Art Meets Matter Meets Ransome

A new range of Swallows and Amazons themed products will be becoming available in the second half of 2012.

Designed by the innovative design company, Art Meets Matter, the products are all based on the iconic Jonathan Cape book covers for Swallows and Amazons, Winter Holiday, Pigeon Post and We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, which were originally published between 1930 and 1937.

Sigma Press Publish A Lakeland Saga

Sigma press have announced the publication of A Lakeland Saga, by Jeremy Collingwood. Jeremy’s book is a history of the Collingwood family, from Arthur Ransome’s mentor, WG Collingwood, to WG’s grand children, Tacqui, Susie, Mavis (Titty), Roger and Brigit, whose extended visit to Bank Ground Farm in 1928 helped to inspire Swallows and Amazons.

You can read NW Evening Mail’s review here, and find details at Sigma Press’s website, here. A Lakeland Saga is available from the publishers and all good bookshops.

Starting to Put Ransome on the Map

In recent months we’ve been making good progress on our plans for A Ransome Home, our main project to establish and develop a permanent Ransome Centre in the southern Lake District.

Looking at a number of properties, including Lanehead Outdoor Education Centre, has helped to clarify many of the challenges and opportunities we face. It has also confirmed how important it is for the Trust to begin raising funds for A Ransome Home now. Having funds in place, even on a fairly modest scale relative to the total sums we’ll eventually require, will make a very significant difference when suitable properties appear in the future.

Looking Back to Holker

Sunday proved to be the best day at the Holker Garden Festival. It was warm and sunny, making it much easier for the crowds to come and enjoy the showground.

You can read a review and see a selection of photos from the weekend in the Previous Events and Galleries sections of our site.

First Day at Holker Hall

Many thanks to all who visited the Trust’s mini Pigeon Post exhibition at Holker Hall today. It was great to meet people and to chat about your experiences of reading Ransome, living in the South Lakes and, in a couple of cases, of your personal memories of Arthur and Evgenia Ransome.

We hope visitors also enjoyed finding out more about Ransome, his books, and the Trust’s plans.

Setting Up at Holker Hall

We had a wet start to our Temporary Mooring at the Holker Hall Garden Festival, with heavy and persistant rain.

A Good Weekend with TARS

Many thanks to all involved with The Arthur Ransome Society (TARS), for their hospitality at their International AGM last weekend.

TARS kindly invited the Trust to bring a display to their weekend, which took place from Friday 1 – Monday 4 June, at the Hydro Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere. Nearly 170 members attended all or part of the event, enjoying a range of Ransome-ish activities, including sailing on Windermere, a guided launch trip and a visit to see refurbishment work at Windermere Steamboat Museum. The programme also included visits to Ransome’s grave at Rusland and to one of his former homes at Lowick Hall.