On the Road Again!

Highways England, which is in charge of looking after the UK's strategic road network, has used the race meeting to invite bikers to attend two life-saving courses: BikeSafe and BikerDown. 'Highways England and MAG have worked together for three years now,' says Lembit Öpik, MAG's Director of Communications & Public Affairs. 'Their proactivity led to their attendance at the first Superbike event of the year. They get the difference between lecturing riders versus working with us to achieve safety outcomes. I hope that riders sign up to both schemes they're promoting.' BikeSafe is a police-led initiative to improve biker skills. Bikers ride with expert police motorcyclists, who observe riding skills and advise on road techniques. This aims to make riding safer and more rewarding. Subjects include hazard perception, cornering, filtering and group riding.  The other scheme, BikerDown, gives vital skills if you're first at an...

The Biker Down course was devised by Jim Sanderson and colleagues at Kent Fire and Rescue. It is free to attend and is a decent course with a practical exercise on how to be the first responder at a bike accident scene. It is well worth going. Unless you are a doctor or nurse you will learn something. Email bikerdown@kent.fire-uk.org to book. Dates: 12th February 12th March 16th April 7th May 4th June 2nd July 27th August 24th September All courses will run at the  https://www.kent.fire-uk.org/your-safety/road-safety/road-safety-experience/

In Broadstairs with Claire and Reggie to meet with, Judy, a friend of Claire's from school many years ago. They hadn't met for about 50 years but are in contact on Facebook. The idea was to meet and then go and have lunch and they could chat.  Judy was appearing in the Folk Festival singing with a group and another ex-Clarendon girl, Linda, was dancing Appalachian Tap Dance.  Don't ask me! As I expected it to be an old girls meeting I decided to take Reggie and when they were chatting I would walk with him along the cliff tops around Viking and Louisa bays.  As Viking Bay is the main beach dogs aren't allowed between April and September, but at Louisa he is allowed on a lead. At the meeting place by the war memorial and the Morris turned up. As I was keeping Reggie close by and Claire took the pictures. After a walk down to the Pavillion we met  Kevin, Judy's partner, and Linda and went to to lunch.  At the time I learned that Kevin was a biker as ...

Star Letter Finally I have won something. Okay I don't count a few lottery wins that about cover the entry cost, but a proper prize. Thanks to the BMW Club for the accolade. I'd like to thank everyone that made it possible, too many to name. This award is as much yours as it is mine. The Star Letter was a simple report on a great idea that Jim Sanderson, a serving fire officer in Kent and some work mates devised and run in Kent.  "Biker Down" is a training scheme aimed at bikers and is to give you the basic skills for if you are first on the scene at a bike accident. The course is free to Kent people and it has been so successful that other fire services across the UK are looking at it as a way to maybe reduce deaths and serious injuries when the inevitable accident occurs. The Prize The Star Letter won me a "Throttle Rocker". Made in Germany to help with throttle open and close on what I guess would be long journeys to take the ...