Most of you have probably heard of Colliers Way, National Cycle Route 24 which runs from Dundas to Southampton. At the moment there’s two bits missing from Great Elm into Frome and at the southern end of Frome to Feltham Lane. Some of us got pretty fed up that nothing was happening so we set up a group to get things moving.

Yes I know that a cycleway is not too interesting to you but it does give you a safe off road way of getting into the Longleat woods or up to Radstock without too much bother. There are temporary routes but they do involve hills that would give many unfit cyclists a coronary. They are “maintained” by Somerset so while they do form part of their pothole collection there is not usually deep mud or stumps to jump over so are beneath your notice.

We are hoping to apply for planning consent in the autumn and will need all the support we can get first to get consent and then to build it, With so little money about we can expect a lot more voluntary work will be needed.

To support us just go to http://www.fromesmissinglink.org.uk and sign up as a supporter. Whether you are just good with a spade or have the odd £500k to spare we would be pleased to hear from you and keep you updated with progress.

Geoff Pell.

Make sure you sign up to the petition here: http://www.fromesmissinglink.org.uk/petition.aspx

Massive thanks to the die hard; Ian, Sam, Will and also Ryan.

We worked really hard to get every DH trail running sweet (after all the recent rain damage), put up a sign on the notice board and erect two new tool stations to encourage members to do some maintenance in between sending it off spork, chatting in the seating area or hiding bikes in trees.

We had to completely rebuild the flat berm (after spork) on spoons, as whoever had recently “repaired” it had done so by using a lot of wood and some crazy stakes about an inch from the riding face. Please don’t do that again, we appreciate the effort but the end result meant that we had to start from scratch after removing all the wood.

We also managed to scope out the whole of the Xc descent, including the very top.

There are two new features already lined up on Puppets and BBMS that we couldn’t start and a load of bigger projects just waiting to be started but with so few people we did well to achieve what we did.

Imagine what we could do with even 20%…. ?

Re-surfaced kicker on Puppets

Completely re-dressed weeeeeee-boing on Puppets, removing barrows of rain washed silt.

Battery hill repaired after much water damage, but it's rougher, that's for sure!

The first of the new tool stations. Please use them!

No excuses, there for all to see...

Raised the level of the base of the table top take off on 143 to help with drainage off to the sides.

Re-cut and shaped the lower berm on BBMS, removing loads of silt.

Cut the rear-mech remover from the mound, just after the berm on BBMS.

BRAND NEW option routed, marked and raked, instead of the c***y rooted corner on BBMS.

Slight tweak to the next section too, it's no longer straight... (BBMS)

It's going to be super drifty and fast... (BBMS)

Looking back up at the new bit, flick flick flick, full speed, drifty fun...got a kicker to build too. (BBMS)

Removed barrows and barrows of silt from Rolo and the original double on Spoons.

Re-filled the deep drainage rut across the Flip-Flop landing on 143.

Completely re-built and shaped the flat berm after finding some crazy stakes... (Spoons)

The second tool station, no excuses now...if it's leafy - please rake it, if its broken - please repair it.

Who put stakes in our berm??? We had to completely rebuild it....!

Took the knuckle off of the Spork landing to reduce the chance of any nasty over the bar action on Spoons.

Look there's 20 of us...oh no, wait, it's just 5 people working really hard...!

Now I don’t like to be negative, and I know that many were away this weekend, but there are many more who weren’t. We all love riding at the Allotment but that’s only because of the hard work and dedication of a few of us who spend hours looking after the trails and building new stuff at the rate that we can given the numbers who turn up. If you want use them please come along and help us to not only look after them but make them better and add more of them too.

It’s not a lot to ask really, just that everyone start pulling their weight so that we can all enjoy the trails together…

Thanks

Each year the BCC helps to set up and pack away at this event held close to the Allotment, at Manor Farm, Corsley. Last year a few of us were lucky enough to attend the event too, and ate as much game stew as we possibly could whilst watching the play sat in the grounds of the Elizabethan manor. The evening is organised by local volunteers who do so to raise money for local charities and community organisations. So far the BCC has benefited from money towards ride Leader training, the BCC shelter and the Longleat MTB Feasibility study.So, please put the 18th and 19th June in your diaries and come along to help out, there’ll be more info on the Forum soon, but all you need to know is that they gave us all cups of tea and lush bacon butties as we worked last year…

So please come along and help out from 10:00am until done (around 01:00pm) on Sat 18th, and from 10:00am until done (around 12:00 mid day) on Sunday 19th. We need all the help we can get!

Here’s the location.

View Elizabethan Evening in a larger map

For those who are interested in giving a bit of XC MTB’ing a go, see you at 6:45pm:

The ride is suitable for any adult with a mountain bike, and a good level if fitness. Riders will need to wear suitable weather specific clothing, a helmet, and have good lights with a run time of at least 2 hrs. Riders must also bring their own food and drink.

FOR THOSE WITHOUT LIGHTS I WILL BE LEADING A 1-2 HR ‘LIGHT RIDE’ THIS EVENING ONLY.

Any questions just give me a ring 07870609871

I really need some help rolling the tape for this Sunday’s TickerTape, so if you like taking part in the TickerTapes and are available, please come along to my house (see forum for details) on thursday evening at 7:00, for doughnuts and a healthy dose of RSI….

This was last one we did, http://www.blackcanoncollective.co.uk/2010/08/17/hillbillies-with-ocd/

So, who can make it…?

Each year the BCC helps to set up and pack away at this event held close to the Allotment, at Manor Farm, Corsley. Last year a few of us were lucky enough to attend the event too, and ate as much game stew as we possibly could whilst watching the play sat in the grounds of the Elizabethan manor. The evening is organised by local volunteers who do so to raise money for local charities and community organisations. So far the BCC has benefited from money towards ride Leader training, the BCC shelter and the Longleat MTB Feasibility study.So, please put the 18th and 19th June in your diaries and come along to help out, there’ll be more info on the Forum soon, but all you need to know is that they gave us all cups of tea and lush bacon butties as we worked last year…

It’s amazing what you can do when you work together…

On Sunday we destroyed the existing and very tired ‘Slam Berm’ on Spoons and went about rebuilding it from scratch with some proper materials…

After hours of midge flapping, post bashing, rock gathering and mattock wielding we built ”el twato” (don’t get me started) a beautifully cribbed berm that is as good to ride as it is to look at.

With so much more speed available out of the corner we decided to open up an additional line , so set about excavating even more soil and building a new feature (a pump-able kicker called ‘Rolo’) into the same landing as used by the double after the slam berm. After a bit of wheelbarrow rodeo (video to follow) and countless calls of “just 10 -15 more…!” we called it a day, packed up and went home. Well, not before a few people sessioned the new features in their wellies of course…

Next time we’ll complete the section (it needs an additional small berm to be built) before we continue with the rest of the TO DO list. Remember, the more people we get along to Dig Days the more we can get done. Thanks to all those who helped out, you did an awesome job!

On Thursday evening a crack litter picking team was sent to longleat forest by the BCC Committee for litter dropping crimes they didn’t commit. These men (and a woman) promptly went about picking litter all over the Longleat estate whilst riding bikes and doing skids. Today, still trying to work out why so many people left bags of poo all over the place, they survive as riders of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… The BCC Litter Picking Team-crew-gang.

Al, who had spent most of the evening wearing an unnecessary amount of jewellery and talking street, was keen to comment that “I ain’t gettin’ on no plane!” though we, like you, have no idea what the hell he was going on about.

Chas Thursfield, who organised the pick declined to comment on Al’s oddness but was heard saying “I love it when a plan comes together” on a number of occasions.

Say, are we a groovy, happenin’ bunch o’ guys, or what?

A little time-lapse from the Dig Day Away last month:

Dig Day Away from Black Canon Collective on Vimeo.

Well done everyone for all your hard work!

(article taken from The Somerset Standard)