Wanna ride with us? We've got a few simple principles we choose to live by as a cycling club.
Newtown Park exists to bring people together through a shared love of riding. We celebrate the joy of cycling, the friendships it creates, and the wellbeing it fosters. Spending time together off the bike is just as important to us as the ride itself. We welcome riders of all abilities, backgrounds, and identities. Our aim is to make everyone feel safe, supported, and included, whether on the road, trail, track, or at social events.
General Rules
Safety first. Have appropriate gear to ride safely in a group. Follow the rules of the road and ride predictably. Call out hazards and signals to keep the group safe.
No one left behind. On social rides, we ride at the pace of the slowest rider. If you’re leading or stronger, check in with those behind.
Represent the club well. Whether on the road, at events, or online, remember you’re representing a community. Be courteous to other road and trail users and respectful in public spaces.
No harassment or discrimination. Our club is for everyone. Any behaviour that makes others feel unsafe or excluded will be addressed directly by the committee.
Respect boundaries and privacy. Respect others’ boundaries, both online and in person, and help create safe spaces where everyone feels comfortable.
Enjoy yourself! Cycling should be fun. Celebrate each other’s achievements, encourage fellow riders, and share the joy of being on two wheels.
code of conduct
We have a few ground rules that we ask people to adhere to When you join this community, you recognize that there are certain responsibilities and risks that you assume. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but rather a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the communities in which we participate.
Be welcoming and inclusive.
Make space for new riders, help others feel at home, and be patient with those learning. Understand how your words may impact how welcomed others feel (for example, your normal pace might be someone else’s max effort, so be mindful about how you talk about your effort levels.) Encourage newcomers, support those who are learning, and celebrate every rider’s progress. Cycling is more rewarding when more people can share in it. Whether someone is joining their first group ride or tackling their hundredth, help make cycling feel accessible, enjoyable, and worth coming back to
Be considerate.
Think carefully about how your behaviour could impact fellow members. Your actions on and off the bike affect others. On rides, your choices influence group safety. Online, your words shape the atmosphere of our community.
Be respectful.
Seek to understand and listen with curiosity. Not everyone rides the same pace, prefers the same routes, or holds the same opinions. Disagreement is welcomed, but rudeness, exclusion, or hostility are not tolerated in our community where the aim is for people to feel valued, safe, and respected.
Be mindful of language and behaviour.
Offhand comments, jokes, or attitudes that are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise discriminatory have no place in our community. We all share responsibility for building a culture of kindness and curiosity. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to:
Violent threats or language directed against another person.
Discriminatory jokes and language.
Posting sexually explicit or violent material.
Posting (or threatening to post) other people's personally identifying information.
Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
Unwelcome sexual attention.
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
Respect boundaries and privacy.
Respect people’s boundaries in how they choose to connect and communicate. Personal information belongs to the individual. Whether online or on rides, we are all responsible for creating safe spaces where everyone feels comfortable.
In Addtion, the club will not tolerate:
Damage to or theft of any person’s property.
Any act of abuse, violence, intimidation, bullying or harassment against another club member, another rider or member of the public, including those in breach of the Cycling UK Equality & Diversity Policy
Any act that is deemed to be illegal whilst participating in a club organised activity.
Ignoring the requests or instructions from officials such as the police.
Keeping our
community safe
Communication channels
Whilst the club Whatsapp and Discord spaces are a much loved element for many riders, in emergencies the Committee reserves the right to disable engagement in these groups until the relevant outreach or actions have been completed. If this occurs, a message will be placed in the relevant groups before a temporary pause is enacted.
Equally, it is important that anyone choosing to ride with NPCC or use our social channels, also accepts that Committee members may have to privately communicate with them in a manner of the Committee’s choosing, on matters of safety or disciplinary proceedings. If you do not agree to this, then we can not accept you on club rides or activities.
How We Handle Rule Breaches
We want NPCC to feel like a place where everyone belongs. Our code of conduct sets out the kind of community we're building together, and the vast majority of the time it simply reflects how we all naturally behave.
Occasionally, behaviour - online or in person - falls short of those standards. When that happens, the Committee will act. Here's how.
Our approach
We believe most issues can be resolved through a calm and honest conversation. Our first instinct is always to check in, not to punish. That said, we also have a responsibility to everyone in the club, and repeat or serious breaches will be dealt with clearly and consistently.
Step 1 - Friendly reminder For a first or minor breach, a Committee member will reach out privately - usually by message or at a ride - to flag the concern in a straightforward, non-judgmental way. This isn't a formal warning; it's a conversation. We’ll make a note of it internally and most things will stop here.
Step 2 - Formal notice If the behaviour continues, or if a breach is more serious, the Committee will issue a formal written notice. This will clearly describe what happened, why it falls outside our code of conduct, and what we need to change. The member will be given the opportunity to respond.
Step 3 - Suspension or removal Where behaviour persists despite steps 1 and 2, or where a single incident is deemed serious enough by the Committee to warrant it (for example, harassment, threats, or discriminatory behaviour), the Committee may suspend or remove a member from the club - including from all digital spaces and rides, subject to the Grievance and Disciplinary process.
Serious incidents - Some behaviour, such as threats, harassment, or anything that makes another member feel unsafe, may skip straight to step 3. The Committee will always use judgment, but the safety and wellbeing of our members comes first.
Further information on how decisions are reached and enforced can be found below under ‘Grievance and Disciplinary Process’
Confidentiality - All concerns are handled discreetly. We won't discuss individual situations publicly, and we ask members involved to extend the same courtesy to one another. We will provide written notice of any of the above steps in order to make sure we are all on the same page.
How to raise a concern - If something happens on a ride, in the group chat, or elsewhere that doesn't feel right, please reach out. You can contact our wellbeing steward via npccwellbeing@gmail.com.
A reminder that if an incident has occurred that is criminal in nature, then we strongly recommend alerting the relevant authorities as swiftly as possible. Any pending or ongoing investigations of this nature may change how the club responds depending on how events are unfolding and we reserve the right to do this in extraordinary circumstances.
Grievance and Disciplinary Process
We are committed to the welfare and safety of our riders, and have a dedicated wellbeing steward to ensure these guidelines are applied and our members have a safe and positive experience with the club.
Where possible and applicable, we encourage complaints and grievances to be made in writing to the club via the wellbeing email address (npccwellbeing@gmail.com). This allows us to fully understand the matter and helps to avoid confusion.
The Committee shall be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who infringe the Club’s rules / code of conduct and for disciplining members following such events.
Serious or Persistent Incidents
NPCC employs a ‘3-step process’ for rule infringements and conduct issues. This is detailed above. Steps 1 and 2 can take place with Committee consultation but will not require an emergency meeting or ongoing disciplinary investigation. For proceedings that fall under the step-3 category (persistent or serious in nature), then the below disciplinary process will be applicable.
For serious issues, especially involving safety and/or abuse violence, intimidation, bullying, harassment, or discrimination of any kind, the member or members involved would normally be asked to explain what had happened to an investigation team, appointed by the Committee, to investigate what happened and make recommendations. These would be discussed between the Committee members, if necessary, at a specially convened Committee meeting which will aim to be within (or as close to) 14 days of the complaint being made. Any proposed actions would have to be approved by the Committee.
Where there is an immediate safeguarding or conduct concern, NPCC reserves the right to ask parties involved to pause their involvement in club activities and channels, and/or impose interim actions on an individual(s) prior to a Committee decision on any necessary sanctions. This would ensure we can keep all members safe and to inform ride leaders.
Any Club member who was involved in this disciplinary process would have the right to bring as much evidence to the investigation team, (including witnesses) as they felt necessary to support their position in the case of a dispute. The investigation team would also be able to consult widely and gather as much evidence as is necessary to understand the issue. The Committee’s decision as to disposal of the complaint shall be notified in writing to the person who made the complaint and the person complained about within 7 days of such a decision being taken
Communications during this process
NPCC expects its members and Committee volunteers to be treated with courtesy and respect during an investigation/disciplinary process. All parties must respect the communication preferences of the other as much as possible. During an investigatory process, any information, requests or communications should be directed in writing to the wellbeing email address unless otherwise requested (npccwellbeing@gmail.com).
Unacceptable behaviour during this process may include:
Abusive, threatening or inappropriate language, either verbally or in writing.
Sending multiple emails or messages especially over a short timescale.
Making multiple calls / leaving multiple voicemails.
Otherwise unreasonably pursuing a complaint.
If this is not respected, then it may result in a separate breach of the code of conduct which would be considered in addition to any existing cases.
Our Committee has clear guidelines to act in the best interests of all members, and reserves the right to enforce these policies to protect the wellbeing, safety, and integrity of the club and its members. Refusal to accept these policies will result in members excluding themselves from all club activities and channels.
