It is great to see how many new walk leaders are now stepping forward.  This has prompted Paul and Mike to draw up a set of guidelines for new walk leaders and this in turn has made us review our insurance policy.

We run a system where our events are organised in a way that is as relaxed and informal as possible.  Nevertheless it is necessary for us, the group, our volunteers the walk leaders and you to be insured in the event of something going wrong.  It is quite clear to most of us that it would be an unreasonable risk to run the group without insurance.  However to be insured we have to make clear to our insurers what our members can expect of each other; whether they are those who give up their time to be on the committee, those who lead walks and trips and those who go on them.

We do have a system of “Walk Introductions”, each walk leader is expected to make themselves available before the walk starts and give a brief explanation of what the walk is going to entail, how long it will be and what sort of difficulties it is likely to present. If the walk is going to be conducted at a brisk pace that should also be mentioned. This is the opportunity for members to ask questions and then affirm that they are ready and fit to participate.

Whether it be an afternoon walk in the Chilterns or a challenging walk in the Mountains once we have agreed to go out as a group we will stay as a group and come back as a group.  If someone chooses to leave for some reason then that is fine as long as they let the walk leader know.  If someone is struggling we will rally around and encourage them, if someone is unwell or hurt we will do our best to look after them.

On occasions you may be asked to help out on one of our walks, the job of back marker is a bit of a thankless one but nevertheless helping to keep the group together is a very important job.  Losing someone is not acceptable and having to wait while the walk leader doubles back to search can be very disruptive and can spoil everyone else’s day.  Sometimes you may be asked to hold back at a fork in a path to wait for those behind you and help direct them.  Sometimes those at the front will be asked to moderate the pace to allow those who are lagging behind to regroup.

You should be prepared to cooperate with and help support and encourage the walk leader when it becomes necessary.  But then that’s what our members normally do and that’s what makes the boggies a bit special.

Hello, welcome to the January to March programme of events.

Following the funeral of Dave Tomkins we have received the following message from Rita Tomkins.

Hello,

Welcome to the October, November and December programme of Walks, Trips and Social Events.

Sadly in this programme I must report the death of one of our long standing members, Dave Tomkins. He died at home on the Tueday 23rd of August. Dave is particularly well known to many of our new members as he instigated a series of short 5 mile walks that proved particularly popular and is responsibly for drawing many new members into the Boggies. In his gentle way he touched many lives and will be sadly missed.

As many of you will know Mike Elliott and Paul Ridgeway are taking over the job of walk co ordinators with effect from the new year .

They would welcome anyone who would be willing to lead the occasional walk , there are 100 weekend slots to fill in 2012 so please don’t hesitate to contact either Mike or Paul (07594 577129 – elliottm89@aol.com)

This programme has a couple of provisional entries, rather than delay sending the programme out we have put a brief summary, including start date, contact number and meeting time. We will fill the details in on the web site when they are available. For those without web access please phone the walk leader for details nearer the time.

Our annual AGM occurs early in this new programme on Thursday Oct 13th in the rear room at the Victoria please come along to support your club.  We promise to try to make it as fun as possible! The committee will be available for an informal chat and drinks after the event.  Any feedback on our existing activities and ideas for the future would be most welcome.  We will also be reporting on progress made on previous years charity raising events, please come along with ideas for what we might try to do this year.

Julian

Hello,

Welcome to the July, August and September programme of walks, trips and social events.

You will see that there are a number of new walk leaders and organisers in our new programme and I hope that you will all give them your support and encouragement in their endeavours.  Now that the group has expanded we generally run one short walk and one day walk every weekend, as well as the weekday walks, even when we are simultaneously running a trip away. To keep up this level of activity does  require a pool of volunteer walk leaders so that the show can stay on the road!  Even so there are a few slots in the new programme that remain unfilled but these were dates when it seemed as if absolutely everyone was away or doing something else.

Another way that we rely on the voluntary support of our members is with transport to and from walks.  Some of our members bring their cars down to the meeting place just to ensure that we have enough spare capacity and no one ever gets left behind because of transport difficulties.  Sometimes their cars are not needed.  Running a car is becoming an increasingly expensive business.  Some members choose to decline the offer of a contribution towards petrol money.  That’s their choice.  However it is vital that we have transport available.  If you would like a contribution towards costs don’t be embarrassed to ask for one.

Julian

Hello,

Welcome to the April to June Programme of Walks and Trips. We have had a very successful start to the year with good attendances at all our various events be they social, walks or trips. With spring and summer ahead the 2011 season looks to be a interesting one with trips to the Brecon Beacons, Norway, Bulgaria, The Gower as well as an increased variety of walks and social activities to look forward to.

One of the things that I think make the Bogtrotters stand out from other walking groups is the very varied range of activities that we offer and the variety of walking abilities and backgrounds of our members.  Ours is a group that contains several sub-groups; the short walkers, the longer distance walkers, those who enjoy a relaxed hostelling weekend away, those who like to get away for a more challenging week or so in the mountains, as well as those who attend our social activities. However the great thing is that there is considerable overlap between all these groups, if you are a member of one of them it is easy to join and to take part in any of the others, and still know that you will see some familiar and friendly faces.

It is interesting to see that some members have joined us and initially been uncertain as to whether they can complete a 5 mile walk, but subsequently gain strength and confidence and end up becoming regulars on longer walks and then weekends away.

This is one of our great strengths.  If the pace of a short walk is a little too relaxed for you then there are more challenging options in the programme.  If you are joining us for the first time you might need to come out a few times in order to find your level.  However if on a particular day, you find that you have bitten off a little more than you can chew, you can always expect the rest of the group to be supportive and nurse you home.

This is because the bogtrotters are not just a walking group but also a community of friends.

Many thanks to all the walk leaders, trip organisers, and all our other volunteers who continue to support the group in other ways.

Julian

Hello, Welcome to the January to March Programme of Walks and Trips.  This year we are implementing some changes.  Firstly we are now going to produce 4 programmes a year each covering 3 months.  Traditionally the Bogtrotters programme tended to shadow the school year and we shut down for the summer months.  This no longer occurs, our summer schedule is almost as busy as any other time of year and this change facilitates that.  The programme of events is becoming fuller and more varied and therefore planning 4 months of events in one go was becoming increasingly arduous.

We also hope to make the planning process a little more spontaneous.  If we are told of an upcoming event that we feel that we might like to participate in it is frustrating to have to delay, sometimes 4 or 5 months before it can go in the programme.  Nevertheless even a 3 month cycle will still miss a number of events and we will on occasions make adhoc additions to the programme which will be notified to you via the stop press sections on the website and by email.  Those of you who do not have internet access or email should join our telephone tree. Ruth Harris-Small organises this and you can ring her (details in the committee section overpage)  to make sure that she has your details and you don’t miss out.

At the time of writing the group has nearly 80 members and this is increasing fairly steadily.  Many of these are new members and for their benefit I will briefly summarise some of the discussions that have taken place recently about our insurance cover.  Before a walk starts members are entitled to obtain a clear and, as far as is possible, accurate description of the walk that they are about to undertake.  They should be aware however that it is not possible for us to walk every walk in advance and even when a path is familiar to us things may have changed since we were last there.  Different walk leaders have developed different styles of Walk Introduction.  Some give a formal Health and Safety talk, others a more general Descriptive Talk and others dislike the enforced formality and give only a fairly perfunctory introduction!  However before you come out with us, if you are in any doubt about the walk you are going to undertake, or you own ability to complete it, you should explain your concerns to the walk leader first.

Many thanks to all those who helped compile this new programme, it has been a great cooperative effort!

Julian