Let's tell walkers about Ramblers successes (19/1/11)

There are about six million regular walkers in Britain, and only a fraction of them are Ramblers members. 

But without the Ramblers work to safeguard and expand footpaths, those six million walkers wouldn't have so many wonderful places to go walking!

Imagine what more we could do if more of those walkers were Ramblers members...

I think we can be a bit shy about promoting our successes to walkers and asking them to join...not just to go on led walks - but simply to support our great work. I go on walks where I never see a single promotion of the Ramblers - even though I know the Ramblers have been active in the area.  The RSPB isn't so shy - perhaps that's why it has over one million members! 

Following suggestions by volunteers, we've produced thousands of small waymarked-sized plaques which promote the practical improvement work done by volunteers and at the same time encourage the public to join the Ramblers. (Although some Ramblers Groups already use plaques, not many do, and they rarely mention the specific request: 'join'.)

 

We have produced hard plaques (to be fixed to wood) and stickers (for use on metal).

They are in our store room at central office now, but I'd rather they were being used to gently exhort the walking public to join us. To see the design, and for details of how your Group can order some, follow the link to our website below: 

 

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/Tell+walkers+about+your+practical+path+work

 

Tom Franklin

Sent from my iPhone

 

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
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

New membership trial: Area membership (18th January 2011)

One of our ambitions this year is to get to the end of it and have more Ramblers members than we started.  More members means more campaigning impact, more resources, and a bigger pool of potential volunteers.  You may have noticed that we are trying out a range of new initiatives, to get a better understanding of what motivates people to join – and to renew their membership.

For two months from 1^st February, new Ramblers members joining online via the main website will be given a clearer option of choosing to be members only of their local Area rather than a Group. This will be in addition to the existing options of asking to be allocated to a Geographical Group automatically by postcode, or choosing a Group from the dropdown list. The default will remain as automatic allocation to a Geographical Group by postcode.

We hope from this to get a better understanding of what new members want.  We currently don’t know enough about how important the ‘local group’ is to their motivation for joining.  For example, how many people join the Ramblers to support our campaigning work and don’t want to get involved in their local group?  Are we wasting resources in sending them local walks programmes that they are not interested in?  The pilot should help us to answer these sorts of questions.

In the pilot, we will be looking at:
- the proportion of new online joiners selecting this option;
- responses from Areas and Groups;
- and in the longer term, any differences in renewal rates between those who join a Group and those who don't.

More details are available on the volunteer section of the website: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/News/On-line-Area-membership-to-be-piloted

As this pilot will only affect those joining through the Ramblers website, not via printed application forms, the numbers involved for any given Group are likely to be relatively small. As always, any member, at any time, may change their Group allocation by contacting the Membership Services Team.

Tom Franklin
Chief Executive
Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/RamblersTom
Follow my blog for Ramblers volunteers at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/Volunteer/chief+executives+blog

 

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
www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland
www.ramblers.org.uk/wales

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