Objectives of the society
- To develop and maintain a publicly accessible archive of documents, information, scholarship, oral history, essays, photographs, etc., pertaining to Frederick William Harvey.
- To encourage new poetry, writing and participation in the arts in the Forest of Dean and beyond.
- To ensure the legacy of F.W. Harvey is remembered through performances, discussions, lectures and publications about his life and work and inform young people about him through formal and informal education.
- To encourage scholarship and research into the life and work of F.W. Harvey developing a critical reassessment of his work through publications and discussions.
- To ensure more access to the work of F.W. Harvey through encouraging publication of known and rediscovered material.
The Work of the Society
The F.W. Harvey Society was launched on 31st January 2010. Since that date the society has worked tirelessly to promote research and interest in the life and work of Will Harvey and use this to encourage creative writing.
There have been numerous society events, including walks around Minsterworth and Yorkley, talks by leading figures, and poetry recitals. In a joint event with the Gurney and Howell’s Societies, there was a special performance of Gunter’s Farm, a groundbreaking Will Harvey play first performed on BBC West in the 1930s.
The Society, in collaboration with Gloucestershire Archives, has established a major collection of Will Harvey’s papers and supported the publication of A Fine Romance – a previously unpublished novel.
The Society has commemorated the life of FW Harvey with a memorial stained glass window at St Peter’s in Minsterworth and erected plaques at Highview in Yorkley and a ‘Blue Plaque’ at Yorkley Community Centre.
Young people from Yorkley performing Elvers and exploring the life cycle of eels on the River Severn.
In 2024/25 the Society gave talks at a number of venues including Gloucestershire Archives and in local schools, and supported John Slater, the artist in residence at Dean Heritage Centre, with his installation based on the poem Elvers. The same poem was used to inspire children at Yorkley School who recently performed the poem in their assembly and in an ‘elver’ event at Yorkley Community Centre.
The Society produces an annual newsletter for its membership and is producing a bi-annual journal.