Moragh Bradshaw

Moragh Walker (later Bradshaw) was present at the first sod ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the Deviation at 3 pm on 2nd of January 1965. The following weekend she brought her sister Joan to add to the labour force. Moragh was the first lady of the Deviation in more ways than one - noted Brian Hollingsworth in the book Ffestiniog Adventure. In those days the Campbells of Dduallt Manor were close collaborators with the deviationists and Mrs Campbell sometimes had small parties stay in her house before the first deviationists' mess was completed. Hence Moragh was able to say that she had achieved two of her ambitions - to sleep in a four poster bed and to use a pneumatic drill.

In relation to marriages of deviationists she said that the project dissuaded some as well as encouraging others. On more than one occasion she said that someone who had rather dazzled her in his own environment was pretty ordinary among the rocks of Wales. She married fellow deviationist (and a solicitor) Paul Bradshaw.

In late 1968 Paul and Moragh Bradshaw, Peter Jamieson and John Grimshaw set out to meet the farmers concerned to discuss the 1969 programme of work with them. The occasion became known as Moragh's Friendship Campaign. That may have been a jovial reference to Moragh's Quaker background.

Paul and Moragh moved from London to Liverpool which was closer to the FR. She was a member of the local Quaker Meeting and ran a local patchwork group. She was an active volunteer with the Citizen's Advice Bureau, the Community Health Council, the Natural Childbirth Trust and the Groundwork Trust for which work she was awarded the MBE.

Moragh was involved with organising the Deviation 1st Sod Ceremony fiftieth anniversary in 2015 and wrote about it in the magazine.

See also

• FR Personalities