Brookhouse, Denbigh – A lane commuting and leisure cyclists relish as part of their journey.
Surge in cycling interest & support for ACTION NOW.
With facebook membership currently exceeding one thousand seven hundred, a working party has been formed to take this group forward. Its Terms of Reference are outlined here:- .
PURPOSE.
To support the development of safe and attractive Active Travel routes within, and between, the towns and villages of Denbighshire that are accessible to cyclists, walkers, and others. To benefit people’s health, the environment and the local economy.
OBJECTIVES.
1. Campaign in line with our stated purpose;
2. Attract new members in support of our cause, primarily people living or working in Denbighshire, but also those with close links with the County;
3. Maintain a forum for respectful and constructive discussion between supporters;
4. Collect and share information and data that will promote and support our cause;
5. Generate creative and innovative ideas and proposals;
6. Work constructively with all other stakeholders, including the Council and local landowners to work towards our Purpose and Objectives;
7. Support opportunities to attract external funding into the County, including from Welsh Government and grant-giving bodies;
8. Work in a co-productive way that involves supporters as much as possible in decision making;
9. Ensure diversity and exclusivity in all we do.
WORKING PARTY MEMBERS
Paddy Taylor
Hi my name is Paddy Taylor and I am a Denbigh resident. My wife and I and our three children love to go for family cycles, but at the moment we have to load all our bikes onto the trailer and drive to somewhere cycle-friendly to do so which kind of defeats the object. The roads around Denbigh are just too dangerous to cycle on with kids. I also like to walk and run and I am keen for towns and villages across the county to be connected by ‘active travel routes’ to enable people to cycle, walk, run, skate etc. instead of always getting into their cars. In this way we can all improve our physical and mental health and wellbeing, experience the great outdoors and reduce carbon emissions and pollution. I started a Change.org petition last year which called on Denbighshire County Council to get on with the job of creating more active travel routes in and around Denbigh. The petition was signed by over 500 people which just shows how much public support there is for this. I hope this group can continue to lobby DCC and make active travel a reality.
Trystan Rowlands
Trystan has strong links with Cycling in Denbighshire and in particular Denbigh where he lived for 24 years before moving to Conwy County. Trystan is a British Cycling Level 1 Ride Leader and a British Cycling Level 2 MTB leader and he regularly takes groups of cyclists on organised rides throughout Denbighshire. He has a vast knowledge of shared path routes in the Vale and also on routes in the Clwydian Range and Berwyn Hills in the South of the County. Trystan would like to see active travel routes created to link up towns and villages and eventually routes to link up areas like the Clwydian Range, Coed Llandegla, Brenig and Llangollen.
Ruthin – a perfect hub for a creative community based on cycling.
Dennis Kay
I would probably describe myself as a returner to cycling, now having a little more time on my hands. Although I personally feel quite confident on the roads, I have noticed when cycling with other, newer riders that they can feel really apprehensive when cycling in traffic. I believe that this can lead newer cyclists to either give up or limit the cycling that they do. It is easy for those responsible for active travel routes to ignore a lone voice calling for change. I feel that a group like this, spread throughout the County, can have much more influence on the creation and development of such routes.
Andy Lewis-Olding
Living in Ruthin, I work as an outdoor activities and Bikeability instructor in North Wales and beyond. I am a passionate cyclist and spend many hours cycling around the Vale of Clwyd with all my family who are all keen cyclists. In short, I love everything about cycling and the more people I see out riding bikes the happier it makes me feel.
Fergus Murray
Lives in the Vale of Clwyd. He is 53 years old and began cycling on municipal tracks in Greater London during the late 1970s. He has always ridden bikes and is a member of Rhyl Cycling Club. He helps organise Vale of Clwyd Time Trial events during summer months and North Wales Cyclocross League races in winter. Fergus would like to see better paths in Denbighshire serving pedestrians and cyclists and other users including disabled groups. He believes that improved cycling and walking options are necessary for sustainability and public health. Better cycling and walking infrastructure would benefit all the communities of Denbighshire. Fergus considers that Denbighshire families get a poor user experience at present and that travel between the towns is perilous for young families and the inexperienced. He would like Denbighshire County Council to take strategic action over the longer term to develop active travel infrastructure for the next century.
The Three Pigeons, Craigfechan.. An ancient and delightful stop off.
Ruth Astbury
Ruth is an independent marketing consultant (and part-time personal fitness trainer) with experience in marketing communications and events sector. She began her career at the Houses of Parliament and then moved to the private sector where she worked as a communication manager before moving to the advertising sector. Over the last few years, Ruth has combined her marketing and advertising experience with her passion for cycling by immersing herself into the world of cycling. She has World Tour experience and was responsible for the community outreach programme, fan zone and promotion of the UAE Tour challenge. She started racing in her 40s, competing and organising various amateur events across the UAE and is passionate about getting more women into the sport. Since moving back to the UK, she has set up a women’s fitness business, got involved in community projects for the Ruthin Town Council and worked on their bid to become the preferred partner for Welsh Cycling’s North Wales Velodrome. Finally, she is also a Committee Member of Ruthin Cycling Club responsible for the development of the club and increasing female membership.
Roger Rowett
I live in Llandyrnog and have cycled all my life and currently have an electric touring bike and a mountain bike. I have worked mainly in youth work, social care and education. I have also worked in regulation and inspection within care and education. Most recently I have run my own business for the last 14 years. I started the group because of a belief that safe cycle and walking groups can benefit people’s health, the planet, and the economy – bit of a ‘no-brainer’ really! I also believe safe off-road paths can better connect communities and that Denbighshire could create a real name for itself as the ‘go to’ place for people wanting to experience the wonderful environment that surrounds us.
Beth Ward
In 2019 we hopped on our bikes and set out on a ride that took us to Istanbul (and back again). Since being back on home soil we have made it our mission to help other people benefit from the joys that cycling can bring. As part of this we have recently set up a social enterprise in North Wales – Drosi Bikes which promotes bikes and electric bikes as a fun, accessible and low impact option for travel. We convert bikes to e-bikes making them more affordable, and recycle and refurbish even the dustiest of bikes reducing waste and helping people get out on two wheels. We believe that by making the cycling infrastructure in Denbighshire safer, more people will choose to cycle more often.
