In the spirit of his East London experiences, Hugh started his reform programme with social activity. Partly he followed his instincts and partly he took advantage of opportunities which arose, as for example in the case of the Reading Room. The work he did in generating and fostering social activity formed the underpinnings to all his subsequent reforms, introducing people to committee work and generating a ‘can do’ mentality.
Under his leadership Brandsby gradually became an active social village, with concerts, lectures, dances, discussions and, of course, its annual summer cricket weeks. Attached to this page are two accounts in his own words of some of these early attempts.
The Last Squire of Brandsby: Agricultural & Social Reformer 