News Stories from January February and March 2011

Relevant to: All members
Date posted: 11 March 2011
For information: A Statement from Rodney Whittaker, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Especially relevant to: Walk leaders. Posted: 8th March 2011. For information: Promote your best walk on the BBC's website and Springwatch Easter special.

Especially relevant to: All volunteer roles
Posted: 19 January 2011
For information: A new Volunteer Feature looks at how the Ramblers externally funded project Get Walking Keep Walking has worked together with local volunteers in Manchester to help set up a brand new Ramblers Group.

Especially relevant to: GC delegates, Area Chairs, Area Secretaries, Membership Secretaries (Area and Group)
Posted 24th February 2011
For information: the report of the inquiry by Andy Rogers into the troubled introduction of the Ramblers CRM system

Especially relevant to: Area and Group Treasurers.
Posted: 7th March 2011.
For information and action: An additional training session for new Treasurers has provisionally been arranged for Saturday 14th May 2011 at Ramblers central office.

Especially relevant to: All volunteers
Published on: 9 March 2011
For Information: Find out the headlines from the survey as well as how you can be involved in future work on volunteer support and development.

Relevant to: Group Footpath Secretaries, Area Footpath Secretaries, Group Access Officers, Area Access Officers, Group Countryside Secretaries, Area Countryside Secretaries and Pathorder Recipients.
Published: 10 March 2011
For Information: This questionnaire is aimed at anyone who recieves Footpath Worker.

Especially relevant to: General Council delegates, Area Secretaries
Posted: 27th January 2011
For Information and Action. Provides details of deadlines in the run-up to General Council, Keble College, 16-17 April; and electronic forms.

Relevant to: All members and Group and Area volunteers
Posted: 10 March 2011
For information: Following the success of Get Walking Day 2010, this is a request for Ramblers Groups across Great Britain to put on a walk for Get Walking Day 2011.

Especially relevant to Walk Leaders, Walks Program Coordinators, Secretaries, Chairs, Publicity Officers, Newsletter Editors and Website Editor. Posted: 10/01/2011. For information; A reminder that Get Walking Day will take place over the weekend of 14/15 May this year.

Especially relevant to all volunteers interested in led walks and promoting walking work
Posted: 25 January 2011
For information and action. An invitation to join us in a new series of events aimed at helping you run successful led walks, reach new audiences and build Ramblers’ membership

Especially Relevant to: Area Chairs, Area Secretaries, Group Chairs and Group Secretaries
Posted: 9 March 2011
For information: How to request long and good service certificates signed by the Chair of the board of trustees, and deadlines for making requests.

Especially relevant to: GC delegates, Area Chairs, Area Secretaries
Posted 24th February 2011
For discussion: The report from the inquiry by James Thorne into the governance arrangements of the Ramblers, as requested by GC 2010.

Relevant to: All volunteer roles and members
Published: 9 March 2011
For Information: Improving volunteer communications

Relevant to: All volunteer roles and members
Published: 25 February 2011
For Information: Do you, or your Group, feel restricted by the way led walks are currently delivered?

Have your say on making it easier to organise a varied programme of walks.

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Secretaries, Area/Group Membership Secretaries, Chairs, Area Treasurers and Publicity Officers
Posted: 17 January 2011
For information and action: Reminder about the new recruitment initiative for Areas and Groups

Especially relevant to: Area Membership Secretaries, Chairs and Publicity Officers
Posted 22 February 2011
For information: A breakdown of Ramblers members by Area for the beginning of February 2011, comparing the figures with the start of the financial year (beginning of October 2010)

Especially relevant to: Area Membership Secretaries, Chairs and Publicity Officers
Posted 10 January 2011
For information: A breakdown of Ramblers members by Area for the beginning of January 2011, comparing the figures with the start of the financial year (beginning of October 2010)

Especially relevant to: Membership Secretaries, General Secretaries, Chairs and Publicity Officers
Posted 10 January 2011
For information: This news item provides a year on year membership figures update

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Footpath Secretaries and others carrying out practical path work.
Posted: 10 February 2011.
For information: new footpath handbook available for volunteers

Relevant to: Walk Leaders, Programme Co-coordinators, Chairs, Secretaries
Date Posted: 28 March 2011
For Information: New training resources for walk leaders and trainers available on the Ramblers website.

Especially relevant to: Membership Secretaries
Posted: 18 January 2011
For information: The option of joining an Area without joining a Group will be made clearer to new online joiners as part of a two month experiment to achieve a better understanding of what members want and to increase efficiency and effectiveness

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Practical Path Work Coordinator, Area/Group Footpath Secretaries, Area/Group Countryside Secretaries and Area/Group Access Officers and Volunteers who take part in practical path work.
Posted: 28 March 2011
For information: New factsheet published by the Walking Environment team on about how different aspects of the law may need to be considered when undertaking practical path work is now available

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Footpath Secretaries, Area/Group Countryside Secretaries, Area/Group Access Officers and Publicity Officers
Posted: 17 February 2011.
For information: New factsheet published by the Walking Enviroment team on 'How to respond to a consultation' is now available

Relevant to: led walks and project volunteers and Area and Group committees
Date posted: 16 March 2011
For information. Radio 4 has been investigating how Ramblers Groups and funded projects like Get Walking Keep Walking are increasingly working together to make walking accessible to all and help us appeal to a wider audience.

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Footpath Secretaries, Countryside Secretaries, Area/Group Secretaries, Area/Group Access Officers and Area/Group Publicity Officers.
Posted: 9 February 2011.
For information: Re-cap of Ramblers response to forestry commission consultation

Especially relevant to: (In England and Wales) Area and Group Footpath Secretaries, Path Order Recipients, ‘Grass roots’ footpath volunteers.
Posted: 31 March 2011
For action: Please complete the Ramblers rights of way survey.

Relevant to: All volunteer roles and members
Published: 3 March 2011
For Information: New knowledge-sharing forums for Ramblers volunteers now online

Relevant to: All members
Date posted: 15 March 2011
For information: A Statement from Rodney Whittaker, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Especially relevant to: Area/Group Footpath Secretaries, Countryside Secretaries, Area/Group Secretaries, Area/Group Access Officers and Publicity Officers
Posted: 19 January 2011.
For information: New plaques promoting Ramblers practical work

Especially relevant to: All Volunteer
Posted 22nd December 2010
For information: The Big Volunteer Survey 2010 . This is an opportunity for all Ramblers Volunteers to tell us what they think.

Especially relevant to: Area and Group volunteers in England concerned with led waks and promoting walking.
Posted: 29 March 2011
For information: The Walking for Health project in England is being moved from its current home at Natural England to a non-government host. Ramblers has expressed an interest in hosting the project in future and is currently working to try to achieve this.

Especially relevant to all volunteers involved in organising led walks.
Posted 26 January 2011
For information.
A new e-newsletter, The Leader Column, has just been launched for Ramblers walk leaders.

Especially relevant to: Area and Group Treasurers.
Posted: 14th February 2011.
For information and action: Dates have provisionally been set for three Treasurer training sessions during March and April.

Especially relevant to: Area Access Officers and Group Access Officers
Posted: 11 January 2011
Information Request: To Area and Group Access Officers to send us their latest Access reports.