The cast of Swallows and Amazons, the iconic 1974 film based on Arthur Ransome’s Lake District-set classic, are set to reunite.
To mark the film’s 50th anniversary, six of the original cast will be attending a weekend of events at Windermere Jetty on June 29 and June 30.
Suzanna Hamilton (who played Susan), Sophie Neville (Titty), Simon West (John) and Kit Seymour (Nancy) are planning to attend, plus scriptwriter David Wood, make-up artist Peter Robb-King and more members of the cast are also set to be there.
Organised by the Arthur Ransome Society, it will be an opportunity to meet the cast and crew and hear their stories and secrets of filming 50 years ago.
As well as this, the two original boats used in the film will be there, with the chance to sail in Amazon.
Across the weekend there will be a programme of free activities including crafts for kids, artwork displays and memorabilia, a recreation of the Swallows camp, a lively folk concert and screenings of the film. There will also be talks with the cast and crew, who will reminisce about their experiences making the film.
There will also be a selection of Karen Babayan’s work from her touring exhibition Swallows and Armenians and one on the life of Arthur Ransome.
When Arthur Ransome wrote the book, which was published in 1929, the characters were inspired by his friend’s children, a family from Syria called Altounyan.
He taught them to sail the previous summer in the original Swallow and in a second dinghy called Mavis. Mavis, the model for Amazon is still owned by the Altounyan family and will be on display during the weekend celebration. Several members of the Altounyan family will also be attending the event, including the direct descendants of the four children.
