On 31 October, I spent a fascinating day at the Rowing History Forum at the River & Rowing Museum in the spiritual home of the sport in Henley on Thames.
The day was introduced by the Museum’s Chief Executive, Paul Mainds, who mentioned Our Sporting Life – a search for the sporting memories, heroes, objects, photographs and experiences that have inspired the nation. The hope is that by gathering together memories and exhibits, it should be possible to host a series of exhibitions around the country and then bring the best of the exhibits and stories together for a national exhibition in London over the period of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
I couldn’t help thinking there is a lot of common ground between Our Sporting Life and my own modest initiative to rediscover Britain’s forgotten sporting landmarks.