News 22 Feb 2010 - from Jenny Carling

"Your local bridleways group, The Forest of Dean Riders and Carriage Drivers Association, have been working very hard behind the scenes bidding for funding to create a network of long-distance and local, circular routes across the Forest of Dean District.

The great news is that our application has cleared the first hurdle and we now need to add some more details to our final bid. We need to show just how many people would appreciate a “joined-up” network of bridleways. As riders and carriage drivers there are obvious benefits to us in creating new paths, and especially linking some of the areas that are currently inaccessible due to busy road crossings or lack of connecting bridleways.

By incorporating options for long-distance rides from Dymock in the north to Tiddenham in the south, there will be business opportunities for pubs and B&Bs en route to enjoy the custom of both local riders and tourists. On top of this the value of equestrianism to the local economy is worth £millions ! That’s farriers, tack shops, livery yards, feed and bedding suppliers, instructors, vets etc…. Everyone’s a winner!

So please show your support for a new bridleway network, and ask every one of those people who will also benefit, by filling in this form (click here) and returning as soon as possible (this week would be really helpful) by email or hard copy to Jenny Carling, Standfast Annexe, Kilcot Hill, Kilcot, Glos GL18 1NJ. And if you can copy this to friends and service providers as well, that would be great!

This is a fantastic opportunity and all you need to do is show that you care.

Thank you."

Click anywhere above to download the support form.

News 17 Feb 2010: The Forest of Dean and District Horse Riders and Carriage Drivers Association have successfully cleared the first hurdle in getting substantial funding to develop a cohesive network of bridleways covering the whole District. "We now need to work up a full application and one of the key requirements is that equestrians, cyclists and anyone else who could benefit from an improved network of tracks, or just thinks it is a great idea should contact Jenny Carling by email on jenny.j.carling@btinternet.com simply stating that there is a need for such a network. This evidence of demand is going to be crucial to our getting the monies so please do contact us by the end of February 2010 if possible. It would help if you were to pass this message on to your friends - the more responses we have the stronger our bid will be."  Contact Jenny Carling by email on jenny.j.carling@btinternet.com

Older news:

Jenny Carling is  working with the FODDC to use some of the European funding they have been given for community projects in the district. The goal of the Forest of Dean & District Horse Riders and Carriage Drivers Association is to provide a series of linked circular rides/carriage drives throughout the area and free to users. The project, if funded, will take about 4-5 years to put in place and will enable riders to go from Dymock in the north of the district to Tidenham in the south using a mixture of quiet lanes, forestry commission tracks, public bridleways (including new ones to be created) and unused railway tracks.

The British Horse Society’s Access and Rights of Way Department works to improve the bridleways network.  Click here to visit the BHS website to read more and for their useful links.