The National Byway Trust (Reg. No. 1110196) was created in 2005 to take over from the original company limited by guarantee, in order to complete the project, oversee its maintenance in the long-term and create educational programmes to raise awareness of the Byway and stimulate usage.

 

Its objectives are to encourage:

• Participation in healthy recreation
• Advancement of education
• Conservation of the environment
• Awareness of our heritage
• Rural protection and regeneration
• Improved fitness and wellbeing
• Freedom for use by all

 

The new Charity Act 2006 includes a number of new "charitable purposes" which are for public benefit and which are relevant to the Byway concept including: advancement of health, heritage, culture and environmental protection.

 

In order to achieve its objectives, the Byway organisation continues in its mission to work towards the goal of contributing to the quality of British life by integrating the health, social, economic and environmental benefits to be derived by all from the activity of cycling.

 

The Trust's patron is Viscount Linley. Chair of the trustees is Anne Mustoe, the globe-trotting cycling author who quit her career as headmistress of a leading girls' school to cycle round the world. She is joined by international hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, James Sainsbury and Terry Boyle, a vice-president of one of Britain's leading cycling clubs.

 

The trustees are supported by an Advisory Council, made up of the organisation's former board directors, led by its former chairman, Olympic gold medallist Victor Emery. Other members include former CTC President Phil Liggett, cycling event promoter Alan Rushton and Michael Breckon, who is the project's director of operations and also acts as Secretary to the trustees.

 

Finally, the Trust has an honorary president and committee which, while it rarely meets, provides enthusiastic support for the project. Lord Foster of Thames Bank O.M. is the president and his committee includes Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Boardman, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Phillip Darnton who is chair of Cycling England, philanthropist Lisbet Rausing and Ambassador Kinsman, Canada's representative at the E.U. and formerly High Commissioner in the U.K. where he was a great supporter of the Byway project.

 

The Byway also has support in the United States. In 2006 a group of Californian business executives came over to ride part of the Byway, led by our own Phil Liggett, who is a well-known and highly-respected TV commentator on cycling in the U.S.A. After five days on the Byway in Yorkshire and meetings with Trust officials, the Americans decided to set up their own "Friends of The National Byway" in the U.S., which is now in place. Their first fund-raising campaign is taking place in California in early 2008.

 

The Byway's development meanwhile, has not gone forward in isolation. We played a major role in development of the National Cycle Strategy for England and also have links with cycling-related organisations in Wales and Scotland. We also work with Sustrans, which is developing the National Cycle Network. The two projects are complementary, routes tend to be shared for about 10% of the Byway, which often visits rural areas the Network does not, and provides a reason as well as an opportunity to cycle in the countryside.

 

We are funded by a series of private/public partnerships, as well as through charitable donations. Companies, local authorities, National Lottery and grant-making trusts have all contributed towards the establishment of The National Byway, recognising its importance to the environment and rural regeneration, to public health and education. More than £1.3 million has already been raised, 70% of the target for the completion of the development phase of the project.

 

Once this is complete a long-term marketing and development plan will come into effect with the eventual aim of making the Byway a part of the fabric of Britain.