About us

Spokes is a membership organisation which campaigns for cycling to be a major part of a sustainable transport policy for east Kent and for the benefits of cycling to easily accessible to people and organisations in the area.
We do this by:

active campaigning - letter writing and speaking to Councillors, Members of Parliament and others in positions of power and authority and seeking to influence their views
developing proposals for cycle routes and facilities
commenting on planning applications and infrastructure developments and proposals
publishing a free newsletter in which we air our views and the views of others on cycling issues and ensuring its widest possible distribution
producing an email newsletter bringing together information about our work and news about cycling in Kent and elsewhere
organising a full programme of rides and cycling events in and around Kent to be enjoyed by ordinary people.

Spokes works with local councils, Kent County Council, community groups and others individuals and organisations with an interest in transport in east Kent to ensure cycling seen is a major part of local transport policies and choices.

How we work
Constitution
The framework for Spokes's work and activities is set out in our constitution.
Spokes committee
Spokes day-to-day work is managed by a committee elected by members at the AGM . The committee co-opts members from the council districts in east Kent, ie Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet. The committee meets each month, apart from August, in Canterbury.
AGM
Our AGM elects the committee to manage Spokes in the forthcoming year, receives reports on activities and campaigns and usual manages to find time for a guest speaker too.
Minutes and reports from the following AGMs are available:

Local groups
Local groups provide a forum for Spokes members to work with cyclists in their area and input to Spokes' decision making.
There are local groups for:
Dover (Dover, Deal, Sandwich and villages) http://doverdistrictcycleforum.weebly.com/
dover-liaison@spokeseastkent.org.uk
Shepway/Folkestone
http://cycleshepway.org.uk/
shepway-liaison@spokeseastkent.org.uk
Thanet
thanet-liaison@spokeseastkent.org.uk

Spokes objectives

To encourage cycling and publicise its benefits for the community and for individuals.
To ensure that local authority and government policies actively encourage cycling and make full provision for it as part of an overall transport strategy.

This is to ensure that all members of the public can enjoy cheap, safe and environmentally-sound travel for work and leisure.
If you support our objectives, why not join us?

SPOKES is affiliated to Cycling UK (formerly CTC) and the Cycle Campaign Network.

Publications
Mudguard
Mudguard is our newsletter. It is published twice a year and delivered to members and people and organisations with an interest in cycling and transport.
Update
Update is our email round-up of cycling and transport news from Kent and eleswhere. It contains information about our work and campaigns and news about developments and events in the cycling world in Kent, Britain, Europe and anywhere else.

Spokes committee
The current committee members, elected at the 2018 AGM, are:

Chair: Paul Rees
Vice-chair: Beatrice Shire
Treasurer: Terry Croft
Membership Secretary: Frank Guthrie
Minutes Secretary: By rotation
Rides Coordinator: Andrew Wyvern
Mudguard Editor: Pip Chapelard
Update Editors: Pip Chapelard and David Lane
Website administrator: David Lane

District liaison members of the committee are:

Ashford: Rachael Carley
Canterbury: Matt Banbury
Dover: Ian Killbery
Shepway: Paul Rees
Swale: John Chambers
Thanet: Pat Jarman

History and development
Spokes has been campaigning for cycling and cyclists since 1994. A brief history of how the group came into being is available on the site, together with an archive of our newsletters, Mudguard.