Riding Bike for Riding Lights – Sponsor me

My Trusty Steed
Next month I am mounting my trusty steed and peddling round 100 miles of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a sponsored ride to raise money for the Riding Lights Summer School.

To sponsor me follow this link and make your donation

Specifically I’m doing the ride to raise money to bring four students from the Christian Palestinian Community in Bethlehem to the UK. They will join the summer school and return home with new skills to help their community to tell their story.

This follows from the Theatre Company’s production of Salaam Bethlehem last year.

Riding Lights – Past Shows
SALAAM BETHLEHEM
A Riding Lights Theatre Company Production

For the past 18 months we have been making steady progress towards a new play for the season of Advent running right up to Christmas 2007. A play with undertones for all our Christmases, Bridget Foremans SALAAM BETHLEHEM is set in the little town today where the streets are definitely darker beneath the concrete slabs but where the everlasting light still shines.

In May last year we met some of the dwindling Palestinian Christian community, discovering a remarkable range of people whose simple message to Riding Lights was Pray for us, tell our story, visit us.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions and because both inside and outside the Church issues to do with Israel seem to be so contentious… this is not a political play… or it is only political insofar as anything that deals with people is naturally political. We are not colouring in a new roadmap for the Middle East peace process. We are seeking to stand alongside brothers and sisters in the church of Christ. And how grateful all of us should be that they are still there.

Cycle Heaven

Folding bikes

It’s the name of a shop, not a home for old bikes and I was there last night for a demo of folding bikes. Airnimal and Brompton sent their top people and Birdy and Mezzo’s marketing and sales teams turned up too. Lots of technical stuff and really useful comparisons of four of the top brands. 

The break at half time gave anyone who cared to a chance to play with the bikes so I took my turn. I liked the Birdy and the Airnimal Joey. The Brompton was a Brompton and I didn’t get round to trying out a Mezzo. After the presentation about the Mezzo, which came after the break, I wished I had. Of all the bikes it looked the most highly specced machine of them all. 

There was no one there for Dahon, which happens to be the type of folder I use daily for getting around York. I have to say that after trying a new Brompton and the Joey my bright orange machine felt a bit sloppy, although perfect for my needs and a lot cheaper than either of them.

Plans ignore cyclists

Richard George: Plans ignore cyclists | Health and wellbeing | Life and Health
My local supermarket was designed by a driver, for drivers. This, despite the fact I live in Hackney, London, where less than half the population drives and 70% of shopping trips in the borough are made on foot. Nine buses stop outside the supermarket and most of the customers live in nearby flats, but my supermarket would rather everyone drove – and they have designed everything to try and ensure we do.

Richard George is right – planners are making it impossible to use a bike for shopping or commuting. It’s time they brought their green ambitions into line with their aspirations.

SOS Response – Bicycle thieves stopped in their tracks

As a cyclist, I rarely leave my bike locked up for more than a few minutes because I know that determined thieves can smash their way through almost any lock in moments. So this security system being trialed in Portsmouth looks really interesting.

SOS Response – Bicycle thieves stopped in their tracks
When the bicycle owner locks up their bicycle they send a text to a security office to trigger the system to guard it.
Wasp Logo
If someone then moves or tries to move the bicycle a sensor in the lock emits a silent alarm which triggers a CCTV camera to zoom in and take a picture.

The sensor also sends an alarm to security staff and flashes up live images from the camera on to their monitors.

A security guard can then be sent to investigate.

I know it only works on a place like a university campus where security staff are on duty 24/7, but couldn’t traffic wardens be redeployed into something useful to make it work everywhere?