Romany of the BBC

Martin Burgess remembers a pioneering countryman broadcaster

- Martin Burgess

Broadcasters with a truly natural relaxed air, on air, are a rare thing indeed. This makes the history of George Bramwell Evens, who B became known as "Romany of the BBC", all the more incredible, in that he was a pioneer in the field of natural history on the radio and instilled in people an appreciation of the great outdoors.

George Bramwell Evens was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire on 15 February 1884. His parents were both members of the Salvation Army. His mother was of Romani descent and Rodney, his uncle, was the renowned evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith who would preach not only in Britain but across the Atlantic.

It was at boarding school Epworth College near Rhyl, Denbighshire where Romany was encouraged by headmaster JC Beattie to be a minister and to appreciate nature. He would split his journey up from Liverpool to the college by stopping off at Frodsham, Cheshire and getting to know a local family there through his parents' missionary work. He became accustomed to the countryside of this area of Cheshire, including Delamere Forest and areas further to the south, such as Bickerton and Malpas.

Many of these areas are on the modern Sandstone Trail and, as anyone who has walked there will attest, they offer some of the most interesting areas of landscape in the county.