British Heart Foundation

The BHF is the nation’s heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning, and vital information to keep more hearts beating. But we can’t do it without you and your essential donations of time and money, which allow us to continue our lifesaving work.

 The BHF needs your help to keep hearts beating.  There are lots of ways you can get involved from taking part in one of the BHF’s fantastic events happening all across the UK, to volunteering in your community, at events or your local BHF shop.

For more information about the BHF’s life-saving work BHF and how you can help us beat heart disease together visit www.bhf.org.uk 

Together we can save the life you love.

Prizes and winners as follows:-

- A signed copy of Sir Ranulph Fiennes latest Book - Bryony Swinfen

- 1 Nights Bed & Breakfast plus 3 course meal for 2 at The Keswick Lodge plus passes to use the Leisure Facilities at North Lakes. – Louise Reeve

- A food hamper provided by Taste of the Lakes – Dawn Titley

- Spa Treatment at The Castle Inn Hotel – Jeanette

- Ordnance Survey Maps – Mr Harrison

Thank you to everybody who bought a raffle ticket, all proceeds are going to one of Sir Ranulph Fiennes charities, ‘Friends of Fiennes Institute’ which is a hospice built by his Grandfather that aims to better the lives of those living and dying with leprosy.

Chris Mole with his fantastic photograph entitled ‘Cartwheeling Across The Alps’

Chris wins a 4 nights stay for 2  at one of HF Holidays’ photography themed breaks in the UK including full-board en-suite accommodation, a complete holiday programme with outdoor photography sessions, tutorials and  workshops.

In Second Place: Greg Artis ‘The River Coupall’

And in third place: Stuart Jarmain ‘Coniston  Dawn’

Thank you to everybody who entered we have had some wonderful photographs.

Look forward to seeing more of them next year!

To celebrate the first day of the festival, our sponsors, Ordnance  Survey, have kindly given us three of their maps to give away as competition prizes. Ordnance Survey is the perfect partner for holidays and days out providing the most up to date and accurate geographic data.

To be in with a chance to win a map of your choice, simply go to our Facebook group  and comment on the post on the wall. We will choose three winners at random at the end of the festival. Good Luck!

Your 5 days of adventure starts tomorrow!

The Festival Information Point will be open from 9am on Wednesday  19^th, located in the Theatre By The Lake.

Here you will be able to book your activities and buy your programmes!

There’s loads going on! See you there!

The Charm

The Charm are a 3 piece Indie/Pop Band from Lancaster.

They have performed at many venues and festivals including Kendal Calling, Manchester Academy, The Cavern Club and Clapham Grand.

They are a fantastic live band and have recently released their EP titled ‘Rockstar’

They will be supporting Indie Rock Band Supacuba and renowned DJ Matt Sharman at the Funky Festival Party.

Don’t forget to get your tickets it’s going to be one to remember!

Tickets available online now or purchase them from George Fisher or The Square Orange in Keswick.

‘Ode to Millican’

If you’d asked me six months ago whether I expected to be racing some challenging Lakeland climbs during the Keswick Mountain Festival this year, I’d have laughed.  If you’d told me that I’d be doing this on a 1947 vintage Raleigh Clubman, I would have respectfully told you to get on your bike.

Yet here I am, and only moderately fit Lakeland “import”, about to do just that. 

Admittedly, my interest in cycling started early in life.  Brought up in the flatlands of Holland, it’s only natural that I embraced biking from an early age.  But it’s a passion that has been re-fanned in recent years as my wife, Nicky, and I fell further under the compelling influence of local Lakeland legend and eccentric, Millican Dalton.

Dalton, a London city-worker who gave up employment in the big smoke to embrace sustainable living in the Lakes, has been a powerful role model for us.  All the more since Dalton downsized not in the 1990’s but the early 20^th century, forsaking urban pressures for romantic adventure in Borrowdale valley.

When Nicky and I came to start our own business a few years back, combining our love of the outdoors, vintage travel bags and our interest in ethical and sustainable production, it was a natural choice to name our company after Millican.  So, today and a year into our commercial adventure, we are glad to promote the enduring values of Millican Dalton, not least in such areas as camping and cycling.

It was for this reason that my imagination was sparked a few months ago when I chanced on a small bike shop, GBH Custom Bikes, in Manchester.  On entering the shop, I found myself in a den of delights presided over by two bike enthusiasts, Gbob and Hippy.

Spotting a rusting blue bike frame in the rafters above me, I learned from Hippy that it was a 1947 Raleigh Clubman, a fixed gear club touring bike.

Now given that 1947 was the year that Millican Dalton died, here was a serendipitous connection.  Moreover, I remembered that Millican, an early cycle camper in his youth, used to be known for his trusty blue bike.

And so it is that I embarked on a new adventure, rebuilding the Clubman with Hippy and Gbob in the spirit of our company ethos, redesigning a tried and tested classic model and applying to it contemporary functionality and, where possible, use recycled and sustainable materials.

As work progressed, it has also been good to remind myself of Millican Dalton’s deep absorption in the delights of cycling. 

In his late teens, Millican and his brothers roamed on camping and cycling holidays to the Lake District, Scotland and Wales.  It seems that camping gear was so heavy at this time, however, that the humble bicycle was more of a beast of burden than cycling machine.  Millican would push his luggage-laden bike up hills and fells, developing a passion to innovate lighter camping gear and outdoor outfits in the process.

He also became part of the Association of Cycle Campers, founded in 1901, probably the first camping club in the world and today known as the Camping and Caravanning Club.  In all of this, he was trailblazing for the outdoor recreational life since, until this time, the only people spending any time in tents were classed as either gypsies or “vagabonds”. 

Years later, living in a cave on Castle Crag, Borrowdale and making his own lightweight rucksacks, clothing and camping equipment, Millican would use his bike to get into Keswick.  And when he needed to stock up on provisions it doubled as a wheelbarrow when he’d use his bike to carry copious supplies of coffee and cigarettes back to the cave. 

So it’s in this spirit that I signed up for next week’s Sportive at the KMF, on the re-vamped 1947 Raleigh Clubman. Okay, Millican Dalton may not have been an ardent racer, preferring a rather slower pace of life, but entering the race still feels a fitting tribute to all that we owe him at Millican HQ.  Perhaps his own slow pace of life also enables me to feel better about my likely completion time …

I have already cycled the route on my normal bike, trailing Harry & Stewart without too many problems, but I reckon I may have to push the Clubman over Whinlatter and most definitely over Newland’s pass, considering my 3 speed Sturmey Archer settings.  Then again, I take solace and inspiration from Thomas Stephens’ account of his cycle ride around the world over a hundred years ago – on a fixed gear bike.

As I write this, final delivery date for the refurbished Clubman approaches – Saturday 15^th May. With original frame and drop bars, new 700 Mavic wheels and a rare Campagnolo derailleur on the back, we’re also working on some custom bits still - an organic leather saddle made for us by Brooks, and our own Millican saddle bag made of organic cotton canvas. 

It will certainly continue our project to promote the same kind of values as Dalton, the self-styled “Professor of Adventure”, in the Lakeland landscape for which we have a similar passion.

Jorrit Jorritsma,

Co-Founder,

Millican

www.homeofmillican.com

Silva Ltd are delighted to help support the Keswick Mountain Festival this year and in particular the ever popular Latrigg Lakeland Fell Race with a good selection of prizes across all categories.

Mens Race (1st, 2nd & 3rd)

• a Silva Trail Runner PLUS headlamp and a Limited Edition Silva ’Intelligent Light’ Buff to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd competitor in the Mens Race

Ladies Race (1st, 2nd & 3rd)

• a Silva Trail Runner headlamp and a Limited Edition Silva ’Intelligent Light’ Buff to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd competitor in the Ladies Race.

Age Class winners: (Mens: 40, 50, 60, and 70’s) and (Ladies: 40, 50, 60’s)

• a Limited Edition Silva ’Intelligent Light’ Buff to ALL of the Age Class winners as above

Other Additional Prizes 

• Limited Edition Silva ’Intelligent Light’ Buff’s for spot prizes.

- Other prizes will also be donated from Rathbones

Don’t forget to sign up now for the Latrigg Fell Race  ran by the Keswick Athletic Club taking place on Wednesday 19th May. Places are filling up fast!

The final 10 will be displayed in the cafe on the ground floor of the Theatre By The Lake throughtout the 5 days of the festival.

The final judging will take place at the Festival and the top 3 will be recognised and announced at the Andy Kirkpatrick Lecture on the Saturday evening.  The Winner will win 4 nights for 2 adults at any of HF Holidays’ photography themed breaks in the UK including full-board en-suite accommodation, a complete holiday programme with outdoor photography sessions, tutorials and  workshops and/or walks each day and guidance of photography tutors.

Thank you to everybody who submitted their fantastic photos for our Photo Competition sponsored by HF Holidays and held in conjunction with Trail Magazine. We have had loads of brilliant entries. All of which can be seen online here.

The competition is now closed, judges will shortlist the top 10 photos which will be revealed by the 10th May on this website.  The final 10 will be displayed in the cafe on the ground floor of the Theatre By The Lake throughtout the 5 days of the festival.

The final judging will take place at the Festival and the top 3 will be recognised.  First Prize will also win 4 nights for 2 adults at any of HF Holidays’ photography themed breaks in the UK including full-board en-suite accommodation, a complete holiday programme with outdoor photography sessions, tutorials and  workshops and/or walks each day and guidance of photography tutors.