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Chairman's Chat
It is again a pleasure to report an increase in the turnout for the weekly walks and to have welcomed a
lot of new members who walk on a regular basis. Thanks again to the walk leaders who do such sterling work
in putting on such an imaginative programme.
At a national level the RA are reviewing future strategy with a draft policy "Fresh air,
Firm ground" which is out for consultation and, following this, adoption at the 2008 AGM. A copy is
available on the RA website.
The RA handbook format has changed with the emphasis moved from advertising accommodation to the
inclusion of favourite walks which ultimately will be one for each area. It is hoped the change will
encourage more people to book online and also to have a handbook people use more frequently.
We are looking on an area basis at the best way to promote walking for the under 40s age group. If
anyone of this age is interested in the formation of such a group, please get in touch. There is an
existing group in the north of Cheshire whom we have approached for talks.
As I plan to stand down at the October AGM this will be my last article as Chair. I would like to
thank everyone for their wholehearted support over the last 5 years and hope that together we have made a
small difference.
Paul Stone
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Lakes Weekend - May 2008
Over the bank holiday sixteen ramblers risked my organisational and walk-leading skills for a stay
at Monk Coniston Hall. Sixteen ramblers duly returned, so I managed not to lose anybody on the Coniston
Fells. In fact, I was quite proud of my unerring navigation!
See review of this walk.
Frank Jones
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Mortimer Trail Weekend - October 2008
If the thought of a strenuous but very enjoyable weekend is appealing, we will be walking the 30
miles of the Mortimer Trail between Ludlow and Kington in October. Walking in a NE to SW direction we will
follow a series of hills and ridges with breathtaking views of the Black mountains, Clee Hill and the
Malverns. The trail frequently descends through the forests to the Teme, Lugg and Arrow rivers where heron
and kingfishers are often seen.
The base for the walk will be the comfortable old worlde Best Western Talbot Hotel in Leominster.
We have reserved rooms at a nightly per person charge for DBB of £60 per double and £70 per single with all
rooms en suite. Bookings can be made for 2 or 3 nights and there is a wide choice of alternatives in
Leominster for those who wish to book independently.
The plan is for transport (either minibus or train) to the start at Ludlow on Saturday morning with
a minibus to meet us at the end of the first day. We will then drive and park at the finish in Kington on
the second day with a minibus to take us to the start point where we finished the previous day.
For those who wish to walk only part of the trail there are a few very interesting loop walks which
are well signposted.
Please contact us for further information.
Paul Stone
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The Roof of Africa - February 2008
The intrepid travellers made the summit of Kilimanjaro. Careful planning, preparation and days of pounding
the treadmill paid dividends.
19,455 feet were conquered in seven days – walking by day and camping under the starry sky of
Africa by night. The evenings were cold, as low as –10C and the days were hot, walking through five
different eco zones. We were looked after by two guides, Elias (who called himself a mountain soldier),
David, one cook, Boniface and an assistant, and seventeen porters!! We were shocked by the numbers but it
soon became apparent why we needed so many.
Our days were dictated by sunrise and sunset, usually tucked up in our tents by 8-00 in the evening
and rising at 6-30 in the morning.
The mountain was an awesome sight, each day getting a step closer to the dream. The summit ascent
started 12 midnight, guided only by the moon and the stars, slowly snaking across the scree slopes then
climbing the rocky section towards the top, ultimately reaching Uhruh peak for the sunrise. The summit was
worth all of the hard work, taking in the crater and the impressive glacier, having never seen such a sight
it was breathtaking and unforgettable. Our ambitions and goals now achieved, it was time to descend and
move on to our next camp.
I was literally on cloud nine to think I had made it, although I was slower and more purposeful in
my steps. We had a good night’s sleep that evening followed by a wonderful walk through the rainforest
where we encountered Colobus monkeys, a gorilla and numerous hornbills. I bid the mountain farewell and
left my boots as a gift for the next porter that made the trek to the top.
Back at the hotel, my luxury item was a small container of bubble bath which I used lavishly for a
lovely soak, the first in seven days. I wallowed for as long as I could, before heading to the bar for a
Kilimanjaro beer. What more could one ask?
On our last day, en route to the airport, we went to the local school where our donations were
gratefully received. We were able to promise to build a new school room as here education is paramount.
We met some wonderful children. Some were orphans with beautiful smiles that melted hearts. A grand finale
that could never be matched.
A wonderful, exciting, unforgettable experience that I feel very honoured and privileged to have
been a part of – a trek of a lifetime.
A big thank you to all for making it possible.
Julie Hayward
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The Sasha Foundation
Education in Tanzania is haphazard, to say the least. The free state system is a "financial black hole"
with head teachers and administrators being moved about "willy nilly". The situation is further
complicated by the fact that the mother tongue can be any one of a dozen ethnic languages. The official
language of the country is Swahili but to have any career prospects at all, it is necessary to be fluent in
English. However, educational legislation allows private schools, within the state system, to use English
as a teaching medium. We visited such a school on the outskirts of Arusha and were introduced to the
headmaster and the person who had donated the land on which the school was built.
The school is funded by some fee payers, donations and organisations like the Sasha Foundation.
The school has approximately 120 pupils of whom 30 are orphans and consequently boarders. The school day is
07-30 to 14-00.
The Foundation was formed by a member of Roy Safaris Ltd (our trek organisers in Tanzania) who
feels so blessed by his quality of education and a healthy family that he wishes to put something back.
Donations from friends, families, work colleagues and members of south Cheshire ramblers amounted to £800
and this has been given to the Foundation. We are advised that this will build another classroom, although
we thought a new kitchen might be more appropriate as the existing one comprises a shed, open on one side
and cooking on two open campfires!
Thank you for your generous donations.
The Kilimanjaro Group
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Snowdonia Weekend - May 2009
A provisional booking has been made for us to use Plas Tan y Bwlch as a base for the weekend. The imposing
mansion stands on a wooded hillside overlooking the lovely Vale of Ffestiniog. It is no ordinary country
house; since 1975 it has been Snowdonia National Park Study Centre and is extremely comfortably appointed.
There are approximately 35 rooms, a mixture of singles, twins, doubles and a few triples. Just a
few singles have washbasins only. All the other rooms are en suite. The facilities are most comprehensive:
(in no particular order) bar, boot drying room, library, games room, pay phones and a meeting room for
the group’s private use.
As far as the format for the weekend is concerned, I am open to suggestions and would welcome any
assistance with the planning and execution.
Thoughts to date:
- Snowdon (the new visitor centre will be open). Possible use of the train.
- Family walks direct from Plas Tan y Bwlch.
- Linear walks using either of the narrow gauge railways.
- Some kind of presentation in the evening, from our members or the Tan y bwlch staff.
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More information in the December newsletter.
David Vernon
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Books and Maps Library
A wide variety of books, maps and leaflets of our area and further afield is available for the use of
our members. There is also a group GPS.
Please contact us for further details.
David Smith
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Walking 2008 to date
We have had a good attendance at rambles over the last 6 months and hope that this continues with the new
programme. I would like to thank all the walk leaders for their excellent walks and if the enthusiasm at
the programme planning meeting is anything to go by, we are in for a good range of walks during this next
season.
Please see table below for monthly averages to date this year.
David Smith
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2008 to date
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Month
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Average
numbers
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January
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25
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February
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22
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March
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10
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April
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12
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May
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14
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New Members
The group has been fortunate in continuing to attract new members this year and the pattern is being
replicated thoughout the UK. The Membership Development and Publicity team at central office say they
always expect to see a spike in membership figures in the month of January because of New Year resolutions
but January 2008 exceeded all expectations. A total of 2,232 people joined this year compared with 1,700 in
January 2007.
The team say that by far the most popular reason given for people joining is "recommendation
from friend or family member" and they’re urging Groups to remember to sing the praises of walking
and how the RA helps walkers. The second and third most popular ways people hear about the RA are
"internet search engine" and "Group walksfinder" and this Group scores on both counts.
Central office say the gift membership scheme is proving to be so successful that it is now running
all year round, not just at Christmas.
For details visit The Ramblers' Association main site.
There is now also a scheme to reward existing members who sign up new members to the RA. If you
include your own membership details on your friend’s joining form central office will send you a £10 Rohan
voucher as a thank you. For more details see the tear off card in walk magazine.
Central office ask lapsed members why they don’t want to continue their membership and one of the
main reasons people give is that they didn’t have a positive experience on their first Group walk. Some have
stated that they felt unwelcome, were not talked to by other members or were left behind as the Group rushed
off into the distance. I don’t believe this could apply to our Group – most people remark how friendly they
find us and there never seems to be a shortage of chat!
Carole Bentley
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Joining the Committee - what's involved?
At the Group AGM, several members were interested in what they would be committing themselves to by
volunteering their services either as a committee member or group officer.
All the appointed officers and elected members of the group committee are members of the RA South Cheshire
Group. They are appointed/elected at the Group AGM. The committee may invite other volunteer members to join
it in between AGMs. So if you do feel like volunteering, you don’t necessarily have to wait for an AGM –
just contact us to make your interest known.
So, what does it take to join in?
- The Group Chairperson is expected to promote the aims of the RA in the Group by ensuring that
discussion and decision-making in the Group are conducted in an efficient, friendly and inclusive manner.
By facilitating disciplined meetings and building links with committee members, the chairperson keeps the
wheels of the committee oiled and moving. Amongst the skills and experience needed for this rôle are
a passion for promoting the charitable aims of the RA and an ability to motivate and engage with fellow
volunteers on the committee and to encourage discussion in meetings.
- The Group Secretary is responsible for the Group’s administration by arranging Group meetings and
the AGM as required by the constitution, acting as the primary point of contact with Central Office and with
the general public and other organisations. Skills and experience? – Enjoyment of walking and an affinity with the charitable aims of the RA.
A team player with good admin skills.
- Group Footpath Secretary contributes to the development of the opportunities and facilities for
walking in the Group’s area by working to protect and improve the local rights of way network. Ideally he/she should have a passion for walking and an affinity with the RA’s charitable aims.
An understanding of, or interest in learning about the basic rights of way law and understanding the
local authority consultation and planning processes is part of the job.
- Walks Co-ordinator (Rambles Secretary in this Group) is expected to encourage more people to
share a love of walking and an appreciation of the countryside by co-ordinating the compilation of a varied
programme of led walks for the Group. A passion for walking and an affinity with all the charitable aims of the RA and with good
ganisational skills provide good experience for this role.
- The Group Treasurer ensures that the Group remains in a healthy financial position to pursue the
RA’s charitable objectives. He/she ensures that money is not spent that the Group doesn’t have.
The Treasurer ensures that the funds received from Area (or through other sources of income) can be clearly
accounted for during each financial year. The broad duties of the Treasurer are to monitor and manage the
finances of the Group, by keeping clear records of income and expenditure and reporting regularly to the
Group committee on the financial position of the Group, to pay bills for goods and services, re-imburse
Group volunteers for out-of-pocket expenses in line with the Group re-imbursement policy, prepare end-of-year
financial statement for the Group in time for submission to Central Office around the end of October, and
arrange for the independent examination of end-of-year financial statement in time for the Group AGM.
- The Membership Secretary will ensure that new members joining the Group receive a welcome letter and
update membership information on a regular basis, receive the monthly Group membership statistics from
Central office and monitor the growth rate, as informed by Central Office ensure that lapsed members are
contacted and encouraged to renew their subscription.
- The Group Publicity Officer ensuries that the charitable work of the Ramblers' Association is given a
high profile in the Group. It is a role which focuses largely on non-members. Through the work of the
publicity officer the RA will become more effective by winning over more support from the public. The
specific ways that a Publicity Officer will carry out their role will vary and depend upon the skills
and interests of the officer and the group committee, such as producing an attractive display to publicise
the Group and arranging for it to be used in locations such as local libraries etc., contacting local media
through press-releases, articles or letters to highlight the Group activities and obtaining RA
promotional literature for display locally.
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If you wish to see a fuller description more information can be found at
The Ramblers' Association main site.
Peter Callery
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