Introduction

The Club was inaugurated on 3rd March 1991 by the Club's founder and first Co-ordinator, Ted Janes. Ted has a long history of starting and chairing activities in our village.

From the outset, he made it clear that these were fun walks with good company, healthy exercise at a comfortable pace. The normal walks are rarely more than 5 or 6 miles and are on the last Sunday of the Month. Faster walkers wait periodically, for example at stiles, for the slower walkers to catch up. These walks usually finish up with a pub lunch for those wishing to partake, extending the time for pleasant socialising. Over the years, members? ages have ranged from 6 to 90-plus.

 

Membership - Traditionally, local villagers and their friends
Numbers varied in early days between 6 and 20. In order to increase the numbers, villagers were invited to bring along their chosen close friends and relations. This approach of recommending new members has succeeded in ensuring everyone is friendly.

There has always been a wide variety of interesting backgrounds of members. This in turn provides plenty of lively chats - even advice when requested! These occasions are looked forward to so much that rain doesn?t stop them - the 3rd walk in June 1991, was the only walk ever rained off!

 

THE HAPPY WANDERERS WALKING CLUB
PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS & RECORDS

Records were first kept by Marion Hazell, our first Secretary/ Treasurer. These included a list of dates, leaders and localities of each walk. These show that the first walk was on 7th April 1991. Ted himself, with his wife Jean, were unable at the last minute to lead it, so it was led by Norman Tyler, with his wife Bette bringing up the rear to check that no one was left behind.

In 2019 it was decided that, for safe keeping, all the walking club's photographic albums and other records should form part of the Lacey Green & Loosley Row Local History Group's archives, which are deposited in a secure location.

For 25 years, the albums have been carefully compiled and produced each year by Walking Club and History Group member, Rita Probert of Loosley Row. They are displayed at every Walking Club A.G.M., for members to peruse.

These invaluable records contain numerous photographs taken during walks and 'day's away' over the years, with descriptions of each walk, places visited, names of leaders and, not least, the public houses frequented for Sunday lunch after each walk!

lt is hoped that these will be of much interest to future generations of the 'Happy Wanderer's Walking Club' and the village in general.

 

The AGM is held on the last Sunday of February at the Millennium Hall, with members bringing along a picnic lunch; this is then followed by a short walk. Such is the social enjoyment of these AGMs that almost all members turn up to meet their other friends! They also enjoy seeing the displayed collection of photos taken on the walks.

 

There are currently also short walks of 2-3 miles, starting in Lacey Green?s Village Hall car park at 10.30 am on the second Wednesday of each month. We fill some of the cars to motor a short distance to the starting place for the walk. These more leisurely walks are very suitable for people as they get older or less fit. We stop to admire or discuss any plants, fungi or anything else of interest on the way.

Once a year we also have a Midsummer evening stroll and supper, ending up with a meal at a pub. Very popular are the more distant annual Week-ends away, lasting either 3 or 4 days according to individual members? choice.

Walk reports with photos appear in the village magazine Hallmark, which can be seen on this website.

 

There is a very small membership fee which enables the Club to make donations to local charities, including the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance, which we had to use on one occasion and the Chiltern Society who provide walkers with first rate footpaths in the Chiltern area.