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halesowen ramblers 2025/26 Membership

Please download and print the forms and return them to the address on the form along with a cheque or preferably a Bank Transfer

MEMBERSHIP FORM 25-26 (docx)

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MEMBERSHIP FORM 25-26 (pdf)

Download

About Us

We were formed in 1986 and have about 100 members.

We have all ages in the Club but it is fair to say that the majority of us are between 50 and 80.

However we are a lively bunch and enjoy the outdoor experience and the many beautiful places it takes us to.

We organise a varied programme of walks across the broad Midland area throughout the year but also visit Wales, the Peaks and anywhere there are good rambles to be had.

The Club is affiliated to both The Ramblers and Holiday Fellowship (HF) and we organise weekends and longer days away at hotels or hostels on a regular basis.

We are a sociable group and as a result many of our rambles have a pub as the lunch break. Other social events can include Theatre Visits,  Barn Dances, and maybe a Quiz Evening with Buffet and Dancing.

In an endeavour to broaden the type of walking we also organise regular coach trips in order to tackle walks further afield, and "Project Walks" where we walk long distance paths in short sections.


All of our walks are graded on the programme so that you can choose the ones that are suited to you.

The gradings are:-

A= Strenuous - might not be on good paths - may include grade 1 scrambles

B=Moderate Walking - may involve steep climbs.

C=Easy walking on reasonable paths - no steep climbs.


MEMBERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THEY UNDERTAKE ALL ACTIVITIES WITH HALESOWEN RAMBLERS AT THEIR OWN RISK AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. 



 

CLUB CONSTITUTION

 

1. NAME   The organisation is to be called Halesowen Ramblers hereinafter referred to as the “Group" 

 

2. OBJECTIVES  The Group shall arrange a regular programme of walks to encourage the enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of the countryside and it’s footpaths, and also promote outings and social gatherings for the Group. 

 

3. MEMBERSHIP   This shall be open to any person of any age (including children at the discretion of their parents). An annual non-refundable subscription shall be payable, supplemented by charges arising from participation in particular events. The Committee shall have the right to cancel or suspend the membership of any individual whose conduct is considered inappropriate. 

 

4. RELATIONS   The Group shall be affiliated to The Ramblers and any other organisation that supports the objectives of the group at the discretion of the committee. It shall also try to establish and maintain co-operation with other similar groups. 

 

5. MANAGEMENT   The affairs of the Group shall be managed by the committee which shall consist of the Honorary Officers, a Chairman a Secretary and a Treasurer plus a maximum of nine General Members and a minimum of four. A president maybe proposed by the committee and elected at an Annual General Meeting. All officers and committee members shall retire at the Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election. The committee shall decide when and where it shall meet. Six committee members shall form a quorum. A special meeting of the Committee shall be called by the Secretary as soon as possible on the request of the chairman or of not less than four members of the committee. The Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies if necessary by co-opting additional members onto the Committee. 

 

6. SUB - COMMITTEES   The Committee shall have the power to appoint subcommittees and to determine their powers and terms of reference. 

 

7. RESIGNATION OR RETIREMENT   Any member of the Committee shall vacate his/her office if-: He/she gives notice of his/her intention to resign, giving as much notice as possible. 

 

8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING   As soon as possible after the end of the financial year (31st of March), the committee shall convene an Annual General Meeting of the group, for which at least 28 days notice shall be given in writing to each member of the Group and which all members of the Group shall be entitled to attend in order to:

a) Receive the annual report of the Committee and  the audited statement of accounts for the previous year.

b) Appoint the Honorary Officers

c) Elect the Committee

d) Discuss and consider motions notice of which shall have been given in writing to the             Secretary.

e) Vote on any proposals to amend this Constitution in accordance with clause 12 hereof. 

   

9. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING   The Chairman or the Secretary may at any time, and shall within 21 days of receiving a request to do so,  signed by not less than one 10th of the members of the Group with a minimum of 10 members, and giving reasons for the request, call a special general meeting, of which 14 day’s notice shall be given. The notice of the meeting shall contain notice of the matters to be discussed and the terms of any motions which it is intended to move. 

  

10. FINANCE

a) The Treasurer shall keep proper financial accounts and shall keep the Committee  informed as to the financial position of the Group.

b) The Treasurer will deposit all monies in a Bank or Building Society this, needing two    signatures for withdrawals.

c) The accounts will be audited by a person or persons approved by the committee.

d) The Treasurer or an approved substitute shall present audited annual accounts at the    Annual General Meeting. 

  

11. DISSOLUTION   If in the event that the Committee consider that the Group cannot continue then the Secretary shall call a Special Winding-Up meeting of the Group giving at least 28 days notice. Those members attending shall be considered a quorum. If the decision of the meeting is that the Group ceases its activities then the affairs of the Group will be wound up, all liabilities will be cleared and any remaining assets will be donated to a charity or charities nominated by the Committee that have objectives similar to the Group or that benefit the West Midlands area. Any liabilities are the joint responsibility of the members. 

  

12. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

1. This constitution may be amended at the Annual General Meeting subject to the  approval of a 2/3 majority of members present and voting.

2. Any proposal for such alteration must be delivered in writing to the secretary of the  Group not less than 28 days before the meeting of the Group at which it is to be  discussed. Not less than 14 days notice of this meeting, giving the terms of the proposed alteration, shall be given to the members of the Group.

CLUB COMMITTEE 2024-2025

Principal Officers:  

Patrick Healey - Chair 

Shameen Akhtar - Secretary 

Alan Shilvock – Data Secretary 

Sabia Jamil - Treasurer 


Committee Members:

Steve Adams - Website and Communications  

Beryl Cotter - New Members Mentor, Wednesday Walks co-ordinator 

Angela Daniels Tuesday Walks Co-ordinator and Minutes 

Alan Francis - General Member (Social activities role TBC) 

John Roberts - New Members Mentor, Coach trips 

Kathryn Rudge - Holiday Co-ordinator 

Dave Smith - Sunday Walks Co-ordinator   

Julie Stone - Holiday Co-ordinator 

Jane Salt - General member

FAQs

Does the Club welcome dogs?

Sorry but due to certain unpleasant  incidents we do not at present allow dogs on a walk.


Can transport be provided?

Car sharing  is encouraged but cannot be guaranteed.


What equipment do I need?

Stout walking shoes or boots

Backpack

Refreshments

Woodgate Valley

Woodgate Valley

Woodgate Valley

The first walk of the new weekly walk programme, got off to a sunny start.

Many thanks to John Roberts for his excellent walk leadership.

Weoley Castle

Woodgate Valley

Woodgate Valley

A steady walk through the valley to the historical remains of Weoley Castle

Lunch

Walsall Arboretum

Walsall Arboretum

20 walkers and a great opportunity to catch up and prepare for the walk back.

Walsall Arboretum

Walsall Arboretum

Walsall Arboretum

Angelas, very gentle stroll through the Arboretum on a lovely sunny spring day.

Walks 2022/2023

Xmas Lunch at the Fox

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

Many thanks  to all those who have led walks this year.

A well deserved lunch after a lovely walk around Chaddesley Corbett. All arranged and expertly led by Liz and Peter

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

A very cold day, with pleasant stops for coffee at the University and beer in Brum. All co-ordinated and led by Roz. 

Bacon Butty Run 2023

Sunday Walk from Woodgate Valley to Xmas German Market

A great walk and a chance to catch up with old friends. Around 30 members  were on the walk and 40+ at the bacon butty shop. 


Xmas Barn Dance 2023

Thursday 7th December 2023

A great night Somers Social Club, organised by Patrick. Beer, curry and dancing with friends.


Netherton Tunnel 2023

Netherton Tunnel 2023

Sunday 22nd January 2023

Dark and scary


Bluebell Walk

Netherton Tunnel 2023

Sunday 23rd April 2023

Lovely walk through Shrawley woods, led by Celia


Eardington

Daniels Mill

Wednesday 3rd May

Very pleasant and interesting walk, led by John Roberts. Taking in Eardington nature reserve, Daniels Mill and the river Severn


Daniels Mill

Daniels Mill

Wednesday 3rd May


Chatsworth House

Wednesday 10th May

Very pleasant and interesting 8.5 mile walk to Froggat Edge, led by John Roberts. Taking in Baslow Edge, Eagle Rock and Chatsworth House


Chaddesley elephant grass

                      Sunday 23rd July


Chaddesley wheat fields

Sunday 23rd July


Kinver

Wednesday 1st November

A very well attended walk in the autumn sunshine, expertly led by Mark and Maxine, with bonus points for the refreshments at the end of the walk.


mark and maxine.....Planning our 2024 Hadrian’s Wall Walk Ad

Welcome to the story which was our Hadrian’s Wall Walk – 3 friends, one great idea, which became a reality.

Welcome to the story which was our Hadrian’s Wall Walk – 3 friends, one great idea, which became a reality.

Whilst playing some golf last autumn, we mentioned to a friend of ours that we would like to walk Hadrian’s Wall at some point. Our friend, Barry, was really keen to walk it too, so, from that day forward, Barry kept asking us, on a near-weekly basis, if we had made any progress with our plans. We probably needed that push and so, in Nove

Whilst playing some golf last autumn, we mentioned to a friend of ours that we would like to walk Hadrian’s Wall at some point. Our friend, Barry, was really keen to walk it too, so, from that day forward, Barry kept asking us, on a near-weekly basis, if we had made any progress with our plans. We probably needed that push and so, in November 2023, we started the ball rolling with our plans. We persuaded Barry that we should complete the whole walk from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway, as he was thinking of only completing the middle section, that we should complete the official 84 miles in 6 or 7 days and that we should use a company to transport our luggage from accommodation to accommodation, so that we only carried a day-pack. Ok, we admit that is a pretty sanitised way of completing the walk, but some comfort and enjoyment in completing the task was our priority.

We had not arranged anything like this before, so, like most people nowadays, our planning started with a Google search. We found a fair number of companies who could meet our requirements and it soon became apparent that there was not a huge difference between them all, in terms of pricing structures and itineraries. We therefore looked in our diaries, found three windows of opportunity and sent enquiries out to four different companies. The choice of companies was deliberate – we chose two large, well established companies, one we thought was mid-sized and a small local company: Macs Adventures, Contours Holidays, Celtic Trails and Walk the Wall were the four companies contacted.

Research and Planning

Welcome to the story which was our Hadrian’s Wall Walk – 3 friends, one great idea, which became a reality.

Like I said, in many ways, their itineraries and costs were similar, but we immediately liked the idea of working with the local company, especially as they were more than willing to customise the holiday to suit. So, Walk the Wall was out choice and an email was sent to the other three :- 

We have decided to use a small company, who are l

Like I said, in many ways, their itineraries and costs were similar, but we immediately liked the idea of working with the local company, especially as they were more than willing to customise the holiday to suit. So, Walk the Wall was out choice and an email was sent to the other three :- 

We have decided to use a small company, who are local to the wall and specialise only in Hadrian Wall walks, to arrange our adventure. If you've ever seen The Voice on BBC, then our decision was a bit like the contestant having to choose a coach from all four judges - you can't really go wrong with any of them, so you go with your gut feeling! So our decision is certainly no reflection on either yourself or your company. I can only therefore apologise and thank you for your response to our enquiry. I hope we really enjoy the challenge/get a great sense of achievement in completing the walk in May and will therefore want to do something similar again, in which case, we will certainly consider you again.

Keep ‘em sweet eh! 

Walk the Wall (walkthewall.uk) is a small company run by a husband and wife team, Gary & Tracey, who actually live in Wall. As such, they both have great local knowledge and advice. Aside from this, one of the reasons that we chose them was that you could specify a particular level of accommodation for your walk from their site, but we actually gave Tracey a minimum standard of accommodation and specified that we wanted to be as close to the walk as we could, at the end of each day. Tracey suggested walking West to East, rather than the more traditional East to West. The reasons Tracey gave were: 1. The prevailing winds are from the West, of course; 2. The views are better from the West; 3. Those views are better with the setting sun behind, rather than in your face; 4. You can visit some museums before walking the central section of wall, so get a better feel for the history and; 5. There are far more places to celebrate the completion of the walk in Newcastle, than there are in Bowness!!! Tracey also suggested 7 days actual walking, with a rest day to see the Vindolanda fort & museum after day 4. In hindsight, this was a brilliant suggestion. So, the customised itinerary suggested by Tracey, that we indeed agreed to, was as follows (D is their accommodation level) :

Our itinerary

Our itinerary

Tracey then provided a detailed information pack and maps for the walk. So, we drove up to Carlisle on Saturday 4th May, dropped our cases off at the first accommodation and parked our car to the rear of the Railway Station (£60 for the week), before visiting the sights of the town and returning to the first accommodation. Unfortunately, 

Tracey then provided a detailed information pack and maps for the walk. So, we drove up to Carlisle on Saturday 4th May, dropped our cases off at the first accommodation and parked our car to the rear of the Railway Station (£60 for the week), before visiting the sights of the town and returning to the first accommodation. Unfortunately, there are no buses from Carlisle to Bowness on Sundays, so a taxi (£30, with a very chatty Geordie driver!) was used to ferry us to the start point the next day. Having then completed the walk and spent the final night in Newcastle, we simply caught the train back all the way back from Newcastle to Carlisle on the Monday afternoon (after some further sightseeing) for the truly extortionate cost of some £3.75 each for our pre-booked tickets – what a bargain! For us, the whole itinerary and accommodation worked extremely well – I have simply copied the email I sent to WalktheWall on our return, with my thoughts on the different accommodations and some of our experiences, as it probably sums it up quite nicely :-  

Walk journal

Our itinerary

The week started at the Court Guest House, Carlisle, where Jackie was welcoming, really friendly and knowledgeable, and the accommodation very clean and comfortable. As detailed in your information sheet, Jackie also recommended Alexandros, where we enjoyed an exceptional Greek meal.

Joss, Rebecca and their family then welcomed us to Florr

The week started at the Court Guest House, Carlisle, where Jackie was welcoming, really friendly and knowledgeable, and the accommodation very clean and comfortable. As detailed in your information sheet, Jackie also recommended Alexandros, where we enjoyed an exceptional Greek meal.

Joss, Rebecca and their family then welcomed us to Florrie's. We felt like real walkers there - a modern take on a bunkhouse with a drying room to help with wet boots and waterproofs on our only rainy day. The communal bar and dining room had very much the feel of a ski chalet - well-cooked, wholesome food and the chance to mingle with fellow walker over a few drinks. Great packed lunches here too.

Walk journal

The Greenhead Hotel was very luxurious and the meals served there of a high standard too. The staff professional, whilst being really friendly and helpful.

The short walk to our next accommodation allowed us to take in an hour and a half at the Roman Army museum, which we thoroughly enjoyed and set up the next stage of the walk really well

The Greenhead Hotel was very luxurious and the meals served there of a high standard too. The staff professional, whilst being really friendly and helpful.

The short walk to our next accommodation allowed us to take in an hour and a half at the Roman Army museum, which we thoroughly enjoyed and set up the next stage of the walk really well, where the wall is more visible.

Layside was pure class. A great location and we loved the food being brought out to the lodge. Kevin's food was cooked to perfection and well presented. Kevin and Sophie were welcoming, engaging, knowledgeable and helpful. The day of rest that you planned here really was most welcome and obviously allowed us to visit the amazing Vindolanda.

The end

Battlesteads was probably our least favourite location. There was nothing particularly wrong with our stay there, it's just that we didn't feel that it was to the really high standards of the previous locations .......except for the beer! ….and the dark skies, where we missed Northern Lights!

Paula at Houghton North Farm is a real characte

Battlesteads was probably our least favourite location. There was nothing particularly wrong with our stay there, it's just that we didn't feel that it was to the really high standards of the previous locations .......except for the beer! ….and the dark skies, where we missed Northern Lights!

Paula at Houghton North Farm is a real character and really made our stay there rather unique, in a good way. Lots of funny stories and not shy to give you some honest advice. Although basic, the room was clean and cool - we all slept really well there.

Our final destination at Motel One was a real surprise - a chic, modern, stylish model right in the heart of Grainger Town in Newcastle. Being only 6 or 7 minutes walk from both the Metro and Railway Station was great.

So, like I said in the beginning - thank you for planning and arranging an unforgettable week for us, it really was appreciated.

In the end, we actually walked 103.5 miles, with our ‘day off’ at Vindolanda and a couple of wrong turns!!! …. and the total elevation climbed over the week was 5688ft or 1733m. To quote Barry, he said “Don’t tell Leslie (that’s his wife, who he left behind at home), but it’s been one of the best weeks of my life!”

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