Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show has a new sports manager at the helm.
Richard Hooper and his wife arrived in Cumbria two years ago from Cheshire, with a desire to explore all that outdoor life could offer.
They have thrown themselves into kayaking, cycling and fell walking, ensuring their dream move provides all they wished of it.
Now, following the retirement of former sports manager Deborah Black, Richard is putting his event management skills to great use, organising a sporting occasion renowned all over the UK and regularly held since 1868.
It has been a fixture ever since, only being cancelled during wartime and the pandemic. This year, it will be staged on Sunday August 25 and will the 172nd Grasmere Sports Show to be recorded.
Richard was officially appointed to the post of sports manager at the start of 2024, having shadowed Deborah for a few months in 2023.
Once he fully took over the reins, it could be said he began organising things with military precision, as his CV includes serving in the army.
He is already putting all the cornerstones in place for August, when a full programme will feature the usual traditional Lakeland sports of fell running, Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and hound trailing but also a wide variety of other entertainment, from circus performance to musical interludes.
Whilst he has deep experience in this field to draw upon, Richard is learning new skills within the role and taking on board all of the expertise and knowledge that can be accessed from the Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show’s committee members.
Getting out and about in the local community will also be a major aim in the coming months, as the Grasmere Sports field increasingly becomes a vibrant community hub for schoolchildren, social groups and those needing a local venue at which to host their meeting, sports tournament or educational day out.
What Richard can fully appreciate is the world of the fell runner, with this sport being one of his hobbies. Regularly to be found competing in fell running events, he has personally experienced the challenges that the fell and Lakeland weather can provide, as well as the feeling of accomplishment that comes from crossing the finishing line after a gruelling run.
With a recent Montane Lakeland 50 trail run under his belt, he will be heading towards August with his event planning tools in one hand and running shoes in the other.
Richard said: “It is a true privilege to be sports manager for Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show. Being part of such a historical annual event, which is rooted in Cumbrian tradition and culture and dedicated to the preservation of glorious Lake District sports, is an honour.
“I look forward to staging an event, in an amazingly beautiful location, which enables these traditions to continue to entertain and be the focus of a brilliant family day out, not just this year but well into the future.
“The higher-tech and more socially remote life becomes, the more it seems that people are falling in love with the unique occasion and atmosphere that surrounds Grasmere Sports and the in-person, incredible connections with other families, athletes and competitors that it can forge.”
