FREE BOOK OFFER Free copy of “Stepping Out From Leeds and Bradford” (2011) by Keith Wadd and published by Ramblers' Association,West Riding Area is available if you send a stamped addressed envelope (£1.22) to John Lieberg, 11 Woodroyd Avenue, Honley, Holmfirth, Huddersfield HD9 6LG. “Stepping Out From Leeds and Bradford” includes 20 walks of around 11 miles in length. The book begins with linear walks from central Leeds (Woodhouse Moor) to Harewood, and central Bradford (Lister Park) to Cross Flatts, then circular walks taking in Stainburn and Lower Wharfedale, Otley and The Chevin, the Washburn Valley, Addingham High Moor and Nessfield, Bingley St Ives and Harden Moor, Haworth and the Wolf Stones, Sutton-in-Craven and Newsholme Dean, Kildwick and Skipton Moor, Cononley and Lothersdale, Ripley and Swarcliffe, Dacre Banks and Brimham Rocks, Studley Park and Markenfield Hall, Mytholmroyd and Churn Milk Joan, Midgehole and Jumble Hole, Marsden and West Nab, Holmfirth and Ramsden Clough, Denby Dale and Cannon Hall, Penistone and Hartcliff Hill. All the walks include some rarely visited West Riding “gems” and follow paths we need to keep well used. The book is available for free because it is no longer selling, and it makes much more sense to distribute it to members than have it gathering dust before it is eventually pulped. Keith Wadd NOTICE OF WEST RIDING AREA AGM The Annual General Meeting of the West Riding Area of the Ramblers' Association will be held at the Clarke Foley Centre, Cunliffe Road. Ilkley at 2 p.m. on Saturday 27th January 2018. All members of West Riding Area (that includes all members of Groups, and unattached members) are eligible and welcome to attend and vote. AGENDA Apologies, minutes of last meeting, matters arising, correspondence and announcements, speaker's address, annual report and accounts, motions (28 days' notice to Area Secretary required), election of officers, any other business. The Clarke Foley Centre is conveniently situated in the middle of Ilkley, and there are frequent trains to Ilkley from Leeds and Bradford. The AGM is followed by a “Faith Tea” (please bring some snacks to share around; tea and coffee provided). Morning Walk Before the AGM: starting from the Clarke Foley Centre LS29 9DZ 0 at 10 a.m. on Saturday 27th January 2018 there will be a 6.5 mile walk taking in Middleton Moor, further details phone 07981 261 667. Let's hope the weather is drier than last year! MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE Please, EVERYONE (who has email), complete this questionnaire. If the questionnaire has a high completion rate, it will: *Provide accurate information on the age distribution of each Group and the Area as a whole (there are already powerful clues suggesting that the average age is high); *Provide some answers to why membership has steadily declined over the last dozen years; *Enable membership trends in the next few years to be forecast with some confidence; *Help Area and Groups to decide on appropriate programmes and activities to stem and reverse the continuing decline in membership numbers. The most important question is your age. It is appreciated that some members might have a sensitivity to divulging it, but the response to the questionnaire is by email and although there is a remote chance of an email address being linked with a person's name, it is most unlikely. In any case, we guarantee confidentiality. THE QUESTIONS 1. What is your age? Please assign it to one of the following categories: 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 34-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-99 100+ 2. Male or Female ….... (n.b. We need this because there is a gender factor in expectation of life) 3. Ramblers' Group …......... (so that each Group can be given details of its age distribution) 4. Approximately how long have you been a member of the Ramblers? ….... 5. Do you intend to remain a member of the Ramblers for the foreseeable future? Yes/No ….. Please email your answers (“Questionnaire” as Subject) to Keith Wadd at [email protected] and Mike Church at [email protected] ( to both of us so that we can easily check the figures). All you need to do is email e.g.: 55-59 F Sometown Group 21 years Yes If there are two members in the same household, they can either use the same email or send separate ones. Many thanks for doing it. Postal Responses: members who would like to answer the questionnaire by post, please send your answers to Keith Wadd, 25 Rossett Beck, Harrogate HG2 9NT WEST RIDING AREA ANNUAL REPORT 2017 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT As an Area we have had a good year with some ups and downs. On the Upside All Groups are now entering their walks on the national website and we can now produce a feed to our website and produce the programme of walks directly from the national website. I would like to thank Peter Sweeney and Stephen Noble for the work they have done and continue to do on this. Stephen Noble has taken over from Dave Pannell as webmaster, and has also taken over as our Area Publicity & Publications Officer. Our Footpath Committee continues to be a good forum for Group Footpath Secretaries to meet and discuss common problems and formulate Area policy regarding footpath work. It is good to hear that many councils within our area are looking for volunteers to work on footpath maintenance, something that was not common in the past. Our small but efficient Countryside Committee under Mike Willison has been this year working on the Local Plans and HS2, whilst also looking at planning applications. The Social & Rambles Committee under Diane Davies produced an excellent programme of walks, coach rambles, and walking holidays. Thank you Diane and your team. Publicity & Publications Committee now has a new Chairman, Stephen Noble. They have met twice this year. Unfortunately we only attended one show this year (Honley) due to age and mobility. The Keighley Group attended the Keighley Show. We need some younger members to come forward to help with shows; it's a good day out and an opportunity to spread the word about the Ramblers and what we stand for and do. On the Downside Our major problem this year as in previous years is loss of members. Over the year 315 new members joined us, 40 lapsed members rejoined but 421 members left us, reducing our membership by 66 giving a membership as at 30th September of 3,111. This is a national problem and the Board of Trustees is working to understand why members join and why members leave us. Martin Bennett who stood down as Chairman of the Footpath committee and we are awaiting someone to take the Chair. As I write now, we still have a vacancy. Keith Wadd who stood down after many years as editor of the West Riding Rambler, his last edition, the 150th coming out in July. I am pleased to announce that following my plea for help in the 151st edition four members have volunteered to form an editorial team under Colin Speakman. Th Lost Paths project is still on hold awaiting guidance and funding from Central Office. As I said last year, there are still two major challenges we face, cuts to Council funding particularly the Rights of Way departments and the relaxing of planning regulations. We need as an Area to work closely with our Rights of Way departments so that we can help them to keep the footpath network clear. Finally, I would like to thank all the Area officers, Group officers and Chairs of our sub-committees for all of the support they have given me over this year. I would also like to thank our team of Group and Area walk leaders without whom we wouldn't have such an excellent and comprehensive walks programme. Mike Church, Area Chairman SECRETARY'S REPORT West Riding Area coordinates all of our activities (both Group and Area activities) so that we all work together for the Ramblers' Association as effectively as our resources permit. Throughout the territory of West Riding Area we are monitoring paths and attempting to deal with the many problems that arise, attempting to protect from major threats the countryside we walk in, and seeking to to make the right to roam work more effectively. Our sub-committees (see separate reports) enable issues to be considered in detail and action to be coordinated, and they bring together representatives from Groups and other RA members who have a particular interest in the committee's area of work. The West Riding Rambler is the journal for our area with news and features of interest to all our members. We also publish the Area Walks Programme with around 660 walks per year, mainly throughout our territory, but with some walks further afield, which provides a rich offering to our members and the wider public. The Area Council of West Riding Area has had four general meetings, and an extra one to deal specifically with motions to be discussed at General Council in April. The meetings take place in Leeds and are attended by the Area's officers, the chair and secretary of the sub-committees, representatives elected by the AGM, and a representative of each of the Groups in West Riding Area. Each Group is entitled to send a representative, and he/she has the opportunity to report on the Group's activities and to raise matters of concern.