Member Article

Cycle ride on track to illuminate benefits of wood heat

NEWHeat - an initiative funded by One NorthEast to encourage businesses across the region to switch their heat energy supply to wood heat - has teamed up with the Northumberland Lights festival to offer cyclists the chance to experience a night time cycle ride at Kielder Water & Forest Park on Wednesday 12 November.

The Wood Rush cycle ride takes cyclists from Kielder Castle to Leaplish Waterside Park and back. The event has been designed to promote NEWHeat’s mission to change energy usage and reduce carbon emissions - a philosophy shared by Northumberland Lights organisers, who use bio-diesel generators to fuel the festival programme.

David Clubb, Project Director of NEWHeat said: “Northumberland Lights seemed a great way to highlight what we’re doing in the North East, especially as Kielder Water & Forest Park, in particular, is one of the region’s richest sources of sustainable woodland. With wood chip being in such high demand as the energy source of the future, the Wood Rush seemed a perfect opportunity to engage the public in our mission and the most appropriate name for this fast-paced, forest-based cycling event!”

Festival Director, Zoe Bottrell, said: “The partnership with NEWHeat made perfect sense to us as we share many of the aims of the organisation. Northumberland Lights continues to work towards zero net carbon events and we always aim to pursue efficiency in project planning and encourage intelligent use of resources at all our sites. It is our responsibility to limit consumption of fossil fuels and to respond sensitively to the environment that we work with.”

The Wood Rush night time cycle ride sponsored by NEWHeat takes place on Wednesday 12 November between 6.30 and 10pm. Tickets cost £10 and include refreshments.

For further information visit www.northumberlandlights.com/kielder_wood_rush.php.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .