SCC: Covid 19 Policy
The following policy was approved at the virtual committee meeting held on June 22nd. This policy will run until July 5th when the rules on social distancing change.
British Cycling Policy
The policy of the club throughout the pandemic has been to follow the guidance of British Cycling (BC) and to advise members of that guidance. From June 18th BC’s guidance has changed and a key extract from the new guidance is reproduced below:
The current suspension of sanctioned club and coaching activity was due to lift on 4 July, however with the support of new guidance published today on safe delivery, certain activities are now permitted to return with immediate effect.
- Club activities and coaching sessions can resume today, providing they are delivered in line with Government guidance on group sizes and social distancing.
Full details are available at ‘British Cycling: The Way Forward’
Southport Cycling Club Policy
1. The club will continue to follow British Cycling’s guidance i.e. we may cycle in groups of up to six and when doing so we must maintain the social distance of two metres. This is for the duration of the activity i.e. including time spent off the bike.
2. What is a ‘club sanctioned activity’? Thus far this has been interpreted as all the rides advertised by the club on its website. Given the numbers that participate in these rides it is still not possible to reinstitute them as they would not be within the guidelines. The logistics of the club ‘sanctioning’ lots of rides and asking everyone to fill in forms etc is unappealing. Therefore, to meet the criterion of a ride being ‘sanctioned’ any group ride involving only SCC club members wearing club kit that is organised in advance, through either SCC WhatsApp or Facebook, and will meet BC guidelines (i.e. riders ride in single file at a distance of two metres apart), will be deemed to have been sanctioned.
Effectively, you will be using these media to ‘register’ your ride. We hope that this system will provide the minimum amount of bureaucracy. You will only be contacted if what has been posted appears to be in conflict with SCC guidance.
Failure to register the ride in this way may mean that riders’ insurance with British Cycling may be invalidated. Members should refer to the British Cycling website for further information on insurance.
Members may, of course, organise rides independently of the club. In such situations we would ask that members continue to adhere to British Cycling’s guidance (again, this could be important if your insurance is with British Cycling).
3. Practical matters:
- Please don’t put out a general invitation to join a ride. If more than 6 people turn up the group will immediately be in contravention of the guidance.
- Similarly, please don’t arrange for two separate groups to meet at the same time at the same location.
We advise against two groups of six etc arranging to meet at a common destination.
4. We hope that everyone will adhere to these new guidelines which we believe provides a good deal of flexibility. If you have concerns about how these guidelines are being interpreted, please raise the matter with one of the club’s officers.
Statement
The last three months have probably been the some of the most difficult of our lives for many of us. Covid has thrown up challenges for each of us: some members are vulnerable and have to self-isolate, some live alone and have gone long periods with very little social interaction, others have been directly affected by COVID as they or relatives have contracted the virus, some are dealing with the pressures of job insecurity, whilst others have grave concerns about the impact on their children’s future. We therefore encourage all members to understand and recognise the stresses and strains on other members, to try and support other members and to endeavour to maintain positive relationships so that the club emerges stronger and healthier when things return to normal.
Fund raising for NHS/Care Home staff
We raised a total of £815 through the generous donations of club members in April. The money was divided between:
Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals Charity: £515 – Paid into their welfare appeal for staff, patients and volunteers.
Millbrook House Care Home, Birch St, Southport: £300 – Paid to the home to be distributed among their staff in recognition of the tough time they had with managing Covid. The manager, Marnie Rawlinson, expressed her very sincere thanks for our recognition of their work.
In other news
Tom Williams has fallen off his bike. Here’s a shot from his ambulance bed…good to see where the £515 we raised went.
Ken Perkins
Ken also fell off his bike unfortunately breaking his leg. Unlike Tom he didn’t need an ambulance and rode home after the fall. Dead hard.
All the best for a quick return to the bike Ken.
Will White – ripping it up
This indefatigable, evergreen, dog loving, man for all seasons phenomenon continues to defy the march of time and has spent lockdown ripping up Strava and putting in some mightily impressive rides. He puts his success down to ditching his unreliable Garmin (sold to an unsuspecting club member) and purchasing a Wahoo Bolt (whatever that is).
Club house refurbishment
But for Covid we would be enjoying the delights of an extended, refurbished clubhouse. Allan Taylor and Pete Scott continue to work behind the scenes on this. Below is a screenshot of the architect’s drawing – sorry if you need a magnifying glass to view but hopefully it gives you an idea.
In other news: Claudia and Spencer at it again
Yes, not only are these two good on the bike, they’re even better off the bike, as we discovered in Pete Scott’s Friday night quizzes, when they showed a depth of cycling knowledge unsurpassed in the club. Congratulations to you both for your knowledge of obscure cycling brands long forgotten to the rest of the human race.
A big shout out to Pete Scott for organising the quizzes – Friday nights are just not the same without them.
Dave Miller – ripping it up
He may be new, and he may ride motor bikes, but he is steadily upping his miles and his speed. Great to see his hard work paying off, well done Dave on the massive improvements. Blackgate Lane crew – you have been warned – this boy can turn a big gear.
Jim Gunn
Not such good news for Jim, I’m afraid. His hip operation has been put off for at least a couple of months. The Covid situation means that going into hospital is too dangerous at the moment. Many thanks to those members who clubbed together to send Jim and Irene a bunch of flowers and chocolates. All the best from all of us.
Time Trials 2020
Unfortunately, Covid restrictions have led us to reluctantly decide that we cannot have any club organised events before September and therefore this season’s planned series will not take place. A disappointment for many of you, but in particular for Alan Stark who worked tirelessly to try and find a solution. We all appreciate his terrific commitment.
In other news – Tom Williams sings Vera Lynn
He’ll fall off his bike, don’t know where, don’t know when,
but I know he’ll meet the tarmac some sunny day.
And finally
Enjoy your riding everyone, keep supporting one another, and one day we will sit down in a café and share cake and tall stories.
Geoff Caton
Chairman
