HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

Dear Erewash Rangers! I’m only just back from France and I didn’t get the opportunity while I was away to put something on the blog before Xmas, thanking you all for the stalwart work you did over 2012. Sorry about that - and thank you! I hope that everyone had a great Xmas and I look forward to working with you all again in 2013. I have sent a list of our achievements to Dave Stevens, our ex-Volunteer Support person, and this is a summary:

2012 was another successful year for our group. We had 8 workdays/signing days on our NCN routes. We had three rides of our own, making investigations into the proposed alignment of NCR67 towards Chesterfield and also the proposed route of the White Peak Loop, which is backed by Peak Cycle Links. Some of our members also did a French C2C ride with rangers from other groups, from the Atlantic to the Med, covering over 600 km in 7 days.

We show-cased Sustrans at Long Eaton School Environmental Fun Day and we helped other groups and organizations in research, data-collecting and advice-giving, eg Derbyshire CC’s bid for government cycling safety money, administered by Sustrans. Members attended meetings of various groups, forums, etc. We started reading footfall counters on the Erewash Canal again on behalf of the Erewash Valley Trail. Jeff has started collecting data on cycle parking facilities in Erewash Borough and he also did some lobbying of various people who subsequently made very positive commitments to improving cycling facilities, etc.

Starting in 2011, our members contributed a large input, on the ground, into the production of the Ilkeston Cycling Map, which came to fruition early in 2012 and we have been distributing copies of this.

Thinking about next year, I would like to go ahead with the 6 rides we have talked about before, starting at Shipley CP, raising awareness of Sustrans and the NCN, local routes and the Bennerley Viaduct. I would expect to have a similar number of signing and general workdays as this year, to organize a few rides of our own, to attend outside meetings regularly and to offer our advice, expertise and labour to other groups as and where required. We will be building on the database of cycle parking facilities in EBC.

Dave Stevens has relinquished his role as Volunteer Support in the East Midlands, as his other areas and duties keep him busy, and we now have support from Ian Keetley, who will be based in the Nottingham Sustrans office. Ian, I am told, will have a varied role with 2 days a week dedicated to supporting East Midlands volunteers. I intend to invite him to one of our workdays.

Let’s look forward to a very prosperous and productive 2013! I hope to see you soon! Clyde