Volunteers, tell us what you think (23/12/10)

The annual volunteers survey is now live - it'll be open until 1st February, and is an opportunity for all Ramblers volunteers - walk leaders, campaigners, group organisers, and everyone who gives their time and skills for free to help the Ramblers - to tell us what you think.

The results are used to help shape our work. For example, following last year's survey there has been specific work on:

- greater acknowledgement of what volunteers do in the Ramblers
- improving the volunteer website and the ways we communicate
- providing training factsheets, and more training opportunities. 

Many of the questions this year are the same as last year, so we'll be able to gauge any shifts in views.

We're also asking you if you would be prepared to become part of a quarterly volunteer panel, for us to get more regular feedback.

The more volunteers complete the survey, the clearer we can hear you. So as well as completing it yourself, please encourage others in your Area and Group to do so too.  

More information (and to complete the survey yourself):

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/The-Big-Volunteer-Survey-2010

Tom

Tom Franklin

Sent from my iPhone

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Big Opportunity for Groups (22/12/10)

In March, for every new member recruited by a Group, on direct debit,
the full first year subs will go back to the Group. (£21 for a single
member, for example). The Group can then spend this on more
recruitment activity, or other things to further our charitable
objectives.

As you know, one of the Ramblers priorities this year is to finish
next September with more members than we started a year earlier. More
members means more clout, more resources and more potential volunteers.

At the special volunteer national and regional meetings with Rodney
(chair) and myself this Autumn, one suggestion which was raised
several times was giving an incentive to Groups to recruit. We thought
we'd give it a go.

More info on the scheme is on the volunteers website at the link below.

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/New+membership+recruitment+initiative+-+March+2011

Please do encourage your group to take advantage of this scheme, and
to put on some special recruitment activities.

Tom Franklin
Sent from my iPhone

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years
Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.
Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Our message for those walkers who aren't members of the Ramblers: "Now is the Time to Join" (20/12/10)

There are 120,000 Ramblers members in Britain.  But there are about six million people who go walking regularly.  If we can persuade just a fraction more of those 6 million to join us, it’ll mean more clout with councils, more resources, and a bigger pool of potential volunteers.

Many new members join because of our led walks programmes.  But others will join us to support our work to safeguard footpaths and access – in particular, those who already walk with independent clubs or with family and friends.

There are 600 independent walking clubs affiliated to the Ramblers, each of which will have many members themselves.  Those members will probably already be walking with their local club – but they ought to be members of the Ramblers too, to help us with our work to safeguard and protect the places they walk.

With the threat of cuts all around us, our message is: “Now is the Time to Join”

In January, we will be writing to all 600 clubs asking them to encourage their members to join the Ramblers.   The mailing will focus firstly on the Ramblers’ unique position as campaigner and defender of footpaths and rights of way, and secondly on the great benefits and discounts enjoyed by members. We want to encourage those who are members of affiliated walking clubs to be members of their club and the Ramblers!

As an incentive for the affiliated clubs to promote the Ramblers, we’ll be offering to the club (as a trial) £5 for every new member they recruit on our behalf (£2 for a concessionary member). If you get a chance, please mention it to affiliated clubs representatives in your Area or Group, and encourage them to spread the message.

More details on the volunteer website: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/Affiliated+Clubs+mailing

Tom Franklin

Chief Executive

Follow my log at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Footpath cuts begin to bite in Bolton (17/12)

I'm travelling back from a Ramblers protest in Bolton against the council’s plans to axe funding for rights of way.

Earlier this month Bolton council announced their plans to delete their entire rights of way team, making two experienced members of staff redundant, as part of their efficiency saving review. This leaves the council with no dedicated staff to manage the rights of way network.

Bolton has 350km of footpaths, much of it on the urban fringe - ideal for people new to walking who want to escape the town for recreation and relaxation. Yet in future, the council expects all rights of way issues to be handled by the generic highway team - without the same skills and time to dedicate to rights of way.  

This afternoon, Bolton Ramblers took us for a walk through a frosty Moses Gate Country Park, to highlight the existing problems walkers in the area face and see firsthand how damaging the Council’s cuts will be to local footpaths.  We saw, for example, Wilson's Bridge, which is across a river on a popular right of way - providing a circular route on the outskirts of Bolton. It has been closed due to disrepair for two years - effectively cutting the circular route in half. 

As in other parts of the country, Bolton Ramblers are willing and able to help protect the footpath network in partnership with the council. But it's difficult to do this if the council removes the people with the skills and expertise who can facilitate this partnership. 

This issue might not have the same sense of urgency or resonance with the public as issues like student loans, or cuts in police numbers; and (as a former councillor myself) I appreciate these are difficult times for councils. But over time, if our footpath network gets increasingly clogged and blocked, it's going to affect very many people.  There are many people who are very attached to their local footpaths, and will notice if their use becomes more restricted.  

Thanks to Sue Stephenson and Jackie Roberts, from Bolton Ramblers, for organising today; and thanks also to Andrew Bennett, Area President and Ramblers National Vice President, for coming along.    

Tom Franklin

Sent from my iPhone

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit http://www.ramblers75.org.uk/  to find out more.

The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Ramblers project selected by World Health Organisation (13/12/10)

The Ramblers Get Walking Keep Walking project has been selected by the World Health Organisation as an example of leading practice for promoting physical activity in socially disadvantaged groups.  

Get Walking Keep Walking is a twelve-week programme designed to get physically-inactive people walking regularly.  600 volunteers have been involved in either leading the walks or designing the walking routes. I recently reported in my blog that independent evaluation shows that, three months after finishing the course, participants maintain a significantly higher level of walking. A very high proportion report a greater feeling of well-being as a result.

On behalf of the World Health Organisation, NHS Scotland selected 29 case studies from 91 that were submitted from across Europe. The selection was subsequently reviewed and validated by an Expert Group and World Health Organisation secretariat staff.

Working wih NHS Scotland, Get Walking Keep Walking will be further analysed in more detail to describe: interventions and their applied approaches; target groups; overall effects and results and lessons learned. The report will be discussed by a World Health Organisation Expert Group and will be published as part of an overarching WHO document, due for publication in 2012. In the interim period, selected case studies will be published on the NHS Health Scotland website, with a link from the WHO website.

The Ramblers Get Walking Keep Walking scheme currently operates in limited geographical areas only, although the website can be used nationally. Here's some suggestions on how to make the most of the Get Walking Keep Walking success in every part of Britain:

-  Consider running short walk programmes for newcomers - good for publicity, and potential new members. 

-  Publicise the Get Walking website, which includes an online logbook and materials. 

-  Quote the success of Get Walking Keep Walking when campaigning locally - whether on footpaths, access, or walking promotion.

Congratulations to all the volunteers who are part of Get Walking Keep Walking. And thanks to the two funders of the scheme: the Big Lottery Fund and Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust.   

For more info about Get Walking Keep Walking visitwww.getwalking.org.uk

Tom Franklin

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Over 570 path successes. Thanks to thousands of volunteers (10/12)

Between October 2009 and September 2010, Ramblers volunteers
unblocked, saved, or succeeded in getting recorded over 570 paths.

They break down into these four categories:

• 256 paths cleared through practical path work.
• 50 paths added to the definitive map.
• 29 paths saved from damaging diversion, extinguishment, gating or
planning application.
• 239 paths reopened through Ramblers surveys and problem reports
leading to council action.

The three Ramblers areas that have achieved the most successes are:

• North East Lancashire have cleared 71 paths through reporting them
to the highway authority.
• Ramblers groups in South and East Cheshire have achieved 62 path
successes on behalf of the Ramblers.
• The North Wales Area have through DMMO claims, path clearance work
and reporting problems to the highway authority, achieved 56 successes.

Some of these successes will have been achieved relatively quickly.
Others will have been achieved after years of work.

Not all Ramblers Areas have been reporting their successes so the
total number of successes is likely to be even higher. By knowing
about successes, we can publicise them for campaigning, fundraising
and membership recruitment.

Next year is European Year of the Volunteer. Every single one of
those path successes is due to the work of Ramblers volunteers.

To see the full breakdown of path successes by Area, follow this link
to the volunteer section of the Ramblers website: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/path-success-2010


Tom Franklin

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years
Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.
Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Ramblers membership figures for December (7/12/10)

Congratulations to Oxfordshire, Lake District, Lincolnshire, Greater Gwent, Highlands and Islands, Shropshire, South West Scotland, Herefordshire, Mid Lancashire, and Ceredigion.  Between them, these Areas have grown by 96 members since the start of the financial year (1^st October).  Overall membership is down, however, over these two months in most Areas.  The full breakdown is available on the volunteers section of the website: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/Membership+by+Area+-+November+2010

Our target is to finish this financial year with more members than we started.  To do so, we estimate we need to retain at least 85% of existing members, and recruit 18,000 new members.  Two months in, our retention rate is above our target at 87%.  But we’ve recruited just 1,605 new members so far.

With walking more popular than ever in this country, it is possible for the Ramblers to begin to grow again.  But it will require all parts of the Ramblers to be focused on this.  If your Area or Group hasn’t done so already, could you make sure that ‘membership growth’ is regularly discussed at meetings.  Over the next few months, be will be developing various initiatives to help increase membership.  I would also like Areas and Groups to experiment with ideas, and to let us know what works – so that we can tell other Areas too. There are already lots of ideas on our website from Groups and Areas: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/VolunteerFeatures/Top+Tips+for+Increasing+Group+Membership+More+Ideas

PS – One question that we’re asked about the Area membership figures is, “Why don’t you put the % increase or decrease, rather than the actual number of members?”  The reason we’re using the real number of members per Area rather than a percentage is because our aim this year is to finish with more members than we started.  We’d like as many Areas to aim for the same goal.  We think it makes more sense to talk about real members.

Tom Franklin

Chief Executive

Follow my log at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Getting Inactive People Walking (6/12/10)

This morning the Ramblers launched the independent evaluation findings from our Get Walking Keep Walking scheme. The event took place at Boris's headquarters in London and is one of four similar events across England (the others being in Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester).  We had lots of people from local councils and the NHS there, and it was great to see Peter Skipp and Mavis Rear too, in their role as trustees of Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust (which part-funds the scheme along with the Big Lottery Fund). 

For those who don't know, Get Walking Keep Walking is a 12-week 'walking course' aimed at people who currently do little physical activity. The idea is to encourage them to get the 'walking bug' and to carry on walking independently after the course finishes. We're now three years through the four years of funding.  600 volunteers have been involved in either leading the walks or designing the walking routes. 

The evaluation shows that, three months after finishing the course, participants maintain a significantly higher level of walking. A very high proportion report a greater feeling of well-being as a result. None of this will be a shock to us regular walkers, because we already know the benefits of walking.  But it does highlight the impact of this scheme.  

This work is not in competition with our work to safeguard and extend footpaths and access. The two go hand-in-hand.  Both are covered in our charitable objectives (see the one below on promoting walking).  

One thing that strikes me is how many Ramblers walks leaders also lead 'health walks' in their local areas.  There are sometimes tie-ups locally between the Ramblers and these health walks. But often there isn't - even when they have the same walk leader. Shouldn't this be more common?  There may be people from

the health walks who go on to join the Ramblers. And there's no reason why the Ramblers shouldn't directly organise more health walks, or at least help to promote all the different local walking opportunities.   

[Here's our charitable objective on 'promoting walking', written in slightly flowery language:  "To promote, encourage or assist in...the provision of facilities for the organising of open-air recreational activities and in particular rambling and mountaineering with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities are intended, namely the public at large, and in the interests of social welfare (including health)"]

Tom Franklin

Sent from my iPhone

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers' Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Board of Trustees meeting (4/12/10)

I'm heading home after a Ramblers Board of Trustees meeting today.

[For those who don't know, the Board meets about seven times a year
(usually either on a Saturday or Friday and Saturday). The trustees
are mostly elected at our General Council, together with two places
for cooptions, to fill gaps in knowledge or experience. I attend the
Board, together with some or all of my senior management team
(depending on the issues being discussed). There are also three
subcommittees of the Board, which often discuss issues before they
come to the Board meetings.]

Items for discussion today included: feedback from the special
national and regional volunteer meetings with Rodney (chair) and
myself; an update on the current campaiging against cuts to local
authority spending on rights of way budgets; the regular review of our
finances and performance targets (including membership); planning for
next year's General Council; and possible trial schemes to help boost
membership.

We always do a bulletin following the Board meeting, for volunteers,
with more details of discussions and decisions - this will be
available within the next week or so on the news page of the
volunteers section of the website.

Tom Franklin
Sent from my iPhone

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years
Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk to find out more
The Ramblers? Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.
Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Bayham Abbey Footpath Inquiry starts next Monday (3/12/10)

Monday sees the start of the public inquiry into the footpaths around the ruins of the old Bayham Abbey.  The well-used paths were closed off and ‘keep out’ signs appeared following the sale of the estate by the previous Marquis of Camden in the mid-1970s.  Tunbridge Wells Ramblers Group has been campaigning for over 30 years to have two of the historic paths recognised as public footpaths and ensure that this beauty spot is reopened to the public.

Last year the Secretary of State ruled that there was enough evidence to suggest that the footpaths existed, having been used by the public for many years, and that they should therefore be added to the ‘definitive map’ - a legal record of all public footpaths. However, objections from some of the landowners has led to the public inquiry.

It’s been a brilliant effort by Tunbridge Wells Ramblers, who have been working on and off for this since the mid-1970s and who redoubled their efforts in the 1990s by collecting evidence from a great many older local residents of their use of the paths in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. It was thanks to this that we got to where we are now.

I hope the inquiry goes well next week.

Tom Franklin

Follow my log at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk

Sheffield Ramblers discuss local walking issues their MP, Nick Clegg (2/12/10)

Well done to Sheffield Ramblers for securing a meeting recently with one of their MPs who had signed the Ramblers manifesto in the run-up to the General Election - Nick Clegg.  The meeting, which took place at his Sheffield Hallam constituency surgery, covered a range of issues relating to walking in Sheffield.  These included: the potential impact of local authority budget cuts on walking, the operation of the CRoW Act, and Local Access Forums.  The Ramblers delegation was  Terry Howard, Judy Gathercole, Jackie Dauris and Gordon Pursglove.  The meeting lasted for about half an hour, and was very positive and friendly.  I'd like to see more Ramblers Areas and Groups follow this example - by meeting with their constituency MPs, or by inviting their MP on a walk.  It can really help with building a rapport - which can be very useful whenever we need to speak to them about an issue in the future.


Tom Franklin

Showcasing Get Walking Keep Walking (1/11/10)

Despite demonstrating students outside Manchester Town Hall and lots of snow, the first event to showcase the success of Get Walking Keep Walking was held in the Mayor’s Parlour at Manchester City Hall yesterday, attended by over 50 people, many from health and local authorities.

Get Walking Keep Walking is a Ramblers project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust, to introduce people to walking and thereby help them to improve their physical and mental health. [This fits in with one of our four charitable objectives, namely, to “promote, encourage or assist in

the provision of facilities for the organising of open-air recreational activities and in particular rambling and mountaineering with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities are intended, namely the public at large, and in the interests of social welfare (including health)” – quite a mouthful, and written in rather archaic language, but it still makes sense.]

There was good understanding that in this time of austerity there is an opportunity to have more joined-up delivery of walking schemes.  Presenters included Manchester NHS, existing and new volunteers, the independent evaluators of the project, the Lord Mayor and a variety of project staff.  Salle Dare, from the new Manchester and Salford Group (that was set up as a result of Get Walking Keep Walking, and is mainly run by people who got involved with the Ramblers through Get Walking Keep Walking), demonstrated how grant funded projects and local Groups can complement each other.

With her Area hat on, Salle is helping to set up meetings with Groups to see how some of the principles of GWKW can be taken on by Groups.

The event provided a good opportunity to show how the Ramblers is evolving and developing new activities alongside the ones we are traditionally known for, and how traditional and new can complement each other.

Feedback forms suggest everyone went away inspired and enthused, having learnt something new.  Thanks to everyone involved, particularly the Manchester Get Walking Keep Walking volunteers.  Other such events are taking place in Birmingham, Sheffield and London.

Tom Franklin

 

Ramblers - at the heart of walking for 75 years Please visit www.ramblers75.org.uk  to find out more.

The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577, Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

Visit our website at www.ramblers.org.uk