Just received my 7Stanes newsletter and the Forestry Commision are touting for someone to take on the bike shop and cafe franchise in the swanky new visitor centre at Glentress, (which cost £7million! Some mistake surely!) So what does that mean for Tracey and Emma, current custodians of The Hub bike shop and cafe? As far as I'm concerned, the girls are as much a part of Glentress as Spooky Wood and the Ospreys and have helped to make it the country's premier trail centre. Sure, they could win the tender and all will be well, but I'm pretty sure one of the big boys, (Alpine Bikes, Evans etc etc?) would love to get their mitts on the Glentress franchise for obvious reasons and will pull out all the stops to grab it. I want to see independent shops at trail centres, not chains. Frankly, I think it stinks. The FC is only too happy to take the plaudits for the success of the trail centres, but they're not too hot on listening to the MB community. What do you reckon?

You're about a week behind everyone else…

i find the notion of tendering quite curious. so why should this be the case? councils or landlords don't put high street shop units to tender for a specific use, do they?

FC in being completely **** useless shocker.

MrK mkII – Member
i find the notion of tendering quite curious. so why should this be the case? councils or landlords don't put high street shop units to tender for a specific use, do they?

It's a public or quasi public body and so it has to.

I don't think the FC have any choice but to put it out to tender when the current contract expires, they are a public authority and have to follow a closely prescribed process to award contracts. Something to do with European Regulations I believe.

They can't just hand contracts over to anybody, if that was the case we would have Tony Soprano selling us food at Glentress !

This is just conjecture not facts, but I imagine in the tender assessment the current contract holders would get points for successfully running a business there for many years.

May the best man/woman/person win. I don't think it stinks I think it is an open and fair way to do business.

If you are really that interested ask the FC for a copy of the Invite to Tender, quote the FOI(S)A and you should get it smartly. That should tell you on what criterium they will base the assessment.

"You're about a week behind everyone else… "

Sorry! did a search and found nothing. Repetition does no harm though does it?!

As for the "Let the best person win comment" that'd be fien if the big boys didn't have the clout to blow most of the independent operators out of the water! Tendering is often simply an excuse for a land grab by the chains. It's a crap excuse for pandering to the lowest common denominator and simply parroting that "we have to do it because the EU says so" is pretty shabby.

Hmm, search fail:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-glentress-visitor-centre

I in no way speak for the FC, just to make that clear. John – why do you think the tender process will be crooked ? They are open and fair, that is the entire point. You don't even know what it is based on…

I love the Hub Cafe as much as anybody, but this a reasonable and normal process.

(which cost £7million! Some mistake surely!)

yup, I think the current costs are running at 9 million…

story here, including a response from the hub girls.

looky looky

and they couldn't find £2million for a chair-lift?

if thats a troll its good, well executed..

I sit corrected! However, I make no apologies for resurrecting the subject. I understand the principles of the tendering process, but I have a very suspicious nature! Look at what happened at C Y Brenin. it's got no atmosphere now and, as far as I'm concerned, mountain biking is about a community, a vibe not the usual decent into corporate bullshit. Check out Swinnerton's at Cannock. Cool shop, good folk running it who care about the trails. If Edinburgh un-Cooperative get hold of Glentress, it'll be full of underpaid staff who know chuff all. Sorry, it just doesn't add up for me and I refuse to be all British and just shrug my disapproval. Stuff the FC and all its works if the Hub doesn't win!

>but they're not too hot on listening to the MB community. What do you reckon? <

As a general rule? Yes, I couldnt agree more…

Slightly off-topic but its relevant so i'll proceed. If you want to see how the FC (mis)managed the tendering process for a catering application for CV, fill yer boots. 2008 april-july

How not to run a tendering exercise, a book by FCS lowlands

Stick a 1 in front of that 2 you have there Ahwiles and you'll be nearer the mark 😉

Yes well – to misquote the bible "let him who does not order kit from Wiggle cast the first stone" Bike shops are a business as are cafes.

"Yes well – to misquote the bible "let him who does not order kit from Wiggle cast the first stone" Bike shops are a business as are cafes."

Oy! Don't judge me by your own lowly standards… 😉

Heather Bash – Member

Stick a 1 in front of that 2 you have there Ahwiles and you'll be nearer the mark

nope, sorry, only a few years ago i was involved with a chairlift project: £2million, brand new, high speed, etc.

I am guessing one chairlift may not be the same as the next. Eg I understand there are issues with getting power to the IL venue.

nope, sorry, only a few years ago i was involved with a chairlift project: £2million, brand new, high speed, etc.

You weren't buying from this man by any chance?

I certainly hope your investors got a more in depth pitch that we just did.

>nope, sorry, only a few years ago i was involved with a chairlift project: £2million, brand new, high speed, etc. <

And your point is what exactly – that you could deliver the Innerleithen uplift / bike park / cafe facility – all as envisaged and costed by Scottish Enterprise etc for £2m?

1. Its very very very unlikley to ever see the light of day as a project
2. Scheme above will never be realised for £2m
3. As I've said numerous times before on these threads – put up or shut up

With respect 😉

Sorry, it just doesn't add up for me and I refuse to be all British and just shrug my disapproval. Stuff the FC and all its works if the Hub doesn't win!

Well said. I'm already drafting correspondence to the FC and it would be great if more people did the same. There is a tremendous support for The Hub carrying on at GT and it surely makes sense that the FC understand. We can't make them give Emma and Tracy the tender, but the least we can do is inform them of the support they have from the community, and why they have that support.

Why can't they hold a tender process for the CYB cafe?

Even Harold Shipman had better Customer service skills.

I also got the 7Stanes mail today and read the bit about looking for tenders for the cafe and bike shop. Something that stood out like a sore thumb was the closing date – this Friday. It would be nigh on impossible to pull together a credible business plan and a proposal in 2 days. Not sure how widely it's been advertised elsewhere, but they almost certainly have a legal obligation to put it out to tender as a publicly-funded body. The in-situ bike shop and cafe should surely have a sizable advantage over any would-be newcomers, so I'd normally have faith that common sense would prevail. But as it's the FC we're talking about, I can only hope that common sense even gets a look-in.

I spoke to the last "owners" of the cafe at cyb on their last weekend last yhear and they gave up the franchise because the FC where so difficult to deal with, so not forced out as such, but …..

Ah, its changed 'owners' then andyfla?

Thank ****.

Well FWIW FC regions do vary, I have always thought the Borders region were very good and have done a lot for MTB ing, why do you think Glentress, Inners, 7Stanes etc have been able to thrive ?

I am optimistic the Right Thing will be done.

I love an optimist I do…… 🙄

>Not sure how widely it's been advertised elsewhere<

Not long, but it's been out there:

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/08/04/334573/caterer-needed-for-scotlands-glentress-peel-development.htm

Only expressions of interest at this stage, still pre qual then tender process itself

John – why do you think the tender process will be crooked ? They are open and fair, that is the entire point.

11 years of tendering across public sector = oh no they're not

They are meant to be open and fair.

….and, oink, oink, oink, a squadron of pink pigs wearing Elizabethan ruffs is currently circling over Sheffield….

We’ve been going to Glentress every year – we first went for our honeymoon, then for our anniversaries. I can’t imagine Glentress without Emma and Tracey, and for me it should be a foregone conclusion that they’ll be moving to the new facilities. If there ends up being a choice between The Hub and another café, The Hub (and it’s delicious flapjacks and carrot cakes the size of your head) will win every time for me.

don't forget the date and walnut cake.

sadly the idea that the local experts will get some sort of favourable treatment was clearly shown to not be the case by the FC in Kielder. They build a great big new building and, because 80 percent of the funds were from developmnent money, had to go through the tender process to find their tennant. Some "big boys" did not get it, neither did Ian at The Bike Place even though he'd been the main man in the area for years, built half the trails, worked closely with the whole visitor community and had great relations with FC and other key local businesses.

It's the "what happened next" that took FC in Kielder by surprise, I believe. Ian found a small but well located spot on the edge of Kielder village to rent, moved his operation there, and is thriving but not as an FC tennant. The only trouble is they recently refused access for him to run any kind of courses or coaching sessions on the trails because they wanted to protect their new tenant, who was also doing coaching. even though it wasn't part of the tender process…

FC in Scotland works differently to FC in England and they at least grant much wider and free access to trails for all users, including small businesses. So if The Hub in the Forest becomes The Hub just outside the forest then at least they will still be able to continue their school groups, guiding and coaching business.

If there ends up being a choice between The Hub and another café…

Thats really the Rub MrsT – the forestry commission went all location, location, location and bought up every property in the surrounding area for several hundred thousand pounds, specifically so there would be nowhere to compete from! I cannot remember the specifics, but those who haunt the FCS board meeting minutes will no doubt point out this cynical act of burning taxpayers cash protecting their £10 million white elephant.

David – you sure? really? That's impressive in terms of business focus and planning, even if the result is not to our liking.

But i think that's partly the problem. I believe that we the mountain biking "community" should not be believing that someone who builds trails for us is therefore someone who is there to care for us and help us to grow the sport in the way we want. Certainly there are a great many people within FC who are passionate about mountain biking and have made a huge contribution to the sport. BUT that is not part of their mandate – they lose money on wood so they need to find ways to make money elsewhere.

A mountain bike centre is a brilliant thing for FC because they can bring in a huge amount of funding to build it, but then put it out on a lease to the highest bidder and generate all the return themselves. They are not doing this out of charity or a love for the sport – it's a business that needs to diversify further and further into leisure because timber doesn't cut it any more.

i was speaking at the first CTC-IMBA conference in October two years ago and John Ireland, head of risk management or something like at FC, made the point very clearly that they are not a mountain biking organisation and that we should not think of them as being one. They have just stepped into a void because bodies like British Cycling and Scottish Cycling are not driving the development of recreational mountain biking.

A very sobering read cycleactive, (is that Chris??). I think your analysis is bang on and the sooner we get together and start campaigning the better! Less back slapping for the FC and more, well, just slapping!

Hey John, yes, it's me.
I'm having my own issues with FC right now. Their former Chairman, Lord Clarke of Windermere, wrote to me after i took it to him (when all else fails, go to the top, right) and promised me that by early 2010 I'd be able to apply for access to Whinlatter to run coaching sessions there. i've followed this up regularly (started trying to apply for permission over 2 years ago) but the relationship between the hill-top cycle shop owners and the local manager is so tight that he has not even gone as far as turning down our application for access – he just won't let us apply! Our nearest trail centre and we cannot coach there. None of the schools we work with, local clubs, scouts etc. can go there with us. Good job we have some amazing terrain here in the east side of The Lakes, and the guys from Lowther Estates let us use some brilliant private singletrack sections…but shouldn't a trail centre built with funds aimed at helping a local community and local business be open to small local businesses?
Yes, we need a strong, independent voice. I just don't know where we find it.
Cheers
Chris@CycleActive