Wind farm development team joins forces to sponsor cycle event9th Jun 2015

The team behind England and Wales’ largest wind farm is working in tandem to support an event celebrating 15 years of trail riding in the Afan Valley.

Shed Fest 2015, on June 20 and 21, will give seasoned mountain bikers and newcomers to trail riding a chance to get in the saddle and cycle on the valley’s stunning trails.

The event has been supported with two £1,000 donations by Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project developer Vattenfall and joint venture partners Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty, which are delivering infrastructure for the project which will generate enough electricity to power 140,000 homes.

Ben Threlfall, organiser of Shed Fest and owner of the Afan Valley Bike Shed, said: “We’ve got some fantastic trails in the area, and the event will have something for anyone interested in trail riding.

“Some of our suppliers will be bringing demo bikes along to give newcomers a chance to try it out, and on Sunday we’ll be running our second ever ‘Big Bike Ride’, a challenging 40-50km trail that I’m keeping a secret until the morning of the event.

“This is only our second year of hosting Shed Fest, but we’re hoping it’ll become bigger and bigger every year. The support we’ve had has been so important – without the donations, we wouldn’t have been able to host Shed Fest.

“I’ve met site workers from the Pen y Cymoedd project a few times while out riding, and always had a good response from them. It’s good to know they’re conscious of other users of the forest like us.”

Eryl Roberts, project manager for the joint venture, said: “We’ve built up a good relationship with all site users at Pen y Cymoedd, including mountain bike riders that use the trails that run through the site.

“Their safety is of paramount importance to us, and we hold safety briefings on a daily basis to ensure all workers are aware of their presence on site.

“We were happy to make a donation to Shed Fest and support a great community event.”

Alistair Hinton, Construction Manager for Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project said: “We are delighted to sponsor Shed Fest for the second year running.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to speak to local mountain bikers about the construction of the wind farm and the importance of cycling around the site safely.

“Being seen is one important safety measure so all of our onsite team will wave hello and goodbye. Please wave back.”

Shed Fest, which takes in Margam Park and the World Cup and British Nationals Competition loop, will be hosted from a starting point at the Afan Forest Visitor Centre.

For further information on Shed Fest 2015, visit www.afanvalleybikeshed.co.uk/shed-fest-2015