Essex anniversary is caught on camera

Long-standing CTC members Martin Pipe and Brian Penny spent 2015 travelling throughout Essex, with audio visual gear in tow, to interview some of the people who have helped to make the SEG so worthwhile.

The end product is a fascinating and highly professional documentary that celebrates 40 years of the group and the history of recreational cycling in Essex in general.

The video can be seen on YouTube but an improved and updated version is now available on DVD for £12 – with higher quality film, and without the prominent Essex CTC logo, plus three hours of additional material. The extras include full versions of the interviews and even a 'slide show' of the sort that was once so popular among cycling groups.

As Brian says in the introduction to the film: “In June 2015 the South East Group celebrated its 40th anniversary – 40 years of climbing Brock Hill, 40 years of repairing punctures, and 40 years of enjoying the finest Essex countryside. It’s been great fun during that time and we felt it was worth recording the history of the South East Group since it began.”

The film will be of obvious interest to CTC members, historians and anyone who appreciates cycling, adventure and the outdoor life.”

Martin Pipe, CTC Essex’s South East Group

The video goes much further back than SEG’s first outing at Danbury Park in 1975, or even the formation of Essex CTC in 1927, as it recalls the days of penny farthings and ramshackle roads when the great innovator Robert Cook founded the Essex County Cycling and Athletic Association in 1883.

With intriguing archive footage and photographs, plus modern-day interviews and videos, the 40th anniversary film will be of interest to cyclists and historians from beyond the SEG’s borders.

The film, presented by Brian and produced by Martin, has already attracted positive feedback – with words such as “professional” and “inspiring” featuring highly.

Martin said: “It will be of obvious interest to CTC members, historians and anyone who appreciates cycling, adventure and the outdoor life. CTC groups are welcome to use the DVD – in a ‘repeat’ playback cycle – at social gatherings and events at which they have a presence for publicity purposes. They can also lend it to friends and family members who may be curious about what we do.”

Profits from the DVD will be donated to Essex Air Ambulance and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The DVD costs £12, including postage, and is available from Martin Pipe: [email protected]