NLBS News
The talk was well attended and £175 was raised through a raffle and donations for Vyv's chosen charity - Cancer Research UK. Thank you to everyone for their support of this event.
Crook O'Lune East Bridge has reopened
The bridge at the Crook O' Lune reopened on Wednesday 26 October.
The listed structure was closed in March after an inspection showed problems, particularly with the timber beams supporting the deck.
The county council has carried out work to provide a new temporary bridge deck, supported by scaffolding, to allow people to use it again.
A scaffolding company has constructed a walkway, above the current bridge deck, which will be supported by the original metal arch structure beneath. The county council has then put down a non-slip surface ahead of its reopening.
The current diversion, which redirects people over the Caton Lune Bridge on Low Road, will be removed when work on the temporary bridge and some maintenance works on Caton Lune Bridge are complete.
Officers are currently exploring options to attract outside grant funding to help to pay for a refit which would be needed to completely restore the bridge.
The bridge has been designed so that it is suitable for use by horse riders however please be aware that the temporary bridge deck is not as wide as the original.
British TREC Championships 2011
Well done to members of our local Bowland TREC Group who all did very well at the Championships held in Dartmoor. Helen Wain riding Jasper was in the top ten of the Level 3 individual competition and the Bowland Babes team came 6th in the team class.
Special congratulations to Jane Armstrong-Lancaster and Even Worse aka Spot for being awarded the Walbro Lucky Jim Pertpetual Plate at British TREC Championships for the highest PTV score.
Busy Easter Weekend for NLBS
Members and friends of the NLBS had a busy Easter weekend - collecting the gate money at Whittington Point to Point Races on Easter Saturday and running the annual fund raising ride at Farleton on Easter Sunday. The weather was perfect for both events. 70 riders took part in the fund raising ride and we had some very positive feedback. It is always hectic on the day of an event so we'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our helpers, both on the day and those involved in the run-up, which made both these events successful.
New BHS dedicated accident reporting website
www.horseaccidents.org.uk is the new BHS dedicated accident reporting website . It is hoped that everyone who is involved in any equestrian related incident will go directly to the website and report their issues. Hard statistical evidence is needed to lobby those in a position to make changes.
I would like to thank NLBS for the £30 gift voucher received as a leaving present in May.
Look for "Tide waits for no horsewoman!" by Packhorsebridge
| Results: | £4,752 if you have not got your own transport |
| £3,536 transport costs | |
| TOTAL: | £8,288 FOR THE TWO THIRDS OF US THAT HAVE HORSE TRANSPORT |
Horse owners in this area (at least 1600 of us) are contributing a very substantial £7,603,200 into the local economy
This does not include the rates on private stables and equine businesses which are paid to the local council which were not included in the survey because of their very personal nature.
Vicky Lowe Download a copy of the report here.
Meet the NLBS
This site now hosts a new feature, "Meet the NLBS".
Any members wishing to feature on the website, please forward a few details of themselves and/or horses and pictures, if possible to content@nlbs.org.uk
It is a way of getting to know each other and highlighting the wonderful people that are our members. You can add as many or as few details as you wish. Things that might be interesting to know are name, age group, profession, base area, horsey interests, words of wisdom, horsey item you could not live without etc - or anything you can think of!
This is your society and your website so please join in!
Still on the Right Track 10 Years Later
North Lancashire Bridleways Society has marked its 10th anniversary with a special night of celebration.
Formed by just a handful of riders who were keen to expand the then pretty dismal offering of bridleways in the North Lancashire area, the organisation has gone from strength to strength, and now boasts more than 300 members.
On December 1st many of those members danced the night away at Arkholme Village Hall and chief amongst the dancers was founding member and chair of the society, Eve Hall.
Eve, from Hest Bank, first came up with the idea of getting a few like minded horsey folk together to try and develop a wider bridleway network. It was an article in the ‘Horsebox’ column of the Lancaster Guardian which made the suggestion that a bridleway society be established and people began to get in touch with Eve. Not in her wildest dreams, however, could she have imagined how the organisation would grow and what it would go on to achieve. Of the fourteen members at the inaugural meeting, ten still remain very supportive and active members of NLBS ten years later!
Not only has it been successful in identifying and reclaiming existing bridleways, but it has also become a powerful lobbying organisation, ensuring horse riders are considered in the creation of new off-road routes, such as the Millennium Park in the Lune Valley. It has also worked hard to raise funds to support its efforts and raise awareness of the need for other road users to consider the safety of horses and riders.
Perhaps one of its greatest achievements though has been the network of like-minded folk it has brought together, of all ages, all backgrounds and from all parts of the district. Members have offered support and advice to each other on all issues equine. The monthly organised rides have helped ensure people have had the opportunity to ride and discover different parts of the district. Many have shared riding holidays away from the district and a myriad of strong friendships have been made.
The form of the celebration was the idea of Katarina Pardula, who was our first secretary. She is still a member of the NLBS and offered to organise the event for us – a wonderful gesture & one for which we were very grateful.
When the members raised their glasses to toast their 10th year anniversary on 1st December, they could be certain their society has lived up to its own slogan and is definitely ‘On the Right Track’.
Think Horse Signs
The Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC) has donated £l250 towards placing more signs in our rural areas requesting motorists to ‘Think Horse’.
The signs are the idea of the NLBS and aim to warn motorists that there may be someone riding a horse around the next corner.
Chair of the NLBS, Eve Hall, said the signs were necessary and thanked PC Paul Winder for his help in securing the funding.
She said, “I have had reports of many near misses and we felt we needed to do something to protect the riders, many of whom are young children.
“We would just urge people who drive around the rural areas just to slow down and think. It may only knock a few seconds off their journey but could prevent a tragic accident.
“I approached PC Winder with the idea and he was only too happy to help and we are all delighted with the grant.”
PC Winder, Community Beat Manager for Halton and the Upper Lune Valley, said: “This scheme is an excellent initiative and LANPAC were only too happy to help.”
Ian Groundwater from LANPAC said: “The partnership aims to back schemes which will help improve public safety and this one certainly fitted the bill – we hope it is a great success.”
Jan 08 Think Horse footnote
The 'Think Horse' notices were initially the idea of Lady Mary Towneley, who instigated the Mary Towneley Loop and who devoted so much of her life to developing off-road riding routes & encouraging safer riding in general. NLBS has continued and developed the idea of 'Think Horse' signs, but we are now running into the problem of some of the signs being removed by the Highways Department, as such signs should only be placed on private land. We are looking into this problem so please, 'watch this space'!