‘The Most Fruitful Experiment’: The Montgomery County Recreation Association, 1919-2019

The formation of the Montgomeryshire County Recreation Association (MCRA) in 1919 was an ambitious initiative. The breadth of the activities that it initiated, and the confidence with which it proposed a model for reconstruction of rural society in the aftermath of the First World War, were unusual. Both owe a great deal to the vision of its founder, David Davies (later Baron Davies of Llandinam) and the practical and financial support of Davies and his sisters, Gwendoline and Margaret. But as this history shows, the MCRA had to adapt its activities and its vision to meet the challenges of the twentieth century: depression, war and the changed role of the State. In doing so the book examines the motivations of the people who founded the MCRA, and shows the subsequent interplay of successes and setbacks through which the Association adapted to changing circumstances. The history that brought the MCRA to its centenary is one in which the legacy of its founding vision is balanced with change and adaptation to the present. Jennifer Lane is a researcher and artist based in Aberystwyth. She was formerly a lecturer in the School of Business, Aberystwyth University, and has spent most of her career working in rural development, community arts, and higher education in mid Wales.