What a great time of year it is to be out walking.
The trees are looking stunning at the moment. It's not only the Autumn season, but the start of the Ramblers Annual General Meeting (AGM) season – which means that I get a chance to join Areas on their pre-AGM walks, to visit parts of the countryside I don’t normally get to see.
I’m looking forward to it.
For 75 years
Plans are well underway to celebrate our 75th anniversary next year. (Have you seen the fabulous vintage illustration that's currently on our home page?) It’s an opportunity to celebrate all that we’ve achieved, as Britain’s walking charity, over the past 75 years. I was watching Andrew Marr’s The Making of Modern Britain on television last night, which covers the tumultuous first half of the 20th century - when Britain was making great leaps towards democracy and greater equality. I was thinking how the Ramblers has been very much part of that modernisation of Britain – campaigning for everyone, whatever their status or background, to have access to the countryside and opportunities to enjoy the freedom of walking. The 75th celebrations are also an opportunity for us to look forward – to celebrate how we’re evolving, building on our achievements from the past 75 years, to take the Ramblers into the 21st century and remain relevant in the future. That’s why we’re also doing new types of activities – like promoting walking for families, and for people who don’t walk at all.
Different Areas and Groups are planning their own celebrations, within the overall themes for the year. I'm looking forward to attending North East Lancashire's day of celebration on Saturday 26th June. Each of the Groups within the area - Clitheroe, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Burnley & Pendle and Blackburn & Darwen are organising one or more walks to the summit of Pendle Hill. We are all meeting at the trig point at 1.00pm for a picnic lunch.
One of the highlights of the year will be the 75th Anniversary baton walk. The baton won’t directly be passed from group to group – the emphasis is on its passage through Britain. Take the baton on a Group walk, and take a photo and send it to us. These will be put on a special 75th Anniversary website. More details in the volunteering news section (click here) - and there will be more updates to follow.
We will be delighted to hear from you about your ideas to take part in the celebration of 75 years. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight the important work that Ramblers volunteers do for your community. It is also a chance to recruit new members. Please let the team know your plans by emailing them to 75anniversary@ramblers.org.uk.
Business Plan published
The Ramblers financial year runs from October to September, and we have recently published our business plan for the new financial year. A web version is available on the volunteers section of the website. We’ve also produced a three-minute YouTube video, for those who prefer not to go through a long document, highlighting some of our targets for the year.
The past year has been a very difficult one, for the Ramblers and for other charities. The Board, and the Senior Management Team (SMT), have needed to take some very tough decisions in a very short space of time. We’re in the longest recession in living memory, and we’re not yet through those tough times. But we’re in a stronger position than before – with a balanced budget agreed.
A coastal access milestone
We’re almost at the finishing point for the coastal access legislation. After nearly a year in Parliament, we expect the Bill to receive Royal Assent in the next few weeks. A huge congratulations to all volunteers who have helped with the campaign – over a four-year period – and also to Justin Cooke, our Senior Policy Officer, who has guided our work. We’ll be celebrating and thanking our supporters during November, and then the work to achieve the coastal route changes gear. We need to ensure that the right secondary legislation is proposed by ministers, we need to work with Natural England in the selection of the four pilot areas, and we aim to recruit and train around 80 volunteers to help with getting the best route in those pilots. Justin says that he is looking forward to spending less time in his suit in the corridors of Westminster, and more time in his boots along the coast.
See you next month
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