Be Nice, Tread Light: Meeting 9th October

“The Great Outdoors is for everyone.”

“Walkers, horse riders, cyclists, however you get around,
we all enjoy the beauty and serenity of our wild areas
for the same reasons – stunning landscape, wonderful wildlife and fantastic flora. So Be Nice, Say Hi to everyone you meet!”

If you have ever flipped over a Be Nice Say Hi beermat and perused the back of it while you were waiting for your mate to return from the bar, that is what you would have read. It sums up not only how we feel about it, but its supported by the Sheffield Ramblers and Hallam Horse riders (not to mention the Outdoor City and Peak District National Park)

Its a pretty simple idea that we should all be able to get behind, but conflict still occurs from time to time; encouraged by social media and what would seem to be the current national appetite for division, we end up with a potent cocktail for conflict and frustration at a time when escaping into the Peak seems more important than ever.

So we decided that the best thing to do would be to take the debate offline and into the Pub! We are going to be meeting in the Norfolk Arms, Ringinglow, S11 7TS on Wednesday the 9th of October at 7.15pm. The idea is simple, bring all user groups together with land managers to chat about our shared responsibility to look after the countryside we love as well as achieving better understanding of the needs and issues of different user groups. We all understand that what we do has an impact on the environment, but what is important is how we can tackle and minimise this collectively without finger pointing.

We have representatives from Peak District National Park, Eastern Moors Partnership, Sheffield City Council, the Sheffield Wildlife Trust and The National Trust to share their perspective as well as people from local fell running groups, ramblers, horse riders, mountain bikers and other members of the local outdoor community. It is important to note that while this meeting is organised by mountain bikers, we are not the focus of the discussion, merely the facilitators for the meeting.

As well as the guests already invited, this is a meeting for anyone to attend, we want your views on how we can make things better, all we ask is that you arrive with an open mind and a positive outlook on what can be done!

For more details please get in touch at info@ridesheffield.org.uk