Welcome to the Minehead Merlins welfare and safeguarding page.
Minehead Merlins takes the welfare of our young riders seriously, aiming a supportive, nurturing atmosphere combined with all the fun of mountain biking on glorious Exmoor!
British Cycling Code of Practice.
As a British Cycling affiliated club we are bound by the British Cycling Code of Practice This code of practice identifies the standards that cycling coaches are required to meet. It reflects best practice in coaching and is relevant to all coaching roles and responsibilities. Full details can be found by following the link.
Safeguarding
As a British Cycling affiliated and Clubmark accredited club, Minehead Merlins is bound by a range of British Cycling safeguarding and welfare related policies. These are available on the British Cycling Safeguarding Page .
Club Welfare Officers
We also have 3 Club Welfare Officers; Sam (Deputy CWO and Ride Leader), Matt (both Deputy CWO and Coach) and Michelle (lead CWO). One of our Welfare Officers is available at the start and finish of each club ride. Any concerns you have can be raised with any of the 3 welfare officers. All 3 have completed suitable training to help them respond appropriately and sensibly.
Please visit the Who’s Who page for photos and do feel free to come over to introduce yourself at one of our Saturday morning rides!
We can also be contacted on welfare@mineheadmerlins.com
Bullying
Minehead Merlins do not tolerate bullying and any allegations of bullying will be taken seriously. Full details of our anti-bullying policy can be found by clicking the logo to the left.
Health
Some additional sources of health information;
- Concussion Recognition: If you child has an accident which results in them banging their head we will always be sure to let the parents know at the end of the session. This useful tool from England Rugby has advice on symptoms to look for over the next few hours/days.
- Tick Removal: Ticks are prevalent in many of the areas we ride in and are particularly active during the summer. if you discover a tick on your child this site has some useful info about how to remove it safely and what to do next.
Alternative Contacts
British Cycling’s Safeguarding Liaision Officer, Victoria Brown: on 0161 274 2076
Email: compliance@britishcycling.org.uk
Or:
- Police: 999
- Somerset Emergency Duty Team: 0300 123 23 27
- NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
- Childline: 0800 1111
What to bring to a ride/trip:
- Mountain bike in safe working order
- Helmet in safe working order
- Gloves (to cover fingers and ideally waterproof)
- Small rucksack
- Water bottle
- Snack
- Rain jacket (even in dry weather)
Please wear comfortable clothes to ride in but no baggy trousers, open toe footwear or wellington boots.
If you need to borrow a bike, please get in touch ASAP as we only have a few spares.
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