At some stage during April 2010, Poole Bike Training will be closing or will have closed. The date is uncertain but looks to be about 19th April. The decision to close has been taken with regret and was one which was not easily reached. The reasons are complex but centre around a substantial drop in business last summer and autumn following the introduction of the new two part test at the end of April, 2009 - the number of courses booked compared to previous years was about 30% of normal. The recession and the poor weather we had in the winter - not as bad as most - further reduced income. I am faced with a situation where, over the next couple of months, I have the bulk of expenditure to make - MoTs; annual services; and insurances for bikes, business and the van all coming due - and the resources are not there to meet them. The banks seem to have better things to spend their money on than lending it to small businesses and so I felt I had no alternative but to close.

For those of you who are reading this and hoping to book or rebook a CBT with Poole Bike Training or were looking to do their test course with me, I am sorry that I shall not be there to help you. Instead, I suggest you go to the website: www.wessexriders.org.uk which is the website of the Wessex Association of Motorcycle Schools (WAMS). WAMS was started in the autumn of 2008 to represent the interests of the local motorcycle training establishments and most training schools in the area belong to it. We all aim to provide a good service and a good set of standards upon which the public can rely. The Members are scattered across Dorset so there should be one near you. Where one Member cannot assist you, the idea is that you would be referred to another Member who should be able to help.

For those of you who have done a CBT with me in the past two years, have lost their Certificate and want a copy, once we have closed, you will have to apply to the Driving Standards Agency direct - all necessary information and how to do it should appear on the DSA website at www.dsa.gov.uk but hopefully you will not suffer that problem. A fee will be charged which, I expect, will be at the upper end of the scale of £20 or more so please do keep your certificates.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank all past students for their custom and support over the years. It's been fun - well, most of it and I hope that you enjoyed your time with me as well. Try and remember what you learnt as it was designed not just to get you on the road or through your test but to keep you alive and in one piece afterwards. Keep biking and maintain the struggle for freedom which biking brings. It is going to get harder over the years because there is a minority in the present government and in Europe who see motorcyclists as a carbuncle on the face of the roads and have been doing their best to get rid of us. Those efforts will only increase. If you are going to do your test or just start biking, don't put it off: it will get more complicated; it will get harder; it will get more, much more expensive. There are further minor changes to the test in October 2010. There are substantial changes to getting a licence from 2013, especially if you will be under 24 at that time. MAG and the bmf in particular campaign in support of you as a biker. Have a look at their websites and at www.ridersarevoters.org.

With my best wishes to you all, Bob Jeffreys. 9th April, 2010.