This year the section has been shaken by two tragic events: in April Ray Hudson was killed in a road accident on his way to a Youth Hostel weekend. Ray had been a stalwart member of the section since the 1950s and had only rarely missed a club event. About 150 cyclists attended his funeral, which is a full statement about the high regard with which he was held by our members. Sadly, we also lost Ken Probert about a year after he had been diagnosed with cancer and only a short time after some section members had taken him to Jersey for his 70^th birthday. It is only at times like this that you appreciate the depth of the bond created by the fellowship of cycling.

The section has done its best to carry on with an average attendance of 13 riders on the regular Sunday rides. We have also held a number of Youth Hostel and camping weekends, but have not organised our usual September tour because of an accumulation of family commitments for all the regular participants.

We have already talked about Sheila’s Leominster Youth Hostel weekend at the beginning of May, which we decided should continue and in some ways made the grieving easier to bear.

Mike Thomas organised a very successful camping weekend in mid-Wales over the Whitsun Bank Holiday and covered some of the most scenic roads in the country.

The section helped the DA to organise one of the national 100-mile Triennial Vets rides, which was fortunately blessed with good weather, as was a garden party to celebrate Tom Jack’s clocking up 60-years membership of the CTC.

The Birthday Rides in the Peak District were well supported by the section: Sheila and Kevin turned the event into a full tour by cycle camping on a route that took in Edinburgh on the way.

Always being ready to give a lead to others, Sheila also took weekends in March to Sherwood Forest and in August to Saffron Waldon Youth Hostel.

The annual DA roughstuff and night ride events were well supported by the section and we were treated to a particularly interesting and varied selection of slide shows at the fortnightly DA winter clubroom.

As Ray Hudson had won the attendance trophy almost without break for over 20-years it was decided to perpetuate his memory with a new "Ray Hudson attendance trophy": the first recipient is Bob Tinley and The Elaine Williams Trophy for the runner up was won this year by Bob Knight

Bob Tinley - Secretary

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