The Decorators Team Fliers
Maggie Walker (1951/2022)
France, Berck-Plage 2011.
Maggie started to fly Revolution Kites in 2008 after seeing the Portsmouth Kite Festival Mega Team flight that year.
France, Berck-Plage 2011.
From 2011 onwards Maggie attended many of the International events with the team as well as the UK ones.
Italy, Cervia 2014.
Italy, Cervia 2014.
Italy, Cervia 2017.
Italy, Cervia 2017.
Exmouth 2017.
Portsmouth 2017.
Portsmouth 2017.
Portsmouth 2017.
Portsmouth 2017.
Portsmouth 2017.
Italy, Cervia 2018.
Portsmouth 2018.
Italy, Cervia 2019.
Cleobury-Mortimer 2019.
Portsmouth 2019.
Blackheath January 9th 2022, Maggie was flying the orange sail, Felix on yellow and Martin on red.
First video (updated soundtrack) 2nd March 2022.
Felix's text at Manor Park Crematorium... after the hearse arrived from Beck Road drawn by two black horses.
Maggie travelled to Portsmouth International Kite Festival, (23-24th) August 2008 with some friends from the Library to witness an event which I had a part in arranging. 47 kite fliers flew their four line kites together in an organised manner… It should have been 48 but one flier had gone off site to buy donuts and got caught in a traffic jam!
Maggie decided that she would like to learn to fly the four line kite and I find in my notes (a kite blog) that on 30th November 2008, on Blackheath, in a cold and damp north easterly breeze the learning process was underway and that she and my son Ashley were getting to grips with the basics.
Felix's text continued
It was not long before they were both flying with the team at events in England and in April 2011 they were on the line at the international event at Berck-sur-Mer in France. I think that was the first foreign event for Maggie. She then attended many more international events with the team in Austria, France, Ireland, Italy and Canada…
From 2014 through to 2019 she attended the spring event at Cervia, in Italy, Artevento… and it was there that she really became part of the international family of kite fliers under the careful direction of Caterina Capelli. Fliers attend from all around the world (including New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Canada, Israel and the USA) as well as most of the European countries.
On hearing the sad news on Sunday December 4th Caterina told me that she would compose a message for all of the Artevento fliers and I will read the English translation for you now…
It was not long before they were both flying with the team at events in England and in April 2011 they were on the line at the international event at Berck-sur-Mer in France. I think that was the first foreign event for Maggie. She then attended many more international events with the team in Austria, France, Ireland, Italy and Canada…
From 2014 through to 2019 she attended the spring event at Cervia, in Italy, Artevento… and it was there that she really became part of the international family of kite fliers under the careful direction of Caterina Capelli. Fliers attend from all around the world (including New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Canada, Israel and the USA) as well as most of the European countries.
On hearing the sad news on Sunday December 4th Caterina told me that she would compose a message for all of the Artevento fliers and I will read the English translation for you now…
Caterina Capelli, Artevento, Monday December 5th 2022, Italian.
Un team, una squadra, una danza sincronizzata nel cielo e i cuori che battono all’unisono: sotto il caleidoscopio di forme e colori, all’ombra delle nuvole, dall’altra parte del filo, il festival è soprattutto un’esplosione di sentimenti e l’immensa emozione di ritrovarsi, anno dopo anno, nel caldo abbraccio della propria famiglia elettiva. ...quello stesso abbraccio che stava aspettando di tornare a stringere forte Maggie Walker dopo mesi difficilissimi ma pieni di speranza, di forza d’animo e di tanta voglia di farcela, per tornare a volare finalmente con i suoi Decorators e per potersi tuffare di nuovo, libera e felice, nel sole e nel vento. Abbiamo sperato con tutte le nostre forze che l’assenza forzata dello scorso anno fosse solo un arrivederci ma ora sappiamo che purtroppo non sarà sulla spiaggia di Cervia, ma sarà nel profondo dei nostri cuori, che potremo tenerla stretta, stretta, d’ora innanzi, tutti insieme… ... e allora sarà per sempre una primavera di vento perfetto in riva al mare, coccolata dall’amore del tuo team, della tua squadra e della tua grande famiglia: ciao Maggie, noi non smetteremo mai di volare insieme a te
Un team, una squadra, una danza sincronizzata nel cielo e i cuori che battono all’unisono: sotto il caleidoscopio di forme e colori, all’ombra delle nuvole, dall’altra parte del filo, il festival è soprattutto un’esplosione di sentimenti e l’immensa emozione di ritrovarsi, anno dopo anno, nel caldo abbraccio della propria famiglia elettiva. ...quello stesso abbraccio che stava aspettando di tornare a stringere forte Maggie Walker dopo mesi difficilissimi ma pieni di speranza, di forza d’animo e di tanta voglia di farcela, per tornare a volare finalmente con i suoi Decorators e per potersi tuffare di nuovo, libera e felice, nel sole e nel vento. Abbiamo sperato con tutte le nostre forze che l’assenza forzata dello scorso anno fosse solo un arrivederci ma ora sappiamo che purtroppo non sarà sulla spiaggia di Cervia, ma sarà nel profondo dei nostri cuori, che potremo tenerla stretta, stretta, d’ora innanzi, tutti insieme… ... e allora sarà per sempre una primavera di vento perfetto in riva al mare, coccolata dall’amore del tuo team, della tua squadra e della tua grande famiglia: ciao Maggie, noi non smetteremo mai di volare insieme a te
Caterina Capelli, Artevento, Monday December 5th 2022, English translation.
A team, a team, a synchronized dance in the sky and hearts that beat in unison: under the kaleidoscope of shapes and colours, in the shadow of the clouds, on the other side of the wire, the festival is above all an explosion of feelings and immense emotion to find myself, year after year, in the warm embrace of my own family elective. ... the same hug that was waiting to hold Maggie Walker tight after months very difficult but full of hope, strength of spirit and a lot of desire to make it, to finally fly again with her Decorators and to be able to be diving again, free and happy, in the sun and in the wind. We hoped with all our might that last year's forced absence was just a goodbye, but now we know that unfortunately it won't be on Cervia beach, but it will be deep in our hearts, that we can hold it tight, tight, from now on, all together... ... and then it will always be a perfect spring wind by the sea, caressed by the love of your team, your team and your big family: bye Maggie, we will never stop flying with you
A team, a team, a synchronized dance in the sky and hearts that beat in unison: under the kaleidoscope of shapes and colours, in the shadow of the clouds, on the other side of the wire, the festival is above all an explosion of feelings and immense emotion to find myself, year after year, in the warm embrace of my own family elective. ... the same hug that was waiting to hold Maggie Walker tight after months very difficult but full of hope, strength of spirit and a lot of desire to make it, to finally fly again with her Decorators and to be able to be diving again, free and happy, in the sun and in the wind. We hoped with all our might that last year's forced absence was just a goodbye, but now we know that unfortunately it won't be on Cervia beach, but it will be deep in our hearts, that we can hold it tight, tight, from now on, all together... ... and then it will always be a perfect spring wind by the sea, caressed by the love of your team, your team and your big family: bye Maggie, we will never stop flying with you
The Funeral details were:-
Monday 16th January 2023 at 2pm
Manor Park Crematorium
Sebert Road, Forest Gate
London E7 0NP
Monday 16th January 2023 at 2pm
Manor Park Crematorium
Sebert Road, Forest Gate
London E7 0NP
Donations to:-
St Joseph's Hospice.
Reg Charity No 1113125.
St. Joseph's Hospice, Mare Street London E8 4SA
St Joseph's Hospice.
Reg Charity No 1113125.
St. Joseph's Hospice, Mare Street London E8 4SA
Maggie's ashes were scattered 'at sea' near Helston, Cornwall on Sunday 24th August 2025.