After their close relationship with Foresty was put in jeopardy when Afan’s Mountain Bike Ranger moved on, local club Singletrack Mind have been anxious to build new bridges with the Afan Forest Park management and a meeting with Forestry last week indicated that they’re well on the way to doing so.

Representatives of Singletrack Mind met the Coed-y-Cymoed Forest District Manager and those who oversee the maintenance of the mountain bike trails within the Afan Forest Park and Cwmcarn. The club were quickly reassured that none of the projects they have been working on are in danger of being abandoned. So, crucially, the volunteer trail-building/maintenance projects are safe.

Forestry have committed to continually reviewing and adapting the trail maintenance programme to ensure it meets trail needs and, for their part, Singletrack Mind are to help Forestry develop the existing ‘problem report system’. This should make it easier for riders to inform Forestry of problems on the trail and make sure that urgent work gets done.

“Following this meeting, the Singletrack Mind committee is significantly more confident about the work that the Forestry Commission are doing to maintain the trails. Forestry listened and responded positively to our concerns, and we feel that together we can ensure the high standards of the trails are maintained.” Said the club this week.

So, pleasingly, it’s looking like business as usual for the club’s trail involvement at Afan and Cwmcarn. If you’re interested in supporting Singletrack Mind’s projects in Afan, or maybe in joining the club, you can find out more on their website.