Ramblers - Funding Cuts

Funding Cuts

In 2009, the Ramblers introduced funding cuts due to the loss of membership revenue with a 5,000 reduction in membership numbers. Ramblers suggested this "certainly resulted in part from difficulties we have experienced in processing and servicing memberships during the year. Also, the economic downturn coupled with a large structural reorganisation and a reduction in marketing has had an impact too." Although the economic downturn was cited, this was against a background of increased retail sales of walking gear during the economic downturn. The funding cuts were especially difficult for Ramblers Scotland who saw funding cut by 75% to just £100,000 per annum. Ramblers Scotland was told to reduce staff numbers from 7 to just 2 and to close their office in Kinross. Dennis Canavan, the chairman of the Ramblers Scotland, mailed every Scottish Ramblers member about the possibility of forming a totally independent Scottish walking group as it was felt that having a London-based Ramblers association meant the Ramblers was too London- and urban-based and out of touch with Ramblers Scotland and other ramblers groups. Funding cuts also resulted in the threatened closure of the Wales office of the Ramblers Wales and redundancies at Ramblers headquarters in London. Hike, a magazine aimed at Ramblers aged 18–30, was discontinued and there was also a reduction in spending on Rights of Way, Countryside Protection and Freedom to Roam both by Areas & Groups to £82k (2008: £133k), and centrally to £2.3m. (2008: £2.7m).