Winner: Outstanding Campaigning Group - Ride Sheffield
Founded in 2010 when Sheffield resident Henry Norman called the inaugural meeting at the Lescar pub in Sheffield, nearly fifty mountain bikers attended the meeting and Ride Sheffield was born. Group members not only campaign for greater access and but also work alongside landowners to build relationships and encourage responsible riding. Members from the group regularly carry out maintenance and repairs to trails as well as volunteering for conservation work.
One of Ride Sheffield's most recent initiatives is the 'Be Nice, Say Hi' campaign. Taking inspiration from a similar campaign in the USA, 'Be Nice, Say Hi' aims to encourage all trail users to share the space with consideration for others. Ride Sheffield created eye-catching markers to attach to direction posts and are working with the Eastern Moors Partnership, which manages the land, to prioritise where to place them. Following the success of the campaign, Cycling UK and the British Horse Society are working together to spread the message of 'Be Nice, Say Hi' across the country!
Ride Sheffield, along with Peak District MTB and Keeper of the Peak, have also recently produced 'The Advocacy Files'. These are a series of case studies which champion the work done by local groups to collaborate with landowners and promote responsible off-road access, sharing the lessons learned to help other groups further their own campaigning work.
In recognition of Ride Sheffield's exceptional work towards the improvement of cycling infrastructure and access it has been named as the winner of the Outstanding Campaigning Group award.
