Press release from Hamsterley Trailblazers: 10th March 2005

Hamsterley Forest – Funding of over £200,000 launches work to develop England’s premier mountain bike venue

February 2005 saw the go-ahead for what is believed to be the biggest proposed Mountain Bike trail building project in England. Hamsterley Trailblazers in conjunction with Forestry Commission and other funding partners have set the foundations in place to make Hamsterley Forest the premier mountain bike venue in England, to rival the established trails in Scotland and Wales. Funding for this exciting project has now exceeded the £200,000 mark and phase I of building is well under way. Trail guru Pete Laing, of 7 Stanes infamy, has been tasked with designing the new trails and skills area and is leading the way on the project’s development.

The Hamsterley Trailblazers and the Forestry Commission are keen to encourage the broadest range of cyclists to visit the forest and use the facilities. With this in mind the initial money will be spent at grass roots level. Phase I will see the development of a skills area and an off-road link between the current Visitors Centre and the Grove end of the forest. The ‘Grove Link’ will form the new Green Route and will allow mountain bikers and other cyclists to get to the Grove end of the forest without coming into conflict with other forest users. This route is also where young children, families and beginners can begin their journey into off-road riding in a safe and structured manner. The skills area is where riders of all abilities will have the opportunity to develop their skills.

Excellent progress has been made with the sub-base and some of the technical features of the skills area being well established. Anticipated completion of phase I is the end of March to mid April 2005. Any remaining money will be used to repair some of the existing red and black routes, which have seen some significant erosion over the past few years.

Mike Richardson, of Grit Mountain Biking and one of the founding members has said “This is the ‘call to arms’ that mountain biking in England has been waiting for. The amount of money that has been raised in such a short period has been phenomenal. The funding has started to become available as funding agencies and Forestry Commission have realised that the Hamsterley Trailblazers have the drive, enthusiasm and capacity to make this dream a reality. We no longer see Hamsterley as a just a UK venue. The recent IMBA grading for England was quite frankly not good enough and the Trailblazers want to see England, and Hamsterley as an international venue, drawing in riders from around the globe.”

“We need to get grass root riders from around the globe involved in projects like this. We know that there are literally thousands of mountain bikers in the North East region and beyond. We need these riders to become members so that potential funding agencies can see there is a genuine interest in mountain biking and that the money will be well spent and used. By becoming members, riders don’t necessarily have to get their hands dirty or attend meetings, it’s their support we need. We believe we have a fantastic membership package that more than covers the minimal cost. By becoming a member, or even registering an interest through our website and forum, we can keep riders up to date with progress. Probably the most important benefits for members though is that grass root riders allow us to access funds to build the trails they want, and they get a say in how their mountain bike trails will be developed in the future. We welcome new members and their views, no matter where they live.”

Ollie Graham, Trailblazers Project Manager added, “We had no idea how this project would snowball and unfold. We are looking to raise a further £2 million to get phase II under way. We now believe this is achievable and are targeting funding streams that will allow us to access the necessary funds. Pete Laing and Forestry Commission have identified over 50 km’s of virgin trail for new red and black routes at the Grove end of the forest. This will make Hamsterley the international venue we believe it can be. We have a blank canvas where we can take trail building to the next level. Like trail builders around the country, we are developing new techniques to make riding more challenging, whilst at the same time being environmentally friendly and sustainable – we are at the cutting edge of trail building.”
Funding has come from a number of public and private funding partners:

The group Chair, Andy Samanjoul, said, “Even at its inception it was recognised that a project of this magnitude was going to require significant funding and good project management to be successful. We were fortunate enough to have a highly motivated group of individuals with a wide variety of skills. We would like to make a special mention to Forestry Commission and Teesdale District Council, without whom we would not achieved this landmark occasion. Forestry Commission in particular has made significant donations in terms of planning & consultancy costs, labour, advice and tools, we are extremely grateful for their exceptional co-operation.”

The Trailblazers’ Secretary, Vicky Chilcott added “This is a tremendous achievement for us. Eighteen months of hard work by some terrific people has finally come to fruition. Our funding team has been working very hard at identifying and applying for suitable funding to make the dream a reality. We can finally start to make our vision come to life and hopefully attract many more cyclists to the forest. One of our primary aims to not just to raise the profile of the forest but to also boost the local economy which has had a number of set-backs over the past 12 months.

Trailblazers are looking to recruit new members to assist in the development of the trail network to help with ‘trail dressing’ on Saturday 9 April and Saturday 23 April. We are also co-ordinating this year’s Great Milk Stout Ride, which will be held on Sunday 15 May within the forest. Full details of trail progress, rides, latest news and member benefits can be found on the club website - www.hamsterley-trailblazers.co.uk.

Detailed Background to the Group and Project

Back in August 2003 a group of like-minded mountain bikers had a vision to see Hamsterley Forest become one of the UK’s premier off-road cycling venues. As a result of their shared enthusiasm the Hamsterley Trailblazers were born. The Trailblazers are a group of MTB enthusiasts with the common aim of making Hamsterley Forest a centre of excellence for mountain biking that attracts riders of all abilities. Their main activities are:

• Trailbuilding: renovating and maintaining existing cycle trails and developing new ones.

• Development: realising the full potential of the Forest as an MTB centre and seeking funding for development of the trails and facilities.

• Promotion: ensuring that Hamsterley attracts as many riders as possible to the Forest and its surroundings, assisting in the development of local tourism and income generation.

The development of cycle trails within the forest has the support of Forestry Commission and is planned to coincide with their phased development of Hamsterley Forest. In order to build on the success of the 7Stanes project, the group has spoken to Pete Laing (Glentress Trail Guru), who has done some work with the group and helped identify some of the areas in most need of repair as well as provide some ideas and initial costs associated with such a project.

The future plans in Phases 2 & 3 are to see a new ‘stacked loop’ trail network at the western end of the forest, away from the majority of other forest users. By moving the new network to the other end of the forest it will minimise conflict with other forest users, as well as provide a blank sheet to work from. This will allow Hamsterley Trailblazers & FE to redefine the off-road trails for the region’s mountain bikers, taking into consideration their ideas as well as capitalising on the topographic features of the forest and the adjoining moorland.

The group has identified that its trail building volunteers are pivotal to the success of the project and are very keen to increase their ranks in this respect. In order to attract members they have developed a membership package, which includes:

• Free access to Hamsterley Forest for a member’s vehicle (visit 8 times in a year and your membership pays for itself!)

• Membership to an on-line discussion forum where members can have your say and make a difference to mountain biking in County Durham.

• Fully-maintained website which has a wealth of information about trailbuilding, rides, photos and the latest developments in Hamsterley Forest – take a look at www.hamsterley-trailblazers.co.uk

• Opportunity to be part of a social group of like-minded riders on organised rides and other social activities.

• Free coaching on club rides.

• Discount on skills courses, weekend breaks and instructor courses with Grit Mountain Biking - get better for less!

• Discount at local cycle retailers (Iron Horse Cycles and Specialist Cycles) - cheaper bikes and parts!

For further information contact:

Mike Richardson
Hamsterley Trailblazers
Tel: 0798 559 2163
Email: mickrich@ps1076.freeserve.co.uk

Robin Lofthouse
Forestry Commission Recreation Ranger
Tel: 01388 488312
Email: robin.lofthouse@forestry.gsi.gov.uk