Chris Farquhar - Chris is a local mountain biker and trail advocate from Cambusbarron, Scotland, and a co-lead in the Trash Free Cambu community group. Aside from his work with the latter, Chris is responsible for creating, maintaining, and advocating for the local trail system at Cambusbarron, and is almost solely responsible for the creation of this popular central belt trail destination. On an almost daily basis Chris works to maintain his local trails, and collaborates with the local Community Development Trust to ensure that all trails are constructed in a way that secures their longevity, sustainability, and integration with other woodland users. He does this entirely for free and without obligation, and often shies away from recognition of what he has created. He is not a social media influencer, nor part of a larger trail association, nor a nationally known figure in the MTB community - he is however a true local hero for Cambu and the central belt. Indeed, what makes Chris stand out in his local community is the way he advocates for his trails and wildplaces in an entirely altruistic and selfless manner. Chris is a dedicated member and co-creator of the Trash Free Cambu community group (winner of the 2022 DMBinS Community Project of the year award), which he also undertakes on a voluntary basis. He assists with arranging trail cleans and wider community work, and is a significant player in promoting environmental stewardship in our woodland and local wild places. Beyond formalised trail cleans he also promotes stewardship through his own actions, undertaking litter picks at popular MTB hotspots weekly in order to demonstrate how powerful an ally the Stirling MTB scene can be in community development.
Emma Guy - Emma (and her partner Tracy) were instrumental in making the Tweed Valley a great MTB destination from the start with their amazing Hub café, sharing routes etc. Things have changed now, but Emma has gone on to project manage the UCI Cycling World Champs XC MTB events this year which were incredible and brought so much attention and positive feedback for the area.
Gregor Muir - Every community needs its do-ers. The enthusiasts, the people that get stuck in, and keep pushing to make good stuff happen. These people exist in communities all over the World, but in the context of Lochaber that do-er is one of the main people behind the West Highland Wheelers kids club and the Fort William Bike Park, Gregor Muir. Gregor is ingrained in the community, and with a range of interests that make him one of those well-connected people that are so full of energy they somehow manage to do more than they should be able to in the time available. In winter he helps keep the local kids ski club going, through the rest of the year he organises the weekly kids ski club. On top of that he helps run canoe sessions, and was vital to the success of the new bike park project in Fort William.
Robert McNeice - Robert founded the Arran High School Mountain Bike Club. He and the club members have created the local trails on the Isle of Arran in the Dyemill section of the forestry local to the village of Lamlash. Since then Robert has had a parcel of land gifted to the club and raised money to have CRC build a number of new trails and for the construction of an all weather pump track. This effort will result in the Isle of Arran becoming a more attractive option for people to visit the island to ride. I mean who doesn’t like riding CRC trails! Without Robert, mountain biking would not be a reasonable option for a hobby on the Isle of Arran. He has implemented and supported the sport for decades. Robert has been committed to mountain biking for the majority of his life with himself and his brother being the only few mountain bikers on the island through the 90’s and 00’s. The sport now has a number of participants due to Robert’s early work.