Congratulations to our friends at RoadPeace who are winners of the Guardian Charity Awards 2008. To find out more about RoadPeace you can watch a short video made by the Guardian about the work of the charity. RoadPeace is the UK's national charity for bereaved and injured road crash victims, providing them with support and campaigning for justice, road safety and road danger reduction. They work closely with CTC’s Campaigns and Policy department.

You could say that every cyclist is doing their bit to raise awareness of climate change every time they get on their bike. However, last weekend hundreds of cyclists in London came together for the climate bike ride. They joined several thousand protestors who marched to Westminster as part of a campaign to force the Government to take climate change seriously. CTC’s Campaigns and Policy Manager Roger Geffen was at the event, where he gave a speech on sustainable transport.

CTC’s Cycle Champions Officer in Reading, Helen Biggerstaff, is collecting unwanted bicycles. So far employees from Pepsico UK Ltd have donated a few bikes, but Helen and her team of volunteers are looking for more. The bikes that are donated will be given to Reading Borough Council’s Youth Engagement Service and used during bike maintenance courses. If you live nearby and have a spare bike, please contact Helen Biggerstaff.

This week I have not just one but a whole selection of random videos for you from a guy called ‘Professor Squealy Deetbum’ (aka Linsey Pollak) who plays music on various parts of a bike. You can watch the bicycle seat clarinet, a piece on the spokes, frame and gear cable, the harmonic handlebars and the finale on a wheel. The videos are all taken from the Professor’s solo show called ‘Cycology’.

A bike is stolen every 71 seconds in the UK so how do you get yours  back if it is ?  Well, if you register it on www.immobilise.com chances are, if the police find your bike, they can return it to you quickly. Immobilise is a database that enables you to record all your bike details, upload photographs and proof of purchase. The database is used by police to return items that have been recovered. You can also mark your bike with a special immobitag  that thieves can’t remove and you can also record details of your mobile phone, TV and other items.

It’s normally D-list celebrities and winners of reality TV shows that get to switch on Christmas lights, but a team from CTC National Office (and their children) were called upon to power Tate Britain’s Christmas tree. The tree was designed by artist Bob and Roberta Smith who, by the way, rather confusingly is just one person. The tree was made out of recycled material and the lights were powered by stationary bikes. To see us in action watch this video. 

If you can’t get your bike on a train, there’s one man who can help and that’s CTC’s Public Transport Adviser Dave Holladay. He’s recently been alerted to a ‘black hole’ in the booking system for cycles on First Great Western trains. At the moment you can’t get a ticket for yourself and your bike on any service from the 14th December through to February 2009. It’s all down to a software glitch and Dave has been on the case on your behalf. He says he’s been told it should be fixed by the end of today. However, if you are still having problems call FGW direct on 08457 000 125 and email Dave Holladay.

Roger Lovell from Cyclemagic knows a lot about cycling history so he’s started blogging about it.  Although the blog called cycling history  only started last month there are already some great photos and research up on the site. 

The full results of both the CTC Tourist Competition and the Mille Miglia are now available on www.ctc-competitions.org.uk. All the trophies will be presented at the CTC national dinner in April 2009 hosted by the Chester & North Wales Group. This is fortuitous as the winning team is from Chester! The provisional winner is Mike Batchelor from West London who, after many years of being in the runner-up position, has finally achieved the No. 1 spot. Certificates will be posted to all qualifiers including details of how to purchase an engraved Mille Miglia medallion.

If you want to give a friend CTC Gift Membership for Christmas, you’ll need to order before 16th December otherwise we can’t guarantee delivery before Christmas Day. CTC's Festive Gift Membership is a present that lasts all year, plus it comes with a free Buff® worth £12. Prices for CTC membership start at just £12, so it’s an affordable and practical present for the cyclist in your life. To order CTC Festive Gift Membership simply call 0844 736 8451, quote 'Buff', give us the details of the lucky person and we'll do the rest! For more information and ideas check out our gift ideas page.

Our limited edition CTC merino wool tops are selling fast, so get your hands on one before it’s too late! Made from super soft, durable merino wool, our jersey will stand out from the crowd. This collectable top is on sale now and costs £75. It’s the highest quality with a beautiful embroidered winged wheel and lettering. Buy one for yourself and one as a gift. To order now call 0845 50 50 505 or take a closer look on Impsport’s website.

Are you about to renew your CTC membership?  If you switch to paying by direct debit we’re offering an extra 3 months’ free membership.  For more information on ways you can save money on your membership call the CTC Membership Department now on 0844 736 8451.