About Us

If you are wondering who the Black Canon Collective are and what this is all about, then you are in the right place to learn some more…..

On 23rd February 2008 the unofficial mountain bike trails at Longleat woods were closed down by the Longleat estate. This was a massive blow to the tens of local riders who rode there, many of whom had been involved from its creation over 8 years ago.

Put simply, the Black Canon Collective is a group of mountain bike riders who didn’t want to give up riding at their favourite spot and so set about trying to save it.

In order to do that the club was formed, a committee elected and negotiations with the land owner entered into. Through the hard work of the committee, and many others, the club have secured a licence to the land ensuring its future.

You can read the Club Constitution, all meeting minutes and other club documents on our Club Documents page.

Here are some words from the club Chairman, Andrew Denham, that explain a little more about how things first came about:

“Over the last 8 years I, along with many others who have joined along the way, have put hundreds of man hours planning, marking, clearing, raking, digging, cutting, dreaming, shaping and creating. To what affect? Well, aside from blunt axes, broken spades and bad backs we had created a place to ride. We loved the place; every course, every section, every feature they all have memories associated with either building or riding them. Its taken a lot of hard work, sure, but its been worth it.

On Saturday Feb 23rd ‘08 the Longleat estate sent some forest wardens down to the trails to wait for any riders that might turn up. Sure enough Ian and I arrived to spend a day repairing existing tracks and building some new sections. As we approached we were told of its immediate closure and politely asked to leave. We were devastated.

The Longleat estate was contacted to ask if we could negotiate; to our surprise the answer was yes! Paul Grugeon, Dept Land Agent for the estate, agreed to meet me and discuss the future of the spot. His terms were simple; we must set up a club which must indemnify the land owner, pay a licensing fee, and provide an adequate site management plan.

So since that day I have spent most all of my free time attempting to achieve these criteria so that we can all enjoy the spot again.

As of Thursday 15th May 2008 the area that we’ve loved for almost a decade has been under the control of the Black Canon Collective. This has only been possible due to the sheer enthusiasm and hard work displayed by the many people involved since that sad day in Feb.

I am thrilled at how much we have achieved already and so excited at what lies ahead…..”

As mentioned, the club has a formal committee, with each role fulfilled by means of an open vote. The committee is as follows:

  • Chairman - Andrew Denham
  • Deputy Chairman / Membership Secretary - Ian Crook
  • Secretary - Caroline Mackinlay
  • Treasurer - Ben Irons
  • Site operations - Neil Cousins
  • Conservation, Health and Safety / Media - Alastair Mackinlay
  • Events - Rob Lewis

You can contact any member specifically by e-mail; just use their first name, a dot, and their surname @blackcanoncollective.co.uk.

e.g.joe.bloggs@blackcanoncollective.co.uk

Alternatively you can contact membership@blackcanoncollective.co.uk or committee@blackcanoncollective.co.uk

Black Canon Collective

We are essentially a group of passionate mountain bike riders who have nothing other than good intentions at heart, if anything about us or the way we operate is an issue or you simply would like to make a suggestion then please just e-mail the suggestion.box@blackcanoncollective.co.uk.

Thanks!