MY PAINTING of Terry Colley and Alfie was partly inspired by the picture in The Old Dungeon Ghyll, Great Langdale, entitled "The Solitary, The Wanderer and The Poet" by Delmar Harmood Banner.

Terry Colley recently celebrated his 75th birthday with a hike over Striding Edge from his home in Windermere, having spent the last 40 years in the Lake District sharing his love of the fells and knowledge of the people and events which have shaped the history of this place.

Terry’s fell running achievements include in 1988 the Three County Tops ( Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Coniston Old Man) in under 12 hours, raising £2,500 for Holehird, the Lake District's Leonard Cheshire home; and in 1990 St Bees to Holehird in 24 hours, raising another £3,668 for Holehird projects; and the Bob Graham Round in 1992, raising a further £2,000.

In 2001 Terry started working for Windermere Manor, an hotel run by Action for Blind People (AFBP), developing bus trips and walks for the visually impaired, guiding those who wanted to experience standing on the mountaintops and even a Coast to Coast walk for the visually impaired in 2011. As he drove the AFBP bus he described the scenery and the lives of those who drew inspiration from the area such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, De Quincey and Beatrix Potter.

Peter Watson

Scarborough