Journeys to Helpston

‘Journeys to Helpston’ by Alan Cudmore

This is a short paperback recently published by Alan Cudmore on Ronald Blythe and his long association with John Clare, Helpston and The John Clare Society.

At Ronald Blythe’s hundredth birthday event in Sudbury, Alan Cudmore was recognised as Ronnie’s oldest friend, to which Alan was happy to admit, having first met Ronnie in 1951.

The book:  JOURNEYS TO HELPSTON, Ronald Blythe and the John Clare Society is available via the Sales Officer of The John Clare Society, price £5.00 plus £2.25 postage.      www.The John Clare Society

The book has several b&w photos, two colour plates and several b&w line drawings.

Contents covers a resume of Blythe’s life, more specifics of his family and his start as a librarian. Following this, of his becoming a writer, how he ended up living at Bottengoms Farm, Wormingford and his love of Suffolk and areas of East Anglia. Of the friends he made while living near Aldeburgh. His deep and passionate involvement with the beginning and years of The John Clare Society and his regular visits to Helpston, the Festival and his presidential addresses.  We read about the suggestion and subsequent placing John Clare in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey plus brief ‘reminiscences’ of others such as Edward Storey, Mary and Peter Moyse and Trevor Hold to name a few.

Not forgetting there is a list of the 35 books written by Ronald Blythe, including the favourites: ‘Akenfield’ and ‘At Helpston’….. but I shouldn’t limit it to those two….. because I really must include his latest volume: ‘Next to Nature.’

This brief outline does not do justice to the knowledge and detail contained in this short book about Ronald Blythe, a cornerstone of The John Clare Society.  I thoroughly recommend it to all interested in the Society and connections to its history, as well Ronald Blythe himself.

 

 

David Smith

Ronald Blythe and Akenfield

Ronnie Blythe was 100 Years old on 6th November 2022

I was able to attend the Suffolk Poetry Society’s celebration of Ronnie Blyth’s ‘Life in Writing’ event at the Friend’s Meeting House, Sudbury on 12th November 2022. This was in various small connections on my part, not having ever met Mr Blythe, and likely never will. No, my tentative connections first happened as a new entrant to the world of publishing with Longman in 1969.

There, I was in the sales office, designated to help in any way John Dracott, the newish sales manager thought useful. Moving on from the various interesting bits and pieces I did, I will highlight the early days of Longman ‘representing’ the hardback side of Allen Lane Penguin Press. You may have guessed, the most memorable book was at the meeting to show, explain and encourage the sales people (reps) to sell ‘Akenfield.’ In my mind it was, and still is a wonderful book which flows on from the likes of Hammonds’ ‘Village Labourer’ or Hoskins book on Local History. Both widely used as student texts and ‘general’ readers for the growing interest in country life and history. Akenfield was a large step away from both. Blythe wrote with huge personal knowledge and love of the countryside of Suffolk, its hills, valleys, nooks, people and places. Churches and the Church being a great part of his life then and up to the present time, though he has, apparently, drifted into a period of serenity now. He is cared for by a wide group of friends.

These friends, from all areas of his associations and writing arranged this celebration. He wrote a total of 35 books, including two novels and one poetry collection. We watched excerpts from an ‘SPS’ format called ‘Desert Island Poems’ where he was the first formal castaway. Additional readings from his books: A Year at Bottengoms Farm, The View in Winter, At The Yeoman’s House, and a section on the BBC from The Age Of Illusion. For all his life, Ronald Blythe has lived around Suffolk (not strictly true, as Bottengoms Farm is apparently, literally, just over the border in Essex. but the view from his window is Suffolk!). Born in Acton, near Sudbury, he is a Suffolk man through and through.

This was supposed to be a note on my connections, it has turned out, quite rightly, to be my encouraging you to read copies of his books, not forgetting the very new book on Ronnie Blythe and his writings by his friends Ian Collins and David Holt: ‘Ronald Blythe: Next to Nature’

Oh! How am I also connected? He was for many years the president of the John Clare Society and gave many memorable ‘president’s address’. All before my time as a visitor and member of the Society. Another is that I am chatting with Alan Cudmore, probably Ronnie’s oldest friend, who is local to me and is writing and producing a book ‘Journeys to Helpston, Ronald Blyth and the John Clare Society’ for his own and the John Clare Society’s exclusive use. Which should be available from the Society in early December.

You may consider my connections to Ronald Blythe somewhat slim. I, however, am quite proud to have had a little involvement (indirectly) in his life and writings, from early to later in his life.