October 2013

 

Dear All

 

 

Bridleway News

 

·         Heap Road (near old Norden Chimney)

You may remember that there had been an objection to the bridleway upgrade.  The appeal hearing at the High Court got thrown out and Heap Road is now officially a bridleway.  The Council have promised to put signs up but so far have not been forthcoming.

·         Ashworth Concessionary

Ashworth Concessionary route has proved very popular this summer as it gives a nice long off-road route linking Norden to Buckhurst and back through Birtle.  Someone has dumped a big pile of road plainings across the gateway at the Croston Close Road end and United Utilities are liaising with the offender to get them moved.  There is a gap in the fence to help us out temporarily.

·         Buckhurst

The route through Buckhurst Farm is still blocked.  Evidence has been submitted to Lancashire Council by Chris Peat of Forest of Rossendale Bridleways Association but it could take a while to get it opened again.

·         Roods Lane (down by the old Three Owls Bird Sanctuary)

Some of you may know that earlier this year the council turned up and put a kissing gate at the top of Roods Lane.  This would have prevented any access for horses.  Luckily someone took it out before the concrete set and we swung into action putting in evidence to claim the path right through to School Lane as a bridleway.  So far very little progress has been made but all the landowners on the route have agreed that they will dedicate it as a bridleway which should, in theory, make things a bit easier but time will tell.  In the meantime, please don’t canter or gallop along Woodtop, a few weeks ago someone reported to me that three girls had galloped past him while he was walking his dog and the third one just shouted sorry as she went past at full pelt!  Luckily he isn’t anti-horse but it’s this kind of behaviour that is likely to spoil it for everyone.  This route is vital so if you see anyone being stupid please put them straight.

·         Greenbooth

United Utilities have recently widened the narrow path on the Greenbooth Concessionary making it safer for you and your horse.

 

Dates for Your Diary

·         28^th October – Dani Paizis Physiotherapist 8.00 pm at The Pack Horse

·         25^th November – Cheese & Wine at Horsebits in Ramsbottom.  A change of scenery this year.  From 7.00 pm

·         7^th December – Christmas Dinner at the Pack Horse.  We don’t have the final menu at the moment but it will be on the website soon.  It will be £20 per head, payable when booking.

The full social calendar for next year is being put together, if you have anything you would like to do or any suggestions for speakers please let one of the Committee know.  You can also contact us via Facebook.

 

25 Years of Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association

We had a packed meeting to celebrate our 25 year anniversary.  Gwen, Joan and Irene did a fantastic job getting displays of our achievements together.  We had a visit from the Manchester Branch of the BHS and they couldn’t believe how many people we had attending and how many achievements we had in opening and improving bridleways in our area.

Reviews

 

·         Trec

A very successful Trec Competition went ahead on 19^th August.  We are very grateful to Emma Metcalfe for allowing us to use their facilities at Rough Lea Farm.  It turned out to be exceptional.  The day before was very wet and we looked at the obstacle course in heavy rain and strong winds but luckily the weather improved for Sunday and we managed to stay dry.  The competition consisted of three phases, a very long orienteering phase, a challenging obstacle course and a control of paces (easier said than done).  Everyone had a lot of fun.  Full results are available on the website and we made about £200 for the Association.  Thanks also go to Gill Morrell for doing a fantastic job organising it all.

 

·         Celebration Ride

8 riders gathered to enjoy a lovely ride across the Ashworth Concessionary through to Birtle on what was a lovely sunny day.  All the horses (and riders) were well behaved and we stopped at the Church Inn for a drink before heading back home.  Just for information, any events we hold are insured by the BHS and one of conditions of that insurance is that hi-viz must be worn by all riders, so if you intend to join us on any ridden event please wear your bridleways vest, if possible or any hi viz clothing… yes we know it’s not high fashion but it could save your life.

 

Funding

 

We have managed to get the promise of some funding from Rochdale Township with Councillor Wera Hobhouse donating £850 and Jim Gartside donating £100.  We are going to use this for improving the drainage on the river crossing at Paperhouse Bridge and resurfacing and clearing the stones from the track which goes from Overtown Lane at Red Lumb up towards Rough Lea Farm.  We are looking at ways to get a bit more funding and if we manage it we are planning to clear the weeds and rubble from the path behind Lea Holme Farm.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara

 

March 2013

 

Dear All

 

Just when we thought spring was in the air – it snows, this winter is never ending!!

 

Bridleway News

 

·         Heap Road (near old Norden Chimney)

Some of our members have been approached by members of the public saying that they shouldn’t be riding up Heap Road through to Durnford Close.  We are aware that an objection has been submitted to the High Court but we have no further details as the Council haven’t contacted us.  We are speaking to our BHS rep about this.  Please do not stop riding it.

·         Red Lumb

Some grids have been installed across Overtown Lane in Red Lumb (at the bottom of Joan’s hill) which are causing some horses a problem.  If you do have an issue can you please report it to the council by ringing 0845 2261800This is an on-going issue

·         Ashworth Concessionary

The route through Ashworth Reservoir is now OPEN!!! Well done Gwen on getting United Utilities to put the bridge in, apparently it’s fantastic.  If you do ride through please remember that no cantering is allowed even though it is very tempting.  We can lose it just as quickly as we got it if the rules are not followed and remember it has cost us a lot of money too.  If you don’t know the way through contact one of the Committee.

·         Caldershaw

We have received an e-mail from a resident in the Caldershaw area regarding more and more horses galloping across the green area opposite St. Vincents school entrance on Caldershaw Road.  Please keep to the edge of the field and if there are any other members of the public on there, playing or walking their dogs, please keep to the road.  A bit of consideration will go a long way in helping to keep our neighbours on side.

·         Buckhurst

We are aware that the route through Buckhurst Farm has been blocked.  We are talking to the owners and will hopefully get a successful resolution.  If you ride through there please do not aggravate the land owners as this might lead to a permanent closure and it is not a public bridleway.

Dates for Your Diary

·         25^th March   - Pete “A professional Show Man” and what this entails.

·         29^th April     - Open Forum

·         20^th May      - Global Herbs

All meetings at the Pack Horse, starting at 8.00 pm


The full social calendar is on the website.

 

25 Years of Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association

Some of you may be aware that it is 25 years since the association was first formed.  To celebrate we are going to have a celebration evening on 29^th July at The Pack Horse.  Tickets will be £5 which will include a raffle ticket and food.  (We need to sell tickets to get numbers for the food).  Tickets will be available from Monday night.

Reviews

 

·         Annual General Meeting – 28^th January 2013

 

The Annual General Meeting was attended by about 60 people.

 

It was proposed by Pat Tough and seconded by Sue Crisci that the Officers be re-elected, Roger Mee (Chairman), Barbara Brown (Secretary) and Gill Morrell (Treasurer).  Three new committee members were voted in, Margaret Varley and June Timperley from Bury side and Emma Metcalfe from Norden.

Janet O’Connor has stepped down as Social Secretary.  Roger thanked her as she has done a fantastic job for the last few years.  Gill Ridings is taking over this role.

Gill Morrell presented the accounts.

The majority of people were in support of holding a Trec Competition and thought that a practice day would be a good idea.  The date for is 18^th August 2013.

Jane Barker asked if there was a possibility of holding another Riding & Road Safety Course.  We need a minimum of 8 people to do this and the cost is approximately £75 so if you are interested please let us know.

·         25^th February - Happa

We had a fantastic turnout for the February meeting which was a visit from Happa.  Thank you to Val Johnston who won the raffle and donated the prize money to Happa, we also gave our half to the charity.

 

Calendars

 

The bridleway calendars are still available at a bargain price of £2 and will be on sale at Monday’s meeting.

 

Website

 

Please remember that the website is there for your use.  If you have anything to sell, loan or swap we have a classified page which is free to members.  Likewise if you have any tales to tell about your experiences out riding or holidays which you think may be of interest to other members please email a report and we can put it on for you.

 

Horsey Products on Humans!

 

I came across this amusing thread while looking for something to include in my newsletter.  Here are some examples of horsey products that humans have used.

Ø  Compagel for tendonitis

Ø  Bute for a hangover

Ø  Coligone also for a hangover

Ø  Cornucrescine to help your nails grow

Ø  Animalintex for skin infections such as horsefly bites

Ø  Udder Cream for dry hands

Ø  Vetwrap for an emergency bra!

Ø  Kaolin Poultice on your chest for coughs & colds

Ø  NAF D-Tox for colds

Ø  Cooling Gel for aching muscles

Ø  Equimins Wonder Balm for cracked heals and dry skin.

Ø  Hypocare for cold sores (apparently clears them up in half the time)

Use any of these products at your own risk, I haven’t tried or tested any of them, I might though next time if have a hangover!!!

 

Hi Viz

Those of you who are members of the BHS may have read a letter from a Chief Constable in the latest BHS magazine where he states that anyone who wears the hi viz with “Polite” on the back with the blue and silver checks could possibly be prosecuted for impersonating a police officer! Mmmm and it seemed like such a good idea at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara

January 2013

 

Dear All

 

Happy New Year everyone, let’s hope it stops raining this year (I think I probably said that last year too!).

 

Bridleway News

 

·         Heap Road (near old Norden Chimney)

No further update on this all we know is its still not signed off.  There is a Rights of Way meeting at the Town Hall on Monday night so we may know more after that.

·         Red Lumb

Some grids have been installed across Overtown Lane in Red Lumb (at the bottom of Joan’s hill) which are causing some horses a problem.  If you do have an issue can you please report it to the council by ringing 0845 2261800This is an ongoing issue

·         Tree Trimming, etc.

We are finding that the Councils no longer have the funds to cut back the foliage which takes over our bridleways in the summer so it looks like its down to us users.  If you go for a walk take a pair of shears or clippers with you and just cut a few branches back.

·         Greenbooth.

Apologies if you haven’t been able to get through Greenbooth recently.  One of the farmers with sheep up there removed our padlock from the chain.  This has now been replaced and the route is open again.

·         Ashworth Concessionary

United Utilities have a quote for putting a bridge in on the Ashworth Concessionary.  The quote is for just over £5,000 and want us to pay half.  We have agreed to donate £2,500 towards this as it benefits members both in Birtle/Bury and Norden/Rochdale.  If anyone has any strong objections to this money being spent they should contact someone on the Committee  No objections have been received so this is now going to go ahead as soon as the weather is better.

·         Harwood Fields

A contractor has looked at Harwood Fields and feels it would be a waste of money doing anything on here until the problem of water running down onto the path is solved.

Dates for Your Diary

·         28^th January             Annual General Meeting 8.00 pm at the Pack Horse

·         25^th February                       To be confirmed.

Keep an eye on the website for further information on forthcoming events.

Reviews

 

October’s meeting was an open forum which was attended by about 30 people.  There were some interesting discussions about current issues.

 

November’s meeting at Naylors was well attended and most of the food was enjoyed… we didn’t take much home anyway.

 

About 30 people enjoyed the Christmas dinner at The Pack Horse.

 

Annual General Meeting – 28^th January 2013

 

The next meeting is the Annual General Meeting. The Officers need to be elected and if anyone wants to join the committee then there is a nomination form attached to this letter which should be returned to me by no later than 27^th January.  Janet O’Connor and Christine Mee are standing down so there are 2 vacancies.

 

The current Committee is:  Roger Mee (Chairman), Barbara Brown (Secretary), Gillian Morrell (Treasurer), Gill Ridings (Social), Joan Snowdon (ROW), Gwen Mann (ROW), Irene Pope (ROW), and Val Johnston (ROW)

 

We would also like to keep a list of anyone who doesn’t want to be on the committee but who would be willing to help out at any events organised by the Association so there is a bit on the form for you to complete for this too.

An Agenda for the meeting is attached to this letter, along with a membership renewal form.

 

Refreshments will be provided.

 

50/50 Draw

 

We have decided NOT to have a big 50/50 draw this year and just hold the monthly raffles which are proving to be very popular and raising quite a bit of money.

 

Social Calendar

 

The social calendar will be announced at the AGM.  We are hoping to have a varied range of speakers again for this year.

 

Calendars

 

We have some really nice desk calendars showing pictures of local bridleways.  They are £4.25 each and will be available at the AGM.  All the dates of the meetings are pre-printed on them too.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara

                ROCHDALE & BURY BRIDLEWAYS ASSOCIATION

 

                ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

                MONDAY, 28^th JANUARY 2013

 

                THE PACK HORSE INN, BIRTLE

 

                8.00 PM

 

 

                A G E N D A

 

 

                1.     Chairman’s Report

                2.     Treasurer’s Report

 

                3.     Social Calendar

 

                4.     Rochdale Rights of Way

 

                5.     Bury Rights of Way

 

                6.     Election of Officers

                Chairman
                Secretary
                Treasurer

 

 

                7.     Any Other Business

 

MEMBERSHIP FORM

 

 

Name: ………………………………………Tel No. …………………………………

 

Address…………………………………………………………………………………

 

………………………………………….………………………………………………

 

………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

E- Mail Address: …………………………………………………………………….

 

Single £10                   *Family £15

 

* Family members must live at the same address and be named below:

 

…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

** If under 16

 

Where do you keep your horse? …………………………………………………………

(this is for statistical purposes only to see where our members are based)

 

Cheques Payable to: Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association

 

Please return to:          Barbara Brown

81 Harewood Close

Norden

Rochdale

Lancs.

OL11 5TJ

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TOTAL PAID                                                                                         ==============