Absolulutely over the moon today.

I heard from the UK that two funding bids I worked on before I left CTC won the money, both of them submitted by the local Council in Wokingham. One was for the borough itself but the other was for my pet project the Chilterns Cycleway.

Cheering at my desk, not something I often get to do!

Wokingham would have been pretty high on a list of “cycling useless” as opposed to cycling friendly local authorities in past years, but their local bid to improve a main transport corridor features a lot of cycling where they will work with CTC so that is great. And they got me out of a hole last year when another authority (who shall remain nameless – “CB”) messed me about on the Chilterns Cycleway bid. So thanks again team, from cabinet member Keith down to Dave and Matt who supported the bid going in, it was a long shot that came up.

Hambleden Mill – Chilterns

The Chilterns Cycleway is quite a personal project. When I was a board member on the Chilterns Conservation Board I suggested it as a way of boosting tourism. Then we got it mapped, then a bit of funding for signs and guide books, a launch and all that good stuff working with some great local partners. I guess we all kind of thought it would go quiet there but I just thought it might fit the Local Sustainable Transport Fund after the Lake District National Park got some money in round 1. I did a load of work to submit the bid in February and now it came through. Wow – I feel a bit sad that I will be in Brussels when all this happens in Wokingham and the Chilterns, I have had to live with the place for 10 years when nothing cycling happened – now its all go.

Go and ride it – just 30 or 40 miles from London there is this stunning range of hills with a 200 mile signposted touring route. You won’t regret it.