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Our Aim is to promote walking as a means of enjoyment, exercise and social contact. We are also active in ensuring that our legacy of footpaths remains open for all walkers.
Essex Area RAMBLERS’ ASSOCIATION Annual General Meeting 2010 Saturday 6th February 2010, 10:00 to 13:00 Stock Village Hall (Exp 175 TQ694992)
The Agenda and all appropriate papers will be sent by a separate e-mailing to all EAU subscribers within the next few days. Stock Village Hall is readily accessible by public transport, being served by no. 100 Chelmsford - Lakeside bus route which stops in the village centre and operates direct from Chelmsford in the north, also from Lakeside, Grays, Stanford-le-Hope, Basildon and Billericay Rail Station in the South. And remember, No boots allowed in the hall The meeting, hosted by the Friends ES13 group, will run from 10am to 1pm with a break for refreshments. There will be a choice of two walks starting from the Hall at 2 pm Guest speaker: KATE ASHBROOK As Ramblers Trustee and General Secretary of the Open Spaces Society, Kate will address the audience on why joining the Ramblers is more than just joining a walking group. Kate will undertake her talk at a time considered appropriate by the Chair who will also designate a break for refreshments At the AGM, the Area can agree one motion to forward for debate at the General Council on 10th and 11th April 2010. If your group has such a motion, please send it for preliminary discussion at the Area Council. We can, of course, save GC’s time by submitting motions direct to the Board of Trustees. All Groups are encouraged to consider nominating a member to attend next year’s General Council at Royal Holloway University, Surrey.
WALKING INTO THE FUTURE by Kate Ashbrook, Ramblers’ trustee, writing personally – actually Kate wrote this article which is slightly adapted for the Nottingham Area newsletter.
Imagine what it was like to go for a walk before we had the official path-map. If you found an obstruction you had to prove the route was a public highway before you could get it fixed. And of course few paths were shown on Ordnance Survey maps. This year we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Act, which created definitive maps of public paths: the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, more famous for establishing the national parks of England and Wales. Yet for most people, the definitive maps were of greater daily significance. Once the Act received royal assent, ramblers worked tirelessly to claim paths over a wide area. For instance, members in Merseyside, led by Wally Smith (latterly from Beeston), explored the remote paths of Snowdonia, 60+ miles away. It was a great achievement, and we are indebted to them. Fifty years later, we won freedom to roam throughout Scotland, and on mapped open country in England and Wales. And there have been countless other victories. This year, our 75th anniversary, we shall celebrate our proud past. But, what of the future? There is room neither for complacency nor for resting on past achievements. Recent times have been tough. Last year we had to make deep cuts to ensure we started the current financial year with a balanced budget. Consequently and distressingly, we have lost many loyal, valued staff, some of them long-serving. We have had serious problems with the membership database, causing huge difficulties to individuals and membership secretaries. We recognise communications have been poor and are addressing this, in part by appointing a trustee to liaise with each Area, to listen to members’ concerns and report back. I am fortunate to have been twinned with Nottinghamshire.
Looking ahead As Britain’s walking charity we work for the wider public benefit, not just for our members. We want to create a Walking Britain, enabling everyone to walk, by improving paths and access land and encouraging people to enjoy them. Our five-year plan, Fresh Air, Firm Ground, sets our framework. Our detailed aims for this year are in the business plan (on the volunteers page of the Ramblers’ website). Crucially, we shall continue campaigning to get all paths recorded and in good order, and created where we need them and where possible working with the highway authorities’ through their rights of way improvement plans. That means reporting problems, opposing damaging changes, and lobbying to prevent path budgets from being cut. In England, we aim this year to open, unblock and newly record 500 rights of way, by teamwork between staff and volunteers. And as a last resort, or to establish an important legal principle, we shall take or support legal action. Our expertise and campaigning clout are important qualities for us. We want to be respected—and feared by those who are intent upon reducing access.
And we must publicise our campaigns and our victories. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill have been on the statute book since November, heralding a trail right round the coast of England, with coastal margin where we can roam at will. So we need to develop volunteer expertise to influence this. And before long there will be the decadal review of access land mapped under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. For Lowland England the mapping did not bring much new access. We want to ensure that more is included next time round. Whatever the outcome of the general election, there will be many new members of parliament—an opportunity to build contacts locally and nationally. It is sad that your president and our national vice-president Paddy Tipping, is standing down at the next election. He has done a truly magnificent job in supporting our interests and advising us on how to campaign in parliament and beyond. We need to do more for urban walkers, improving paths, ensuring they are recorded and opposing alley gating. Through work in towns we can spread our message and influence—beyond our lottery-funded Get Walking Keep Walking project—attracting a wider range of people to walk and campaign with us. Nottinghamshire Area led the way on diversification with the first young people’s group, the Notts Derby Walking Group, twelve years ago. Your idea of a family walks group is spot on.
We must be more flexible about creating groups based on interests rather than geographical areas. And it shouldn’t be necessary to sign your life away when you volunteer for a job. Let’s try to create better-defined roles, with a clear end-point, to attract people with limited time. Our volunteers are our lifeblood. They are worth £8 million a year! We must ensure their work is rewarding and worthwhile. And we must communicate well with them. The Ramblers will offer a warm welcome to all who walk, or might walk, will champion our paths and access-land and will work with others where our interests coincide. With tight budgets everywhere, we need to be innovative to secure spending on paths and access—but we can argue that they give value for money, will generate income from walkers, riders and cyclists, and keep us healthier. Nottingham Group’s website offers prospective members ‘Fun, friendship and good walking’. If it was not for the Ramblers there would be far fewer places for good walking.
We still have a massive task to secure those walking places, and to create a truly Walking Britain. But we shall get there.
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF THINGS Have you felt misled about the relationship between Ramblers' charitable objectives and social activities. Hopefully the following will set out the differences. Walks which groups run are a social activity just like a barn dance; a whist drive; or a coach outing. The only exception would be some walks specifically designed to engage people in walking who were otherwise unlikely to join groups walks - examples might include walks for the sight impaired; family walks; walks for schoolchildren etc. Social activities should not make a loss. In other words charity money should not be used to subsidise social activities. It is recognised that activities will need a 'float' and that some social activities, whilst mounted to make a profit, can sometimes result in a loss. A social fund or separate account is a means used by some Groups to draw a paper distinction between the charitable and social activities. In the end, all monies existing in Group funds belong to the RA. Anyone reading the very upbeat nature of the Groups' entries in the Essex Area Annual Report will know that the social walking side of our activities is going from strength to strength. However, we must keep remembering that the bulk of our membership never go on Group walks. It is this bulk of our members that we must convince to renew their membership each year. We must, as the new CEO has pointed out, continue to remind them of the work we do in keeping paths open; of lobbying for coastal access; of persuading Authorities to spend more money on our hobby. We must continue to publicise our successes so that we retain the membership of those who provide the bulk of our finance.
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR AREA CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE AREA If you have any comments on the above or any other pages within this site please contact the editor at
ear@essexarearamblers.co.uk
The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577; Scotland no SC039799) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW |
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If only Essex looked
a little more like this
. Although our landscape is a little flatter
and usually contains more mud, one of the prime functions of Area is to maintain contact between Central Office and the
various Groups that have been formed across the County. Close contact is maintained with Members of the National Executive by sending delegates along to National
Council meeting and from time to time promoting motions to be considered at
national level. We also ensure appropriate distribution of capitation and supplementary funds that are necessary for the efficient running of the Groups. We also have an undertaking to help set up and support formation of new Groups to meet the needs of developing communities across Essex and an involvement in how London is providing for walkers.