ALLY’S WE WANT TO SHOUT ABOUT
We are incredibly fortunate to have some incredibly supportive ally’s in our community. We want to make space here to celebrate people and their work and encourage others to take their lead.
SIMON WELLER.
Gentle Simon with his excellent camera skills, is a huge ally. Self aware, thoughtful and always a pleasure to have around.
Simon has been a supporter of NFORC since day one. He went out of his way to make Nic feel welcome on her first group ride at BITW, September 2020 when she was the only woman and Simon took our first ever group photo. Our community seeks to serve folks like Si as much as anyone else. A patient, cis white man who enjoys pursuing pleasure, not pain. With Simon, it’s never about a suffer fest. It’s about enjoying yourself and staying classy. 💅🏼
Simon took photos at our birthday weekend which made building a media rich website, a dream. He documents the intimate moments, often off the bike. There’s not many men we’d invite into our space to take photos but Simon is discreet, polite and sensitive. He also gave us links to all the images so we could tell our own story.
Thank you Simon for using your photography skills to help us show the world that we’re out here.
DAN FROM VELODOMESTIQUE.
Dan is the owner of community bike shop and cafe, Velo Domestique in Southbourne.
Dan allows us to host our P.A.S.T series at his bike shop for free. By not paying for the venue, we are able to raise significant funds which we re invest in our ride leaders.
Dan always makes sure we have everything we need to make the series a success and then invites us to breakfast to debrief and plan more events.
Dan also hosts regular bike jumbles at Velo, which help to raise money for NFORC.
Thanks Dan for being so generous, supportive and encouraging, we appreciate you 🙏
JAY.
Jay has been a supporter of New Forest Off Road right from day 1.
Quietly encouraging and gently supportive, it is Jay’s imagery that has enabled us to share such media rich content.
Often found with a camera slung on his back, Jay prepares tea whilst we do mechanic classes, warms the chilli after the night ride and helps us tell our story.
Thanks Jay, you’re golden 🙏✌️
TOM.
In October 2020, after the Purbeck, Brother in the wild event, Tom said we should start a cycling club. We immediately said “NO WAY!”. We didn’t know how to plan routes, didn’t know anything about mechanics and didn’t know anyone else who would come.
Tom sent a couple of messages over the next month or so, checking in and asking if we’d thought anymore about it. We hadn’t.
Eventually, Tom put 6 women he knew in a what’s app group,sent us a route on Komoot and told us what time we should meet at the shop.
That was the first ever NFORC group ride.
Again, with gentle encouragement from Tom, we started a instagram account so we could connect with more riders.
If it wasn’t for Toms persistence, gentle encouragement and actually organising our first ride, NFORC wouldn’t exist.
Delicate, supportive ally ship in one gorgeous example.
Cheers Tom, you’re a legend.
SCOTT.
Scott slid into our DM’s back in October 2021 with a message about bike lights. Scott said he had a collection of bike lights from over the years and wondered if they would be useful to us. We said YES.
They showed up to our birthday ride, true to their word, a bag full of twenty lights.
These lights have been distributed between our community and other local road group @cycle_likeagirl.
Ride leaders are now in a position to give out lights to people who may have forgotten or not charged theirs and to those who don’t have any.
Thanks for thinking of us Scott.
MARTYN.
For our MTB leadership award, we must all carry first aid kits (amongst a whole host of other important things).
A chap called Martyn reached out and have us £200 smackeroonees to buy first aid kits and foil blankets for everyone who needed one.
We were at once, shocked, surprised and momentously grateful 😊
Martyn, know that were all equipped now with the first aid provisions that we need to pass our assessments.
MICHAEL.
Michael spends 100's of hours a year coaching women's BMX. The Bournemouth, women's BMX scene is one of the most active and engaged in the country, in large part, due to Michael's dedication.
Michael is hugely encouraging, loads of fun and a highly skilled coach who has made a big difference to the lives of the women who ride BMX every week.
Women have increased their bike skills, confidence and fitness all due to the weekly sessions Michael runs at Iford BMX track.
"Michael has pushed me to do stuff I said I couldn't, little by little, bmxercise is a safe place for me" - Suzie.
"His sessions are always fun and challenging for all abilities and he is very encouraging. He is very approachable for any queries and super helpful with bike questions" - PK
We're incredibly grateful that Michael has run 2 BMX sessions for the NFORC community to help us raise funds and he’s also partnered with us to run a mechanics course at the bike shop he manages: Bournemouth Cycle Works.
Thanks for being brilliant Michael, and such a charming northerner 💚
