Regular TGO contributor Vivienne Crow is celebrating having won not one but two prestigious Awards for Excellence at the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild annual dinner.
Vivienne, who is a freelance writer and photographer, won the award for the ‘Best Outdoor Feature’ for ‘Autumn in the Valleys’ which appeared in TGO in November 2017.
Praising the feature, the judges said: “Sums up how hard it is to be original when writing about the Lake District, but this honesty gives the article an original angle, and allows the author to weave in a history of writers and artists who’ve attempted to capture the essence of the lakes, alongside other observations on the changing seasons, the impact of human activity on the landscape.
“Fascinating examples and contemporary quotes add colour and back up points. And all this interwoven with a walk. Beautiful too.” Vivienne also received the award for the ‘Best Guidebook’ prize for her book Walking in Northumberland, published by Cicerone Press, which the judges described as “an eminently competent and trustworthy companion”.
As well as writing for TGO, Vivienne has written a number of travel and walking guidebooks and does copywriting/interpretation work for tourism and conservation bodies.
Speaking about the awards, she said: “I was very excited when I realised I’d won the prize for Best Guidebook, but I was left totally speechless when I heard about the second one!”
The Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild represents some of the UK’s leading creative professionals who specialise in the outdoors. The Awards for Excellence were presented at the organisation’s annual dinner at Simonsbath on Exmoor on October 13.
TGO’s gear tester Judy Armstrong was also highly commended in the outdoor/travel feature category for a piece about skiing in Greece.
owpg.org.uk
Header image: Vivienne Crow receives her prize for ‘Best Outdoor Feature’ from Kevin Freeborn, of award sponsor OS Pathfinder. © Chris Howes