Local Country House hosts ITV's Countrywise
TV Presenter Becomes an HF Holidays’ Walk Leader for the Day
TV presenter Paul Heiney recently led a walk up Cat Bells near Keswick to a plaque dedicated to HF Holidays’ founder, TA Leonard, justly described as the father of the modern open-air movement and innovator of group walking holidays.
Filmed for ITV1’s Countrywise programmme, which will be aired in the autumn, Paul underwent training with two HF Holidays’ volunteer walk leaders before taking charge of the map and having a go at leading a walk himself. Paul Cheshire from Keswick, and Peter Sapsford of Cockermouth have both been volunteer walk leaders with HF Holidays for a number of years and were only too happy to pass on some of their skill and expertise to Paul, as well as share their knowledge of TA Leonard.
Ruth Gray, Series Producer for ITV Countrywise said: “Paul Heiney and ITV's Countrywise team visited the Lake District to find out about the origins of our country's love affair with rambling”.
Leonard played a key role in establishing a number of organisations connected with the outdoors, including the YHA, Ramblers and HF Holidays.
Steve Backhouse, the company’s Head of Holidays said: “HF Holidays is the cooperative society TA Leonard established over a century ago, and is one of his legacies. Leonard ranks alongside Thomas Cook and Billy Butlin as one of the pioneers of British holidaymaking – but has never had the same level of recognition.
"It’s fantastic to be able to shine the spotlight on him on the 150th anniversary of his birth. We were delighted to host Paul and the ITV crew at Derwent Bank, our country house in Portinscale just outside Keswick, and to be able to share the story of our founder with all their viewers.
"Paul discovered the roots of walking in the Lakes and learnt about TA Leonard – one of the original Friends of the Lake District. Leonard was a man who dedicated his life to the great outdoors and encouraging the working classes to enjoy it – something which is still as relevant today as it was over 100 years ago.
“We have around 700 volunteer walk leaders and we’re always looking to recruit new ones. If you want to know how Paul got on, look out for the Countrywise programme in the autumn.”
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer walk leader should visit www.hfholidays.co.uk/leaders or call Gillian Mininch,Leader Recruitment and
Training Manager on 01768 890091.
Jane Chapman
Sales and Communications Manager
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