Press Release
WHAT HAS THE PASS WIDE & SLOW FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN ACHIEVED SINCE ITS CONCEPT IN 2015?
its a long read so grab yourself a cuppa and sit down and take in all that PWAS have been doing xxx
2024 GOING FORWARDS
65 BUSES WITH THE PASS WIDE & SLOW MESSAGE ON THE REAR OF THEM WILL BE GOING OUT FOR THE WHOLE MONTH OF AUGUST IN EVERY REGION OF UK.
· TO CONTINUE TO CO-ORDINATE THE ANNUAL PASS WIDE & SLOW AWARENESS RIDE/DRIVES AND INCLUDE THIS YEAR RIDES FROM ABROAD WHICH CURRENTLY INCLUDE USA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA.
TO PROMOTE MORE USAGE OF VIDEO’S AND REPORTING TO THE POLICE
TO WORK ALONGSIDE POLICE FORCES SUCH AS DEVON & CORNWAL OPERATION SNAP in understanding videos that are sent in to them
CONTINUE TO PROMOTE PASS WIDE & SLOW particularly to car/lorry/bus drivers
TO SHOW SUPPORT to any individual or organisation that is working towards safer roads
TO WITH THE HELP OF MEMBERS OF THE GROUP wherever possible give advice when asked for.
TO PUSH FOR A CHANGE IN THE LAWS via Katies Law petition https://www.change.org/.../katie-s-law-enforce-highway...
HOW DID IT ALL START?
September 2015
Due to motorists not passing me and my horse wide and slow whilst out hacking I started the change.org petition Pass Wide & Slow which people continue to sign.
https://www.change.org/.../uk-govt-make-it-law-to-pass-by...
To keep everyone up to date with the petition I set up with the help of Christine & John Brindle the Facebook campaign group Pass Wide & Slow to encourage other horse owners to sign and share the petition and in December 2015 Mike Mills also joined the Admin Team.
(Our intention was that Pass Wide & Slow should be an independent group, not affiliated to any organisations or companies and therefore does not have to follow any rules or regulations other than those set by Admin. This would then give the group and its members more freedom of voice.)
John Brindle created educational videos for PWAS to send out to transport companies when asked especially after PWAS meetings with them, bus drivers, driving instructors and to help educate car drivers.
Mike Mills’ daughter Keri created (as a school project) the logo that we use on banners, leaflets and literature which is amazing and the leaflets have been handed out to companies who have asked for them, driving instructors to hand out to their students.
2016
23rd February 2016
With the support of my MP Derek Thomas, myself and Christine Brindle personally handed the petition over at a meeting with the Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP in London and along with my family we had a “round” table meeting regarding the petition. Unfortunately, no representative from British Horse Society was able to attend due to prior commitments.
26th April 2016
Christine Brindle and Karen Canner met in Birmingham to visit RoSPA to meet up with Keith Ball & Rick Wood who were the Head of Training and Fleet Safety. A very positive discussion was held regarding the addition of horses, riden and driven in their Vulnerable Road User course for HGV and professional drivers.
2017
May 2017
Through Pass Wide & Slow Facebook group 20 Awareness Rides were organised throughout the UK to gain media coverage and educate car drivers on how to pass horses on the roads.
6th July 2017
After a lot of hard work by Pass Wide & Slow and its members Christine Brindle and I travelled to London to hear the debate in the Houses of Parliament on the Pass Wide & Slow petition.
What an incredible day it was, Christine and I were introduced to Alan Hiscox from the BHS and Caroline Spelman MP, Chair of the PPG for Horses.
14th October 2017
I received the BHS Sefton award for services to the causes of equestrian safety for which Alan Hiscox nominated me. At the time I did say that “IT WAS A GROUP ACHIEVEMENT”
2018
With the fantastic help of Marian Perrott, we created the petition Stop Preventing Horses Using Government Funded Off Road Tracks which unfortunately only achieved 39,105 signatures so was not put forward for debate.
20th May 2018
Through Pass Wide & Slow Facebook group 15 Awareness Rides were organised throughout the UK.
2019
24th January 2019
Pass Wide & Slow were proud to see that BHS used some of the videos created by John Brindle to promote their Dead Slow Campaign
January 2019
I put a post up looking for members of the group to organise individual ride/drives throughout the whole of the UK.
That is when Diane Ford offered to help. Diane & I set up a secret organisers group.
(If you had been able to see our secret group behind the scenes you would have had a laugh at us trying to get all names, post codes, lists etc. correct. Updating lists. Private messaging organisers. Checking insurance scares that were happening. Legal status on insurance. Highway code what is law what isn't. Making sure we gave the best guidance we could to the organisers. But it was so worth it as over 50 Awareness Ride/Drives went out on the day.
14th April 2019
With a lot of hard work from all the organisers over 50 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drives went out successfully throughout the whole of the UK.
The media coverage was amazing, social media, local magazines, local radio stations, ITV Channels, BBC Radio Channels, Horse & Hound, Your Horse and this was all down to members of Pass Wide & Slow
2020
I launched a new government petition. Highway Code Rules 163 and 215 to be made law. Pass horses wide and slow. Unfortunately, it only achieved 42,396 signatures so was not put forward for a debate in Parliament.
10th May 2020
137 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drives were booked to go out over the whole of England, Scotland, Wales & Isle of Man but unfortunately due to Covid 19 had to be cancelled.
December 2020
Kevin Willsher designed our new banners/posters ready to make the 2021 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drives the biggest and best yet and continues to help us.
2021
19th September 2021
178 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/drives went out throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland.
These ride/drives ranged from individuals going out with 1 or two friends to the largest ride which had over 70 horse riders.
Equisafety who again for another year very kindly sponsored all the Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drives. Not only did they donate goodie bags to each organiser but also produced the new Pass Wide & Slow banner.
There was also a further 127 sponsors for individual rides and these ranged from individuals who were sponsoring in memory of horses that had been killed on the roads to large companies and we would like to thank everyone of them.
Individual ride/drives were also supported by over 40 police forces which included a Police Crime Commissioner who attended one of the rides, two mounted divisions of the police force who again attended rides (one in the UK and one in Ireland).
One of the rides in Ireland also did a stop at a local Care Home where the residents got to meet the horses and riders and we have wonderful pictures of this.
This year we openly invited Cyclists & Dog Walkers, Walker etc. to join us on these rides as we are all vulnerable road users.
2022
September 2022
Launch of the hard-hitting Pass Wide & Slow Video. The aim of the video is to not hide what can happen if you pass horses too close or too fast on the roads and it is hoped that video will at some point be seen by all non-equestrians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwszw9OFKZ0&feature=share...
18th September 2022 (and dates around)
Despite the upsetting news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was decided that they would still go ahead as the organisers felt as a fellow horse lover, she would want us to. Over 200+ Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drives went out throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland and all rides showed respect to the death of Her Majesty either by wearing black or by a minute’s silence at the start.
With the help of Peter Fisher an interactive map was created to enable people to contact the organisers of public rides easily and a new map will be created every year.
It is even more important this year that they were a success in educating motorists on how to pass safely on the roads especially considering the changes to the Highway Code and the lack of media coverage regarding these changes in respect of equestrians.
The ride/drives were supported by numerous sponsors local to the ride/drives. They were also supported by over 36 Police forces and many ride/drives had MPs, Local Councillors, Mayors and local celebrities attending. One ride was escorted by a tractor driven by Berkshire Farmgirl (Eleanor Gilbert) who recently won BBC Food & Farming Countryfile Young Countryside Champion Award.
Over 119 Articles appeared in non-equestrian magazines, newspapers, social media, radio and TV and some rides achieved Prime Time TV coverage. These are all extremely important to Pass Wide & Slow as they send out a message to non-equestrians on how to pass us safely on the roads.
November 2022
Jodie Sloane who organises annually No 72 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drive, was awarded the BHS Sefton award for her work on raising awareness among road users. Jodie’s partner Kevin Wilsher is the designer of Pass Wide & Slow posters, banners, stickers etc. and especially the Passometers.
Wendy Saunderson and Karola Dillenberger who organise annually No 26 Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drive in Northern Ireland and who also run the PWAS Northern Ireland Equestrian Road Safety Awareness group received the Open Category Award from Road Safe Northern Ireland.
That is it!! We do not work under anyone, PWAS is not affiliated to any association and receives no support from any association, we are not a registered charity, we do not receive funding from any sponsors.
We are ALL individuals working off our own backs to provide safer roads for all horses whether ridden, driven or walked on the roads.
The people who sell on the group and give the group a donation, you are all amazing and I can’t thank you enough. Your money has helped us get the banners, leaflets, car stickers out there.
Finally, I would like to thank every member of this group who have helped us get as far as we have, and I hope you will all continue to work together to make the roads safer for us.
2023
With the help of members of PWAS fund raising and donations received 35 buses with the Pass Wide and Slow message on went out across selected regions of the UK from 4th September to 1st October.
Debbie Smith & PWAS were finalists in the Equestrian Business Awards, Social Influencer of the Year 2023 category.
16th & 17th September over 150 PWAS Awareness Rides took to the roads again throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland and abroad and achieved major media coverage of the issues Equestrians have on the roads.
Sgt Terri Green who has been fantastic in helping PWAS and was also interviewed on BBC Yorkshire when they were covering a PWAS Awareness Ride this year that was being supported by Terri and her team at Shipley Neighbourhood Policing Team was awarded the BHS Sefton Award.
Pete Wood from the Classic Veteran Car club and PWAS volunteers are creating a video that will advise members of the CVC club what they should do if they should come across equestrians on the road.