History

Background

Trevor Jones, Religious Education and Youth Officer for the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, took a group of eleven Religious Education Coordinators (RECs) from around the UK to participate in the Unitarian Universalist Religious Education Conference on Star Island in 1994. This trip, largely funded by the Hibbert Trust, proved to be an inspiring experience and, on returning home, a small group of those who went to Star Island decided to set up a similar conference for Unitarians in the UK. Trevor Jones, Sheila Jones, Jean Mason, Elizabeth Birtles and Simon John Barlow all played a part in organising the first Religious Education (RE) Summer School, as it was originally known, in the summer of 1995.

After Trevor’s retirement, summer school was coordinated by Sarah Tinker and the General Assembly’s Religious Education Committee, until 2003-4, when a small steering group took over responsibility for running the event. The ‘Hucklow Summer School Panel’ has a rolling membership to maintain continuity, and new members are co-opted to maintain the necessary balance of skills, as one or two members step down from the panel after summer school each year. Jane Blackall has been a member of the Hucklow Summer School panel since 2005 and convenor of the panel since 2008 (barring one year off in 2013).