CTC No more

[Pale Rider]

Scotland has already been airbrushed out...http://www.ctc.org.uk/sites/default/files/ctcnationalcouncil-currentwebsitelist.pdf.

OK, apart from airbrushing Scotland, what has the CTC ever done for us?

 

[classic33]

I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that a professional and carefully thought-out communications plan has been scuppered by a leak from someone disgruntled. In my experience over the years CTC has been pretty good at communication using its weekly email - but doing that requires discipline from everyone in the know.

The only communication received from them was when subscrition renewal was required.

 

[srw]

We are now clutching at straws if the excuse for finding out thru the media is being blamed to a leak. What leak? Nothing came out until the Council made the press release. Why hold back the plan if ever there was one.

Where's the press release?
http://www.ctc.org.uk/press-releases

 

[srw]

The only communication received from them was when subscrition renewal was required.

Give them your email address and you'll get a weekly email from them.

 

[srw]

It was on Philip Benstead's LinkedIn profile:

Also on Benstead's Linked-in page, from David Cox

Because the new brand has been disclosed earlier than planned, some of you will have seen comments based on incomplete information. The new name and logo are just part of our new brand, they will be used in conjunction with images and additional text in a way that conveys much more than any logo could in isolation. It is also important to remember that the adoption of a new name and logo is not a panacea, just part of a process. The success of any brand is about how an organisation ‘lives and breathes’ its values through the work that it does.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/change-branding-name-ctc-cycling-uk-demand-poll-whole-philip-benstead
(My bold). That means a leak. That note also refers to (legal) collective responsibility.

On the other hand, I can't see the text from Tuohy you cite. Perhaps a page link would be helpful?

 

[srw]

Oh well, that's all right then ?

Representative democracy is the current constitution of the club/charity. I think it's bonkers, but that's the way it is at the moment.

srw, are you on their payroll ?

God, no. There's nothing I hate more than a bunch of well-meaning and disgruntled amateurs getting in the way of professionals trying to do a tough job.

 

[srw]

Try pressing 'Show More' at the bottom of the quote from David Cox.

The reason I didn't put a link in is that LinkedIn doesn't seem to like linking to individual posts but to pages - so the link would just show David Cox's spiel...

Which is rather more pertinent than the comments from someone called "Gregory Price" - who appears to have a bit of a vendetta himself.

And in context, the comments from Tuohy don't actually read to me like an attack.

 

[srw]

Depends on where you coming from... I think most people have pegged your position.

And I think most people have pegged yours!

 

[mjr]

Can't see any mention of this on CTC website. CUK? I can only read this as 'suck'!

It's easily read as "cock" and actually means that in several languages.

Remember when Norwich Union became Aviva?

No? Neither does anyone else, and they're doing quite nicely.

Oh I think plenty of people around Norwich remember it and are still a bit sore about it, especially those laid off each time Aviva shuffles jobs back-and-forth between Norwich, Yorkshire, Manchester every so often, now it's got no public expectation that it's a Norwich firm.

In more ways than one the Insurance has been the glue for CTC since the Charity bender. If the new Touring Club can get hold of decent insurance cover, it might be the catalyst. Worth trying to work with British Cycling and their Insurance.

I think they'd really be limiting their scope if they signed up with British Cycling and its backwards approaches to diversity, helmets, e-bikes, recumbents and loads of other topics.

At the very least the members of the Council who have been elected by the membership to be their representatives!

There's a time for the letter of the rules and a time for the spirit of democracy. The letter of the rules says that the 16 or so councillors can commit an organisation to a complete change of direction by just voting and announcing, but surely the spirit of democracy dictates that they should try to take the other 67,000 members on the journey with them?

I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that a professional and carefully thought-out communications plan has been scuppered by a leak from someone disgruntled.

A communications plan should have been ready to roll as soon as the new brand was published on the trademark register, even if that publication was brought forwards for some reason.

 

[postman]

I hope it is more successful than our name change many moons ago,Consignia,what a flop that was.So where do i write to,for a new sticky label for my mountain bike,to replace the CTC logo.

 

[srw]

There's a time for the letter of the rules and a time for the spirit of democracy. The letter of the rules says that the 16 or so councillors can commit an organisation to a complete change of direction by just voting and announcing, but surely the spirit of democracy dictates that they should try to take the other 67,000 members on the journey with them?

There's been so much random gossip and speculation about a communication process that has been messed up by someone that it's difficult to be sure, but I'm pretty convinced I remember reading that the plan is to take the proposal to the next AGM - which is the route to convincing the membership.

 

[sbird]

What the CTC does for my cycling club - a personal view.

Reading CTC, a CTC member group, are a club who provide rides for anyone who lives or is in the Reading area. We provide over 450 on-road and off-road riders per year. These cumulatively total over 12000 miles. We estimate that over 150 different people ride with us each year. I'm guessing that we are one of the largest, most active member groups in the UK.

We welcome new people who don't have CTC membership on our rides, because we have to have a try-before-you-buy option.

The shocking news, apart from all the fun we have, is that a club structure is required to ensure that our member group meets the conditions of the Organisers Liability Insurance.

Yep, that one thing alone. And it's not about 3rd-party insurance and it's not about Househould insurance. It's not about the tours we organise or the BBQs or the birthday rides we have. In essence it is only about meeting the conditions of the Organisers Liability insurance.

Because someone has to provide financial protection to the ride leader from that one, rare, individual who may suffer a loss on a ride and decide to sue the organiser.

Let me explain how we meet the conditions.

• We provide guidelines for riders and leaders.
• We provide training for ride leaders.
• We provide a published rides list.
• We ask non-members to sign a form which then gives them 3rd party cover on our rides.
• We ensure ride leaders have full CTC membership.
• We encourage non-member riders to sign up to the CTC after 5 rides.
• We regularly send a list of ride leaders, accounts and AGM minutes to CTC head office.
• We have a formal structure to support and organise all of the above.
• All of which relies on volunteers.

If we didn't then

• Without the Organisers liability insurance we may not have ride leaders.
• Without ride leaders we may not have rides.
• Without rides there is no purpose for the club.

So if anyone can replace the function of the CTC in providing Organisers liability insurance and provide an easy way to administer it at far less cost than the current full membership of £43 per person per year then I, personally, would sign up to that. Because, right now, the CTC is not what it used to be and I'm not sure that I want to continue to support it any more.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Also on Benstead's Linked-in page, from David Cox

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/change-branding-name-ctc-cycling-uk-demand-poll-whole-philip-benstead
(My bold). That means a leak. That note also refers to (legal) collective responsibility.

On the other hand, I can't see the text from Tuohy you cite. Perhaps a page link would be helpful?

leak as in willfully done or leak as in hit send too soon, do you think?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

It was on Philip Benstead's LinkedIn profile:

Savaged by a dead sheep.

I don't know Philip other than through his postings in the bits of cyberspace we share. His writing style there conveys a certain something which makes it all too easy to cast him as an oddball with a lonely axe to grind.

But so did your forefathers treat the prophets....

 

[iandg]

So if anyone can replace the function of the CTC in providing Organisers liability insurance and provide an easy way to administer it at far less cost than the current full membership of £43 per person per year then I, personally, would sign up to that. Because, right now, the CTC is not what it used to be and I'm not sure that I want to continue to support it any more.

Hebridean CC have done it through affiliation to Scottish Cycling

Club affiliation is £75/year and individual 'Ride' membership is £35/year