In March, another successful digital general assembly was held for the Association for the Cultural route of St Olav Ways – ACSOW. 26 member organizations from five countries attented, as well as the ACSOW administration and some observers.
Annual report 2024
The year 2024 saw many highlights. Both regarding increased traffic along the pilgrim routes in our different countries, visits to the different St. Olav heritage sites, as well as other activitites in our big network. But also for ACSOW and the whole route in general.
The board has worked extensively in 2025 on how ACSOW as an organization and the network of members in the cultural route St. Olav Ways can be developed, how members can find each other even more for project and development work, and how the cultural route status and ACSOW membership can be perceived as a strength and a mark of quality.
ACSOW was happy to welcome our first member from the United Kingdom: Norfolk county council. The St. Olav heritage is vital and vibrant on several locations in the UK, and there is great will to also establish a future physical St. Olav pilgrimage route – connecting to Trondheim. A UK St. Olav network has been established as another result of this renewed interest in the St. Olav heritage.
With great enthusiasm we welcomed a new route as an official part of the St. Olav Ways in 2024: St. Olav Ostrobothnia in northern Finland.
The scientific committee had a very successful trip to Santiago de Compostela in October, meeting both academic contacts, representatives from the Association for the Camino/St. James way, as well as tourist organizations.
The full annual report for ACSOW 2024 can be read here: Annual report 2024, ACSOW
New differentiated membership fee
The main subject of the general assembly was the suggestion of a new differentiated membership fee. The matter had been thoroughly investigated and detailed by the board, and the members all unanimously endorsed the suggested model. From having a flat rate of EUR 500, ACSOW will now differentiate more between small and larger membership organizations. This fee system is valid from 2025, with invoices for the whole year being sent out in June.
The new model for differentiated membership fee: ACSOW, Membership fee model, 2025
New board members
This year there was no election (next one in 2026), but the board presented two new board members who have replaced members that have resigned since the last general assembly: Pether Ribbefors from Sweden, representing the region of Västra Götaland, and Anna Laurin, representing the Västkuststiftelsen.
According to the statutes of ACSOW, the board can replace board members resigning between elections – in dialogue with the general assembly elected election committee.
Welcome to Pether and Anna!
