Three years in the making, Rothbury Bike Park has finally come to fruition, thanks to a generous £3000 donation from Northumberland Freemasons. Created to promote the amateur sports of Mountain and BMX cycling in the local community, and developed in association with the Coquet Cycling Club, the track features a series of jumps and turns, and caters for all levels of ability.
Byron Beatty, Chairman of the Bike Park Committee, explained:
'The idea of a bike park in Rothbury came from the children in the area looking for the opportunity to have some fun in their spare time, in the same way similar skateboarding and cycling facilities had sprung up in other cities and towns. The opening of the bike park has sparked a whole new fervour with the current generation of riders, and it’s fantastic to see them developing their skills and spending more time being active outside. We have some real talent coming through in Rothbury and hopefully the next generation will follow.
None of this would be possible without the donations and support we have received from a variety of charitable sources, the local council and businesses. We were delighted to have been selected by the masons to receive a significant donation towards the cost of the build. They had expressed an interest very early on in supporting the initiative and have continued to stay close, offering both professional advice from members and financial contributions on not one but two occasions.'
The end of July saw Alasdair Watson, one of the Trustees of the Richard Henry Holmes Masonic Benevolent Fund, accompany members of Coquetdale Lodge No.5122, which meets at Alnwick Masonic Hall, to visit the new facility.
Alasdair said:
'The request for funding for the Rothbury Bike Park, to the Richard Henry Holmes Masonic Benevolent Fund, came through Coquetdale Lodge, where the Trustees were impressed by the thought that had gone into turning an unused piece of land into a useful facility for the village. As well as the immediate use for mountain and BMX biking it also created a space for community activities.
As a trustee of the fund I was delighted to attend the first formal event with members of Coquetdale Lodge, be shown around by Byron Beatty, Chair of the project, and see for myself the exuberant and energetic use to which children of all ages were putting the Bike Park to, under the watchful eyes of their parents.
It’s a credit to the organizing committee that it has been able to bring this project to fruition from 2019, despite Covid intervening'
