The Trail Pot Launches: A National Mountain Biking Development Fund

Readers of the magazine may recall that last year I interviewed Chris Maloney, known to many as ‘The Keeper of the Peak’. As a long-time volunteer in the mountain bike world, he knows all too well how much time and effort goes in to grassroots mountain biking and trail advocacy. He saw a need to create some financial support for all these efforts, and mentioned then how he had a plan for a fund to help grassroots mountain biking development in the UK. He’s finally managed to jump through all the administrative hoops of registering a charity, and now they’re ready for the Trail Pot to start accepting funds.

While there are brand-funded trail funds, the idea of having a centralised pot, with all the efficiencies that can create, seems like a great idea. Stuff like paying for health and safety training courses or insurance – that you need to get volunteer dig days to happen – can be less attractive than ‘look at our new (brand named) trail’ when it comes to funding applications, so having this to help support some of the behind the boring but important things too seems useful.

Here’s the official PR from them. If you work with an organisation that might be able to be funding parter, be sure to get in touch!

The Trail Pot – National Mountain Biking Development Fund, the UK’s first charity dedicated to grassroots mountain biking development, has officially opened, aiming to empower local communities and projects with the financial support they need.

Led by a passionate team of trustees and mountain biking advocates, the charity’s mission is to foster a sustainable and thriving biking community across the country.

With trustees appointed, official registration, and operational bank accounts, we’re ready to launch our fundraising efforts and support the mountain biking community; the trail builders, advocacy groups and inspirational riders who sit at the heart of the community.

Chris Maloney, Founder and Trustee said:

“This is a charity which has been set up purely to improve mountain biking at the grassroots: the simplest of levels – the individuals and groups who are trying to make a difference at their local level.

“I’ve been in this world for over a decade. Fighting, arguing, stressing over finding the cash we know can make a difference to local projects. The Trail Pot aims to change all that, by having the money in place first, and then finding the projects afterwards. By nurturing hundreds of sparks up and down the country, it’ll soon catch. And we’ll light the community up.”

The model is a win:win:win for mountain biking, the businesses who support it and riders. Supporting businesses can benefit from the charitable contribution and reputation benefits, riders can see exactly where their money is going, and the charity succeeds through the community contribution.

Details of the full model can be found on our website, and we share regular updates there and on Instagram.

Chris Heseltine-James, Trustee and former coach said:

“Over the next year our mission is to fill the pot. We’re aiming to get to £20,000 as a start from donations – but in the main larger partners. We’ll then begin accepting funding applications for grassroots projects. The more we fill the charity pot, the more we’ll have to put back. It’s a simple, but hugely ambitious project – we’d love people to get involved.”

With support now, we can really hit the ground running. We have seed funding in place, but we really need to build momentum. You can help. Get in touch to find out how.”

Here’s that interview, with the paywall lifted so you can find out a bit more about Chris Maloney:

Issue 150: ‘Who died and made you Keeper of the Peak?’

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.