The name
The origin of the “North West Kent Group of the Ramblers” stretches back to September 1963, though in the early years of its existence the Group was then known as the “South East London and Kent Group in the Southern Area of the Ramblers’ Association”. The Ramblers Association has also changed its title and is now known as “Ramblers”.
Caretaker committee
North West Kent’s story begins on the 22nd March 1963 at Lewisham Town Hall with the appointment of a caretaker committee. This met on 17th July at 28 Wickham Road, London SE4 with the purpose of creating a new group of walkers drawn from Ramblers’ Association members living in the South East. Present were: Mr C.H. Matterson (Chairman); Mr Eric Smith (Publicity Secretary); Mr A.E. Church (Treasurer); Miss C.A. Hall (Secretary); Mr F. Jeal and Mr M. Wilkins.
Inaugural meeting
The committee notified over 600 Association members of an inaugural meeting to be held in Lewisham Town Hall on 19th July 1963. Fifty five people attended. Carol Johnson M.P. chaired the meeting which endorsed the creation of the new “South East London and Kent Group” and elected as its first committee: Charles Matterson (Chairman); Martin Wilkins (Vice Chairman); Alice Hall (Secretary); Derek Fatharley (Treasurer); Norman Burchell; Alan Church; Owen Daish; Frank Jeal; and Joan Middleton. Charles Matterson agreed to represent the Group on the Southern Area Executive Committee. The fledgling Group did not become “official” until the following September but, in its enthusiasm, it held its first walk on Wednesday 24th July 1963. This started from Chislehurst station and was led by Alan Church. By October the Group had 70 members.
First programme
The first programme published by the Group covered the period September 1963 – January 1964. The Treasurer, Derek Fatharley led the first walk from Shoreham station on the 8th September. The programme included five afternoons and four all day walks, a coach ramble, a slide show, a talk and a theatre visit. Subsequent programmes included the last two activities from the previous programme to ensure continuity. The Group’s first AGM was held on 22nd January 1964 in Lewisham Town Hall at 7.45 p.m. In those days the Group was self-financing and set its annual subscriptions at 2/6d (twelve and a half pence!) In a bid to attract more members, programmes were distributed to forty five libraries.
Cars begin to take over
In the early years, walks were almost exclusively from railway stations, but gradually the car began to take over from the train as the preferred mode of conveyance to starting points. Ken-Purdell Smith is believed to have been in the vanguard of this movement. It is rare nowadays for walks to start from a railway station and most walks, for the convenience of drivers returning to their vehicles, are circular. However, when car ownership was not as common as now it was found necessary to remind drivers that walks did not necessarily finish at the starting point! For those having no transport of their own, a system of offering lifts was established. Elm Road became the recognised gathering point, though today’s ramblers make their own arrangements and take turns in giving lifts.
Pub lunches
It was less common years ago for pubs to provide meals and ramblers usually brought packed lunches with them. Nevertheless, a few “hot lunch” walks were arranged, the first of which was enjoyed on 12th January 1964. Nowadays, pub lunches are a popular and regular feature of the Group’s activities. Numbers in the Group continued to rise steadily but, despite their commitment and enthusiasm, a few members still needed to be reminded to pay their subscriptions! Those whose payments were overdue would find an “O” discreetly marked on the back of their programmes. Fortunately, this is no longer necessary as subscriptions are paid centrally to “Ramblers”.
Social scene
From the outset there was a significant social side to the Group. Amongst the leading organisers were Reg and Hazel Turner, Sheila Langley, Vera Whipp and Maisie Jones. Activities included coach rambles, theatre visits, National Trust evenings, excursion trains with reserved carriages, visits to museums and places of interest, boat cruises, fun fair walks, weekend house parties and group holidays. Walking and other activities mostly took place on a Sunday as the Group’s age profile was lower in the early days than it is now and the majority of members were of working age. This led to several romances and weddings, including those of David and Sylvia Eley, Stephen and Margaret Roberts and Dick and Mary Dawson. Stephen and David are still members of the Group. Stephen went on to become Chairman of the Group in 1997 and became the first Treasurer of the new Kent Area in 1984 - a post in which he served for four years, before briefly becoming Vice-Chairman of Kent Area and then resuming as Area Treasurer for 11 more years from 1996-2006.
Holidays
The first Group holiday was a weekend away at Bramber in Sussex on 24th and 25th October 1964. Holidays and weekend breaks remain a popular feature of the Group’s activities and many members will have reason to be grateful for all the hard work put into organising these events by Reg Turner, Ken Purdell-Smith, Richard Wilkes, Beryl and Harry Nobbs, Jack Yan and others. The latest holidays to be enjoyed (in 2013) were at Abingworth in Sussex and Lake Orta in Italy.
Long distance walks
A series of walks following national footpaths took place in the early years. The first followed the Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester to Canterbury and was walked in stages. It commenced during Whitsun 1965 and finished the following Whitsun. Ron Gould and Reg and Grace Reynolds walked the entire distance. There was also a series of over-night walks across the South Downs.
The thirst for long distance walking continued and, in November 1968, five members of the Group – Richard (Dick) Dawson, David Eley, Alan James, Brian Reader and Peter Taylor - walked across northern England from Alnmouth to Gretna. None of them had then heard of anyone walking the breadth of the country (this was before Wainwright published his now famous “Coast to Coast” Walk). Afterwards Dick wrote a lengthy account of the journey and a severely edited version was published in “The Countryman” magazine four years later in the autumn 1972 edition. During that walk they stayed for one night for B&B in a couple of shepherds’ cottages in Upper Corquetdale (Northumberland), and Brian is still in touch with one of the shepherd’s widows till this day. Such walks are less common now, though the most recent took place in 1988. This followed the 195 miles of the “Coast to Coast” route which two of the Group’s veterans, Dick Ashby (in his late seventies) and Chris Baker (in his mid seventies) took in their stride!
National Chairman
Brian Reader, one of the Gretna walkers, moved away from North West Kent to Surrey with work – and marriage – in 1975. Two years later, in 1997, he was elected to the Ramblers’ Board of Trustees, serving as Chairman of the whole Ramblers from 2003 to 2006. He remembers that at the inaugural meeting of the South East London and Kent Group (19th July 1963) he was by far the youngest person present, but received nothing but friendship both there and on rambles. Without that initial encouragement, he says he is sure that he would never have gone on to take such an interest or achieve high office in the Ramblers.
First Christmas social
From the inaugural meeting in Lewisham Town Hall, the Group went from strength to strength and by the second AGM on 13th January 1965 membership had increased to more than 100 - enough to ensure a good turnout for the first Christmas social, organised by Betty Pyatt, at the “Star and Garter” in Bromley. Reg and Hazel Turner provided the music and led the dancing. By this time the club had already established a reputation for friendliness which continues to the present day.
Senior walkers
Reg Turner continued to play an active part in the life of the Group and was still walking and still organising overseas holidays after reaching his 90th birthday until shortly before his death in 2012. But perhaps the record for the Group’s most senior walker goes to the late Frank Hellmund who was still walking at the age of 92! It remains to be seen whether this record will be broken by some of the Group’s current veterans.
Advice to ramblers
At the 3rd AGM William Fennell took over as Chairman and by the 4th AGM in 1967 it had become necessary to increase the subscriptions to 3/6d. The next AGM saw yet a further change in the Chairmanship with the election of Ron Gould. Alice Hall resigned as Secretary and David Eley joined the committee. New members were advised what to wear on rambles and a librarian was appointed to look after the maps.
Attendance records
By the time of the 6th AGM on11 March 1969, the length of walks had begun to appear in the Group’s programmes – long, over fifteen miles; medium, 11-14 miles; short, less than eleven miles. However, it was not until July 1969 that records of walk attendances began to be kept. Vera Whip kept these records for many, many years and reported the outcome to successive AGMs. Present Vice Chairman, Jack Yan, has continued this tradition and, with new technology at his disposal, Jack provides very detailed statistical analyses of attendances at medium and short walks. These walks attract a dedicated core of regular walkers and walkers from other groups – a tribute to the quality and diversity of North West Kent’s programme.
Publicity
By 1971, with ever increasing car ownership, car parks rather than stations began to be used for the starting point of walks. Two years later short walks were re-designated as 7-9 miles. By this time, the subscriptions had increased to 40p and membership had grown to 500. The growth appears to have been stimulated by the increased popularity of the shortened short walks and by greater publicity. An article about the Group had appeared in the Kentish Times next to one of Vic Morecroft’s weekly walks and further publicity had been given to the Group by Radio Medway. Use of the car to reach starting points was by now beginning to take over from the train.
Name change
During 1971 it was decided, in principle, to divide the Southern Area of the Association into smaller units corresponding roughly to the counties lying within the Southern Area boundary. “Kent Area”, comprising 1500 members, would be made up of three groups, of which South East London and Kent would be one. Later, the Southern Area Executive Committee decided to establish three further groups to be known, respectively, as: “Hampstead & District”; “Central London” and; “Blackheath & District”. However, to avoid confusion between the demarcation of “South East London & Kent” and “Blackheath & District”, Ken Eastwood (who served as the Kent Area footpath officer for 10 years) proposed changing South East London and Kent’s name to “North West Kent”. This has remained the Group’s name to this day.
The three new London groups and Kent Area came formally into existence on 1st October 1984. North West Kent’s focus migrated from Lewisham to the outer London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley. It is from within these areas that North West Kent’s membership is mainly drawn, though the Group has a number of members from other areas who have chosen to become members of the Group, or who have continued to remain members despite moving from the area. A limited number of others merely subscribe to the Group’s thrice yearly programme. The Community Centre, at Hurst Place, Sidcup has become the customary centre for the Group’s AGMs.
Bromley Group
Following on from these changes, the National Executive Committee resolved, three years later, that all RA members should automatically be allocated to groups. It was estimated that the effect of this would be to swell North West Kent’s membership to 700. At the Group’s subsequent AGM on10 March 1989, members expressed concern that the National Committee was also proposing to set up another new group, to be known as the Bromley Group, but had done so without consulting North West Kent. Whether this proposal had been prompted by reservations over North West Kent’s potential size is unclear. However, Reg Turner sought to allay fears by reminding members that four years earlier the Group had stopped publicising itself owing to the growing numbers attending walks.
Bromley’s creation went ahead and was followed some time later by the formation of a Dartford Group. During these changes it was felt there could be a case for arguing that North West Kent should become an area in its own right because, with Bromley, the Group had more members than some areas. However, the idea failed to gain hold. Today, Kent Area comprises thirteen groups.
25th anniversary
In 1988 the Group celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ramble followed by afternoon tea in Downe village hall.
Length of walks
The lengths of walks continued to remain a live issue and at the 28th AGM on 15th March 1991 SHORT walks were designated as 6-9 miles (though some continued as 10 miles!), MEDIUM walks as 9-12 miles and LONG walks as 12-15 miles. Indeed, the designation of walks has been the subject of continual review. Programme 139 (June to September 2009) shows SHORT walks as 6- 10 miles), MEDIUM walks as 10-15 miles and LONG walks as over 15 miles, whereas the following programme (October 2009 to January 2010) shows SHORT walks as 6-9 miles, MEDIUM walks as 9-14 miles and LONG walks over 14 miles.
The latest programme No. 151 (June to September 2013) omits any reference to LONG walks (which are no longer undertaken) but includes advice on ambles, half day walks, strolls and the pace to be expected. Thus, SHORT walks are designated as 6-9 miles and HALF DAY walks as 4-5 miles, both at a steady pace of 2.3 to 2.6 m.p.h.; MEDIUM walks are designated as up to 14 miles at a moderate to hard pace of 2.6 to 3.1 m.p.h.; and AMBLES are designated as up to 7 miles at an easier pace of up to 2.3 m.p.h. Details of strolls are not given and readers are advised to contact the co-ordinator. The trend appears to be towards shorter walks. Indeed, morning only walks on Sundays appear to be gaining popularity.
Post codes
At the following AGM on 20th March 1992 concern arose over a proposal to assign all new members with a BR postcode solely to the recently formed Bromley Group. It was felt this could lead to a steady decline in North West Kent’s membership. However, following a meeting between the officers of the two groups, the proposal was withdrawn. Happily, both groups have continued to thrive alongside one another and, occasionally, their paths cross on rambles!
AGM switch
From the beginning the Group had traditionally held its AGMs in March. However, in 1998 it became necessary to switch to late October/early November as the Ramblers’ Association had decided to change its own accounting year from the end of March to the end of September. As a consequence groups were required to hold their AGMs and approve their accounts before the end of the calendar year. And so it has remained to this day.
Programme production
The millennium saw the first commercial printing of the Group’s walking programme. Currently, 350 programmes are produced in this way and are distributed by post. However, an increasing number of members receive their programmes via e-mail. As the cost of a second class postage stamp is now 50p – four times the Group’s original subscription of 2/6d! – this new technology brings a considerable reduction in costs and a significant saving of effort by volunteers in stuffing and addressing envelopes – a task that has been organised with exemplary efficiency for many years by the Group’s former Chairman, and current Footpath Officer and Membership Secretary, Richard Wilkes.
Websites
Following a national decision in 1994 to set up area websites to encourage walking and increase Ramblers’ membership, a number of new websites have become available and the Group’s walking programme can now be accessed on North West Kent’s own website, Kent Area’s website or via Ramblers’ website. The Group’s own website was designed and created in 2013 by the Group’s Vice-Chairman, Jack Yan. In addition to the downloadable programme (from which leaders’ names and telephone numbers have been omitted) there is a database of pubs where lunch breaks may be taken, a database of car parks suitable for starting rambles from, advice to new leaders, advice on first aid, a downloadable accident and incident form, the Group’s recently published publicity leaflet of which 2,500 copies have been printed, this historical note and much more. Members also have access on the website to minutes of the Group’s committee meetings, AGM’s and the first leaders meeting which took place early in 2013. A members’ page invites contributions from the membership at large. News and photographs of the Group also appear on “Face Book”.
Content of programme
Programme 151 (June to September 2013) saw a change in layout to a tabular format. Credit for this goes to current Vice Chairman, Jack Yan. The new layout considerably reduces the amount of typing and makes it easier for the proof reader to spot any errors or omissions (fortunately rare). In the printed programme full details are given of the medium and short walks i.e. date, starting time and place, distance, map and grid reference, leader’s name and telephone number (omitted from the on-line versions) and the pub where an optional lunch will be taken. Most ramblers lunch in the pub; but those bringing sandwiches generally come in later for a drink or coffee.
Walks and ambles take place on Wednesdays and Sundays and occasionally on other days. Ambles take place fortnightly and are arranged on an ad hoc basis. Only their dates are published in the programme. Strolls likewise are arranged on an ad hoc basis but no information about them appears in the programme. However, word of mouth or a telephone call to the coordinators (whose names are published in the programme) ensures these informal systems of communication work reliably.
London Blind Rambling Club
The Group whose current membership is around 450 has had a long history of assisting the London Blind Rambling Club with an annual ramble in the North West Kent area. Frank and Vera Whipp were the first to organise this on behalf of the Group and continued to do so for 11-12 years before the task was taken on in 1999 by Stephen Roberts. Stephen continued to do this until 2008, though North West Kent’s participation has since lapsed.
Map and compass courses
Short walk coordinator, Chris Baker, and Vice Chairman, Jack Yan, currently organise courses on the use of map and compass which are open to all Ramblers’ members wishing to improve their skills. Chris is also the creator of the Group’s pub and car park databases. These have been made available to other groups on Kent Area’s website. Sadly, more and more pubs are closing but, as yet, this has had no serious impact on organising rambles involving a pub lunch.
Publications
The Group first produced a small booklet of walks entitled “Walking around Hawkhurst, Cranbrook and Goudhurst” sometime after 1971. Unfortunately there is no publication date (though the price indicates it was post decimalisation) nor is there any mention of which Group members contributed to the walks. All the walks were in the 6-8 miles range, though there is an 11 mile variant to one of the walks. The back page states “our object in publishing this booklet is to encourage use of the splendid network of footpaths which exists in this area. We have tried to make the walks as varied and interesting as possible and we have included some paths which are not walked very often; some of these may be obstructed by barbed wire or missing footbridges. However, except in the wettest weather they should be passable by the well-shod walker who is neither very young nor very old”. More recently, the Group’s current short walks coordinator, Chris Baker, published a booklet entitled “Fifteen circular walks in North West Kent”. The walks range in length from just under 3 miles up to 8 miles. They have all been walked and written by Chris, and enjoyed by many!
Thousands of ramblers
Over the years there has been a shift in emphasis in the Group’s activities with a greater focus now on organised walks and less on social activities. The Group is extremely lucky to have a body of more than 40 experienced and dedicated leaders who, in 2011/2012, led 158 medium and short walks attended by almost two thousand ramblers, of whom more than three hundred (15%) came from other groups. To this number must be added many amblers and strollers for whom no record of attendance is kept, though ambles and strolls - which can be just as long as short walks! - continue to be popular with members who prefer a gentler pace. And for those for whom rambling has become difficult if not impossible, social contact is maintained by meeting up for lunch; or by joining the ramblers for lunch at their pub stops.
In contrast to the Group’s formative years, a much larger proportion of the Group’s current membership is retired and mid-week walks (first introduced by the late Frank Whipp) now attract the largest numbers. However, the Group is beginning to expand its programme by introducing, in addition to its regular Sunday and Wednesday walks, some Saturday walks, other mid-week walks and morning only walks.
Footpath clearance
During its long history the Group has done what it can to help with footpath clearance and maintenance work. During the present period of austerity and with Kent County Council suffering substantial cuts to its budget for footpath maintenance, the need for volunteer action is likely to increase. This will be a challenge for the North West Kent Group and for other groups in the Kent area.
Memorial gates
Sadly, several long standing members of the Group, including Reg Turner and Ken Purdell-Smith, passed away in 2011/2012. Families and members have contributed most generously to a memorial fund which has reached more than £1100. This will be used to erect gates, at carefully chosen sites, dedicated to all their memories.
Kent Area AGM
After a gap of 10 years, the Group hosted, in 2011, another of Kent Area’s AGMs. Ninety five people crowded into the church hall down Thanet Road, Bexley and, following a splendid buffet lunch organised by the Group’s long serving medium walks coordinator, Gill Emsden, participants enjoyed a ramble through Joyden’s Wood led by Chris Baker.
50th anniversary celebrations
September 2013 sees the 50th anniversary of the Group. This will be celebrated with a festival week of walking, commencing with an anniversary lunch at the Bromley Court Hotel on Sunday, 8th September – the date 50 years ago on which the newly formed Group held its first walk from its first programme. Over 100 people are expected. The walking programme itself will begin on Monday the 9th with a medium figure of eight walk, which will enable participants to choose between a full or half a day’s walk. This will be followed on Tuesday by a short walk. On Wednesday the Group is organising a charity walk (gift aid forms downloadable via the Group’s website), starting from Birchwood golf club, aimed at raising funds for the “Woodland Trust”, through whose woodlands members so frequently enjoy walking. On the Thursday amblers and strollers will be out in force, starting from Crown Point; and on the Friday there will be a morning walk. The festivities will finish with an amble on Saturday 14th September along the banks of the Medway to be followed by a picnic at Teston Bridge country park. All the events are designed to encourage participation by members, old and new, family and friends and to provide a lasting memory of the Group’s first 50 years!
The future
The 50th anniversary celebration will be a springboard for the further development of the Group. The Group will continue to offer to its members a comprehensive range of walks, ambles, strolls and interesting new holidays. Through wider publicity, it is also hoped to attract new members to Ramblers and to the Group. We look forward to our next 50 years and to the changes it will bring!
Stuart Booth
Chairman – North West Kent Ramblers
8th September 2013