The National Byway Trust (Reg. No. 1110196) was established in 2005 to take over from the original Company Limited by Guarantee, in order to complete the development phase of the Byway project, to oversee its maintenance in the long-term, and to create marketing and educational programmes to raise awareness of its qualities and to stimulate usage.

The Trust's 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 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 for by integrating the health, social, economic and environmental benefits to be derived by all from the activity of cycling.

The Chair of Trustees of the charity since its foundation in 2005 has been cycling author Anne Mustoe. In November 2009 Anne died in Syria whilst competing the last leg of her third round-the-world cycle tour, of which she had written in a number of successful books. She was remembered at a special service in London in February 2010. A tribute to her, paid at that time, can be found on the News page of this site. Current trustee James Sainsbury took over as acting Chair during the months following Anne’s death until the trustees annual general meeting scheduled for May 2010. At the same time, three new trustees joined Sainsbury and international hotelier Sir Rocco Forte on the Byway board: Susan Achmatowicz (founder and CEO of Country Lanes cycling holiday company, currently working as a management consultant following the company’s sale); Martin Fiennes (who invests in high-technology start-ups for U.K. venture capital funds); and Rick Mills (Group Strategy Director for a major international company).

The trustees are supported by an Advisory Council made up of the original company's former board directors led by its former Chair and Olympic gold medallist Victor Emery. Other members are: T.V. cycling commentator and former C.T.C. president Phil Liggett, international cycling event promoter Alan Rushton and Michael Breckon - the project's Director of Operations to which task he brings many years of experience in the marketing and cycling industries.

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 members include Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Boardman, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, chair of Cycling England Phillip Darnton, philanthropist Lisbet Rausing and Ambassador Kinsman, formerly Canada's High Commissioner in the U.K.

The National Byway also has support in the United States. In 2006 a group of Californian business executives travelled to ride part of the Byway, led by our own Phil Liggett who is a highly-respected TV cycling commentator in the U.S.A. After an enjoyable tour, sampling ride sponsor's Black Sheep beer, and meetings with Byway officials the Americans decided to set up their own "Friends of the Byway" in the United States, now in place.

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 have links with cycling-related organisations in Wales and Scotland. We have provided input into the government's 2009 National Cycle Plan. 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's total length, often visiting rural areas the Network does not, and providing a reason as well as an opportunity to cycle in the countryside.

Safety is an important aspect of the Byway's development, all of which has been personally researched and ridden by the Director of Operations, checked to strict route criteria including safety and traffic levels. Average car-count on the Byway route is 2 cars per mile while travelling at an average of 10mph. With the entire 4,500-mile route now designed and sign-audited, the work remaining consists of erection of signage and publishing of the remaining regional route maps.

The National Byway is funded by a series of private/public partnerships and commercial sponsorships as well as through charitable donations. Companies, local authorities, National Lottery and grant-making Trusts have all contributed towards its establishment and completion, now scheduled for spring 2012.