Unlike most (or is that all?) other 20s & 30s groups, Barnsley 20s & 30s Walking Group is not a completely independent group. Instead we consider ourselves to be a ‘specialist’ arm of the traditional Barnsley & Penistone Ramblers group, aimed at encouraging younger people to get walking in the local area.
Most 20s & 30s groups tend to have a large catchment area, but this can often mean travelling many miles and getting to walks and making new friends is much more difficult as attendance is likely to be less regular. To counteract this, our group was set up to cater for people in and around the Barnsley area (and there is some fabulous walking to be had in the area, not all pits and slag heaps anymore).
Destined to be always a small group, it didn’t seem worthwhile to set up another layer of bureaucracy within the Ramblers, and best of all there isn’t even a committee. Instead we have a co-ordinator (who is the only one forced onto the committee of the parent group) and the group is run in co-operation with willing volunteers who would normally run away when they hear the word ‘committee’.
There are some huge advantages of a smaller group, walks are less crowded, events a whole lot easier to organise, you can really get to know each other well, and you can get served in a pub without having to wait for the other 40 members to get a drink first.
Of course there are disadvantages too, you can’t book a whole hostel for a weekend away (but you can book a room or two), there is less choice and frequency of walks, and less people to help out.
To me, the advantages far outweigh the negatives and would encourage other members to follow suit and create specialist Ramblers groups in their own towns. For advice or further information please contact barnsleywalkinggroup@gmail.com or visit www.barnsleywalkinggroup.org.uk
Just five of the Barnsley 20s & 30s Walking Group members raised £720 for the Forget me not Trust, Woodhead Mountain Rescue and the Ramblers Dead End? Campaign on a very wet sponsored walk.
