Look Back at September

As predicted, the last month of the summer riding season was another very busy month with a great balance of the normal ongoing training and social events which merely serves to reinforce what ARNY is all about.  Despite the fact that there was a need to limit the available slots on Saturday morning training sessions, due to the availability of Tutors as well as the end of year ARNY Social weekend, there were 38 training sessions involving 18 different Associates and 18 of the Tutor team.

We welcomed two new members in September, and we wish Chris and Darren all the best with their future training.  We have had 35 new members so far this year, which is great to see, but is also adding to some of the challenges we are facing and are discussed a little more below.

The normal Wednesday Wobble social event for September was replaced by a slow riding training event that was hosted by Paul Batty and Phill Bates at the A2B training school in Church Fenton.  We thank all those involved, and A2B, for allowing us to host the event which is always well supported and much appreciated.  With many people only having focussed on their slow riding as part of their initial motorbike rider training, and for the older amongst us not even having done that, help with slow riding is a skill that is a common subject which comes up for us to provide some help with. 

The session, which was run on the A2B training area using part the unused airport runway, started with a review of what the requirements of the current Mod 1 motorcycle test, followed by the opportunity for all to test their skills, with some advice and support available as needed.  This is usually a very popular course and this year was no different.  The course was very much appreciated by the 15 Associates and Post Test riders that attended and thanks go to the Tutors who made themselves available to support the event too.

The month ended with the ARNY year end Social weekend which was based in Dumfries.  It was our most popular event so far with 33 bikes and 40 people coming along for what was a great weekend that, based on the feedback and comments during and after, was thoroughly appreciated by all who came along.  The informal nature of the weekend worked well again with a choice of rides for the journey over to Dumfries, for those who wanted to join, along with a range of rides as options for the Saturday rideout. 

All the rides were much appreciated, with the weather being reasonable for the time of year in Scotland, with the rain and wind pretty much holding off for the trip home on Sunday morning!  These events do not just happen, and huge thanks go out to Phill Bates who, once again, did a fantastic job of the overall organisation, and keeping everybody up to speed with the plans throughout. 

In addition, many thanks go to those who led rides over the weekend, and to those who helped with the navigational challenges experienced by some!  Leading a ride takes considerable preparation, time and effort and, as we are all on a leisurely social weekend, it is very much appreciated that many step up to help to ensure everybody has a good time.  There was a lot of thanks expressed on WhatsApp with many already looking forward to next year’s adventures.

As we start the Winter training schedule, training will continue as per normal on a Saturday morning, and at other times as and when convenient.  Whilst training will continue through the winter period there is no expectation for people to train throughout the year, and this is purely a personal choice.  Training on a Saturday morning will be cancelled if the weather is unsafe and this will be posted on WhatsApp and Spond as appropriate so keep an eye out on those channels when the colder weather arrives.

Over the winter period the committee will be working on the plans, and priorities for ARNY for next year.  We already know that 2026 has been a record year in terms of overall training activity and we will spend some time and thought as to how we manage this increased demand.  Spond has been very helpful in allowing us to manage training by facilitating the matching of Associate and Tutor numbers.  It is appreciated, however, that this has meant that some have not always been able to train as and when they would have liked.  It is with this in mind that the committee will be trying to decide how to match the available resources with the demand for next year. 

We will report back on our thoughts on this as we move forward but, as always, we are very keen to get any ideas, comments or feedback to help with this process and to help to ensure that any changes we make are in line with the training needs of all.  If you have any input please feel free to contact Dave Reeve through the normal channels or email secretary@arny.org.uk.  It is very important to us that we get as much feedback as possible from those who are actively engaged in training, and the processes around it, and any input will be well received.

Finally, we are delighted that ARNY post-test member, Matt Wrigley, has agreed to join the ARNY committee.  We have had an open “Website and Media” position on the committee for several years and it is an area where we have struggled for expertise and effectively “managed” as such.  Matt has some excellent experience, and skill, in this area and he is already looking at what we can do to ensure the website moves with the times and generally improve our social media presence.  We thank Matt for stepping up and look forward to having the benefit of his expertise on the committee.

Here’s hoping the arrival of winter is delayed as long as possible to end, what has been, an outstanding riding season for us all.

Until next time.