October 2020 Review

A couple of days of sunshine then Storm Alex! Of course it arrived for the first weekend of the month. Typical!

Training continued though, with Kelvin being the live stooge for trainee tutor Rod (see above), and Ian S overseeing the lesson.

The limited BikeSafe season continued, with Rosie and Paul Morton representing the group in what turned out to be the final one we were able to support.

A bit of a wet one, but that never stops E-YARD...a theme that seems to continue!

As the dark nights really started to close in the last evening group social ride saw the familiar haunt of Thompsons Fish and Chip shop as the destination. As it turned cold, the members wimped out and dined indoors - the shock being it was pitch black when the ride home reared it's head!

Stalwart advanced tutor, Rosie continued to put the hours in with sessions out training Dave Richards.

Keeping busy, Rosie also got out with Chris Hancock and Julian as well .... same venue? Must be the fish finger sandwiches!

The same venue also saw Ian, training Paulup as a tutor training Adam Meakin on more than one occasion.

The same day also saw Rosie training up Chris Hancock in the tutor role with Hoody as stooge.

With the Covid19 situation being fluent at a rapid pace, a decision was made to cancel the monthly meeting, with group Chair publishing the following statement

"It would seem prudent to inform members of the current situation, and how we RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders - East Yorkshire (E-YARD) are handling it as a group.

As you are too well aware, the country is currently entering into a second wave of Covid19 which has caused the government to to introduce a tiered system to help combat its spread.

This tiered system incorporates the ‘rule of six’ introduced last month and restricts gatherings of people not living in the same household or operating within social/support bubbles.

This rule is applicable in all scenarios, from private households to public settings such as pubs and restaurants.

Our local area is currently in the medium threat tier 1, meaning rule of six applies.

The group is due to hold its Monthly Meeting on Wednesday 28 October.

As a popular group we often attract 20+ attendees, and as such, even with social distancing of 2 metres we feel it would be impracticable to safely hold the meeting at the current time. It is not only the attendees we are concerned about, but also their families and loved ones.

Whilst we enjoy the meetings, the company, the input and friendship they are not currently viable.

As a professional safety based organisation we need to do the right thing.

Our reputation is important, but health is even more so. To this end, the meeting will be suspended for the forthcoming time with regular reviews to see if we can re-introduce them as soon as practicable.

Whilst our official training season concludes at the end of October, tutors and associates may continue to train if both parties are agreeable. Support, such as pre test assessments will continue throughout the off - season

Training one to one may continue, again, following guidelines.

Bike training is inherently socially distanced during the practical aspect, but debriefing must follow the guidelines of Hands - Face - Space

Don’t shake hands, share pens, consider face covering (mandatory if using a cafe or commercial premise) and maintain a 2 metre distance when speaking.

Car training may still continue, but again, social distancing must be adhered to as far as is reasonably practicable.

There is no pressure on either associates or tutors to carry out training during this period. It is your decision.

Social rides are fine, and there is no objection to them being arranged through the various social media platforms provided and supported by E-YARD.

However, these rideouts MUST comply with the rules, particularly the rule of six.

They will NOT be official E-YARD rides, but should be run legally, riding to traffic regulations and comply with the same standards of an officially sanctioned ride.

Any rides must not exceed 6 persons at the commencement, or at the intended venue. In other words, don’t meet in several groups of six in the same car park and don’t arrange to meet other clusters of six at a chippy or cafe. To do so would be illegal, may attract a fine for the individuals and could bring both the group and RoSPA into disrepute. This cannot happen.

I apologise for the long winded message, but it is important that we are clear about everything in these times. We are a responsible group, we do care about our members and their families and friends, and we do want to continue and support our associates, tutors and members as much as the law allows.

Take care and stay safe

Mark Kelk - Chairman RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders East Yorkshire (E-YARD)"

A virtual meeting replaced the normal group meeting due to Covid, and is likely to be the way the group will have to 'meet' for the forseeable future.

A fairly busy month, which closes the official training season, with the main emphasis being on tutor training, with Paul Morton rapidly approaching his full quaification, Rod McAndrew, Chris Hancock and Dave Scott progressing in their training really well and Bob Stephenson being signed up as the next trainee tutor.