Dr. Graham Matthews was born in Kirkby Lonsdale in 1929 and went to school in Kirkby and then in Sedbergh. After training as a doctor he came back to Kirkby Lonsdale to join his father’s practice. He continued to work as a GP, with a practice covering a hundred square miles, until he retired twenty three years ago.   

Born in 1936 in the Raffles area of Carlisle Geoff’s interest in birds started when he was seven. With friends he would cycle to Brough Marsh to look for curlew, lapwing and skylark nests.

George ‘Geordie’ Hutton was born in 1934 at Hall House farm in Bassenthwaite.  In 1947 the family moved to Setmabanning Farm in Threlkeld and he and his family have farmed at Setmabanning ever since.    Geordie’s memories begin when farms were in many ways very different – smaller, with less stock and more workers, and no mechanisation and no artificial manure.

Guy Greenwood was born in South Africa, his family originated in the Kendal area dating back to the 1500s. His father was a clergyman and having emigrated in 1920, returned to the UK in 1930.

Henry (Harry) Tunstall was born on March 27, 1926 and grew up on the family farm at Fell End, Ravenstonedale.

Dr Helga Frankland lives in Ravenstonedale in the house where she was born in 1920. Her father was a professor of Chemistry before moving permanently to Cumbria for the sake of his health. He and her mother, Maude who was locally born, took up farming at ‘Needles’, a large estate.

Hugh Parker was born in Bridge End cottage, Elterwater in 1929. When he was 2, he moved with his parents to Thrang Farm at Chapel Stile. At 14, Hugh left school and found work as a ‘farm lad’ or labourer.

Ike (Isaac) Wren was born at Kirkland, but his family moved to Gillerthwaite when he was still very young so that his father could take work with the Forestry Commission as they began to plant up the Ennerdale Valley.