch the parade as it passed.
30 years ago
Keswick School Choir
Keswick School Choir is taking part in Sunday’s “Songs of Praise” which comes from Hawkshead Church.
The programme will be introduced by Alan Titchmarsh who will talk to Revd. Bert Galloway, Revd. Neil Johnson and Father Dan Darragon about the new mission which they have set up at the British Nuclear Fuel plant at Sellafield with the aim of not only lending support in times of spiritual crisis but also to give practical help to people in the workplace.
Alan also talks to Chris White who has lived in Whitehaven all his life. On the edge of some of the country’s most beautiful scenery, Whitehaven itself is one of the most depressed areas in Britain. Out of 1,500 school leavers last year, only 300 found work. Chris has spent the past four years working with local children, trying to keep them out of trouble.
World famous chef John Tovey lives and works in the Lake District. John speaks about his faith which he recently rediscovered, after having abandoned his beliefs as a child.
Keswick School Choir has been visited by the production team who recorded them singing in the Queen’s Hall, Lairthwaite and at Bristowe Hill, one of the School’s boarding houses.
Keswick Mayor
Mrs. Maysie McCambridge took over as Mayor of Keswick at the annual meeting of Keswick Town Council last Thursday. This will be her second year as mayor in the last four years.
On taking over from Councillor Sean Crawford, last year’s mayor, Mrs. McCambridge spoke of the complex issues which had marked the previous year including the taking over of Fitz Park from the trustees.
Mrs. McCambridge will continue as Chairman of the Keswick in Bloom committee, an office which she has held with spectacular success during the past few years, steering the town to its Britain in Bloom title two years ago.
She is also chairman of Keswick Civic Society.
75 peaks for 75th anniversary
Last Thursday Liz Martland completed her 75th peak – Skiddaw – in her attempt to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the founding of Save The Children by climbing 75 peaks in 75 days and, of course, to raise some money for the fund through sponsorship.
Throughout her attempt Liz has been accompanied by her husband, her sister Margaret and a group of friends who have given her faithful support in spite of atrocious weather conditions in the early part. And for Thursday’s final summit she was joined by 25 supporters including her other sister, Marjorie.
Half way up the mountain Liz was presented with a cheque for £75 by four pupils of Trinity School, Andrew Brooks, Judy Crompton, Jonathan Raine and Sarah Thompson, who were accompanied by Mr. Mick Guy, their headmaster.
Although the 75 peaks were mostly in the Lake District, Ben Nevis, the four Munros, three Yorkshire peaks and Snowdon were included in the attempt.
This week Liz was proud to report that, so far, she has raised nearly £2,500 and she said donations were still being given to her — including one sent by a school friend who at present lives in the Channel Islands and who had read of the 75 peaks attempt in this paper!
40 years ago
Tithebarn Street site talks
Discussions are to continue with a building firm and other interested parties about a smaller re-development scheme for a site near Tithebarn Street corner in Keswick.
There was a major public outcry when plans were revealed last year to take part of an elderly woman’s garden at the rear of Main Street for access purposes on to the Tithebarn Street land.
Messrs. J. Twiname Ltd had applied to the Lake District Planning Board for outline permission to re-develop the Tithebarn Street frontage. The original suggestion was for rear access round the library and across the garden owned by Miss Ethel Young and her sister Mrs. Abraham.
The matter was taken up by local M.P. Dale Campbell Savours who last week received a reply from the National Park Officer Mr. Michael Taylor outlining the latest position. Mr. Taylor said: ‘“The application was the subject of prolonged negotiations with the prospective developers and before these were concluded the Highway Authority did agree to a direct access from Heads Road for the re-development of a smaller area.”
He said that as a result the original outline application for the shops and flats development had been turned down. Discussions would continue with Messrs Twiname and other interested parties “to see if re-development can be achieved for the smaller area with a direct access to Heads Road.”
Keswick Herdwick Ram Show
Keswick’s old-established Herdwick Ram Show and May Fair, held in Towns Field on Thursday, was one of the best for many years in terms of quality and quantity.
Show official Mr. Derwent Tyson, one of Lakeland’s top Herdwick exhibitors for many years before his retirement, said that entries were excellent and the sheep were shown in good quality. “The outlook for Herdwick sheep looks a good one. They must have a great future,” he said.
Doubtless the spell of fine weather helped to get the rams looking in tip top condition for Thursday’s show. The championship went to a two shear ram shown by husband and wife team Tyson and Joyce Hartley of Seathwaite in the Duddon Valley. Their home bred ram, bred by good showing stock, was winning its first ever championship, although last year it won a number of class awards.
Reserve champion was an aged ram shown by Mrs. Kathleen Weir of Borrowdale.
Judges were Messrs J. Richardson, Threlkeld and M. Dixon, Gramere, with Mr, N. Hodgson, Langdale, referee. The wintering classes were judged by Mr. John Scott, Torpenhow. Awards were presented by Mrs, M. J. Bulman, wife of the show treasurer.
Another Keswick fells double
Keswick Athletic Club runners Ken Stuart and Pauline Howarth are dominating this season’s fell running scene. There were wins for both in Sunday’s nine mile Fairfield Horseshoe race from Rydal Hall and yet another new record for Pauline.
In hot, dry conditions, Ken made the running in the main race to win in 7Omins. 51secs. ahead of Kendal’s Hugh Symonds with Malcolm Patterson (Dark Peak) third and Keswick’s Jon Broxap fourth in 74mins. 25secs.
Keswick took the team prize and had Rod Pilbeam 9th and Colin Valentine 14th.
Pauline smashed Sue Parkin’s 1982 ladies record by 47secs with a new best of 89mins. 59secs. She finished ahead of Bridget Hogge (Eryri H.) and Linda Lord (Clayton-le-Moors) with Keswick’s Gill Wilkinson fourth.
50 years ago
Search
Over 100 people, including police and mountain rescue team members with dogs, were involved in a search of the forestry area of Thornthwaite on Sunday morning when two-year-old Paul John Massey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley F. Massey, Sawmill Cottages, Thornthwaite, was reported missing after he had gone out to play at about 7-45 a.m. with the family’s Labrador, Sheba.
Local people assisted Mr. Massey in a search before police and mountain rescue personnel were brought in, and later in the morning it was thought that Paul could be heard crying. It was not until shortly before noon, however, that 15-year-old Peter Hampson of the Swan Hotel found Paul, crying but otherwise unhurt, about a mile and a half, as the crow flies, from his home.
Later, a much relieved Mr. Massey expressed his thanks for the ready assistance he had received from his neighbours and for the prompt turn-out of the other people involved in the search.
Friends of the Lake District
The Friends have opened a new campaign for the exclusion of through heavy goods vehicles from the Kendal to Keswick road which runs by Rydal and Grasmere through the heart of the Lake District. They believe such a prohibition is an essential first step towards retaining the general character of the road, and that it is wrong, as is planned, to reconstruct the A591 to dual carriageway standards from the National Park boundary in the south to beyond Windermere. In the Lake District National Park, as the Sandford Committee concluded, the protection of the natural beauty should be the primary criterion in the planning of road systems and the management of traffic.
