Key Roles in the IMBA-UK Advisory Committee

IMBA is managed by an elected Executive Committee, which is assisted in its work by a Advisory Committee whose members coordinate our regional and national activities.

All of the committee members are unpaid volunteers.

The three main Advisory Commitee roles are:

• Regional Coordinators
• Access Advisers
• Trail Development Advisers.

The duties undertaken by these posts are summarised below.

Regional Coordinators

IMBA-UK is represented in the following amalgamated UK Government Regions by Regional coordinators whose roles are outlined below.

The Regions are:

• England – South East
• England – South West
• England – Midlands
• England – North
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales

IMBA Regional Coordinators are appointed by the Executive Committee to serve for one year on the Advisory Committee, a position which may be renewed annually.

The prime roles of the Regional Coordinator are to:

• act as a focal point for IMBA in the region;
• maintain a good level of knowledge of key information available on the IMBA-UK and IMBA US websites;
• respond to MTB-related regional consultation documents;
• coordinate or assist with any regional initiatives;
• ensure that IMBA is represented at any key meetings affecting mountain biking within the region;
• assist IMBA members to represent IMBA policy;
• advise IMBA members in communications with local authorities, landowners, government agencies and other user groups;
• notify the IMBA Executive of initiatives and threats to mountainbiking within the region;
• advise the IMBA Executive on matters of policy;
• respond where appropriate to consultations from the IMBA Executive;
• communicate as appropriate with IMBA members within their region.

Most Regional Coordinators find that the workload can vary from as little as an hour per month to up to 10 hours in a month where projects require a short burst of activity.

Access Advisers

Each UK country is represented by an Access Adviser, whose duties include:

• developing and maintaining a good working knowledge of the access legislation within their UK country;
• maintaining a good understanding of IMBA access policies;
• keeping abreast of new legislation and regulations as they are published;
• liaising with Ministers through appropriate committees and forums to influence new legislation in line with IMBA policy;
• advising IMBA members and others on interpretation and implementation of legislation in their UK country;
• advising IMBA members and others on initiatives such as Rights of Way Improvement Plans and Lost Ways in England and Wales, and the Scottish Access Code and Core Paths development in Scotland;
• liaising at a national level with other user groups and land managing organisations as appropriate.

Trail Development Advisers

Each UK country is represented by a Trail Development Adviser, whose duties include:

• developing and maintaining a good working knowledge of IMBA trailbuilding and management guidance provided in “Trail Solutions” and “Building Better Trails”;
• maintaining a good working knowledge of IMBA trail building and management policies;
• maintaining a good working knowledge of IMBA-UK publications, and information available on the IMBA-UK and IMBA US websites;
• assisting individual members, affiliated clubs and others on IMBA philosophy on trail planning, design, construction and management;
• responding to queries from non IMBA agencies and organisations, supplying IMBA publications as appropriate;
• coordinating the running of trailbuilding workshops.