For ATUK trips to be successful, attendees need to have the best experience possible. One important facet is how well the trip is led, and to that end we've compiled our "Leaders Charter" which sets out what ATUK expects of it's leaders when running trips.
All leaders must
1 - have a complete understanding of the mapping and tech that they are using including some form of backup in the event of a failure, this backup can be in any form such as a phone or paper maps, the worst case scenario is being unable to lead because of these points.
2 - make sure that under no circumstances whatsoever “lose” their group or part of it, to mitigate this risk they need to. Always wait at the end of the track for the tail ender to come to a stop, thus when they set off it provides the absolute best chance of staying together.
If when exiting a track it becomes obvious that separation is imminent then clear concise information needs to be communicated via cb regarding what the plan is, ie “turn left out of the track and continue straight until you find us parked on the side of the road” ect.
Speed
Vehicle speed must be reasonable and account for the slower vehicles in the group, it’s natural that on the track especially that some vehicles proceed at different speeds due to gearing etc, so a delicate balance of speed and separation is paramount, at no point should people be on a track having lost sight of the vehicle in front of them, to a degree everyone in the group needs to look out for each other.
Communication
All leaders MUST have a fully functioning cb radio and a good understanding of its operation If participants don’t have a cb they can borrow the Atuk hand held unitsAll participants must provide their participants with their telephone number in the event of separation, the lead group MUST wait for the errant participants to contact them and for instructions regarding their location.
On the lanes
Proceed at a leisurely pace Ask the group regarding stops, Don’t ever be in a rush and under no circumstances be obsessed with completing the route, green laning should be a pleasurable experience for you the leader and the participants. Set a time to finish and do your best to stick to it, remember that especially in the pm that people will start to flag and that’s when the likelihood of mistakes increases.Don’t become pressured into doing something that your not comfortable with, especially deviating from the prescribed route Leading involves multi tasking to a high degree It’s tiring and potentially stressful.
Your safety and your groups is paramount, the more prepared you are the better the day you will all have, it’s not an easy task but it can be very rewarding, don’t expect to be instantly successful at it, like all things it’s a learning curve, remember that there’s a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can tap into here at ATUK.”
If you have any questions or think we've missed anything, then please reach out to membership@staging2.allterrainuk.com