Puttenham Barn is looking for more wardens

Puttenham Camping Barn

The barn in Puttenham (opposite the church) offers basic accommodation for people walking and cycling in the Surrey Hills. It’s an eco-friendly oasis of calm in our busy area, open between Easter and the end of October, and run by a charitable trust and volunteer wardens. 2014 was the busiest year ever, and sadly some potential visitors had to be turned away due to difficulty finding wardens.

Our wardens:

  • get training and support
  • welcome fellow cyclists and others to the barn
  • make a practical and positive contribution to a great venture.

If you’d be interested in joining the panel of wardens, please contact Helen Juden or Mark Waters, local CTC members who are also wardens and can tell you more.

Helen Juden a mailto link to helen@judens.co.uk

Mark Waters a mailto link to markw48@gmail.com

Jonathan Bell – hand-cyclist – training for Coast-to-coast charity ride in April

A few weeks ago I was contacted about Jonathan Bell, who was in the Army, seriously injured in a training accident in the 1990s and paralysed below the upper back. He rides a hand-cranked recumbent trike and is riding coast to coast, Morecambe to Filey, over three days starting 6th April, to raise money for Blesma (British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association) – see https://www.justgiving.com/C2CFORBLESMA/.  He wants to do some training out in the Surrey Hills (he’s going to meet a few in Lancashire and Yorkshire!) but is a bit nervous about riding on his own on busy roads because his trike is very low down.
jonathan_bell
He lives in Weybridge, Oatlands Village area, so quite close to some of us. I have taken him out for five rides so far but it would be good if someone else could help out too.

I enjoy the rides – he’s good company.  I’ve taken him up quite a few hills in the North Downs.  He’s found them tough but he’s got up them.  It’s quite amazing what he can do despite his handicap.  The rides have averaged 30 hilly miles so far, at an average riding speed around 9 mph.  His trike is very fast down hills, thanks to his small frontal area, but pretty slow up them.  On flat terrain he can average more like 12 mph.

If you would like to accompany Jonathan on a ride, or would like further details, contact him (01932 962175, 07710 344121, jcbelluk@gmail.com) or me (01483 870218, chris@jeggo.org.uk).  Do it soon;  he’s only got a few weeks to get fit for this challenge.

Magazine deadline

This is a reminder that 26th February is the deadline for submission of articles for possible inclusion in the Apr-Jun issue of The West Surrey Cyclist.  Send them to editor@westsurreyctc.co.uk.

Those of you who do not currently receive The West Surrey Cyclist might like to know that it appears quarterly.  In addition to various articles by members it includes the coming quarter’s Rides List.  It’s possible to receive the magazine either in printed form or by email as a PDF file.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR PRINTED COPIES OF THE MAGAZINE AND RIDES LIST IS £6. Send a cheque payable to ‘West Surrey CTC’ to Phil Hamilton, 165 York Road, Woking GU22 7XS.

PDF COPIES OF THE MAGAZINE AND RIDES LIST ARE FREE. Send an email to editor@westsurreyctc.co.uk to be added to the distribution list.

Dane Maslen, Editor

Annual Dinner 28th February

Thank you to those who have already responded and booked their places at the dinner on 28th February, which this year will feature not only the presentation of awards, some expected and some with an element of surprise, but also a short talk by Chris Juden, who no doubt has a fund of interesting stories from his 30 years working with CTC.
This is a final reminder for those who have not yet booked; please contact me by e-mail (ridessecretary@westsurreyctc.co.uk) or phone to reserve your place and advise your menu choices; see post of 15 January for all further details.