Burlish Bike Park, lets get it DONE!

What we are doing and why...

Burlish Woodland has been enjoyed by local young cyclists for over 30 years, after 2.5 years of hard work behind the scenes we finally gained planning permission to build Worcestershire's first mountain bike park with 7 trails, including jump lines for all abilities, slalom race track and disability adapted/family trail as well as car park, tuckshop/clubhouse and toilets.

We already did a crowdfunder why are we doing another one for the same project?

We did not want to come cap-in-hand again BUT the world has changed so much since Winter 2021, our charity sector is struggling twice as much as it did in 2020, and funding opportunities have gone down 60%. This proves an incredibly challenging time for little Open Trail to survive let alone build a huge financial project but if we hadn't accepted the challenge the site would already have been bulldozed.

The cost of materials has gone up enormously in all directions. The build work is already well underway and we are set to open in June we are just £20,000 short of our budget to complete the project.

We need our community; individuals, businesses and organisations to come together.

What has changed since the last crowdfunder?

A LOT! Thanks to your help we have managed to:

• secure £220,000
• gain over £30,000 of probono support from local businesses
• secured planning permission
• developed a full construction team
• undertake all necessary surveys and assessments

We are all excited with the progress of the build but we need to secure £20,000 by end of May to see us reach our completion date of mid-June 2023. With all the equipment and skills on site now is the most cost effective time to put all the bells and whistles on and makes this a project we can all be proud of.

£20,000 that's a lot!

It is, BUT for every £1 donated Sport England will match this to double your donation, plus if you can add Gift Aid every £1 becomes £2.20! Your help would genuinely make a HUGE difference to this project again! We also need business support, we have a pack of information to show your employer why our project is worthwhile, email [email protected] to get this shareable info pack!

The bike park plans...

We have planning permission for everything we asked for. Our vision is to transform the 16-acre woodland into a cycling facility encompassing:

• beginner, intermediate and expert jump lines
• a wide flow trail with features for all and suitable for disability adapted bikes.
• dual slalom race trail
• a clubhouse/snack bar with toilets
• an inclusive off-road cycling club
• a volunteer program for all; both cyclists and non-cyclists 
• specialist coaching for disabled groups/educational needs and disaffected youth

All of our plans follow feedback from local people including current local riders, families and aspirational riders.

Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

The inspiration of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games hitting our local area has really left its mark on lots of young people and they have inspired us with their ideas for getting the whole family out cycling. This has been a huge boost to our plans and we want Burlish to provide a legacy from Birmingham.

Open Trail's work...

Burlish Bike Park will be run and managed by local cycling charity Open Trail (voted best cycle coaching provider in West Midlands 2022, Bikeability Best Small Organisation 2022 and Rising Star Award 2022). Open Trail uses bikes as a tool to enable children and young people to develop their confidence, resilience and independence. We focus our attention on disadvantaged children, which to us means those who have physical or mental disabilities/difficulties, are from low family incomes, experience poverty, neglect, live in care, have undergone a recent trauma. We specialise in provision for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities hence why our access and trike track is so important to us! Burlish Bike Park will enable everyone to access cycling regardless of income, family background or disability. This is a culture we will instill through the running and management of the site. Cycling, alongside all its opportunities and multiple benefits should be accessible to all!

Our region and the benefits of cycling

Our district (Wyre Forest) has the highest level of deprivation, highest level of obesity, highest levels of inactivity, highest physical and mental health issues in Worcestershire and year-on-year the problems are getting worse. We also have the highest rate of health problems and the lowest life expectancy in our county. Working in areas, and with the people that need us the most is the core of what we do and will continue to do through Burlish Bike Park.

Our rewards...

Thanks to the help of some supporting organisations we are able to offer you a range of rewards for your kind support to us.  From stickers and lanyards to show off your support to mountain bike coaching sessions, to business admin support, gym memberships, to garden maintenance and tree surgery and photography shoots can all be discounted by donating to our cause. 

• Skills Loop MTB Coaching- possibly the most highly regarded mountain bike coach in the West Midlands, he's sure to help you and your friends jump for joy, boost your confidence and conquer those corners to get you ready for all the fun at Burlish Bike Park!
• McKane Garden Maintenance and Tree surgery- whether you need a shed or fence built, have a tree that needs to come down or a garden that generally needs some attention McKane's will discount their services if you support us.
• Lifestyle Fitness Gym, Stourport- just around the corner from Burlish woods is the perfect training venue to meet your fitness goals, donate and they'll discount their joining fee.
• Cook's Garden Centre, Stourport- are giving £5 gift vouchers to anyone who donates £40 or more! The perfect help to get you garden looking great this summer.
• Paula Hudson Virtual Administration Support. Paula offers exceptional support to small businesses, sole traders and entrepreneurs to help get those pesky jobs done so you can concentrate on the wish list not the to-do-list. Work smarter not harder with Paula's support.
• Burlish Bike Park goodies-super bold stickers and professional printed lanyards to show-off your support for our wonderful bike park!
• Don't hesitate to grab your reward today! If you have already donated, need extra help in getting rewards, would like to add to our reward list, or would like more than one email [email protected] to arrange this.
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How you can play your part:

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Share with local businesses. We need lots of items that local businesses could potentially discount for us. Please let local businesses know about our community appeal to help us reduce our costs. Email [email protected] for a list of resources we need from paint to windows. We will give them a shout out!

4. If you want to run your own sponsored activity or similar, contact [email protected] and we can help!