SOUTH WALES TRAIL RIDE
For Children with Learning Difficulties

It was a very busy weekend for the South Wales Trail Riders on June18/19 when they entertained 30 mentally handicapped children and adults at the Gwyddon forest in Abercarn.  They were taken on a 4 mile pillion and sidecar trail ride around the forest and fed with burgers until they burst. Absolutely no need to ask if they had enjoyed it - the smiles said it all. Organiser Mike Rees was worried that there would be a shortage of suitable machines as the numbers had been falling in the last few years but after appeals in "Trail " riders from as far away as Cornwall, Milton Keynes and the Midlands turned up to help out and it was one of the best supported events for years. The following day Caerphilly Mcc and Trials Cymru clubs joined forces to organise a trial which raised £390 for the handicapped club.

All in all it was just a great week end enjoyed by everone. Mike would like to pass on his thanks to all riders and especially the "guest" riders who can be sure of a warm welcome in the hillsides next year

Report by Tom Brennan In answer to an ad in ‘Trail' asking for support with an annual trail ride day for disabled kids in the Gwydden forest organised by the South Wales TRF and Caerphilly MCC we travelled to Abercarn on the 20th June.  I have a keen biking son Callum (13) who has an extreme physical disability and I have adapted a number of bikes and quads over the years to allow his participation in off roading with the rest of the family.  Callum is a keen skier and we have adopted some of the technology from sit skis and the like.  We fitted pillion pegs (thanks to Gav Hockey) to a Husky 250 and took Callum’s adapted Suzuki Drz 125 and Lrz 400 to Welsh Wales to offer our kit and expertise (such as it is) to Mike Rees who made the appeal.
Rather than try to do the ride justice with my clumsy English, please see my photos that show the views and drama of the countryside which could not be more of a contrast to our flat muddy lanes. Mike and his colleagues have been organising the trail ride annually for over 20 years and are justly proud of what they have achieved.  We arrived at a well signed clearing in a steep sided forest valley to find it full of trail bikes, quads and sidecars and a number of cheerful, friendly Welshmen of all shapes and sizes, all determined to make sure that kids, to whom the experience of trail riding would ordinarily be completely inaccessible, had a great day out.
An hour later a couple of bus loads of youngsters arrived clearly excited at the prospect of a 5 mile long roller coaster ride safely piloted by some of the safest and most considerate riders I have ever seen.  There were enough vehicles and helpers to ensure that there was no waiting time and all the kids, regardless of ability, were given the chance to have a full day’s activity on the combination of bikes of their choice. Everyone involved had a fantastic time and a single event like this justifies the existence of the TRF and it wouldn’t hurt a few of our critics to look beyond their prejudices and see what our members do with our sport, not just what they perceive it is about.

We camped up with a very welcoming group of trail riding families and some wilder enduro types and the social side was as impressive as the riding.

Our camp mate was the chairman of the Cornwall TRF and he has organised a similar event on the 18th of July with the support of Mike and the South Wales boys and we are taking our show on the road again with riding days in Hampshire and Devon en route.

Many thanks to Mike and the South Wales boys for a really special weekend and to Ross and the Cornwall boys for making the effort and allowing us to repeat the experience and contribute to a very worthwhile event.