One of favourite stops, the Sustainability Centre, is planning to transform their 'tired, old, inefficient MoD building' into an eco-friendly, state-of-the-art New Learning Centre.   

Update:  They've already raised £21,500 towards the £25,000 they need to apply for planning, so they just trying to raise the last £3,500.   We can earn them commission at no cost to us when we buy online at popular stores like Amazon, John Lewis and many more!  It all works through Give as You Live. 

More details at www.sustainability-centre.org/christmaspresents, or go directly,  www.giveasyoulive.com/join/sustainabilitycentre, where you'll see them under their official charity name, Earthworks Trust.  But of course they'd love any other donations as well.

I hadn't realised just how much they do, from education for schools, universities, teacher training, to camping, bee-keeping, recycling, ecology, forestry, nature, and lots more.  Our cafe visits barely scratch the surface.  And if the hill-climb to get there is too much for any of us one day, they can even do us a green burial 

It's a big, high-profile, multi-million pound project that will need big funding from the lottery and other sources.  And that could help unlock funding for better cycling routes to get there.

They've asked informally for our input on cycle parking.  And unusually, in advance!  They know we don't like wheel-manglers, but what would we like?  We've said cyclists like to be able to keep an eye on their bikes, but it would be a shame to despoil such a beautiful site with ugly steel sheffield stands.

On our coast-to-coast at Whitehaven, we could have locked to leaping stainless steel salmon.  Elsewhere, we've locked to beautiful sculptures.

So my challenge to Portsmouth CTC is to come up with something more imaginative, maybe more artistic?  Something we'd be proud to use in future.  Over to you!

Joy and I are going to be scrubbers for the day next Monday.  Butser scrubbers, that is.  Why not join us?  The weather forecast is sunny!

Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP) has asked for  volunteers to help with some fun scrub bashing on the lower/southern slopes of Butser Hill National Nature Reserve from Monday 13th to Saturday 18th November.

They've been great supporters of cycling, whether mountain biking, cycling through on the Butser Crossing, or stopping off at the great tearoom for refreshments, so it's an opportunity to return the favour and strengthen the bond.

Teas & coffees will be available, and if you book in advance (via the QECP reception qecp.enquiries@hants.gov.uk or 02392 595040) a breakfast bacon sandwich and piece of cake!

The work will be supervised and with all tools provided. Participants will need to bring working clothes, waterproofs, boots, gloves, and packed lunch.

The day will start at 10.00am and finish at 3.00pm, meeting at the old A3 car park to the east of the motorway. Free parking, look out for the signs.

Joy and I can only do Monday, so it would be fun if you could join us, but if you can't make that, do try another day.

Organised by Tim Speller, Country Parks Manager.

Updates on:

• Centurian way extension
• Farlington marshes access road
• NCN2 grit pile

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Roger Geffen MBE, Policy Director of Cycling UK, is the guest of Portsmouth Cycle Forum (PompeyBUG) at 7pm, Thursday 17th November, when he will talk about the second phase of our national Space for Cycling campaign.  This aims to create better places for everyone, by enabling people of all ages and abilities to cycle for any local journey.  As well as enabling members of the public to call on councils to commit to planning high-quality cycle networks – and to finding the funding these will require – we are also creating a Space for Cycling toolkit.  This will support local campaign groups and councils to work constructively together on planning local cycle networks and prioritising schemes, using a suite of IT tools and crowd-sourced data. This will strengthen the hand of local campaigners – as local authorities seek their support for their funding proposals – while boosting their credibility, their visibility in the local media, and their supporter base.

This should be a really interesting meeting and a great chance for us to engage with Cycling UK’s national campaigns and to use them locally to help us make cycling work for the Portsmouth and Havant area.  Put the date in your diaries.

More details at  http://www.pompeybug.co.uk/2016/10/open-meeting-making-space-for-cycling-uk/

On 20^th May, eight CTC Portsmouth volunteers worked with a Hampshire County Council officer to minimise flooding and mud on Park Lane Bridleway.

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You may already be aware of the government’s CWIS (Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy) which is now at the draft stage and open for comment. The consultation closes on 23 May, so it should be possible for all members to have their say, which can be done by using the on-line survey, using the e-mail address supplied or by normal post.  You can view the documents and make your views known here.

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Mike Ashton previously reported plans for Sheet level crossing that included the possibility of complete closure.

Mike has obtained a copy of this letter from Network Rail that announces the level crossing will remain open and that the half-barriers will be replaced by full barriers.

You might be aware that work at the south section of the route has stalled because of issues with the slope up from the Queen Elizabeth Country Park car park to the new path.

This document is the proposal to Hampshire County Council to spend the extra money necessary to complete the route.

This document is the record of the approval given by the relevant executive member to the extra spend.

So it looks like the path will be completed. It will be a while, however, before we get a reliable completion date.