News 2020
December - January
New Chair
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The Trustees held their usual Annual General Meeting in October, but this year it had to be held 'virtually' because of Covid restrictions. Trevor Britton had said last year that he would be standing down, after 8 years in the role, and at the meeting Dr Ian Happs was voted in as the new Chair.
Ian wants to acknowledge the debt MyPAG owes to Trevor and to Sue Kelly, who stood down as director and secretary at the same meeting: 'Trevor Britton has put a huge amount of work into MyPAG over many years, most recently as Chair, and on behalf of the Directors and the community I’d like to pay tribute to everything that he’s achieved. We are very grateful, and pleased that he is staying on the Board, so that we can continue to benefit from his expertise. Sue’s amazing skills with fundraising and grant applications mean it is no exaggeration to say that without her input the site would never have been secured for the community in the first place. She has been a mainstay of the organisation ever since, and she will be much missed. Thank you, both!' |
Coronavirus
The Coronavirus pandemic has affected Maes y Pant along with the rest of the world. On the positive side, we have seen a huge upturn in numbers of people using the site, and it has been very much appreciated as a local resource of peace and tranquility in troubled times. During the lockdowns it has answered the need for somewhere to exercise within walking distance of home in a very beneficial way.
Ironically, while we haven't been able to meet in groups and organised activities can’t take place, Maes y Pant has really came into its own. Government instructions to ‘stay local’ and take exercise within walking distance of your home mean that our site has become even more important as a local resource than it had been before. It has allowed people to forget what was going on in the world, and appreciate nature in a way that for many has been truly eye-opening.
Ironically, while we haven't been able to meet in groups and organised activities can’t take place, Maes y Pant has really came into its own. Government instructions to ‘stay local’ and take exercise within walking distance of your home mean that our site has become even more important as a local resource than it had been before. It has allowed people to forget what was going on in the world, and appreciate nature in a way that for many has been truly eye-opening.
Bikes are back
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Bikes are now allowed on the Maes y Pant site so long as the guidelines are followed and signs obeyed.
The site is not really suitable for bikes other than for limited use but we felt it was wrong to prohibit biking on site by local people, when it was mainly the large amount of visitors during lockdown and the actions of a few that caused the unsafe conditions we had at the time. These visitors have greatly reduced in numbers but we felt it was important to look at safety and biking on site anyway. Riding on some of the footpaths will be allowed but following a one way system. The map below shows the plan. Guidelines to the standards we expect are also given below. Separate access has also been made to the ‘Trail area’ for mountain bikes. These are trails that already existed but with artificial log-made jumps removed. The jump area (pump track) at the bottom of the trails, used by younger or less experienced riders, will be turned through 90 degrees. We hope this will stop riding across one of the main footpaths to build up speed for these tracks. Pedestrians still take priority on the footpaths but pedestrians should not access the Trail areas. So let’s see how this all works out. Some simple cycling guidelines have been issued and are posted at the main entrance as well as being attached here. Thank you to Dan and his group of biking volunteers for sorting out the trails, and there is some work in progress for the track to be used by less experienced and junior riders (pump track). |
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Guidelines for Cycling in Maes y Pant
If you are using a bike in Maes y Pant you have permission to do so as long as you follow some simple rules.
Guidance on the use of the central ‘Trail area’ will be issued separately
Guidance on the use of the central ‘Trail area’ will be issued separately
- Look after yourself. Ensure your bike is safe to ride, we recommend you wear a helmet. Remember that there should be no access between dusk and dawn.
- Look after others. Access should be from the main entrance and continue straight ahead (ie no entry down the hill or to the field on the right) – see map below. Please ride on the right hand side of the path, obey signs and travel on the made up paths in a clockwise direction only. Narrow woodland paths are not for bikes, except where there is dedicated access to the Trail area. Please be courteous to pedestrians and slow down, especially where there are children or where dogs are not on a lead, and be prepared to stop where it is difficult to pass. Always give way to walkers as they have priority and use a bell or greeting to let them know you are there, and remember some people may not react because of hearing, visual or mobility impairments.
- Look after the environment. Keep off the pedestrian paths through the woods except where there are dedicated access tracks for bikes, which will be marked. Don't erode paths by riding on very wet ground and avoid sharp braking. Riding down the former quarry slope is prohibited as it causes severe erosion.
Cycling Ban
Those who are frequent visitors to Maes y Pant I’m sure will have noticed increased biker activity. Over the years we’ve wanted to be tolerant to local bikers, so long as they obeyed basic courtesy rules. As a result we’ve had no formal complaints, at least. With the lockdown, the number of bikers has increased and somehow knowledge of our site has spread further, so we also have adults and youngsters visiting from further away. We’ve had near misses on the footpaths and our assessment of the bikers racing down from the quarry face and racing over the footpath to some home-made jumps on the other side is that it’s positively dangerous. This serious hazard is a big concern but the bikers are also causing some environmental damage and for many the site isn’t as enjoyable to visit with bikers frequently riding by at speed. On top of that, bikers should not be coming from outside the area to ride their bikes, as currently there are travel restrictions because of Covid in Wales.
Reluctantly, the MyPAG Board have decided to ban all bikers on site, except for children aged 11 or under accompanied by adults. We will also take some mitigation measures as well. We plan to cut down some trees on the quarry slope to obstruct the more dangerous runs and will take down jumps each time they are made up. Where there is criminal damage eg tearing down notices and damage to trees to create jumps then we will refer this to the police. I understand the police now do daily patrols in Maes y Pant.
If you see things going on in Maes y Pant then by all means let us know through maesypantsocial@gmail.com, but we don’t want anybody to be confrontational. It may be possible to allow bikers on site in the future but we need to keep them separate from walkers. We’ve already started talking to one or 2 interested parties to see what can be done, but at present the ban is on.
Reluctantly, the MyPAG Board have decided to ban all bikers on site, except for children aged 11 or under accompanied by adults. We will also take some mitigation measures as well. We plan to cut down some trees on the quarry slope to obstruct the more dangerous runs and will take down jumps each time they are made up. Where there is criminal damage eg tearing down notices and damage to trees to create jumps then we will refer this to the police. I understand the police now do daily patrols in Maes y Pant.
If you see things going on in Maes y Pant then by all means let us know through maesypantsocial@gmail.com, but we don’t want anybody to be confrontational. It may be possible to allow bikers on site in the future but we need to keep them separate from walkers. We’ve already started talking to one or 2 interested parties to see what can be done, but at present the ban is on.
Woodland Trail back again
If you have young children who might be at a loose end during the school holidays then our woodland trail is now back and the full complement of animals are present and waiting to be found. There are 20 but they seem a little harder to find than before. I only found 15 on my trail visit. I'll get my 4 year old grandchildren to help me when they visit! I've put leaflets about the trail in a box by the oak trail board but they disappear quite quickly either either by enthusisatic trail hunters or others. With this in mind, I've attached copies of the front and back pages of the leaflet which you can print for yourselves. The information is designed to print on 2 sides of A4 and then fold into 3 creases. I've also attached photos of a couple of examples to whet your appetites. Happy hunting.
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