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For decades the British Westerners Association have been holding round-ups across the county and transforming areas into the old wild west. Last year the group celebrated its 50th anniversary in August at Fleet Hargate, near Holbeach and Spalding.
From Thursday, May 2 until Sunday, May 5, the Association will be back at the Anglia Motel in Fleet Hargate for its Spring Round-Up. The weekend will include all sorts of events such as western games like shooting, archery, axe throwing and lassoing, as well as live entertainment, the popular fast-draw competition and line dancing. It's a great weekend for everyone, whether you are a member of not, and people of all ages and their pets are welcome to come along. One of things that makes the round-up so unique compared to other western events is that the association takes themselves and visitors back to the 1800s with traditional canvas tents, old fashioned clothing and cooking on a campfire for the weekend. People are also welcome to camp in modern tents and caravans, and are not required to dress up to take part. Visitors can also come for a day rather than the whole weekend, although there will be plenty going on over the four-day period to keep people busy. Day tickets for the event cost £7, whereas a full weekend ticket is free for those under 15-years-old, £10 for 16 and 17-year-olds, £20 for member adults and £25 for non member adults.
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From Thursday, August 17 until Sunday, August 20, The British Westerners Association hosted its Fall Round-Up in Fleet Hargate, near Holbeach and Spalding.
Established in 1973, the group hosts two large round-ups each year during which members and visitors take part in a range of activities, many of which spend the weekends sleeping in authentic 1800s camps, wearing traditional clothes and cooking on a campfire. A number of western games were also held, including shooting, archery, horse shoe pitching, knife throwing, hawk throwing, lassoing and throwing arrows. This year also saw the addition of the tug of war and woolly bashing, as well as the return of the popular Fast Draw. The Fast Draw sees enthusiasts travel from all over the country to compete in a series of shooting competitions, testing their skills in three different styles. Members range from a few months old to their late 80s, and it was a weekend everyone could enjoy with almost 200 people taking part in the weekend. There was a live country music on both the Friday and Saturday nights, as well as lots of line dancing, an awards ceremony and a special buffet for the anniversary. Chairman for the BWA, Mark Firth, said: "Well what can I say, the 50th Anniversary came and went so quickly, but I think judging from all the comments and feedback it was a resounding success, lots of fun times were had by everyone, with great entertainment from Desert Star on the Friday evening along with the huge buffet for everyone. "All the events held over the weekend were enjoyed by all, glad to have the tug of war and the woolly bashing back. Those two events seem to pull everyone together with plenty of laughs along the way." He added: "Saturday evening, yet again was a great evening with John Permenter, Mr Texas Fiddle, keeping us all entertained and a great night was had by everyone. With a few small tipples enjoyed over the weekend, great friends and company who could ask for anything more. "Thanks to all the Committee and Area Deps for their continuous efforts keeping this great Association going. A special thanks go to women of the Association that helped with the buffet preparations, and here to many more BWA Round-Ups." Greetings all.
As fall will be our official 50th anniversary celebration, I am planning on a bumper issue of the "Round Up" magazine. The magazine will have 50 pages to commemorate each year of our anniversary. I am asking members past and present to send in your memories and stories of past Round Ups and BWA experiences. Can we get stories from every venue we have ever held a Round Up?... What about the club stories? Your first ever Round Up... The day the wheel fell off the trailor / caravan on the way to a Round Up..... The Western show groups.... The Party nights...... The day Bob dressed as an Indian lady and 50 people in the room had to then bleach their eyes What about the Rodeo Round Ups .... A BWA appearance on Blue Peter and other televised programs Should you wish to submit any photographs from the past 50 years, these will also be gratefully received. Please also message the editor if you wish to send anything in via snail mail. Anyhoo Could I please have your stories and magazine inclusions by the 25th July 2023. Send them in to the [email protected] Many thanks, Marmite Three generations of a Lincolnshire family have shared what it is like getting to be part of the wild west. Whilst most families share hobbies, Paul Fretwell, 67, with his son and grandson gets to live in the 1800s for a couple of weekends each year where they sleep in authentic canvas tents, cook on the campfire, wear old fashioned clothes and take part in activities, such as shooting, knife throwing and lassoing.
Individuals and families from across the UK gather at various events across the year, including the Spring Round-Up and Fall Round-up at Spalding, as well as smaller gatherings at Skegness and previously Billinghay. It's something people of all ages can enjoy, and many members of the public also come to watch the groups carry out re-enactments and learn more about the history. Paul, of Louth, has been part of the western scene for more than 44 years and joined after he saw a sign in a shop about a western group. He said: "I started in 1979, I saw the sign and went in and found out more about it and they just did fast draw then, they didn't put shows on. Read the full story at Lincolnshire Live / The Lincolnshire Echo: Paul, of Louth, has been part of the western scene for more than 44 years and joined after he saw a sign in a shop about a western group. He said: "I started in 1979, I saw the sign and went in and found out more about it and they just did fast draw then, they didn't put shows on. The British Westerners Association (BWA) will be returning to the area this weekend for the start of its 50th anniversary celebrations. From today (April 13) until Sunday, April 17, the BWA will be holding its annual Spring Round Up at the Anglia Motel, on the A17 at Fleet Hargate. Many visitors will be dressed in authentic 1800s clothing and putting up camps to sleep in for the weekend, but modern tents and caravans are also welcome, as are day visitors. About 100 people are expected to take part in the weekend, ranging from young children to those in their eighties. In addition to live music and dancing in the evenings, there will also be Western games, like shooting, axe throwing, knife throwing, lassoing and archery during the days. The sought-after fast draw will also return and see participants compete over who can draw and fire their gun the fastest in a particular style. There will be a welcome evening and campfire on the Thursday, followed by games and a social evening on the Friday, and then the fast draw and more games on the Saturday ahead of live music. The association is one of the longest-running Western associations in the UK, and will also be returning to the area in August for its Fall Round Up after holding events at the site for almost 20 years. View the whole article at: https://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/western-group-in-area-to-fire-starting-gun-on-anniversary-ce-9308087/  Get the date in your calendars and diaries, check out and air the old tentage and caravans and get ready for the new BWA Round up Season. YES... it is our 50th Anniversary year of the British Westerners Association so expect a few extra surprises during this year's Round Ups. Tell your friends, spread the word and share the posters - See you all very soon. Happy Trails Marmite  We are looking for more people to become an area deputy. Being a deputy involves assisting BWA members and promoting the BWA in their area. The duration of the post will be for one year and is renewable on re-application after that time. Area Deputies will be required to give a report at regular intervals of work achieved in their area to the Area Deputy Coordinator  The British Westerner’s Association is returning to the area for its annual Fall Round-Up and final event of the year. The Round-Up will take place at Anglia Motel, in Fleet Hargate, from today (Thursday) until Sunday August 21, where everything from the camps slept in and clothes worn being era appropriate for the 1800s. Almost 100 people across all ages are expected to take part in the weekend, many of whom will be sleeping in traditional canvas tents, cooking campfire meals and taking part in western games, like shooting, axe throwing, knife throwing, lassoing and archery. There will also be children’s games, as well as live music on the Saturday night. The BWA have been holding events at the site for almost 20 years and are looking forward to returning. Chairman of the BWA, Mark Firth, said: “I’m looking forward to our last Round-up of 2022, getting to see everyone again, old faces and new faces. “We think it’s going to be a great fun-filled weekend, with our usual events and competitions running on the Saturday, then into the evening’s entertainment from the one and only John Permenter ‘Mr Texas Fiddle’ who’s played for amongst many, Clint Black & Moe Bandy. “Its looking like it’s going to be a great Round-Up before heading into the association’s 50th Anniversary Year in 2023” Everyone is welcome to the weekend, people can camp in modern tents or caravans if they wish, and dogs are also welcome. People are also welcome just to pop by for the day, and there will also be blanket sales over the weekend. View the whole article at: https://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/western-group-set-for-an-action-packed-event-this-weekend-9269604/  A group of friends from Lincolnshire has been enjoying the wild west scene for decades, and regularly attend western roundups across the country. During these events everything from the clothes people wear to camps they sleep in, are era appropriate for the 1800s.
The friends recently attended an event in Skegness organised by Turkey Creek Renegades, a club within the British Western Association. A dozen traditional camps were set up at the event which ran from June 2 to June 5 at The Village Church Farm Museum, Skegness but the stars of the show were the two authentic wooden cabins brought by Keith Robinson, and Dave and Diane Smithson. They swapped their traditional canvas tents for cabins so that despite getting older they can continue enjoying the hobby they love. Each cabin took weeks to make and are built on a caravan chassis so that they can easily be transported between events and stored away in colder months. Read the full story at Lincolnshire Live / The Lincolnshire Echo: https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/meet-lincolnshire-friends-living-dream-7217987 The BWA Spring Round-Up has made it into the Daily Mail! It was a fantastic weekend despite the weather, and here are some of the photos from the round-up that were featured in the Daily Mail article. You can also read the full article online at www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-10743449/Inside-festival-turns-British-countryside-Wild-West.html |
