November 2010
What makes Swanwick such a magical place? The answer surely must be writers.
The Hayes is a delightful old-world mansion set in the most beautiful Derbyshire countryside. But it is what happens there annually for one week in August that makes it a very magical place. For then 350 writers arrive from all over the British Isles, and some far beyond, to spend a very memorable week at The Writers' Summer School in Swanwick. They range from well-known much published writers to the nervous beginners who have managed only one foot on the ladder - white labels for newcomers, green for everyone else.
The warm welcoming smiles and words of the committee as they greet all the arrivals put newcomers immediately at ease and there is help at every turn.
The accommodation is now 5 star standard - rooms en suite with tea-making facilities etc. but it is the indefinable spirit of Swanwick which makes it so special. We know writing can be a very lonely business but here interests and problems are shared and the experienced always at hand to offer help and advice. Tremendous enthusiasm is generated and true fellowship experienced; lasting friendships made and marriages too have resulted from meetings at 'Swanwick'.
How to plan the day for maximum benefit, writers wonder for there is so much on offer - workshops, discussion groups, talks on books, plays, poetry, marketing and much more being covered.
In addition, one learns from chats over coffee in the vinery, tea on the terrace and during strolls in the grounds and lingering spells round the secluded duck pond - if only those ducks could talk!
When relaxation is essential to re-charge batteries, there is the swimming pool and, for the more energetically inclined, the tennis courts and Bowling Green or table tennis in the vinery. In the evenings the Conference hall is packed to hear well-known speakers. A lively question time follows which continues in the book room during signing sessions. Dancing commences at 11 p.m. for those who have the energy after very hectic but exciting days.
The first Writers' Summer School opened at The Hayes, Swanwick in 1949. We now know the oak but what was the acorn like? The previous year Cecil Hunt, President of the London Writers' Circle, felt the need for some school or centre where writers could get together annually. The founding of the Writers' Summer School was a venture of faith for the 5 committee members who had only their tremendous enthusiasm to get the project off the ground. Premises and money had yet to be found.
Eventually The Hayes was chosen but, as it had been a prisoner-of-war camp, housing high-ranking German Officers, the facilities were hopelessly inadequate until improvements could be made. But when the School opened in 1949 writers had to accept cell-like rooms in a three-story building. There they had to contend with iron bedsteads, sagging springs and flock mattresses and communal washing facilities. But as the fee for the whole week was only 6 guineas, writers were content to put up with such accommodation as they concentrated on gaining much knowledge in the wonderful friendly atmosphere.
Through the dedication and enthusiasm of that small Committee and the friendliness of the famous writers, many of whom offered to lecture without a fee, gradually the magic of Swanwick was well and truly established. The Manger of The Hayes, Wally Milne and his staff became good friends and helped tremendously to ensure maximum comfort as far as possible or until permission could be obtained, in difficult post war conditions, for new buildings and up-to-date facilities. Meals were always of the highest standard.
Those writers who gathered there in those early days knew that something exciting and very special would come of the venture and so, of course, it did. Many writers return year after year and when bookings start in January each year, there are many applicants who are too late and therefore disappointed.
Yes, the Writers' Summer School at Swanwick truly is a Magical Place.