WENLOCK OLYMPIAN SOCIETY

WOS history in brief:

Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS) is a significant part of the modern International Olympic Games’s history. Founded in 1850 by William Penny Brookes, WOS maintains the tradition of holding an annual Wenlock Olympian Games open to people of ‘every grade’ to promote the concept of a ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’. His purpose was to promote all round wellbeing through exercising the brain and the body. Brookes was a Victorian surgeon-apothecary (now known simply as ‘doctor’); a philhellene (a great admirer of Greece); and a life-long philanthropist. Although he revered the Ancient Greek athlete he did not approve of ‘winner takes all’ but instead encouraged mediaeval chivalry and fair play – stabbing in the back or putting a spoke in your opponent’s chariot wheel was and still is, definitely not allowed!

Through Wenlock Olympian Games, Dr Brookes’s aim was:

• • principally, to be of service all people;
  • to encourage self-help towards achieving health, happiness, and wellbeing through training regularly for and taking part in arts and sports competitions which had rules and regulations;
  • to create an annual games which would offer the general public an interesting and worthwhile alternative activities to excessive drinking or participation in cruel contests such as bear-baiting, cock-fighting, and other life-limiting and disreputable ‘amusements’.

The Story of Wenlock Olympian Society and William Penny Brookes published by WOS, gives a useful overview of the Society’s history and that of its founder, William Penny Brookes through to the present. Print copies priced £6.99 are available from Much Wenlock Museum. Digital copies are available for download here.

Why Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS):

Wenlock:
Like ‘Wenlock Priory’, Wenlock Olympian Society is named for the ancient Municipal Borough of Wenlock which consisted of three districts: Much Wenlock, Broseley, and Madeley (including the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge). The old Borough town was disbanded in 1966.

Olympian:
Brookes used the word ‘Olympian’ to signify Olympic-like but not a revival of the Ancient Greek Olympics. Just as the original Games had done, Wenlock Olympian Games features arts as well as sports but the competitions are open to all.

Society:
The Society encompasses WOS and Wenlock Olympians Athletics Club (WOAC).

• • WOS is a not-for-profit organisation incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. Its activities are managed by its members, all volunteers, who are dedicated to serving the general public by: advancing education; advancing healthy recreation, citizenship, the arts, and amateur sport; and advancing heritage. For further details of WOS objects see WOS Memorandum of Understanding and Articles 2025
    Membership of WOS is free and open to anyone 18 years and over interested in promoting and supporting the objects of
    the Society. WOS membership forms can be obtained from WOS Membership Secretary at:
    membership@wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk
  • WOAC is an athletics club for juniors of all abilities and is registered with the English Athletics and both Midland and Shropshire Counties Athletics Associations. The Club meets for training at Much Wenlock Leisure Centre throughout the year. For further details see: https://www.wenlockolympians.org/
    Membership of WOAC is open to young people of all abilities under 18 years old who are interested in training in track and
    field events in a friendly and encouraging environment; and to adults who are interested in training as athletics coaches. For
    details see: https://www.wenlockolympians.org/

ABOUT WOS:

WOS Team: Information can be found here.

WOS’s Memorandum and Articles of Association can be found here.

Wenlock Olympian Games consists of Arts and Sports, and is managed by WOS and takes place annually throughout each year. In accordance with their original conception by Dr William Penny Brookes, the Society’s aim is to encourage regular participation in cultural and amateur sporting activities to promote mental and physical wellbeing. The Games’s events are held at community, grassroots, and club levels and welcome competitors of all abilities.

Wenlock Olympian Games Arts 2025 held 4 events in 2 sections, organised by WOS Arts Committee members:

      Annual Live Arts Festival:

• • competitions in music, dance, and speech and drama held in March at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock
  • open to young people aged 18 years and under on 31st August of the year of entry
  • gold silver and bronze medals awarded to respective first, second and third winners in every competition
  • discobolus trophies awarded to primary and senior singer, musician, dancer, and performer of the year
  • adjudicated by professionals specialising in dance, music, and speech & drama respectively

Further information can be found here.   

   Bi-annual Creative Arts Online:

• • short story competition open to competitors aged 16 years and over
  • short story winners awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, and cash prizes
  • adjudicated by a professional writer published in Creative Writing

Further information can be found here.

2026 sees the launch of photography, a competition open to young people aged 8 to 18 years and under on 31st August

• • photographs taken on camera or phone on the subject ‘GOLDEN’ are WELCOME
  • photography winners in each of the age groups 8-11, 12-15, and 16-18 will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals
  • adjudicated by 3 professionals specialising in photography
  • the competition closes on 31 January 2026

Further information can be found here.

Wenlock Olympian Games Sports 2025 held 16 events in arena, track, field, and indoor & outdoor court, 4 organised by WOS members and 13 hosted by partner clubs:

• • 5 events for junior competitors aged 7 to 18 years: equestrian (RDA), hockey, kwik cricket, netball, and tennis
  • 7 events for senior competitors aged 18 years and over: 7 mile road race, 10 mile walk, badminton, bowls, equestrian, Pickleball, and rowing
  • 4 events for both junior and senior competitors: 1 mile challenge race, archery, fencing, and hockey
  • Wenlock Olympian gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to winners in each event competition
  • Wenlock Olympian Participation medals: awarded to all competitors in the 7 mile road race

Further information can be found here.

WOS Education

An important part of the Society’s work is to advance education by promoting, sustaining, and increasing individual and collective knowledge about William Penny Brookes, the unique history of Wenlock Olympian Games, and about the several other organisations he founded or inspired. To achieve this, WOS maintains a collection of archival material (discussed below) and has created an education resource which includes 2 books for children and support material such as Planning documents and Worksheets in digital format, all available online for downloading making them accessible to a global audience. For further information see here .

Talks and presentations are offered about all aspects of Brookes’s Olympian history and values. These are suitable for educational, cultural, and leisure organisations, and for the general public.
Academic lectures for higher education are also offered, given by qualified and experienced educationalists. For further information or to book a talk, presentation, or an academic lecture, please contact WOS Archivist at: archiveandeducation@wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk

WOS Archives

WOS Archives consists of the Society’s Minute Books dating from 1850; photographic records of its Games and people associated with WOS dating from 1843; and other fascinating memorabilia. The majority of WOS Archives are housed in the Corn Exchange (Town Council offices) through the generosity of Much Wenlock Town Council and a selection is on display in Much Wenlock Museum. Occasionally, a number of items are on loan to other museums for specific exhibitions. Access to WOS Archives is by appointment only. For further information or to book an appointment, please contact WOS Archivist at: archiveandeducation@wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk
WOS History includes a Timeline of the Society’s development; a selection of WOS Archive images for purchase; and downloadable details of the Olympian Trail. Further information can be found here.

For all PR and Media enquiries, please contact Mac Bardsley at media_pr@wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk