WHO WE ARE
Warwickshire Area is one of fifty-seven Areas of the Ramblers’ Association (RA) covering Britain. We work to further the charitable aims of the RA locally and also represent the views of our members to the organisation nationally.
Our boundaries mirror those of the old Warwickshire county and include Solihull, Coventry and Birmingham, where many of our members live. The Area contains some great walking country. There are over 1740 miles of public right of way in Warwickshire alone!
We have over 3800 members in the Area, divided between twelve Local Groups. Our Groups work towards the charitable aims of the RA in different ways, but one thing that they all do is to organise programmes of led walks for members. Most RA walks are listed online at:
www.ramblers.org.uk/walksfinder .
However, many members do not join Group walks, preferring to walk alone or with friends and family. Whether you choose to walk with a Group or not, your membership is supporting the valuable work of the RA.
Across the Area, we are working to protect and improve conditions for all walkers. At the moment we are particularly concerned about lack of definitive maps of public footpaths in our two big cities, and the tendency of Coventry City Council to unnecessarily gate public rights of way in response to reports of anti-social behaviour. There is a brief introduction to our work below, but members get regular up-dates and news through our quarterly Area newsletter, WALKER.
Members can also find out more by attending our Area AGM which, next year, will be hosted by our younger members group on Saturday 3rd February 2007 (10.30am) at Cotteridge Church Hall, Birmingham. We’d be delighted to see you there.
All the work carried out by us in the Area (including our Groups) is planned, organised and carried out by volunteers. There are always opportunities for more people to get involved. We take important decisions at our committee meetings, but if you are not a committee-type, then there are still plenty of ways that you can get involved with our work. We’ve sketched out some of them below to give you a flavour or our work, and if you’d like to learn more, we’ll be delighted to hear from you.
WHAT WE DO
Warwickshire Area of the Ramblers’ Association speaks up on issues that affect people who enjoy walking in this part of the world. By co-ordinating the voice of our members, we can speak with a single, clear voice, whether this be to local decision-makers or to the media. We have also taken the lead in a number of local campaigns, working with our Groups to achieve them.
The Area is run by a Council of volunteer members. Some, such as the Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman, stand for election every year at the AGM and some attend as Local Group representatives. But, as an Area, we are more than simply the sum of our Groups. We aim to provide a co-ordinating role for Groups and also provide a distinct Area voice for the Ramblers. To give a flavour of this, here are some of the things we are currently involved with:
• Several of our Groups have voluntary task forces working for local authorities erecting kissing gates to replace stiles on footpaths, thus helping to make the countryside more accessible for all.
• Through our Area and Group Footpath workers we scrutinise all footpath orders made by local authorities to make sure that walkers are not inconvenienced by undesirable closures or diversions of public rights of way.
• We are campaigning strongly to get Birmingham City Council to publish a Definitive Map of public rights of way in the City - in accordance with its legal obligation to do so under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.
• We are strongly resisting Coventry City Council’s tendency to unnecessarily gate public rights of way in response to allegations of anti-social behaviour.
Ways to get involved
1. Short-term / sporadic support
If you are concerned about conditions for walkers in Warwickshire, there is bound to be a way you can get involved in our work. As an Area we take decisions through our regular Area Council meetings. But you don’t have to be a committee-animal to get involved!
From the comfort of your own home, you could help with our footpath and countryside work. You could help to publicise our work at shows, exhibitions and through the local press.
If you’re interested in conditions for walkers and in encouraging more people to walk, there’s bound to be something to do that suits you. Please get in touch and tell us about your particular interests and we can talk through the opportunities.
2. Committee-type
Our Area Council is lively and friendly with efficient meetings held every three months in Warwick. We have specific vacancies at the moment for a Publicity Officer and Independent Members of Area Council. Some existing office-holders would also be happy to hand over to fresh blood as this keeps the Area fresh and invigorated.
If you’d like to know more about getting involved in Area Council, please get in touch. We can give you role descriptions for the main roles and tell you about the support available and the rewards of this kind of involvement!
You’re welcome to come along to our meetings to get a flavour of what it’s all about. We can tell you the date and time of the next one.
3. Getting involved through the Groups
You can also get involved through one of the Groups in the Area. Many people choose to get involved in their local Group, but nothing obliges you to do this. You may find another one which is more active in a particular area of interest to you. You can find a list of all the Area’s Groups in Walk Britain or on the website at: www.ramblers.org.uk/info/localgroups
For more information on the work of the Area and how to get involved, contact
Michael Bird, Area Secretary Here