Harrow and Wembley Outdoors Group (HAWOG) is marking their 80th anniversary with a charity auction in Harrow and a weekend away in the Peak District.

HAWOG offer a range of activities for people of all abilities to explore the countryside: weekly walks, a weekend away each month - in the UK or abroad, and training events on outdoor navigation.

The proceeds of this year’s auction, on September 15, will go to Mountain Bothies Association; a Bothie is a basic accommodation, such as a hut or shack which accommodates walking groups.

Their anniversary walk will be from October 7 to 9 in the Peak District National Park, one of the areas the group has visited many times in its 80 years.

Run by volunteers, the group was founded in 1936 as one of the first local YHA groups (Youth Hostels Association). Their first walk took place on March 29, 1936 when 24 members of the group travelled to Chorleywood and walked through Chenies along the Chess Valley to Latimer and Leyhill for lunch, returning through Flaunden and Sarratt.

This area has ever since been a landmark for their activities, as many day events take place in the Chilterns and alongside selected locations in Hertfordshire, Surrey Hills, the South Downs and the North Downs.

Of the many colourful characters and outdoor fanatics one outstanding participant was Reg Dean, who joined in 1951 and served as Chairman from 1954 to 1964.

Reg cycled 500,000 miles throughout the country and further out in Western and Eastern Europe, he visited every hostel in England, Scotland and Wales and totalled 4,000 hostel nights. During Reg’s time, the group won the London Bednight Shield several times and the Eastern and Southern Shield.

The auction will be held at Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury, 22 Roxborough Park, Harrow, HA1 3BE, Thursday, September 15, 8.30pm until 10.00pm For more information on the group of their upcoming charity auction visit hawog.org.uk or email info@hawog.org.uk.