Dates For Your Diary
Next meeting is on 9 June and is our AGM. Pleas come and support the governance of the Group or give your proxy vote to another member. Afterwards we will have a presentation from the National Association of Bikers with Disabilities 7.30pm for a 7.45pm start.
SkillShare & Social
7 June 2025 meeting at the Dandy Highwayman Cafe Cherhill. 9.30 am for 10 am start. See main section for more details.
Bike Ride-Outs on the 3rd Saturday of every even numbered month and the 3rd Sunday of every odd numbered Month. Email will be sent out to Bikers and added to the Forum.
Next ride out Saturday 21 June Details will be forthcoming via email to all bike members.
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Do you have a topic you would like discussed, or know of an interesting speaker? Please contact speaker at speakers@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following members who have passed their Advanced Tests recently:
Mike Jackson - Car - Silver
Mark Tunstall – Bike retest – Gold
Wanda Corps - Bike – Silver
Matt Shaw – Bike – Gold
Rob Banfield – Bike - Silver
Mark Iredale – Bike - Gold
Elizabeth Rutherford - Bike - Gold
Chris Drye - Bike - Silver
Please welcome the following to the Group:
Robert Topliss - Bike
Vicky Studley – Bike
Steve Hall - Bike
Mark Leach – Bike
Nigel Block - Bike
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Don’t forget that we have a range of clothing available to purchase. We also offer a range of books, such as Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, and these are available at discounted prices.
For more information visit the Merchandise page of our web site |
We are always looking for more articles, ideas and news for the newsletter. Have you been somewhere interesting recently that would make a good story? If you attend any group events then take a camera and send us your pictures!
Please forward all contributions to newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
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Please remember our Monday meeting on 9 June is also our AGM. This is an essential part of our governance which maintains our accreditation with RoSPA – without which we cannot use the title Wiltshire RoADAR. There will be reports form the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer followed by a talk (National Association of Bikers with Disabilities). The calling notice will come out soon but please try and come along to support the Group. If you have anything you wish to raise, please do let us know and if you cannot attend then please give your proxy vote to someone who will be there (myself and the Secretary are good bets if you are happy with this!).
It has been a busy month with new members and test passes. On thing I do notice is we are clearly missing out on attracting car members and I wonder if anyone has any ideas and can help us recruit. This can be raised at the AGM or send me a message. It is a bit easier to recruit bike members, particularly at this time of year and our attendance at the Stone Circle custom and classic meet heralded 4 new members. We will have a stand at the Atwell-Wilson motor museum in Calne on 13 July - if you can come and help promote the Group please drop a note to Nick Carrington.
I hope to see you at the AGM on 9 June
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Pete Kempshall
It is my sad duty to pay respects to Pete who passed away recently after a long illness.
Pete joined the Group in its first year of its existence and very quickly qualified as a tutor and advanced tutor. Over the following 20 years he was one of the stalwarts of group tutor training and was the one who conducted the final practical check on most of the new tutors. He was a sublimely smooth and safe rider and it was always a joy to ride with him.
Pete was good company and always ready to laugh. There was a serious side to him through and his integrity was never in doubt, a characteristic which served him well in his police career and as a tutor. A keen sportsman, playing squash into his 60s and he always looked fit (he managed the rare feat of remaining the same weight as when he joined the police until his move to a care home 3 years ago). He was a regular on bike trips and rides out and was a good friend to many in the Group.
All who met him will remember him fondly and I have passed on the condolences from all the Group to his wife Marilyn who feels his passing the most.
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May Group Meeting - Mental Health Motorbike
Mental Health Motorbike is a free face to face and online mental health first aid support charity for the biker community throughout the UK. We exist to create meaningful and purposeful opportunities, for all bikers, so that together we grow the wellbeing of the biker community. We do this through 1 to 1 and peer support, events, training activities and projects, working in partnership with other organisations and clubs.
There is an increasing awareness of poor mental health but there is still a stigma around it. There is approximately 1 suicide per day in UK and it is the biggest killer of men under 60.
Mental Health Motorbike was set up 5 years ago by 2 friends after another friend unexpectedly took his own life – This was a complete shock to all who knew the victim and they promised to do something about it. It exists to:
- Promote the wellbeing benefits of motorcycling
- Provide a network of support for bikers, by
bikers
- Improve wellbeing within the motorcycling
community
But if you need help and approach them, they will not turn you away if you are not a biker. Their website is here. They have an active Facebook page and there is also a podcast about them on Reel Riders podcast – search for episode 29 – Mental Health Motorbike.
We had a lively and engaging talk from Tony the SW regional coordinator. He was speaking from personal experience of poor mental health and it was a powerful and emotional message he put across.
Their main aim is to have a mental health first aider in each town and city in the UK. Thus far they have trained over 1000 and are looking for more people to volunteer form the training. They will provide the training free (with a £50 admin charge – when it was completely free people often did not turn up for the courses) and training is done on ZOOM over 4 evenings. They have 5 additional aims which can be found here They will provide a non-judgemental face to face meeting; one to one on line or at a convenient place just so individuals can talk about “stuff”. They use motorbikes as the connation to start the conversation.
They attend many shows - this keeps the 21 regional coordinators very busy - and all are volunteers. They are also working with clubs and Industry partners; relationships with The Trail Riders Fellowship, Triumph, Norton and Jaguar LandRover.
Some advice was provided to help with managing mental health. If you imagine your stress fills up a personal bucket (some of us have lager buckets then others) and you need to provide a tap on the bucket to prevent it from overflowing and becoming a problem. Activities which help to reduce the “buckets load” are:
Make connections.
Take exercise.
Take time to be in the moment.
Keep learning.
Give – selfless ats of kindness make you feel good.
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First Aid - Gary puts it into practice - the importance of training.
I was working for the day at Thruxton, just after 2pm I drove down from the skid pan to the 4x4 course, which is adjacent to the kart track. I was meeting my last 2 guests for the day, they were going to drive the new Suzuki Jimny. As I parked the clean Jimny, ready to move over to the dirty car, one of the karting guests fell over, collapsing near me. His group looked confused, so I walked over and assessed him. Realising he wasn't breathing I snapped into control mode.
I got one of his group to dial 999 and ask for an ambulance, another to go into the kart centre to find a first aider or a defibrillator, and got two more of his group to help me move him away from the car had rolled under, and to lie him on his back.He had no pulse at his wrist so I asked if anyone knew CPR. One chap did, and he got to work doing chest compressions.
The 999 handler came on line and confirmed we were doing the right thing, but I advised them there was no pulse, and our patient had gone an alarming shade of purple. The handler encouraged us to continue, and said that the first ambulance was only 5 minutes out.
I directed two of the group down the car park, one half way, and one all the way to the main gate, to show the ambulance where to go when it arrived, and then stepped in to replace the CPR chap doing chest compressions.
The kart centre first aider arrived with a defibrillator, there was some confusion as to where the pads should be placed, so I directed the first aider to locate them correctly. The machine was turned on and it began to assess the patient.
These local defibrillators are very good, you just need to follow the instructions. The machine told us to continue CPR while it assessed the patient. When the machine said he needed a shock, it advised that we stand clear, and told us to press the button. Once shocked CPR resumed until it was time to shock him again. After the second shock his colour started to return to a more normal shade.
Once the paramedics arrived, suitably guided by the guys I'd despatched, I relinquished the CPR back to the chap who started it. He continued for a few minutes while they unpacked their kit.
They put a canula in his arm and started fluids, while getting their own heart monitor/ defibrillator unit in place.
Realising things were now under control, I stepped back to see my 2 4x4 guests. They were loitering on the edge of the group. A second ambulance pulled in, and seeing there were 4 medics on hand, I took one of my guests out on the 4x4 course.
After 40 minutes or so, we pulled back in to swap the guests over and I check in with the medics. They were still attending to the patient, but he had been placed on a gurney ready for transport.
After the next 40 minute 4x4 session we were back at the ambulances and the patient had been loaded into the ambulance and was on his way to Guildford hospital where they have a cardiac unit.
I spoke with one of the paramedics, who said he was conscious before he left, but that he had definitely died during the episode, and our prompt CPR and the defibrillator had brought him back.
The main thing I noticed was how calm I was during the whole episode, and that the first aid training that I'd had in the army, and more recently with RoADAR had been invaluable.
The patient was from Southampton. As far as I know, he's alive and well. I hope to meet him again in better circumstances.
Gary Franks
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SkillShare and Saturday Social
Skillshare returns on 7 June so we will be offering taster sessions to potential members. This does not remove the Saturday Sociual but merely adds to it. Bring a friend and join us on the first Saturday of the month at the Wiltshire RoADAR Saturday Social. From 09:30 at The Dandy Highwayman; Main Rd, Cherhill, Calne SN11 8UU.
Come and meet your fellow members; exchange notes with other associates; meet some of our tutors and pick their brains.
We usually stay chatting eating cake and drinking tea until 11 ish.
The first Saturday of the month - 09:30 - The Dandy highwayman - Café - on the A4 - Main Rd, Cherhill, Calne SN11 8UU.
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Have you been up to anything to do with Riding or Driving lately? If so, then please let us know as we would love to include it here; photos would be great too!
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Monthly Ride Out
A good Day’s riding was had by all. Although it started foggy and chilly for some. A total of 7 bikes left our start point in Marlborough heading on our journey to Five Zeros near Bradford on Avon. Taking the scenic route (as I call it) must have had the riders wondering where we were actually going. With 6 riders in tow it was fairly easy to keep a tight group and enabled a free flowing ride. This was further aided by my “tail end Charlie” Paul. Through the use of our intercom systems Paul would inform me all were following and confirmed any indications I had made were relayed to the back marker.
We arrived at Five Zeros to join many others who were enjoying the Italian themed weekend. Glorious sunshine and an even more glorious assortment of Italian cars to feast the eyes on. Despite being very busy the café staff did their best to provide us with a table and food.
Our return journey took us north into the Cotswolds, again following the scenic routes and a return to the Dandy Highwayman for tea and cakes.
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May Trippers
This month the annual “May Trippers” tour of ten current and former members and two dogs base themselves for a week near the village of Condover, south of Shrewsbury.
Couples took it in turns to cook the evening meal, the usual crew prepared cooked breakfast for those that wanted it.
Day trips included
National Motorcycle Museum nr Solihull
National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffs
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, nr Wrexham
Penmaenpool Toll Bridge and Barmouth
Ludlow
Attingham Park near Shrewsbury
Wrekin, Telford
Ironbridge
Chirk Castle
Horsehoe Falls
Lakes Vyrnwy and Bala
Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth
As is the norm for this tour, much cake and fun was had.
The annual quiz held on Wednesday evening was won by Julian & Jo who are the lucky holders of the trophy until next year and will I’m sure, already be thinking of the questions.
Personally, I rode 1,064 miles over the tour excluding the day I spent in the car.
Next year’s trip is going to be Northern England or Southern Scotland, sadly myself and Clare won’t be on it as I will be deep in training for my cycling attempt at LEJOG
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VEHICLE SAFETY REGULATIONS
The Government is reportedly ‘actively considering’ aligning Britain’s vehicle safety regulations with a sweeping set of EU rules that mandate 19 advanced safety systems in all new cars. The regulations, known as GSR2 (General Safety Regulation 2), came into force across the European Union on 7th July2024 – but Britain, post-Brexit, is under no obligation to adopt them.
However, speaking in the House of Lords on19th March, Transport Minister Lord Henry confirmed that the Government is currently reviewing the full suite of technologies to
assess which are “right for Great Britain”. These include systems such as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS), and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
While many of these technologies are already installed in new vehicles sold in the UK, due to manufacturers standardising models for international markets, their inclusion has
sparked controversy. A recent survey by consumer group Which? revealed that over half
(54%) of UK drivers switch off at least one of these features, often describing them as
“annoying, distracting or even dangerous”.
One of the most contentious technologies is ISA. Designed to detect speed limits and either alert the driver or limit the car’s speed automatically, ISA must be active by default under EU rules. Drivers may deactivate it at the start of each journey, but it resets every time the car is restarted. Nearly half (46%) of motorists with ISA installed reported switching it off, citing discomfort with the system overriding driver input or frequent ‘bonging’ alerts.
Lane-keep assist systems were also frequently disabled – with 42% of drivers turning them off, often due to false activations on narrow roads or potential conflicts with cyclists and parked vehicles.
Emergency braking systems, drowsiness detection, and blind-spot monitoring were similarly unpopular among a significant number of drivers, who questioned their necessity or found them intrusive.
Thatcham Research, a leading authority on vehicle safety, has urged the UK to keep pace with Europe on crash avoidance tech. Principal engineer Yousif Al Ani stated: “Modern vehicles do a good job protecting occupants in crashes, but passive safety systems have limited benefit to vulnerable road users. Reducing the 11,000 annual KSIs (Killed or Seriously Injured) among VRUs will require widespread use of active safety features
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Want to Try Off Road Biking? - Perhaps with Winston?
Phoenix Motor Cycle Training is ‘The UK’s highest rated and largest motorcycle training school, so wherever you’re going, we can help you get there.’ Run green trails on Salisbury Plain. They limit the groups to four per group to give individual attention. They provide Honda CRF250 and Fantic XEJ250 motorcycles and everything from a Helmet, Body Armour, boots, waterproofs, gloves and lunch!
The cost of a level 1 (beginner) course is £270.00. The deal is for us to go as Level 1s
Wiltshire RoADAR can get a 10% discount if we book directly with Phoenix.
Presently there are places available for groups of four. Check their availability on their website here and click on the “Book online” button.
Please let me know if anyone is interested in joining a group to venture onto the plain and we can plan a day out. April seems a good time to go.
Let me have your dates by email, text or WhatsApp or give me a ring to discuss. I will be at the February meeting if you would like to chat about it then.
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Promotional activities
SkillShare - at Dandy Highwayman, Cherhill, Calne on 7 June - in addition to the Saturday Social.
The Calne Bike Meet in Calne (across the whole town; an enormous event) was one of our best
recruiting event of 2024. This is on 26 July – if you can help please
get in touch with Phill Colbourne.
Wiltshire Police BikeSafe
Successfully supported by Wiltshire RoADAR motorcycle tutors and WABAM Observers. Dates for 2025 are as follows:
15 June
27 July
24 August
28 September
5 October
If you have any ideas for events, then please get in touch with the committee using the committee email address :
Look forward to hearing and discussing your ideas.
Presentation material
A generic set of slides has been created for use if you are asked about Wiltshire RoADAR and have the opportunity to present. This could be at a local club, workplace etc. Please send a mail to committee@wiltshireroadar.co.uk and the slides will be sent over to you.
We also have flyers and business cards so ask for these via the same means.
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Booking a Retest
Please be aware you need to book your 3 yearly retest directly with RoSPA via their website. Sadly we cannot book it for you as it is all done electronically. You may also need to check when your re-test is due if you have not been paying your subscriptions to RoADAR as they will not remind you.
Tutors will be happy to conduct a refresh should you wish one prior to a re test.
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Membership and GDPR
Due to GDPR we are required to remove an individual's details from our Group database when they are no longer required by us. We remove a lapsed member's details if they have not paid a subscription by the 31 Dec following the AGM (3 months after the subscriptions are due). If a member has forgotten to pay their subs and pays after 31 Dec we will require a joining form to be completed so we can replace them on the database.
It all seems a bit strange, but we do not want to get on the wrong side of the Government's Information Commissioner. We understand if members forget or are late with their subscriptions, but please help us to keep our database accurate and compliant.
This is, of course, separate to those of you who maintain a membership with RoADAR HQ.
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Media coordinator - Help us to broaden our reach
To help promote the group we have a variety of online media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. To help make the most out of the opportunities that these outlets provide, we could use some help from someone who has experience of using such tools. Drop me a line at secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk if you would be interested in helping promote our group.
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Committee minutes
These are available from the Group Secretary if any member wishes to see them. If you are interested in reading the minutes, then please send a mail to the Group Secretary whom will promptly forward them onto you.
Test results
Reminder to let the Membership Secretary and your tutor know when you have taken your Advanced Driving/Riding Test and result. This is so our database is kept up to date; there is no need or pressure at all to have the result published on the website or in this newsletter if you wish to keep your result confidential.
If you have read this far, thanks! If you have any feedback or suggestions about content for your newsletter, then drop us a line at newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk If you can't leave constructive feedback though, then we don't want to hear from you!
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