About Rossy

1980 RAC / ACU Moped and Motorcycle safety course

My Road Safety interest started after attending a RAC/ACU moped and then the motorcycling training courses and, after successfully completing an Instructor course during 1981, I joined both Brockworth and Gloucester venues.

1981 MITCON Instructor course

The Road Safety Unit of Gloucestershire County Council, started their own motorcycling safety course, overseen by Richard Smith, I successfully attended and passed the "MITCON" Instructor course. I have been involved with the Road Safety Unit (and latterly, the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) until it was dissolved), for the past 20 plus years, including my latter time in Gloucestershire Police, covering all aspects of road safety from facilitating "Better Driving" courses, the Drink and Drugs awareness courses, to moped / motorcycle safety in schools / colleges, local Military Units and Universities (presenting an introduction to using UK roads for attending International Students).

Police Class 1 Advanced Driver / Police Class 1 Advanced Motorcyclist

In 1994 I joined Gloucestershire Police and was very fortunate within my Police service to spend most of it on both Firearms (ARV & TWT) and Traffic Duties, successfully passing both Class 1 (Advanced) in cars and bikes, together with the regular refresher assessments.

Latterly, I was in a small team within the Road Safety & Traffic Management Unit, gaining qualifications in Safety Audit and Advanced Safety Audit courses, a Traffic Management course, the "LANTRA" Traffic Management Sector Scheme 12D award and various City & Guilds awards.

I was medically retired from the police in December 2013.

Qualifications in driving, riding and training

Edexcel BTEC certificate (Distinction) for Advanced and Defensive riding. Edexcel BTEC certificate (Distinction) for Advanced and Defensive driving. I have successfully passed the National Observers qualification awarded by Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and am a Local Observer Assessor (LOA) for IAM RoadSmart.

A SFJ Level 3 award in Education and Training (QCF) and since 1992, I have held an Emergency Medical Technician qualification, (BLS and ATLS) and currently I hold a valid FREC3 certificate, a First Aid at Work (FAW) and BLS Instructor qualifications and I am Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and Oxygen therapy trained.

RoSPA, IAM RoadSmart and BikeSafe

Since 2011 I have been one of the RoSPA motorcycle Examiners (Gloucestershire) and since 2010, I held the position of Chief Observer for both of the IAM RoadSmart Groups within Gloucestershire (Cheltenham and Cotswolds Advanced Motorcyclists (CCAM) and Severn Advanced Motorcyclists (SAM).

I stood down from the Chief Observer roles for both Groups, because in 2017 I was asked to be an Examiner, having been awarded an IMI Examiner certificate and during October 2020, as CPD, I took my "Masters" test and was awarded a distinction.

Since 2011 I have been faciltating BikeSafe workshops for Gloucestershire Police, continuing that following my forced retirement following an on-duty RTC.

BikeSafe is a national Police run motorcycle initiative, aimed at working with motorcycle riders in a relaxed environment to raise awareness of the importance and value of progressing on to accredited post-test training, like IAM RoadSmart, RoSPA or ERS.

BikeSafe workshops involve an observed ride with a police graded motorcyclist or an approved Police Service Volunteer BikeSafe Observer.

With some local variation, BikeSafe workshops aim to cover: rider attitude, systematic methods, collision causation, cornering, positioning, overtaking, observation, braking, hazard perception and use of gears.

"Biker Down!" workshops and other things ...

Attending the local ‘Biker Nites’ within Gloucestershire and surrounding Counties, since 2013 I also have been promoting and facilitating, with colleagues the "Biker Down!" workshops, a free 3.5 hour session, conceived by Kent Fire & Rescue Service, delivering and discussing : collision scene management, First Aid, CPR, helmet removal (if necessary) and the "The thinking biker", to both riders and pillions.

This workshop, on behalf of Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Servcies (GFRS) which we attempt to hold monthly during the riding season at SkillZONE, Tuffley Lane, Gloucester GL4 0AS and is free.

I am obviously a keen motorcyclist, a photographer, a computer "half geek" and a drone pilot, to name a few of my hobbies.

About Rossy

At the launch of the "THINK" bike campaign on the A466