CARP, CARP AND MORE CARP!

The beauty of open water or wild swimming as some perfer to call it is that every swim brings a new experience, so you can understand my delight that today i encountered one that i have never seen and will be extremely lucky to see again! Spawning carp.

Having arrived at Ellerton Lake this morning to coach...the british weather did what it does best....it rained, not a problem i would be getting in shortly anyway!

The resident father swan came to make his presence known, it was only after my swim that i was informed that he recently had tried to attack a swimmer (and not in the .....just giving you a warning sort of way) and also tried to drown another swan that had the audacity to want to share the 65 acre lake! However the mummy swan does have 3 signets to tend to and both are wanting to show off their offspring but not be approached to closely.

But close they did let me get, the occasional hiss letting me know i have ventured too close, the male in the water not a happy bird with me approaching the female and babes, his neck as thick as my arms, a steady reminder of their ability to break the human bone and with far more ease then my arms could have!

The babies as you can see are as cute as a button, fluffy grey but growing fast! It is lovely to see them though!

Typical british summer weather surrounded us, with splats of rain falling from a light drizzle to a torrent but we were going to get wet so for us it did not matter. Having chatted to the local fisherman we were delighted (well i was, Louise not so sure) to find that the large splashes being made in the lake were the carp spawning, bodies thrashing in their once a year ritual. Walking round the lake it was plain for us to see. The fish were on the surface and looked.....large!

 

I must admit never having witnessed these scenes before it was quite fasinating to see large fish literally jumping out of the water and trashing around, the fisherman however was disappointed, the fish apparently when they have matters of love in their heads dont want to take bait from a line!

Getting into the wetsuits was the right decision to make the heavens opened and pretty soon it was teeming down! A cool breeze put paid to the thoughts of hanging around on land. Walking round to where the fishman had shown us a good place to get in ( i think he was worried we were going to snap his lines) it was time to take a deep breath and get in, the fish oblivious to our thoughts or movements in the water. We had been told that they would move away the minute we got in....not so!

The fish that splashed behind Louise, i am sure was just wanting to say hi!

These rain drops rapidly turning into a small monsoon type shower, however it was Louises first 'rain' swim and she was soon loving it, the coolness of the rain making the water seem temporarily warmer.

Heading towards a shallow area in the middle of the lake so that Louise could stand and watch the fish, it was time to see what was happening under the water.

 

Pushing off into the water and the rain seemed to be getting harder....no matter, the water was warm and the entertainment brilliant to watch, 5 pairs on the top thrashing around. Heading into the weeds, it was hard to find the fish, hold the camera and move forward, to be honest i was also having a little heart pounding moment, of 'what if one of these beasts decides to jump out that water and lands on me!'. Going a little deeper and a little left of the weeds so i could peer into them rather than try to pull myself through them, dam....still no fish!

Or so i thought, looking down what did i see....fish in the form of carp, large and lots of them! They were all around us. I likened it to being in an over crowded gold fish bowl! The fish came over, i can only assume that with us dressed in black and limbs hanging down that they thought we might have been interested in the spawning process! The occasional firm caress against the leg to test our reaction then they swam round us. The  carp, i found out later were koi, common, grey and ghost. I was also reliably informed by the fisherman once i had shown him the pictures that the smallest would have been around 20 + lbs in weight, thankgod they do not have teeth! The fish were close enough to touch in the water and when i did manage it felt strangely temperatureless!

Yes they really are that big, thankfully there have been no known recorded death by carp so we were safe to just stay in the water and wonder at the specible below and around us. As quickly as they had swarmed round us they had clearly got bored of watching us trying to hold our breath or our lack of enthusiasm to join in this mating ritual and within five minutes they wandered off to find more willing partners as did we, Louise having one last pass by to see the fish which unfortunately had left for more play time.

 

Heading off round the lake to the area bouyed off for swimmers the rain intensified, it was quite amazing to feel it pelting around us the splashes they made in the water were large and vast, silently falling but faster than most household showers.

I thought i would end up having to drag Louise out of the water she was enjoying the rain experience so much!

And for those that wish to see it as we did prior to entering the water heres a small video clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epce-FUuSMU&feature=plcp

And what does the water look like when the heavens really open, well the next picture was taken on sports mode...and still did not manage to do justice to rate of rain that was falling....just another typical british summer!!!

The spawning is at best a maxium 7 day event, this year the spawnings in the north of england are occuring later in the year due to the cold temperatures however, it happened and i was lucky to witness it! What is it like swimming with beasts too big to fit on a place, well strangly enough its fasinating, to be in a 65 acre lake and not see one in all the years i have swam there is strange then to see them on mass is amazing, it was strangly calming. The fish especially at this 'special' time are not interested in us swimmers, and once spawning has happened they return to the depths not to be seen for ....well who knows how long!!! You can certainly see the attraction that diving would have! The other attractions are the wildlife, looking forward to seeing the babies grow and develop!

 

A journey shared is a journey enjoyed

This has been copy and pasted from a message left for me on facebook from Louise who this Sunday completed the great north swim for the first time. Her strength and determination were outstanding and the credit for her achievement goes fully to her, i just held her hand when she needed it, however to receive a message like this is wonderful and very humbling, Louise is going to write a blog to share with you all and that combined with the photos taken on the day will hopefully inspire more of you to dip a toe in the water!

Louise Wiz Bradley

PLEASE READ THIS EVERYONE. ....
In february time of this year, i met an amazing lady who agreed to help me learn how to swim in open Water, so that i could try and swim in the the Great North Swim at Windermere. When i first met Pauline, i was only just learning to swim correctly in a swimming pool due to always having a fear of water, and especially of open water.
Since the very first day i met ...pauline, she has guided me, advised me, encouraged me and given alot of her time and patience to help me. But it wasnt always about the swimming, she helped me to understand the water, to respect it and deal with it, to understand and listen to my mind and body. To realise that with courage and confidence you can overcome the fears in your head. Thats its ok to cry and scream and feel fear.... because thats what makes you stronger.
With time, i learnt to ultimately enjoy each experience and to learn from it... and , i learnt to trust her completely.
I have now just completed the 1 mile swim of the Great North Swim, Windermere. The conditions for me were horrendous and i tried to give in at 400 meters. But pauline agreed to swim alongside me right from the start. She never left my side and made me believe that however bad i felt, whatever negative thoughts i had.... that i could and i would get to the finish.
I finished the swim in 1hr23 mins. Its was exhausting, but she never gave up encouraging me, and i am eternally grateful for everything she has done for me.
How i would like to finish this personal memo, is to say to anyone who is considering getting involved in Open Water Swimming, who needs advice, encouragement and or just to chat, PLEASE PLEASE contact this lady, she has a gift and a talent and if you are prepared to work she is ultimately prepared to invest her tme in you. I promise you.
Pauline Squires.... Thank you from me, and thank you from all my friends and family.

So how do you go about getting a missive like that, you do nothing but show someone how strong they are, what they are capable of and support them while they are doing it, well thats my theory and i am sticking to it

GLACIAL TARNS

GLACIAL TARNS

In search of other glacial tarns to swim in, we looked into it and found Bowescales in Mungrisdale in the Lake District. Another amazing location, the walk to it not as steep as that to Scales Tarn, but this one I had been reliably informed would be warmer! Joined on this walk by Michael Harrison and Julie Mackenzie, we met up in the car park of the Mill Inn. The sun starting to make great inroads into making itself known. After a quick but of banter we set off. The pace slower, the chatter flowing, the sun shining, its great to swim with friends and in such wonderful weather.

Julie makes it to the tarn

Again the layers of clothing came off as the gradient increased, accompanied to Michaels witty remarks! The scenery rather than steep and raggy looking had lost is harshness and the hillsides around us rolled around as if giving permission to walk its mossy surfaces. Soon the gentle roll of the hills gave way to steeper climbs and the legs started to feel the need to stretch out.

 My trusted Sherpa (aka Geoff) kindly and knowingly offered to take my rucksack....not one to refuse such a request, I handed it over and set off up the hill. The footing underneath no so steady today but I managed to get a nice stretch out, the thighs still not recovered from the walk/run/swim two days prior at Scales Tarn but they soon loosened off and set to work for me.

Higher I went, then round the corner the tarn appreared. Slightly larger than Scales Tarn but no less wonderful. But what do I spy.....other people!!! Some, a small group, looked like they were settling down to a picnic....damn, were we really going to have to share this venue...oh well so be it. I wonder what they would make of us 'wild swimmers'.

The sun making itself known as we got change, Julie bravely going sans wetsuit. Quickly enough we were ready to get in, and as seems to be the way with these tarns there are several metres of sharp stones to make us look like a cross between a ballerina and the worst kind of drunk as we teeter towards the deepest bit of water we can find, not even 12 inches in some cases, so that we could lie flat and cruise to deeper areas.

The water, in theory, and according to my source of information, should have been warmer than Scales Tarn but nope....colder, the ice cream headache came back with a smack that took the breath away. We soon got used to it though and through a mixture of swimming, floating and diving under were soon like big kids. One of the beauties of open water swimming its abilty to allow one and all adults and children to have fun, its not all about racing (although that is fun too), but the freedom to do as we wish was granted and we took advantage of it. The water was not as clear as the previous tarn but this could have been down to the sheer volume of rock and boulders that were simply everywhere, its a deep tarn as well, not permitting us a glimpse of the depths.

 The water was still wonderfully clear, and although chilly (around 10 degrees) it was still amazing to be surrounded by the best that mother nature can offer. It really is a unique experience to be swimming in glacial waters surrounded by mountains and being warmed by the occasional flash of the suns warmth, NO swimming pool could even hope to offer the same experience. Julie experienced the true experience of total silence in an amazing setting, until you have been in such setting, where the mountain rise literally from the water, allow you to play in them for a bit, but when you merge from there blue and silky depths the kiss of the sun there is nothing to equal it. The sheer silence is deafening, the surroundings nothing that man kind could hope to equal. However if we called out to each other our voices were accompanied by an acho or two....had the picnicing group not been there i am sure we would have made full use of its attractions. Its nature at its best and to know that you have swam in glacial waters in a location where the ice age passed through is heart warming, it still here and allowing us to partake, its a privalige i am glad to be a part of.

THE 'SCALE' OF NATURE

THE 'SCALE' OF NATURE

A bit of a walk he said, then a swim....did I hear the magic words, walk then swim....I was in!!!! So after a spot of breakfast then the drive to the Lake District, we arrived on the A66....hum....this is not quite what I had in mind. Parking up, rucksacks and wetsuits out of the car, and having looked around I tentatively asked.....where’s the water? It’s a bit like a carrot and stick syndrome for me, if there’s a swim involved you can pretty much get me to do anything (please don't test me on this one......ok go on then do!!!) But looking round I could not see a jot of water....was I being conned here! Apparently not, I was informed that there was a 'bit of a hill' to go up and then it would be there sparkling and shimmering in front of me!

Bit of a hill.....never again will I be taken in with those words...bit of a hill....those words amongst others got muttered all the way up....you see I love hills and I love going up them, but I do not like doing it while carrying anything other than my camera, to do so with anything else is a pain up the backside to say the least. So carrying a rucksack with clothing for every eventuality from heat wave to snow blizzard, after all we were in the Lake District, and a wetsuit, was not my idea of fun. Shedding layers faster than a moulting cat, I continued onwards and upwards. This hill, I rapidly determined was not a hill....in fact by what I THOUGHT was half way up....I was cursing said hill, which only has several varieties of level of gradient.....steep, very steep and oh my god how steep! Getting seriously fed up of carrying the rucksack and wetsuit, it hinders my normal mountain goat approach to such hikes; I devised a cunning plan, at a map check stop I asked if my wetsuit could be carried for me, of course the reply came, one down one to go! Now a hill to me is something where you can see the top.....this ‘hill’ appeared not to have a top....it just carried on going up, I was starting to feel the need for Nepalese Sherpa’s and oxygen.

Stage two of ridding myself of cumbersome hindrances....could you hold my rucksack for me please. Yes of course came the reply, yippee....free of all burdens I rapidly turned my back and finally was able to stretch my legs and started running. Now when I say running please do not think there was any speed in the run.....this ‘hill’ did not conform to allow any kind of speed, but I was finally able to move faster than a snail’s pace and quickly put some distance between myself and the two legged pack horse that was now complaining about ‘the hill’. Stopping regularly to check I was on the right track and getting likened to a Labrador and Spaniel in my ability to run off then spin round to check on the ‘walkers’ progress did not dampen my enthusiasm, then finally at the point where we were nearly at the top a quick breath stop and a 360 degree turn and there it was revealing itself ....the water! Scales Tarn lay before me, breath takingly stunning.

Breath taking as the ‘hill’ was, the water and its setting was more so. A tarn so blue and sparkling surrounded in the protective caress of the mountains around it, great swathe of scree sloping downwards like fingers on a hand, the refection of the mountain in the water. Even if you were not a swimmer you could not have failed to have seen the beauty in it. It made me stop my ascent and just stand panting in awe, oh and the exertion of running vertically.

Calling down to the two legged pack horse (named Geoff) that I could see water, I was asked to come and get either the wetsuit or rucksack....surprisingly at that point my selective deafness kicked in and off I bounded descending towards the water.

And then it happened, I spied other humans....at the water’s edge....what!!!! Are you telling me I had walked / ran all that way ....and there were others there...not a hope of me sharing that patch of oasis with anyone today! The water looked too precious to share....regardless I carried on bounding down the soft spongy moss aiding my rapid descent. Thoughts of me losing my footing and ending up on Helicopter rescues (a TV series covering the emergency services) fleeted through my head. A shout from above halted me...my Sherpa had now grown weary of carrying my kit so I ran back up grabbed it and carried on my run down the ‘hill’, half way down I was relieved to see the people that had been testing the water moving on.

And all of a sudden, I was there, at the water’s edge, it truly is breath taking. The slate from the mountains have aided the water to an incredible blue coloured water, it’s clear from the water’s edge and as I would find out right to the bottom of the tarn. The sun started to make an appearance perfected the image in front of me with a mirrored reflection on the water’s surface of the surroundings around me.

How do you sum up the spectacle of nature that has been formed without the aid of mankind’s lack of imagination, for no man could have produced such a perfect feature in such a rugged landscape, nor could he have dreamt up such a walk to get to it! It simply was one of nature’s secrets and now it was revealed to us. Those of you that have struggled to put on a wetsuit whilst hot and perspiring will understand the frustration of felt with the sheer difficulty of persuading a wetsuit that it wants to cover my body. But eventually I managed to get the neoprene on and I was ready.

By why did I hesitate, I will tell you, this water is perfect, its blue, pan flat, not  a ripple, its invitation to swim is seductive, I simply wanted to savour the moment of anticipation, I had not even dipped a finger to test the temperature. I trusted this water; I was ready for its embrace and would welcome its caress as it entered my wetsuit to cool me down. I wanted to be seduced by the scene in front of me, the perfect blue of the water, not a whisper of sound, the sun peaking through, it was a moment to be savoured, there was no race to be won, I would be the first one in, Geoff behind me wrestling with his wetsuit. I loved the anticipation of what lay before me.

Stepping in was magical, the heat disappearing from my overly hot feet from running was amazing. Each step the muscles of my calves were thanking me for the instant cold water therapy they were receiving...but then the inevitable happened. As most of you will know, us open water swimmers will pee in our wetsuits to warm ourselves up....but I was not in deep enough to do this, plus I thought that the moisture I had expelled during the run meant there would be nothing spare...added to that up until ‘that’ moment I had not felt the urge once!!! Was this the neoprene or the water causing this reaction...never thought about it until that moment. Geoff was entering the water, giving the same satisfied noises I had made earlier. 

Going deeper and deeper into the water I became aware of voice....hell no, please tell me no one was going to join us, peering round I could not see anyone at ground level, the voices were coming from above, 4 climbs on the ascent of Sharp Edge (aptly named from where I was stood) were stood watching us! Ha....bet they were amazed!

Eventually the water hit a height where peeing was permitted, bliss!!!! Heat spreading through the wetsuit, I plunged in. The sight before me will be forever imprinted in my head, crystal clear water, deep, amazingly blue, the view below spectacular to say the least. I surfaced grinning; this is what wild swimming is all about. Swimming to the centre of the tarn, eyes glued to the sight below me, lungs literally screaming at me, I could not help but wish I had brought a snorkel, it was clear, clean, all around me an uninterrupted view of the bottom of the tarn. Not a weed or fish in sight, just uninterrupted view!

Swimming round and round, going from edge to edge marvelling at the sight below, I literally did not want to get out, the water temperature 14 degrees, it felt just right. Any fatigue I felt from the run was rapidly exiting my body. The tingle of cold kissing my skin felt like a lovers kiss, made you shiver but felt good. Lying on my back I could see the climbers stood watching, I crossed my mind briefly how warm they must be after such a trek but I was there relishing the waters effects. Mentally I felt calm and refreshed, physically cooled and alive. The camera started getting used, diving under and clicking away; I knew the camera would not do justice to the sight before me. Diving down and trying to get to the bottom, legs and arms working hard but getting nowhere near, it’s wonderfully deep but still so clear. Breaking the water’s surface, still grinning, I am met with the sight of house martins, tons of them, where had they come from, as they dive bombed around us, in between us and over us, grabbing at the flies we were stirring up. The back drop of the ‘hill’ around us added to the moment, looking up as far as you could see....hill!!!

Eventually the time to exit the water came, but even then it was done slowly, the slate and stones glistened in front of us, demanded their share of attention, we literally swam and glided until there were only inches of water between us and the requirement to stand. But reluctantly stand we did, not a word, the grins said it all. Getting changed still silent....did we really have to leave the water and go back to reality. We did not want to; it was too special a place.

Fully dressed the walk back to the car was filled with chatter and the sharing of a chocolate bar, (carried my own rucksack back to the car! And yes all the way!), had we really just swam in this place, was it really as fab as it looked, and where would be the next swim. Food was required then a pin in the map to the next watery heaven! The views on the descent were equally as amazing, the camera should have been glowing red hot the amount it’s been used. Again the mountain goat in me came to the surface; the rucksack did not feel too bad now, so off I trotted back down.

Getting down to the car the grin was so wide I felt it would never stop. Wow what a hidden gem! Next on the agenda....food!!! Food duly consumed, it was time to head home, but wait, I had been promised a second swim. The thought of swimming in Derwent water after the spectacle of wonder we had just entered did not appeal, so we headed for Ullswater.

Finding a car park I rapidly adorned my spare wetsuit....and waded in, this time solo in the water. 17 degrees!!1 This really was my day for swimming, I was in heaven, again the water clear at the start, but then the complete opposite...depth and weed, swimming through these the water became cloudy then very cloudy as the depth increased. Geoff had been joined by others to sit on the rocks on the water’s edge. I am sure he must have been bored waiting for me to exit the water, but wait he did as I did my best otter impression. The scenery with the rolling hills around me was wonderful, the waters swell helping me bob along nicely. A few folk sitting on the shore thought me nuts....yep that’s about right but wow what a day of swimming. Next swim on the agenda Bowscale Tarn...with whatever else I can fit in as a secondary swim on the day.

Next day summary....legs have been lost, thighs are sooo sore but in a pleasant painful way, shoulders sore from the rucksack...note to self give rucksack to the Sherpa earlier on!!! Monday its Bowscale....fell running shoes and a wetsuit...what more can a girl ask for...oh sunshine but if it doesn’t come out...I will still do it!!

THE ONE HUNDRED CLUB - 10K SWIM

THE ONE HUNDRED CLUB

Ever eager to try new things and getting a tad bored of only swimming one mile races i pondered the thought of a much longer swim.....but which one! I wanted a proper distance, a challenge that i could train for over the summer months, so i decided on a 10k river swim to be held in the river Dart (The Dart 10k)

Entering online it dawned on me....when was the last time you swam 10k.....when i was MUCH younger! And even then i did it in a pool! Given that water temperatures are still low and variable down the to uk's ever changing weather, which manged to fool us into thinking that spring had arrived only to produce incredible amounts of snow in one day and drop the temperatures right down, it might have been a tad dangerous to attempt 10k at this time of the year. But i wanted to give it a go so off to the pool i headed, can i hire your pool for the afternoon please, the grunt i got back made up my mind there and then...find a different pool. Approaching Catterick Leisure centre I made the relevant enquiries, and got a positive response!. The idea of the swim to make it as acheiveable as possible was to do the swims in bouts of 100 metres, people can then choose the length of time that they wish to rest inbetween 100's and this combined with the time it took them to do the 100's would determine their final finish time.  Now to advertise to see if there were other like minded people....yes there were, facebook, twitter and word of mouth and we were good full up, Liz Reed even swimming on her birthday

Thanks to Kathryn Ayre she was reminded of it with a wonderful balloon, it was kept pool side to keep Liz motivated, and it worked!! Thanks to the rising fuel prices and an impending fuel shortage scare there were several people who literally could not get fuel to get to the swim, it was a shame as I would have liked them too, but fingers crossed they will be there for the next one.

The day of the swim and it was headless chicken time, the local Tesco's opposite the pool had promised some goodies for us for the swim, rushing in i soon came out with armfulls of bananna's, energy drinks and chocolate bars. Fab, Simply Swim also put some goodies our way, goggles, hats, ear plugs and anti fog solution, not sure who used them but they got used, if you like the products please do a review so others can be inpired to use the same products.

Setting up the table for registration, and just in time the first swimmers arrived...and pretty soon there was a flood of them (pun intended), all registered and marked up with numbers, the swimmers were put in to their classifications according to speed. And it did seem that in the fast lane there would be some competition! Thanks to word of mouth, knowing swimmers and facebook we had a lovely mix of swimmers, it was great to see children amongst them. A last minute addition to the group was a young lad who stated as he registered that he intended to swim the 10k non stop.....adults around him looked on in mutual respect and I can confirm as I was doing my laps in the next lane to him, he did just that....faster than alot of the adults too!!! Trust my word, he was a joy (if not a little intimiating) to swim along side!

Finally getting pool side and a quick briefing and the swimmers were in, the Northern Echo lent us a photographer so they could do a piece in the paper...and i did notice him snapping away. There were plenty of spectators, some of which got roped into last minute 'helpers', very grateful to them i am as well. Elena Meadowcroft successfully rounded up a group of her friends to act as lap counter for us so all we needed to do was give our number and the number of laps we had done. Paula, the pool manager also offered to come and assess the swimmers for pointers for improvement so every now and then i would see her walking around clipboard in hand.

Adding another 4 laps to the total!

The laps and indeed the kilometres soon started to mount up, white boards placed instratigic places allowed us to see how far we had swam as a whole. Every now and then it was food time, i have never seen banana's get eaten so quickly nor bottles of hydration emptied in seconds, and then it was time to get back in (getting out to eat, the legs near the end felt rubbery!!)

Long distance swimmers talk about the 'wall', similar to that, which long distance runners must get. I hit mine about the seven and a half kilometre point.  Hitting the wall is caused bythe depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by sudden fatigue and loss of energy.  A steady supply of bananas (enough to put me off them for a fortnight!), fluids and energy beans.

Oh god not another banana!

Thankfully as swimmers do they support each other and on we plodded, mantaining the same pace throughout the swim made it seem easy, my arm muscles and i am sure those of the other felt as if they had no flex left in them. But with such a small amount of laps to do there was no way any of us even thought to stop. Mentally we were all strong, physically the arms were tight and felt as if they were going to refuse to carry on!

But on they went and amazingly do did the arms of many of the other swimmers, some who achieved their goal be it 3k or 5k were happy to call it a day at that point, sucessful in their goal and pleased with their acheivement. Others who had turned up, 'just to see how far' they could get kept on going, I am sure the words of Nemo from the film, Finding Nemo, Just Keep Swimming. If you have not seen it here is the link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmyUkm2qlhA. Hope you enjoy it.

Elena Meadowcroft replenishing the water supplies!

Continue we did, those in the fast lane seemed to be positively flying along, occasionly stopping for hydration, glancing over occasionally I would see Mark Elliott and Steve Wilburn stood grinning. I was pleased, please were rising to the challenge and enjoying themselves.

It remains for me to say a huge thank you for all those that attended the swim, for those who travelled fair distances to get there ), and to those closer to home who made the day special. I hope you enjoyed youselves, acheived your target time and distance.....and maybe fancy having another go later in the year!!!!

The swimmers
Kate Whittaker, Sue Austen, Paul Smith, Alison Darley, Jill Marley, Cath Greensit, Jo Norton-Barker, Paul Smith, Rob Chaplin, Rich Hunt, Christopher Pengilley, Jonny Carr, Charlotte Pengilley, Ollie Carr, Paul Taylor, Mark Elliott, Steve Wilburn, Geoff Armstrong, Tony McNeill, Melissa Hepburn, Liz Reed, Bernadette Wilson, Tristan Lovell, Marie Lovell, Shirley Emerson, Suzanne Charnock, Kathryn Ayre, Martin Holland, Dorothy Mills and of course myself Pauline Squire.