A CALL has gone out for all dirgers, witches and masters of misery to come together to re-form an historic club.

For the uninitiated, these are all roles associated with the original Lyke Wake Club, which was set up by Bill Cowley in 1955 to mark the 42-mile walk across the North York Moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar.

Club officials have announced that it will cease to exist on its 50th anniversary next year, because it is no longer financially viable.

But a small group of members want to keep the traditions alive and are calling on as many people as possible to help form an organisation under a different name.

Brian Piercy, of North Finchley, London, who is spearheading the campaign, said: "It is just really an excuse to get together and have a good chat about the walk and tell some tall stories.

"We want to keep the traditions going and the club is useful.

"It does quite a lot for the North York Moors and it would be a great pity if that activity was lost. "

He plans to introduce an official constitution and rule book, but the original club's almoner, or treasurer, Paul Sherwood, said it would mean creating too much bureaucracy.

"I would be pleased if the traditions were going to be kept going, but when they start having all sorts of regulations and membership fees, they are creating a bureaucratic organisation," he said.

"When Bill Cowley set the club up, his words were that it was like a 'tribal society'.

"I genuinely don't think they realise that nobody is interested.

"On the North York Moors alone there are another 20 walks with silly names. We said we were going to close last year and nobody has shown the slightest bit of interest."

The Lyke Wake Company Ltd, which sells the official walk badges bearing its coffin logo, will continue to exist.

The inaugural meeting of the new club, which has yet to be named, is due to take place on May 8 at 3pm in the Queen Catherine, Osmotherley.