The Green Jersey, an independent bike shop in Clitheroe, not too far from Gisburn Forest trails, explains the inspiration behind their ‘Tube Amnesty’ offer.
It’s Sunday afternoon and the sun is shining as we close the doors of The Green Jersey bike shop in Clitheroe; which makes it time to hit the trails at Gisburn Forest. A short trip in the van, a quick check of kit and the obligatory car park spannering precedes the four of us heading down ‘The snake’ into the forest. It’s great to be in the forest and see how well used the facility is. We share the trails with lads and dads, sharing their first experience of single-track, and seasoned mountain bikers sessioning the Hope line as we make our way round ‘The 8’.
We climb well into the top loop before we stop to deal with a puncture, which surprisingly, isn’t on Charlie’s CX bike! At this point, we start to notice discarded tubes and wrappers at the side of the trail and quickly become ‘trail Wombles’ for the afternoon, bringing discarded packaging and old tubes back to the car park for proper disposal. The litter didn’t ruin our ride, but it does have a negative impact on our experience and damages eco-systems in the forest.
Getting out into the countryside is a significant part of what motivates us to ride trails. It’s a shame to see litter strewn across the countryside; it damages ecosystems, harms wildlife, supports arguments against our right to access trails and generally makes the place look untidy!
Spending hours litter picking around the forest and our local natural trails isn’t our idea of fun, so our way of helping is to encourage everyone to bring their old tubes back with them. If you’re riding at Gisburn Forest or on the natural trails of the Ribble Valley and have a puncture, please bring us your old inner tube and we’ll give you a replacement for free. It’s a small price to pay for tidy trails!