New trails opened at Haldon Forest

Over 1000 people enjoyed a family fun day at the Forestry Commission's Haldon Forest Park on Sunday 19 September. The event was held to celebrate the official opening of the new Challenge Trail, which has been invested in by the Rural Development Programme for England as part of the 1 South West Project. The funding has also been used to develop a new Cycle Skills Area, which was also opened at the event and a new Cycle Pump Trail, which will be opening soon. Sir Harry Studholme, Chairman of the South West Regional Development Agency officially opened the new cycle network on the day. He also rode the new trail and said: "It was wonderful to ride through the trees and see so many cyclists of all ages enjoying themselves, taking exercise and connecting with the magic of the woods. This is the culmination of much hard work, which shows, and he effective use of European funding to support the economy of the countryside while benefiting the health of the country." Haldon Forest Park is one of ten sites across the South West to benefit directly from the 1 South West project. This Forestry Commission led partnership is developing trails, sites and information across the whole region which will enhance the quality of experience for anyone who wants to enjoy off-road cycling. There were a number of activities on the day including impressive demonstrations by bike professionals Grant 'Chopper' Fielding and Andrei Burton. Grant also led the first official ride of the new trail, which many riders took part in. There was also bushcraft sessions for children, facepainting, bike decoration workshops and go ride skills sessions. One lucky visitor also took part in the prize draw and won the 'Haldon experience', which included bike hire from Forest Cycle Hire, a Go Ape! ticket, a meal for four at The Ridge Cafe, a Discovery Pass, a slow goodie bag from CCANW and a Segways session. Louise Bell, Haldon Forest Park manager says: "The event was a great success and we hope people really enjoyed seeing the latest developments here at Haldon. Over the last few years a great deal of work has been put in to developing the site to create a fantastic resource. It was great to see so many people here to celebrate the opening of the new 1SW cycle network."