Sorry for the shameless plug, but if anyone wants to become a qualified MTB leader, Rock and Ride Outdoors are now running the MBLA Trail Cycle Leader training and assessments amongst other skills and maintenance stuff in the Mournes. Contact ian@rockandrideoutdoors.com or www.rockandrideoutdoors.com for details. Cheers!
MBLA awards - Become a bike guide/leader
Heard great things about your courses ian, keep up the good work. Drop me an email and il post it up on our website and facebook page if you want.
Info@trackandtrail.ie
Www.trackandtrail.ie
Cheers
Paul.
Info@trackandtrail.ie
Www.trackandtrail.ie
Cheers
Paul.
well if you are going to shamelessly plug something . riddle me this..if you have the MBLA and are a fully qualified Cycle Leader, can you legally bring people on to the Coillte Built trails or are you only covered under a BCF licence in a BCF licenced area ? In the Non Republic part of Ireland and over the water in Wales and England this is the case and is Scotland also included..I have the SMBLA Trail Leader jobbie along with several others and we are not covered by the SMBLA/BCF insurance here..and as yet we are not sure if we can transfer the smbla qualification to the Irish Version..I realise this might sound complicated but I am on the warpath at the moment so bear with me !
Well yes and no. From this year CI in agreement with SC is running the TCL/MBLA scheme in Irleand... as CI MBLA Scheme. It is equivalent to the Basic Instructor stage on the Coaching Ireland framework (I'm just doing a summary here for you of what I can find in my MBLA manual)
The CI MBLA has been tailored to the Irish regulations etc. so it's not similar but not exactly the same as SMBLA awards. Both are recognised in both UK and here though.
Regarding insurance, here is what it says on the CI website:
Please contact rachel@cyclngireland.ie for details on Membership options and insurance entitlements. Entitlement to Professional Indemnity Insurance is outside of the scope of Cycling Ireland Membership but can be sought through Cycling Ireland as a separate Insurance Policy.
Leaders who are working for a Local Authority, Outdoor Centre, or some organisations may be covered by their employer's insurance policy. It is important to check this and to check the details of the policy so that all conditions are met.
It is the responsibility of every Leader to check the details of the Insurance Policy (or that of Employer) under which they are operating, and abide by the conditions.
http://www.cyclingireland.ie/Home/MBLA.aspx
The CI MBLA has been tailored to the Irish regulations etc. so it's not similar but not exactly the same as SMBLA awards. Both are recognised in both UK and here though.
Regarding insurance, here is what it says on the CI website:
Please contact rachel@cyclngireland.ie for details on Membership options and insurance entitlements. Entitlement to Professional Indemnity Insurance is outside of the scope of Cycling Ireland Membership but can be sought through Cycling Ireland as a separate Insurance Policy.
Leaders who are working for a Local Authority, Outdoor Centre, or some organisations may be covered by their employer's insurance policy. It is important to check this and to check the details of the policy so that all conditions are met.
It is the responsibility of every Leader to check the details of the Insurance Policy (or that of Employer) under which they are operating, and abide by the conditions.
http://www.cyclingireland.ie/Home/MBLA.aspx
Hey fellas,
Sorry I've been so slow picking up on this thread, busy times and all that! Richie, good questions. Currently the way it stands with Coillte according to my meetings with Cycling Ireland are that qualified instructors with a variety of qualifications are operating commercially in some Coillte forests. This is on an individual basis, with verified insurance and with MBLA/SMBLA awards or also MIAS. They have agreed this with the relevant people in the relevant regions. The SMBLA award you hold would certainly be acceptable for this as it is accepted Europe wide as a guiding and leading qualification. Cycling Ireland licensed the Scottish SMBLA (now MBLA) scheme a couple of years ago and have since adapted and improved it slightly to fit within the Coaching Ireland framework. Anyone who currently qualifies on the Irish MBLA scheme also has their details shared with Scottish Cycling so you are on their database as a qualified leader too. As you said, your BC insurance is no good for operating in Ireland (except in the North of Ireland) so if you wanted to use your quals on Coillte land you'd need to sort extra insurance. If you still hold a Cycling Ireland membership license then that means your SMBLA qual will be recognised and valid in the eyes of Cycling Ireland.
So.... if you want to operate on Coillte land and you have insurance and your cert handy then the only thing stopping you are the individual heads of each Coillte region. I'd guess that you may have the connections to organise something? By the way, it's Ian Bailey here, we've met a few times at races in the past, I'm a mate of ginger Brian (Jack).
Hope that's cleared it up a bit?
Sorry I've been so slow picking up on this thread, busy times and all that! Richie, good questions. Currently the way it stands with Coillte according to my meetings with Cycling Ireland are that qualified instructors with a variety of qualifications are operating commercially in some Coillte forests. This is on an individual basis, with verified insurance and with MBLA/SMBLA awards or also MIAS. They have agreed this with the relevant people in the relevant regions. The SMBLA award you hold would certainly be acceptable for this as it is accepted Europe wide as a guiding and leading qualification. Cycling Ireland licensed the Scottish SMBLA (now MBLA) scheme a couple of years ago and have since adapted and improved it slightly to fit within the Coaching Ireland framework. Anyone who currently qualifies on the Irish MBLA scheme also has their details shared with Scottish Cycling so you are on their database as a qualified leader too. As you said, your BC insurance is no good for operating in Ireland (except in the North of Ireland) so if you wanted to use your quals on Coillte land you'd need to sort extra insurance. If you still hold a Cycling Ireland membership license then that means your SMBLA qual will be recognised and valid in the eyes of Cycling Ireland.
So.... if you want to operate on Coillte land and you have insurance and your cert handy then the only thing stopping you are the individual heads of each Coillte region. I'd guess that you may have the connections to organise something? By the way, it's Ian Bailey here, we've met a few times at races in the past, I'm a mate of ginger Brian (Jack).
Hope that's cleared it up a bit?
Paul, sorry I missed your comment too. That'd be great if you shared it on the site and the Facebook and give me a shout if you'd like to take those two places on the November 10th and 11th TCL training.
Cheers.
Cheers.
There's three places left on the next TCL training by the way, November 10th and 11th in the Mournes. Contact ian@rockandrideoutdoors.com for details.
nice one Ian..yeah you were on that frosty spin with us too...eh, my connections with Coillte would be considered ! I'll mail you with a few questions .
No bother. That's right, forgot about that spin, great craic. I remember someone getting to the top of the hill and wrecking their bike and pushing all the way down, gutted! Send on the questions anytime to the e-mail above and I'll answer quicker than I would on the forum. Cheers.