The Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) is delighted to announce that one of the Fund4Trees charity cycling events, Ride for Research (RfR), will this year take place on Tue 30 April in Glasgow, to coincide with the ICF National Conference on 1 and 2 May. The timing of this sponsored cycle, which raises fund for charity Fund4Trees, is significant as the conference will see the arrival of some of the top experts in forestry and arboriculture to the city, as well as internationally renowned speakers from outside the sector.

The Ride for Research cycling team will gather to complete a 25-mile cycle to raise sponsorship for Fund4Trees, stopping off at schools and community organisations en route to plant trees and talk about their importance. The group will then be joined by representatives of the ICF and local council officials as a final tree is planted in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the conference officially launches. The riders, all of whom work in the forestry or arboriculture profession, have each have pledged to raise a minimum of £150 sponsorship in this, the fourth Ride for Research.

Fenning Welstead, President of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, who hands over the presidential reins to a successor at the ICF AGM during the conference, has pledged to take part in the cycle. He said:

“We at the ICF are keen supporters of this event and the associated Fund4Trees charity and many of the riders are our members. Naturally, we all feel passionately about securing a future for our trees, and are keen to help raise awareness of the important work Fund 4 Trees does supporting tree research and advancing environmental education. I am sure many other ICF members love the great outdoors and are keen cyclists, so I would urge them, and all like-minded forestry and arboriculture students and professionals, to sign up to join the ride if they have not done so already. I too will looking forward to marking the end of my tenure as President of the ICF by donning my cycling gear, and the charity’s own signature yellow jersey, and hitting the road to help secure a sustainable future for our treescapes both at home and in developing countries.”

Martin Gammie, one of the founding members of Ride for Research, commented:

“The Fund4Trees committee are pleased to link up with the ICF to hold the first of our 2013 Ride for Research events in Glasgow and tie up with the ICF’s annual flagship event. We are keen to ensure that Ride for Research is a nationwide initiative and the conference seemed like the perfect opportunity to hold our first ride north of the border. We are delighted that Fenning will be joining us on the ride and that we can provide him with an opportunity to mark the end of his journey as ICF President with a yellow RfR t-shirt!

“We are also grateful to Glasgow City Council for their advice and assistance in planning the route for the ride and their help in selecting the school planting sites.

“The ride is open to all. Details of how to sign up and a portfolio of previous events can be found on our website www.Fund4Trees.org.uk and if two wheels are not your thing then we hope that you will sponsor your colleagues who decide to join us. We also plan to build on the success of our Glasgow event with another later in the year in London.”

“Fund4Trees aims to promote sustainable treescapes by funding credible, topical research that will be of benefit to practicing foresters and arboriculturists. We therefore call on the ICF membership and our colleagues in the sector to support us in this task and we look forward another enjoyable Fund 4 Trees event followed by what promises to be an excellent conference.”