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Monday 1 August 2011

Get Cycling! (But not when its drizzly)

Well, so much for the Get Active! Get Cycling campaign. I turned up at the right time this morning, but the “instructor” said it was drizzling and he couldn’t go out due to “Health And Safety” – those three little words that help people being paid to do stuff excuse themselves from doing anything at all.

So I left. It stopped drizzling, so I returned. He’d gone, along with his expensive van full of unused expensive bikes, all depreciating in a capital depreciation kind of way.

I rang his HQ in Peterlee, managed fairly loosely, it would seem by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. (Staff at the HQ in Peterlee couldn’t remember the name of The University Hospital of North Durham, naming it as “Dryburn?” (the question mark is important here)… or “That hospital in Darlington?”

He said the ride had started at 10:00 and I’d missed it. I said the van had gone. He said then in that case, it must be that nobody had turned up. I said that somebody had turned up, but instructorman wouldn’t go out because of Health and Safety on account of the fact that it was drizzling.

The Peterlee chap said that rain wouldn’t normally stop the ride going out.

I told him it wasn’t raining now and, in fact, it was sunny.  He didn’t seem to know that the “instructor” wasn’t there any more. Where had he gone, I wonder? Was he having a jolly on a cycle path somewhere? Was he drinking tea somewhere else?  Had he gone to visit a friend now that he’d got the day off? Maybe he’s taken annual leave….

There were apologies.

There’s a lot of staff salary and equipment and office costs going into this. Get Active by the Physical Activity Health Improvement But Not When The Instructor Can’t Be Arsed Scheme. 

They’re about to close the Leisure centre/Gym/Swimming pool in Crook in order to save money by the way.

Joined-up thinking.

 

10 comments:

Meanqueen said...

Sack the lot of them, idle wasters.

Mike Knipe said...

I'd like to loosen his nuts, actually....

Jules said...

You couldn't make it up, could you?

afootinthehills said...

In the words of the song 'loser at the height of his game'.

Al said...

"Health and Safety", the three most dangerous words in the english language!!

Tony Bennett said...

LOL. Sounds like it was worth going just for the story! Anyway, are you sure you would have had the right sort of tyres for the road conditions?

I've just taken my bike in to be fettled having broken a spoke in France and then exploded the front gear changer in N Wales. This keep fit lark is an expensive business!

Alan Sloman said...

Cycling is cruel hard on the derrière. Much better to walk.

Complain in writing. Make the miserable little sod's life a misery. Don't give up on making his life a misery. Make it a crusade.
Go on. You know you want to...

Mike Knipe said...

Thanks each - I believe they've got the message - and I've had me rant, which I did enjoy by the way.
I may write to thank them for the opportunity to have a bit of a rant, cos I haven't had one for a while.
And I had a ride on me own bike, even with the screechy brakes...
Time to move on. Teesdale calls.

Tykelad said...

Nice work if you can get it

Peter Crawford said...

Mike, may I add to your rant with the observation that the CE of West Sussex County Council voted hinself a 12% pay increase in 2010 taking his salary to £205k.

He still wants to close down libraries, sport centres etc. citing "Government cuts". They are leeches the lot of them. Apologies for using your blog for a mini-rant.