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Space to think about our planet and our future
Space to explore on foot, bike, horse or boat

Celebrate Connect2 Day on a Guided Cycle Ride to Burwell Fen

Budding cyclists are invited to grab their bicycles and join a guided cycle ride from Wicken Fen to explore Burwell Fen on Saturday 4 July.

The ride is being organised by Wicken Fen Community Warden Emma Shepherd, as part of Connect2 Day, a series of national celebrations to mark the achievements of the Sustrans Connect2 project since being awarded £50Million from the Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks: The People's Millions award in December 2007.

The National Trust's Wicken Fen Vision is one of 79 schemes nationwide to benefit from the lottery award won by Sustrans, the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. Each scheme is designed to create networks to encourage people to travel on foot or bike for leisure, or everyday journeys such as visits to the shops or the daily commute to school or work.

The Wicken Fen Vision has received £600,000 from the lottery award towards the development of a spine route for walkers and cyclists linking Wicken Fen to Anglesey Abbey, with a potential link across to Waterbeach in the West. When completed the Spine Route will complete the missing link in the Sustrans National Cycle Route 11 from Cambridge to Ely. Part of the grant is being used to fund the construction of a bridge over Reach Lode which when completed will allow unrestricted direct access between Wicken Fen and Anglesey Abbey.

The Spine Route is being developed as part of the National Trusts Wicken Fen Vision to create a landscape scale nature reserve and green lung for Cambridgeshire stretching from Wicken Fen to the outskirts of Cambridge.

Speaking whilst planning the bike ride Community Warden, Emma Shepherd said:

"This is a great opportunity for me to meet local cycle users and update them on the development of the Spine Route and for everyone to enjoy some fantastic countryside along the way".

The cycle ride will depart from the Visitor Centre at 10.30am on Saturday 4 July. Cyclists who would like to join the ride are asked to telephone Emma at the Wicken Fen Visitor Centre on 01353 720274 to reserve a place

Nigel Brigham, Regional Director of Sustrans says:

"Come and join this celebratory bike ride and find out more about your local Connect2 scheme and how it will be improving links and routes between the villages and Cambridge via some of our most scenic countryside."

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Further Information
For further information please contact: Emma Shepherd, Community Warden, Wicken Fen Tel 01353 720274 or e-mail emma.shepherd@nationaltrust.org.uk

Notes to Editors
1. The Wicken Fen Vision is being developed by the National Trust in association with a number of strategic partners including, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridge City Council, Department for Communities and Local Government, East of England Development Agency, Cambridgeshire Horizons, Greater Cambridge Partnership, Environment Agency, Natural England, Sustrans, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Tubney Charitable Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund.
2. Wicken Fen is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve, a Special Area for Conservation and an international Ramsar Wetland. 8111 species have been recorded at Wicken Fen, making it one of the most species rich single nature reserves in the country.
3. The National Trust is Europe's biggest conservation organisation and looks after special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for ever, for everyone. People and places are at the heart of everything it does. 3.5 million members, 50,000 volunteers, 500,000 school children, and millions of visitors, donors and supporters help the Trust look after its 300 historic houses and gardens, 700 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of open countryside. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
4. Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK's transport challenges.
5. Sustrans' flagship project, the National Cycle Network, is now around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of 55 per cent of the UK population. During 2007 over 354 million trips were made on the Network. There are around 2,500 rangers helping to look after the National Cycle Network.
6. Sustrans' Connect2 is a UK-wide project that will transform local travel in 79 communities by creating new bridges and crossings to overcome busy roads, rivers and railways, and linking these to networks of walking and cycling routes. As a result millions of people will be able to walk and cycle more for everyday journeys.
7. Sustrans' Connect2 won £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks: The People's Millions as a result of a public vote televised on ITV1 in December 2007.
8. Connect2 is a £142 million scheme - £50 million from the largest ever single lottery grant - and the remaining millions in match funding for individual projects.
9. The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.