• ‘The Wyke Beck Way’ is the banner for the community organisation THE WYKE BECK WAY COMMUNITY FORUM.
• The organisation has its origins in an initiative by tenants of the multi-storey blocks of flats in  Wykebeck Valley Road, Leeds 14, who set up ‘Wykebeck Valley Environmental Group’ in 1994. They eventually affiliated to EYE on the AIRE, a Leeds City based environmental charitable organisation. EYE worked with the Group over the next 8 years to seek improvements to the eradication of sewage and rubbish pollution from the Beck and its immediate surroundings. In 2004 Eye on the Aire handed over its voluntary work with local groups to Leeds Voice’s Environment Forum-‘Keeping an Eye on Leeds’
• In  March 2005 the WYKE BECK WAY COMMUNITY FORUM was formally established to promote the whole of the Wyke Beck Valley green corridor running from The River Aire and Rothwell Country Park through to Roundhay Park. Its founding membership and representation came from;

                  - Environmental activists and residents of Wykebeck Valley

                  - Leeds City Council -Officers

                  - The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)

                  - Groundwork (Leeds)

                  - The Environment Agency

                  - Yorkshire Water

                  - Unilever UK - agreed to be sponsors

·        The Forum is organised through a Board of Trustees and is a registered Charity (No.1112262) based at The Wyke Beck Way Centre within East Leeds Family Learning Centre, Brooklands View, Seacroft, Leeds 14. The Forum’s Constitution is almost exclusively that of the Charity Commission’s Model Constitution (see www.charitycommission.gov.uk)

·        The Board Members are:

Roger Harington -  Chair to the Board-a former local priest for an area within the Wyke Beck Valley; Roger is a local Councillor and a committed cyclist.

Pauline Wright -  Pauline is a local resident committed to improving the local environment and was one of the original initiators of the Wykebeck Valley Environmental Group. She also serves on several local community groups.

Peter Huxford -  Peter acts as Secretary to the Board and has worked as a Housing Surveyor for Sutton Housing Trust which has estates within the Wyke Beck Valley. He remains involved in local community projects associated with Primrose Valley, located between Selby Road and York Road, Halton.

David Conboy – David acts as Treasurer to the Board and represents the Wyke Beck Way project on Leeds VOICE Environment Forum. A qualified Town Planner, David has long experience with Leeds City Council in fields of Planning, Economic Development (Area Teams) and Project Management prior to retiring in 2002. He then assisted Eye on the Aire with planning issues before being appointed as voluntary Project Manager by the Wyke Beck Board.

Eric Cowin – Eric has been appointed by the Board to manage the Wyke Beck Way Project on a voluntary basis, reporting regularly to the Board and the FORUM. Also a qualified Town Planner, he has considerable local authority experience of managing regeneration programmes and running environmental and other charitable Boards.

The Wyke Beck Way Centre

·        The work of the Forum and its Board is coordinated on a voluntary basis from the Centre by:  

Centre Manager Eric Cowin  and Project Manager David Conboy. They can usually be contacted on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons between 12.30 and 4.00 pm. Phone 07535386851 or email wykebeckway@yahoo.co.uk.

The Cente’s Office is situated in the East Leeds Family Learning Centre, at Brooklands View,Seacroft, Leeds LS146SA

              Click on the link below to see a list of the Forum Members: