One-time marchers – sisters Bev Maguren and Yvonne Hewitt, in her 1970s marching jacket, and De-ane Busby on the right.
A group of local women are keen to see what support there might be in Cambridge for the establishment of a leisure marching group for women.
Marching, say De-ane Busby and Bev Maguren, provides a great social outlet for women and offers a fun way to stay fit, so the pair would like to gauge local support for a group in Cambridge. To get it off the ground, they would need at least 10 women, aged 30 upwards, to express interest.
Together with Bev’s sister, Yvonne Hewitt, the trio have an impressive stock of experience.
“Bev and I met at a marching competition way back, when we were about seven or eight,” said De-ane, who is president of the Cambridge Altrusa Club.
De-ane, Bev and Yvonne reminisced last week about team names such as the Sunbeams, and the Silver Arrows, and remember the strictness of most leaders along with abiding friendships made through national competitions. Bev and Yvonne went on to become members of the Lochiel Marching Team, the best in the country for years and one which has long been represented at the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Marching took a back seat for all three when they married and raised families, but they all have cherished memorabilia that reflects their success.
“Now we want to put out feelers to see if anyone around here would like to start a local group,” said De-ane. “We intend to feature leisure marching and keep it non-competitive.”
The trio know of women in their 80s enjoying marching and said anyone of normal fitness would find it suitable. “As long as they can walk, keep time to the music and are happy to do something as part of a team – they will be fine,” said De-ane.
The women are waiting to gauge interest before they nut out the details. Anyone keen to join should phone De-ane Busby (827 8656/ 027 3381 1245) or Bev Maguren (827 3300/ 027 6900 764).
