CEO's statement

Discussion of the re-branding of CTC as Cycling UK.
GPC
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by GPC »

landsurfer wrote:I have only been a member for 5 years.
It seems that the biggest enemy the CTC members have is the CTC .... after many years of being a group of like minded cyclists it has become a charity and changed its name ......

Hello landsurfer, I don't believe any of the values will change though, good company, a lobbying body and holiday tours company among many other things. I disliked the old name and am glad change has come about, lets see what happens from here. Change was very good for BC after all.
Last edited by Graham on 21 Feb 2016, 6:28pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: quoting correction
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Heltor Chasca »

I'm at a complete loss.

At the end of last year I was genuinely going to join the CTC for a number of reasons and benefits to myself. I even called the 'membership department' twice. But niggling away at my mind was this impending change and all the negativity associated with the comments on this forum and elsewhere.

It just didn't feel right to me to chuck £40 (which is a lot for me) towards such uncertainty. Fairly recently I ended my time and membership with a wildlife charity that was flailing in the mud. The noises made here are so similar to my observations of that charity. That charity was run by megalomaniacs and a self proclaimed elite who made all the decisions themselves without the input of the paying members. In order: membership dropped off to an unsustainable level and the 'management' eventually fell out with each other and all was left to fall into a black hole. Fundamentally, the younger members had their noses put out of joint and disappeared. Without the next generation, it's pretty obvious as to how sustainable things can be.

I know the CTC can't be everything to everybody, but I still can't find anything that is appealing to the general, bike owning, populous. Why join C.U.K.? What benefit is there? And that said, why, why, why go in a direction that is of little appeal to a paying membership/market that you already have in the bag? From comments on here, it sounds like they've done a pretty good job of annoying a lot of their existing 'client base'. Madness.

I love this forum and I'm very fond of many of the contributors, but this present mess has me holding onto my £40 for now. The door isn't shut, but I'm going to sit back and see where the change takes us. Well, current members and oiks like me who might join all being well.

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PH
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by PH »

Heltor Chasca wrote:At the end of last year I was genuinely going to join the CTC for a number of reasons and benefits to myself.

What were those reasons HC and in what way do you think they've changed?
There are IMO two CTCs, the members touring section, where touring covers far more than anything involving an overnight stay, indeed most of it could just as easily be described as leisure cycling. Then there's the promotion of cycling to all, members and none members, the politics of it all. There have always been these two elements, the emphasis and boundaries are ever changing and there's plenty of arguments to be had, but anyone who thinks this is something new might look a little harder at the organisations long history. Maybe the time has come for these two elements to separate, but IMO they'd both be weaker for it and I find it hard to see a viable alternative.
As for the opinions on this or any other forum, I think it would be a mistake to accept them as in any way representative. Like attracts like, so it's possible that if this is your only contact with the membership your conclusions have a bias that might not be present elsewhere.
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Heltor Chasca
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CEO's statement

Post by Heltor Chasca »

PH wrote:
Heltor Chasca wrote:At the end of last year I was genuinely going to join the CTC for a number of reasons and benefits to myself.

What were those reasons HC and in what way do you think they've changed?
There are IMO two CTCs, the members touring section, where touring covers far more than anything involving an overnight stay, indeed most of it could just as easily be described as leisure cycling. Then there's the promotion of cycling to all, members and none members, the politics of it all. There have always been these two elements, the emphasis and boundaries are ever changing and there's plenty of arguments to be had, but anyone who thinks this is something new might look a little harder at the organisations long history. Maybe the time has come for these two elements to separate, but IMO they'd both be weaker for it and I find it hard to see a viable alternative.
As for the opinions on this or any other forum, I think it would be a mistake to accept them as in any way representative. Like attracts like, so it's possible that if this is your only contact with the membership your conclusions have a bias that might not be present elsewhere.


My honest reasons were the insurance and magazine. The insurance I've found can be sourced through a number of alternative options and to include theft etc. So that option changed on shopping around. I have to: my income isn't massive and every penny counts. The magazine would have been a treat for me. There is another magazine I treat myself to which is a similar price, so I'm not arguing the so called "£6" cost of some reading material.

The other 'intangible' benefit for me was possibly being able to say, 'I BELONG to the CTC.' That is to say being 'part' if an organisation you want to be involved in. A club of like minded men, women and children if you will. This is the part I feel that isn't available to me, such is the segmentation and instability at the moment.

But I'm a very fair person and I never shut doors. I'm going to sit it out and selfishly see what's in it for me and possibly my 6 and 14 year old daughters who both cycle and share my campaigning spirit.

EDIT: All the so called 'member discounts' are almost entirely negligible. Those companies offering goods and services are overpriced and a short search on google for your desired purchase will reveal that. If for any reason you are loyal to those retailers, just sign up to their email lists and you'll get those discounts or better. Usually on a Friday [emoji6]
Last edited by Heltor Chasca on 20 Feb 2016, 2:34pm, edited 1 time in total.
Barred1
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Barred1 »

gaz wrote:Volunteers are being sought to support the re-brand roll-out to MGs, ad drawn up 15 Feb.

More Volunteers to support new MG web pages.

Hurry offers close 25 Feb 2016 :mrgreen: .


That's amazing - surely with something that's as important as Tuohy and Cox are crowing about with the rebrand the resource to do it properly would be allocated to CTC/CUK staff? No one is doubting volunteers BUT they are volunteers after all with potentially other commitments that may impact on the CTC/UK task.

Yet more lack of professionalism (or rather, knowledge of the real world)

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Barred1
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Barred1 »

gaz wrote:The domain name of CyclingUK.org was registered on 9 Nov 2015. Whoever registered it has not revealed themselves, choosing to use the Identity Protect Ltd privacy service instead.

Who could the real owner be? Your guess is as good as mine :mrgreen: .


cycling-uk.org - this one is registered too, way back in 2007?

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gaz
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by gaz »

Barred1 wrote:That's amazing - surely with something that's as important as Tuohy and Cox are crowing about with the rebrand the resource to do it properly would be allocated to CTC/CUK staff? ...

Interesting interpretation. The fact that CTC is looking for Volunteers to support these tasks does not mean that there will not be staff dedicated to them as well.

If there was no request for Volunteer assistance someone would accuse the CEO and Chair of not seeking to utilise every available resource.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't :roll: .
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Barred1
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Barred1 »

gaz wrote:
Barred1 wrote:That's amazing - surely with something that's as important as Tuohy and Cox are crowing about with the rebrand the resource to do it properly would be allocated to CTC/CUK staff? ...

Interesting interpretation. The fact that CTC is looking for Volunteers to support these tasks does not mean that there will not be staff dedicated to them as well.

If there was no request for Volunteer assistance someone would accuse the CEO and Chair of not seeking to utilise every available resource.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't :roll: .


Possibly ... but making sure it all happens correctly and to time has to be controlled - one assumes there's a project plan? "Control" of all things seems to be the boss's mantra on matters so far.

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Graham
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Graham »

Charity calls for volunteers to help with an extra big task. !! Shock, horror. ????

There are quite a lot of us retired folks available, with a huge accumulation of experience and skills, still capable of making a huge contribution to worthy causes.
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Heltor Chasca »

Graham wrote:Charity calls for volunteers to help with an extra big task. !! Shock, horror. ????

There are quite a lot of us retired folks available, with a huge accumulation of experience and skills, still capable of making a huge contribution to worthy causes.


Absolutely. And even us busy, self employed youngsters with young kids and teenagers actually enjoy volunteering. I have recently put myself forward for a cycle campaigning group. For free! Nudda! No money! Just my precious time. But in my mind I'm doing something for the greater good. It's that 'feeling' I get from doing the volunteering that is priceless.
Psamathe
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Psamathe »

Graham wrote:Charity calls for volunteers to help with an extra big task. !! Shock, horror. ????

There are quite a lot of us retired folks available, with a huge accumulation of experience and skills, still capable of making a huge contribution to worthy causes.

I volunteered to the CTC back in the days when I was a member. It was to do something they really needed, had no money to pay for, etc. I offered to do it free, providing them everything (ownership and everything). But getting through to anybody was a complete nightmare (real struggle). And when I did there was absolutely no interest. So I gave-up. Obviously an organisation not interested in volunteers doing things to help and they'd rather pay somebody if and when they get the money ... but to that point well, cyclists can just do without.

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Graham
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Graham »

Psamathe wrote:
Graham wrote:Charity calls for volunteers to help with an extra big task. !! Shock, horror. ????

There are quite a lot of us retired folks available, with a huge accumulation of experience and skills, still capable of making a huge contribution to worthy causes.

I volunteered to the CTC back in the days when I was a member. It was to do something they really needed, had no money to pay for, etc. I offered to do it free, providing them everything (ownership and everything). But getting through to anybody was a complete nightmare (real struggle). And when I did there was absolutely no interest. So I gave-up. Obviously an organisation not interested in volunteers doing things to help and they'd rather pay somebody if and when they get the money ... but to that point well, cyclists can just do without.

Iam

Sadly, that does not surprise me and I suspect that you are not alone.

Let's just hope that the new staff & structures in HQ have got their ship together for the necessary huge new-brand workload.
TonyR
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by TonyR »

Barred1 wrote:That's amazing - surely with something that's as important as Tuohy and Cox are crowing about with the rebrand the resource to do it properly would be allocated to CTC/CUK staff? No one is doubting volunteers BUT they are volunteers after all with potentially other commitments that may impact on the CTC/UK task.

Yet more lack of professionalism (or rather, knowledge of the real world)

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Yeah, whoever heard of Oxfam or CRUK or any other Charity using volunteers? Its outrageous! [tongue in cheek emoticon]
Barred1
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Barred1 »

TonyR wrote:
Barred1 wrote:That's amazing - surely with something that's as important as Tuohy and Cox are crowing about with the rebrand the resource to do it properly would be allocated to CTC/CUK staff? No one is doubting volunteers BUT they are volunteers after all with potentially other commitments that may impact on the CTC/UK task.

Yet more lack of professionalism (or rather, knowledge of the real world)

B1


Yeah, whoever heard of Oxfam or CRUK or any other Charity using volunteers? Its outrageous! [tongue in cheek emoticon]


The point is being missed here - volunteers ARE a valuable resource but, for example, when Oxfam & CRUK rebranded I'd bet that the communication and marketing stuff was all sorted in great detail BEFORE any promotion involvement cascaded down to the local committees and volunteers - getting it right first time is what it's all about. That's the concern.

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Heltor Chasca
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Re: CEO's statement

Post by Heltor Chasca »

I have done lots of charity work in the form of volunteering over the years and it amazes me how many charities treat some volunteers like lowlife employees. They needn't be treated like kings and queens, but charities seem to forget these people are giving up their time for nothing. They are very precious.

I've experienced this through two charities. One in particular abused my easy going nature to the degree it started to affect the running of my own business. I quickly dumped them to their surprise. That said I have had exemplary treatment from a horticultural organisation in France. Great ethics.

Annoyingly I find you get 2 types of volunteer: the ones who knuckle down and graft and the ones who coast along for the social aspect and drink tea all the while. Not easy to manage as a coordinator I bet, but that's human nature for you.
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