SOUTH BANK - THE FIRST 40 YEARS
INTRODUCTION
Over recent months and years, I have collected all of our South Bank walks programmes dating from 1995 onwards.
From these, I have gleaned some insights into how our group has changed over the years. Here are some observations.
OUR GROUP'S INAUGURATION IN 1985
The following notice appeared in our Summer-1995 programme. It was my first indication that our group has just turned 40 years old!
- Our Group was inaugurated on 18 September 1985, being known initially as the "South West London Group" and changing to our present name in 1991. To mark our decade of existence a celebratory walk and meal will be held in Guildford on Saturday 16 September.
Furthermore, I checked the Inner London Area website and discovered that, in 1984, the Ramblers Southern Area was replaced by several smaller Areas. One of these was our Inner London Area containing:- Hampstead, Blackheath, South West London and North East London groups.
Initially, the South West London group included the boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth. However, around 1990, Hammersmith borough became part of the new Hammersmith, Fulham and Wandsworth (HFW) group and we gained the borough of Southwark (previously part of the Blackheath group). At the same time our group gained its current name - "South Bank Group".
WALKS PROFILE
During the 1990’s the programme featured a walk most Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, but there were hardly any mid-week walks. Since the millennium, this pattern has gradually shifted towards having many more mid-week walks, but fewer Sunday walks. The number of Saturday walks has remained stable.
The average walk distance has gradually reduced from about 10 miles in the 1990’s to about 9 miles now. On the other hand, the number of walks offered per year has increased by nearly 50% during the same period.
Older programmes also featured a peppering of much longer walks, some of them well over 20 miles! This notice appeared in the 1998 programme:-
- Saturday 2 May 98 MALC'S TWELFTH MARATHON - 26 miles
Beginning and ending in Guildford. This event is intended to provide a test of endurance. A stiff pace will be set and there will be no stops (except for lunch).
Those unable to keep up the pace will be expected to drop out!
Our group regularly offered weekend-away trips, typically staying in places such as the Cotswolds, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Brecon Beacons, the Lake District. Unfortunately these trips have became less frequent - there hasn’t been one for several years now.
WALK LEADERS
A shortage of walk leaders is not a new phenomenon. Back in the 1990’s, the committee did not mince its words about the lack of members willing to volunteer. Here are some snippets from old programmes:
- Autumn 1994. …….
The present programme is the thinnest in terms of walks offered for some time. Please be aware that our regular pleas for new volunteers to lead walks means exactly what they say - they are not bluff! - Spring 1998. ……..
I find it hard to believe that amongst those who value our programme there are not a few who are perfectly capable of leading a walk now and again. Please think seriously about this matter! - Winter 1998. ……
Unless new leaders can step into the breach then the Group will simply wither and die!
There were other more subtle digs that regularly featured in programmes. This one appeared every time a Saturday slot had not been filled:-
- Saturday 7 FEB 98 NO-ONE VOLUNTEERED - THEREFORE NO WALK!
AGMS
AGMs took place every November but, seemingly, they were not as well attended as they are now. This dire warning appeared on the notice for the 1999 AGM:-
- SOUTH BANK AGM - BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE
Please make every effort to attend this important meeting.
Last year's AGM barely reached a quorum - if we fail to reach the minimum number required, the Group will technically cease to exist - please make sure this does not happen!
And a similarwarning appeared in 2002: -
- SOUTH BANK AGM – JOHN HARVARD LIBRARY
Please make every effort to attend; not only is the meeting good for the democratic health of the Group, but we need to have sufficient numbers present to form a quorum - the Group will cease to exist if we are unable to do this.
Happily, nowadays, we don’t seem to have a problem forming a quorum. We regularly get upwards of 40 attendees.
Our AGMs have become more social occasions including slide shows of walks photos, a walk-related quiz, tea and cakes and good conversation.
And of course, conducting the formal business of electing the committee etc.
ARE WE THERE YET?
Leaders are often asked “what time will the walk finish?” or even one time “will I be back in London in time to go to the opera?”.
In order to divert walkers from asking such questions, the following footnote was included in programmes between 2003 and 2006:-
- The timing of a walk can vary, it is unwise, therefore, to buy tickets to the theatre due to start soon after you expect to return to London.
Maybe we should reintroduce this footnote into our current programmes?
USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE GROUP
The use of different types of technology has gradually increased.
Inclusion of leader's telephone number
The leader's landline number has always been included in the programme, but around 2003, some leaders started including a mobile phone number too, alongside the following cautionary note:-
- Where possible, mobile phone numbers have been put in the programme. These are for emergency use on the day of the walk only and should not be abused.
Website
The first mention of a South Bank website appears in November 2006 programme:-
- Thanks to committee member Simon Atyeo, the South Bank Group now has its own website, which contains general information about the Group and also links to the national Ramblers' website. It can be found at southbankramblers.orq.uk
The site is still in development, but we hope to use it to notify walkers of transport arrangements in the event of rail engineering works and other late changes to walks.
Our website is still going strong and has become a vital component in the running of the group.
Programmes sent via Email
Before the widespread take up of email, all programmes were sent out by post.
Header banner from our early printed programmes.
Nowadays, we no longer post programmes, instead they are emailed as PDF files. This saves the group hundreds of pounds a year in printing and postage costs, plus it saves many hours of time involved in volunteers stuffing envelopes.
Online Walk Submission
In 2014/2015, our group launched an online walk submission facility called WalksFace. This allowed walk leaders to login to our website and submit their walks directly into our database. Previously the walks were mostly submitted via email. The new facility drastically reduced the amount of admin required by the walks team to process the walks and to produce the programmes.
WalksFace operated until 2022 when the group switched over to the new “Ramblers Walks Manager” facility which is now used nationally for submitting walks online.
Social Media
An Instagram account was launched in 2020 followed by a Facebook account. Photos taken during our walks are posted to both of these media and has proved effective at increasing our group’s exposure.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Ramblers groups throughout the country experienced two major crises during the last 20 years.
- The outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in February 2001.
Recreational walking near agricultural areas was banned. Walking restrictions didn’t lift until July that year.
For our group, many of our planned countryside walks had to be cancelled. Thankfully, our resourceful leaders were quickly able to offer a complete set of replacement walks taking place within the London boroughs and other areas not affected by the ban. - Even worse was to come in 2020.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in several total lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Severe walking restrictions were imposed between the lock downs.
In South Bank, over a hundred walks had to be cancelled during 2020 and early 2021. From August 2020 we did manage to offer over fifty walks where we used the Eventbrite booking system to restrict the number of walkers attending (the so called “rule of six”).
This involved a tremendous effort from the walks team under their manager, Eileen S…. and our publicity manager Kleo Z. who pioneered the use of the Eventbrite booking system to control numbers).
PIRATE WALKS!
There are many interesting features that I would have liked to include in this roundup, but I will finish with this final, slightly bizarre, snippet from the Autumn 1994 programme:-
- In our last programme we reported the theft of walks from the South Bank and other Groups' programmes by Rosemary B… and the South Circular Activities Group. Miss B…..., who advertises her services widely, has been using these events as if they were her own property despite being clearly informed that The Ramblers strongly objected to her dishonest behaviour.
We repeat again that we are unable to welcome members of this organisation on our walks unless they are also members of The Ramblers in their own right. Our solicitors are now in a position to initiate court proceedings against Miss B…... and in the meantime we will continue to expose her activities. Some (honest) members of South Circular Activities Group have been kind enough to send us original copies of her programmes and for this we thank them.
Please note that ALL material produced by Groups and Areas of The Ramblers is copyright unless express written permission for reproduction is obtained before republication or circulation. We reserve the right to take whatever action we deem necessary to protect our interests in this matter.
Wow, I’m not sure what happened to Miss B. and her South Circular Activites Group, maybe we scared her off?
MISSING PROGRAMMES
I am still lacking copies of South Bank programmes from the first 10 years between 1985 and 1994. If any member has kept any of these, or knows of others that may have them, I would be delighted to borrow them so I can make copies. If so, please email me at the address below.
Dave Hetherington – Web Administrator – November 2025
Email