Our committee meets regularly to enable the smooth running of the club and to look for new and varied experiences to offer to our members. 

Meetings are held at St Michael's Church, Kirkham at 7:30pm on the third Wednesday in February, May, August and November with the latter being our AGM.

You are welcome to join us at any of these meetings - it's worth a visit just to see the superb facilities of The Spire Venue at St Michael's.

Chairman's Annual Report

  Fylde Ramblers Year End 2023

The end of another year, another year older and another mile less walked for many. The group, despite the difficulties of Covid, reducing walk leaders and an aging membership, continues to offer interesting and testing walks across the county and occasionally beyond. Our weekly walking group attracts varying numbers of participants from within our group and neighboring Mid Lancs groups. Our membership continues showing a decline which is following a general pattern across the Mid Lancs Area and National figures indicating a small decrease in membership. However, despite this decline, our total membership is now 180, there were 17 new members in 2023, 12 new to Ramblers and 5 new to group.

The group finances remain stable as can be seen from our Treasurer’s report which has been included in the document package. Unfortunately, this will be Johns’ last group treasurer report and we are seeking a volunteer to replace John. Thanks to John for his longstanding support to the group in sustaining his role for many years.

The Mid-Summer meet-up and afternoon meal at Longridge Golf club was well supported, thanks to Jim and Jeanette. A further meet-up is planned for Christmas and I hope many of you will attend this event being held on 10th December. Details are on the website. Our Facebook page is still attracting interest with over 170 members in the group and is used regularly for walk reports and photographs of the group’s activities.

A further forthcoming event to note is the Area AGM to which we are all invited. This is to be held at Broughton & District Club Hall Whittingham Lane, Broughton, Preston. PR3 5DA on Sunday 28th January 24. Further details can be found on the mid Lancs website. It has been another difficult year for our committee with meetings held infrequently and all within the virtual environment. Several of our long serving volunteers expressed wishes to stand down at last year’s AMM, but I would like to thank both Kath Atherfold and John Leyland for their continuing support over the past year. Opportunities exist for members who have an interest in undertaking one or more of the many volunteer roles as part of our committee.

I would like to thank all the volunteers, the committee, the walk leaders, the walk coordinators for all their hard work and commitment to the continuing achievements of Fylde Ramblers during the past year.

Best regards to all, stay safe and keep walking Robb 
Chair 

 Fylde Ramblers Year End 2022

Autumnal conditions now prevail after what could only be described as a warm if not hot summer, time again to reflect on the challenges and successes of the past year for the Fylde Ramblers Group. 

Covid infection continues throughout the country alongside a continuous vaccination programme to help protect the vulnerable. It is however good to see that our group now re-established an active walking programme providing moderate and leisurely walking on several days of the week. 

Fylde have been proactive in promoting the Ramblers and the benefits of walking with thanks to Jeanette Carr our Publicity and Recruitment officer. I have listed below some of the exceptional activities which Jeanette has initiated over the past year. 

• Live interview on Maria Felix Vas Sunday afternoon radio show on Radio Lancashire on the subject of The Benefits of being a Rambler Member. This was a live presentation during our 9 mile walk around Grimsargh January 16th 2022. 
• February 2022 a telephone Interview with Ramblers press officer. This was for use on the Ramblers facebook advertisement campaign to encourage membership, this was used between their May - June 2022 promotion. 
• We had a Midsummer meetup event in July open to all walkers and non - walkers. Garstang and Preston members were also invited as many had previously walked with a Fylde group. This is to be open to all and will become an annual event. 
• August 2022. Ramblers Digital walking for health scheme used a quote from our previous interview to advertise to local authorities the benefits of walking. 
• Group photographs sent to Ramblers for use on their website. 
• Our Facebook pages continues to be a successful social media platform and we now have 95 

members and continuing posts recording the walks undertaken by Fylde Ramblers. 

Our group membership continues showing a decline which is following a general pattern across the Mid Lancs Area despite the UK figures indicating a small increase in membership. 

It has been a difficult year for our committee with meetings held infrequently and all within the virtual environment. Several of our long serving volunteers expressed wishes to stand down at last year’s AMM, but I would like to thank both Kath Atherfold and John Leyland for their continuing support over the past year. Opportunities exist for members who have an interest in undertaking one or more of the many volunteer roles as part of our committee. 

I would like to thank all the volunteers, the committee, the walk leaders, the walk coordinators for all their hard work and commitment to the continuing achievements of Fylde Ramblers during the past year. 

Best regards to all, stay safe and keep walking Robb
Chair 

Fylde Ramblers Year End 2021

As another Winter approaches, time again to reflect on the challenges and successes of the past year for the Fylde Ramblers Group.

In November 2020 we were experiencing a second Covid lock down arising from increasing rates of infection and pressure on the NHS as they struggled to deal with the rise in the number of cases requiring hospitalization. The Government Road Map to was introduced and a variety of the measures were relaxed albeit with wide variations across the UK ......we looked forward with a little reticence to the end of June when with some careful planning and due consideration group walking could recommence. I am most pleased that moderate group walking has now been re-established on the Programme. Leisurely walking group continue to undertake walking in “bubbles” and as yet no walks included on the walks programme. Strenuous walking group hope to introduce some walks onto the programme although the number of strenuous walkers and leaders in the group has reduced. I would like to thank Jim and Jeanette Carr for their tremendous efforts in getting the “Fylde Back Walking”.

Many of the group would recall that the planned 40th anniversary celebration in 2020 were postponed but I am pleased that a gathering of group members was held at Longridge Golf club in early October. The event was well supported with many of the long-standing Fylde Ramblers in attendance sharing memories of walks over the past 40 years with photographs and conversation.

Our membership is showing a nominal decline which is following a general pattern across the country but despite this we have attracted twelve new members and trust that they will be made most welcome.

Looking forward we still have a lot of work to do to reintroduce more walks to the Fylde group programme covering all the levels of walking which our group had maintained for many years.

It has been a difficult year for our committee with meetings held infrequently and all within the virtual environment. Several of our long serving volunteers are standing down which creates opportunities for members who have an interest in undertaking one or more of the many volunteer roles as part of our committee.

I would like to thank all the volunteers, the committee, the walk leaders, the walk coordinators for all their hard work and commitment to the continuing achievements of Fylde Ramblers during this difficult year.

Best regards to all, stay safe and keep walking Robb
Chair

Fylde Ramblers Year End 2020                                     

As we approach the end of another year in Fylde Ramblers’ calendar, we have the chance to reflect on what a unique time this has been and will no doubt be a discussion point for future generations.

The global Coronavirus Pandemic: isolation, lockdown, furlough, face masks, social distancing, protect the NHS, social bubbles, rule of six, ‘hands, face, space’ and the new normal to be COVID-secure. 

The endless terminology, rules and guidance issued by government and scrutinized by the media left many of us dazed and confused as our daily lives were changed and we adapted to new restrictions on family life and recreation.

As members of the Rambling community, the initial guidance was to stop all group walks and Rambler activities. We could only exercise from our front door. I was and still am working from home and, like many people across the country, I explored my local patch, finding footpaths and places of interest that I had never come across in the 25 years that I have lived there. 

The wonderful sunny and dry months of early lockdown gave way to summer and the devastating consequences of the virus began to ease and restrictions relaxed, enabling our walking community to travel further afield and walk together in small ‘friendship’ groups. These were difficult months and I would like to recall all those members, friends and their families who suffered during this unprecedented time.

We all wondered when group walks would recommence, given the guidance from Ramblers that up to 30 walkers could legally meet for a group walk, conditional on compliance with many new rules in respect of protecting the members; booking systems, risk assessments, registers, distancing measures and lots of additional responsibilities for walk leaders. The Ramblers organisation accepts and acknowledges that the restarting of a Group Programme is a decision for the local club. A recent online meeting of the committee unanimously agreed that the Fylde Group is not currently in a position to consider the responsibility of restarting group walks or activities.

Now in the grip of a second wave of the pandemic and Lancashire being designated an area of very high risk, I firmly believe our current stance on group walking should continue. We await a safer time before restarting group walking. I applaud the fact that many members and friends have formed small social groups and walk together, enjoying the multitude of benefits, body and soul, of being out in the fresh air and experiencing the natural beauty of the Lancashire countryside.    

Until we meet again, please stay safe, keep well and in touch.

Best Regards to All.

Robb Radford

Chair Fylde Group

PS. This year, due to covid, we are not having an AMM.