Are you interested in Malvern’s natural and cultural history?
The Malvern Hills and Malvern spring water in particular?
Would you like to learn more about them, whilst helping to
conserve and enhance them for the future?
Through the work we do, can we help you learn new skills,
and / or develop existing ones?
Would you like to join a community of people who are
already enjoying doing all of the above?
Malvern Spa Association is a not-for-profit organisation, which began life in 1996 and was founded in 1998. With the community, for the last twenty-five years we have protected, enhanced, and promoted knowledge of, Malvern’s extraordinary spring water heritage. That is still our aim.
We need our volunteers
You may already know us as ‘the MSA’. You might walk on the Hills, collect and drink the water, visit the wells which are dressed every May Day, and enjoy the Malvern Water Festival events, which are run by MSA members and friends with the help of MHDC and other local organisations. However, we would not exist at all without our army of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, many of whom have been with us since the very beginning. A few are committee members; many are well-dressers; some lead, or are involved with MSA projects; others just lend a hand as and when. Several are experts in their fields, for example doctors, scientists, geologists, environmental consultants, landscape architects, historians, photographers, and dowsers, to name but a few.
Malvern only became what it is today because of the springs, the purity of the water, and – according to many – its healing properties. These qualities have drawn people from far and wide for thousands of years. Yet, in 1996, most of the water features were neglected and had fallen into disrepair. You couldn’t even buy Malvern water in Malvern. People had forgotten about the town’s early origins, and its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was ‘the place to go’ for what became known as ‘the Water Cure’. Even Charles Dickens came, and wrote a play about it!
Since then, with the help of Heritage Lottery and other funding, we have discovered previously unrecorded springs, successfully restored many water features, and created several new ones, including Malvhina – which was the first public drinking spout in the town centre. We carry out research, undertake surveys, run educational, arts and media projects, and publish documents.
But most importantly, we have realised what a significant role Malvern water plays in the community, and that regardless of age, background or interest, it is respect and gratitude for the water which brings people together. Today, the annual well-dressing events and water festivals involve several hundred local volunteers. Our events attract not only the townsfolk, but also people from around the world. This year’s event was a huge success, and put Malvern firmly back on the map.
We consider the water to be a great asset to the town and its communities, and want to make sure it continues to be so.
Get involved
If you would like to be involved then to find out more about our current activities, projects and activities download our leaflet about becoming a volunteer with us. It lists some of our current projects and some of the skills that you could either learn, or bring to Malvern Spa Association.