A trip to Manchester…

Ride Sheffield and Peak District MTB have been lucky enough to be included in a really exciting nationwide project organised by the BMC – Mend our Mountains.  The BMC (British Mountaineering Council) traditionally represented climbers and hill walkers, but are expanding their reach to include other moorland and mountain users, including us mountain bikers!  The BMC have achieved so much as a representative body for the outdoors, fighting for the rights of their huge membership base.  We’re really rather pleased to be involved in their latest project, we as mountain bike advocacy groups have much to learn from them.

Si headed over to Manchester for a meeting with the BMC, along with Chris from Peak District MTB and representatives from across the UK’s National Parks.  Each Park updated the room on their respective projects and we all shared ideas on how best to move forward together.  Together being the key word here, as the BMC pull everyone in the same direction.

Apologies for being a little vague here, we’re holding off on proper announcements until the BMC project goes live in October, but we’re confident that the mountain bike world will be behind us on this one, locally and nationally!

Once the BMC go live, we’ll explain it all in full;

• What the BMC’s involvement is
• What our project is and all the other groups we’re including
• What you can do!

Peak District MTB and Ride Sheffield have fought hard to be included in wider projects like this and it really feels as though we’re turning a corner.  We’re now familiar faces to many other advocacy groups and we’re really driving the point home that mountain bikers can be responsible and hardworking – and that we’re well worth including in the conversation.

Watch this space for the project launch proper, we’ll not keep quiet on this one!