The circle leader was Norman Hunt, an intellectual and intelligent man, ideally suited to leading the circle and encouraging thoughtful, profound questions and discussion between its members and those communicating from the finer spirit planes.
Norman was a meticulous researcher. He studied philosophy, world religions and art, and was himself a fine artist and an architect.
He passed over in 1964 and, on one occasion, was able to communicate through the medium W. F. Rickard. He stated that the wonders of the conditions he had found exceeded all his expectations.
“The mind,” he commented, “is so vast when freed from the physical brain.” Man tended to think only in straight lines. “But the mind is of SPHERICAL content and free to range when outside the confines of matter.”
The medium (instrument), Walter Frederick Rickard, known as Rick, remains one of the unsung heroes of mediumship and was undoubtedly one of the finest this country has produced.
His mediumship involved deep trance, a state of complete voluntary unconsciousness. This is very rare and of immense value, since it permits conversation between those on Earth and those in spirit who wish to talk to us.
He did not even welcome this type of mediumship, as he would have preferred to be a clairvoyant and remain awake to witness everything. Instead, he turned out to be one of those rare types of medium. He never accepted any payment whatsoever for his mediumship, nor did he seek fame, fortune or publicity.
In fact, he was an engineer who loved motor cars, both driving and repairing them. He was also a light aircraft pilot and would provide flights from Croydon airfield on Saturdays, donating the money charged for them to hospitals.
A very kind, generous and honest man, he passed over in 1971.
The Circle and the Formation of the Abu Trust
The circle, led by Norman Hunt, met in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, for 15 years. Approximately 12 dedicated members met regularly, two or three times a week. Copies were produced from the original records of the sittings. Communication with loved ones took place, but it is the profound teachings and spiritual philosophy that make up the main subject matter for general circulation.
The medium, Walter Frederick Rickard, was a most remarkable and rare type of instrument. He was able to vacate his physical body in a state of trance, enabling the many entities to manifest through him in such a way as to identify themselves. Rick had no idea or recollection of what transpired whilst he was in trance. To him, it simply seemed that he had been asleep.
During the first two years, before suitable tape recorders were available, the communications had to be written down by hand. Fortunately, one of the sitters was Frances Attlee, a niece of the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. She was a fine stenographer and made very accurate records of the proceedings. These were initially recorded in writing and later, as the technology became available, on tape using Grundig spools.
The story of how the Trust was formed began in 1974, when Shirley Webster met and became firm friends with Ron and Peggy Mason, who were living in Crowborough, Sussex. They ran a listening group that met fortnightly to listen to some extraordinary tape recordings.
Peggy had discovered these recordings after meeting Pam St. Clare while horse riding in the surrounding countryside. They chatted and soon discovered that they shared an interest in spiritual matters. Pam explained that she was attending meetings at the home of Doris Gower, the secretary of the Norman Hunt Home Circle, and invited Peggy and Ron to attend. At these meetings, Peggy was introduced to Mary Hunt, the widow of the circle leader, Norman Hunt.
After considerable persuasion, Peggy obtained permission to copy the 110 available hours of recordings onto Grundig spools. In due course, after Peggy and Ron had passed on, these were kindly handed over to James and Shirley Webster, the original administrators of the Abu Trust, to further their research into this remarkable and dedicated group.
They discovered that quite a number of the original circle members had passed on, including Norman Hunt and the medium, Walter Frederick Rickard. However, their enquiries led them to the medium’s wife, who had been a circle member, and to a couple who were then living in New Zealand.
An extraordinary coincidence occurred when James and Shirley Webster moved to their new home in East Sussex: they discovered that some of the Hunt family lived only a couple of miles away. Through these discoveries, they obtained a greater amount of first-class evidence, which was essential to their work.
Following many hours of dedicated work and research, the Abu Trust was formed in 1990. James and Shirley Webster retired in 2018. That year, they passed the Abu Trust on to their dear friend Yvonne Dodd, who had been helping the Trust for many years.
The horses are yours, the signpost is LOVE which will guide you.
The Abu Trust is a non-profit organisation based solely in the UK. It is not associated with any other spiritual, religious or healing organisations, or with any other organisation using the same name.
We would like to make it clear that the Abu Trust is not a religious organisation, sect or cult, and has no affiliation with any such group. Everyone who helps the Abu Trust is a volunteer and gives their time freely. The spiritual teachings, philosophy and science have been available to the public since 1990.
The Abu Trust owns the copyright to all its material, both written and spoken. No portion may be reproduced by any process without the copyright holder’s written permission.
All Rights Reserved 1990–2026