Adventurous Women Of London *
Adventurous Women of London (AWOL) was borne out of an idea from a small group of women who wanted to engage in fun activities with other women or in particular, other lesbians. So in September 1990, it was advertised in a small women-owned bookstore called Womansline located on Richmond Street, that an event would be held to see what interest there was in forming a new group. Wouldn't you know – 30 + women showed up, each with a dessert to share and tons of activity and event ideas that formed the basis of the first several AWOL newsletters. The one-page bimonthly AWOL newsletters were posted on the bulletin board at Womansline for free pick-up or mailed to those on a mailing list. It consisted of one AWOL event a month and a small FYI section at the bottom and with no events booked over the summer months. There was a small annual membership fee of $10 to cover postage, printing and miscellaneous costs like name tags at events.
Early events included wagon rides @ Circle R Ranch, bowling, touch football, volleyball, weekend camping at the Pinery etc.
By about 1998, the delivery format of the newsletter changed to a largely email-based one and the content grew from 1 page to its present length of 6 to 8 pages depending on the busyness of the season.
By 2005, subgroups were borne so that members could join themed groups or clubs that would meet more regularly, often monthly. Examples of them are Fine Dining, Motorcycle Enthusiasts Club, Inspirational Discussion Group, etc.
Kathleen Holland, the Coordinator of AWOL, attended that very first dessert event in September 1990 and most other events to follow. About a year later, she was asked to join the organizing committee and shortly thereafter she became the Coordinator of AWOL organizing most of its events and the Editor of its newsletter.
In 2013, she welcomed Shannon Thompson into the AWOL fold to create and maintain a new website where the public and members may access AWOL general information and AWOL-hosted events information including updates like cancellations/changes. Exclusive to members only is access to the photo gallery with a large collection of photos taken at events spanning from 1990 to present.
The AWOL newsletter is emailed every two months to members* - those who are on the email distribution list. It includes our AWOL-hosted events as well as an FYI (For Your Information) section with events which are hosted by others in and around London.
To receive the newsletter, please send Kathleen your request at [email protected]. Enrich your life. Join AWOL and participate in the activities. Meet other women, in a safe setting, who are positive, passionate and interesting. Members are always encouraged to host AWOL events/activities about which they are passionate and interested…your life will be forever changed!
Access to the Photo Gallery is restricted to AWOL members. If you are interested in becoming a member contact
[email protected]
*AWOL is welcoming to all women, trans individuals and those who are curious about being in a women-oriented setting.
Early events included wagon rides @ Circle R Ranch, bowling, touch football, volleyball, weekend camping at the Pinery etc.
By about 1998, the delivery format of the newsletter changed to a largely email-based one and the content grew from 1 page to its present length of 6 to 8 pages depending on the busyness of the season.
By 2005, subgroups were borne so that members could join themed groups or clubs that would meet more regularly, often monthly. Examples of them are Fine Dining, Motorcycle Enthusiasts Club, Inspirational Discussion Group, etc.
Kathleen Holland, the Coordinator of AWOL, attended that very first dessert event in September 1990 and most other events to follow. About a year later, she was asked to join the organizing committee and shortly thereafter she became the Coordinator of AWOL organizing most of its events and the Editor of its newsletter.
In 2013, she welcomed Shannon Thompson into the AWOL fold to create and maintain a new website where the public and members may access AWOL general information and AWOL-hosted events information including updates like cancellations/changes. Exclusive to members only is access to the photo gallery with a large collection of photos taken at events spanning from 1990 to present.
The AWOL newsletter is emailed every two months to members* - those who are on the email distribution list. It includes our AWOL-hosted events as well as an FYI (For Your Information) section with events which are hosted by others in and around London.
To receive the newsletter, please send Kathleen your request at [email protected]. Enrich your life. Join AWOL and participate in the activities. Meet other women, in a safe setting, who are positive, passionate and interesting. Members are always encouraged to host AWOL events/activities about which they are passionate and interested…your life will be forever changed!
Access to the Photo Gallery is restricted to AWOL members. If you are interested in becoming a member contact
[email protected]
*AWOL is welcoming to all women, trans individuals and those who are curious about being in a women-oriented setting.
* AWOL 1990 - 2025
AWOL History Recap from AWOL Mar/April Newsletter:
Did you know that AWOL was established in 1990? It was the brainchild of a handful of women who returned to London that summer from what was fondly referred to as Mich Fest (Michigan Women’s Music Festival). They wanted to come up with an idea to create a social group back home in London. So, our first AWOL event was actually held in September 1990, hosted in a small apartment that overflowed with about 34 women who learned about this first event through word-of-mouth and/or a typed-up notice posted at the formerly beloved women’s bookstore called Womansline Books (closed for years now). We first attendees, were given blank slips of paper on which to write down our ideas for events. These were used to create the first few bimonthly newsletters. Newsletters at that time, were left on the Womansline bookstore bulletin board, free for women to take home. Eventually a few more committee members were recruited and membership fees were charged for printing and mailing these newsletters directly to members. A year or so after AWOL was started, I was asked to join the committee. We rotated the contact person so that different women could take on that role and field phone calls from interested new members (no email back then!). And about a year later, the original committee members handed over the reins and I took over.
Especially in the early years, we had a robust but ever-changing group of women who offered to host events. This continued for many years with different women coming into the fold, hosting events and activities that interested them like playing games, dinner outings, cooking events, camping, hiking, etc. There was a time when we had several subgroups (Inspirational Discussion Group, Motorcycle Enthusiasts Club, Hiking, Creative Cooking, etc) that met specific interests and they were a ton of fun! It also meant I didn’t need to attend every AWOL event since things rolled along very smoothly with other seasoned members hosting them.
But as it sometimes turns out, when women got into relationships, they would “nest” and stop coming out to AWOL events or would stop hosting events. And that was okay. Sometimes, they would return to the fold and join in the events down the road, when timing for doing so, was better in their life.
So, this summer we want to celebrate you, our AWOL members, and the 35 years’ worth of fun and great memories that many of us have cherished. My wife Shannon and I met through AWOL when a mutual friend (our dear friend Mary Hagan) brought Shannon to her first AWOL event in 2011. Although we didn’t start dating for a few months, it is true and fun to tell people who ask how we met, to say that in this case, we met in my living room!
So, this summer party is one where we will want to celebrate AWOL’s 35-year legacy where hundreds of women have come and gone over the years and many special ones have left their mark on our hearts through fun memories, conversations that mattered and/or maintaining great friendships. Shannon and I both feel that AWOL has enriched our lives.
Having both been retired for a few years now, Shannon and I continue to embrace our travelling/camping lifestyle with more and more time spent away from home. So, we also feel that this is the right time for us to wrap up this wonderful group that has fed our souls for years.