CTC, the national cycling charity, will be re-branded as 'Cycling UK' from April. The aim of the new name is to help "magnify the great work that we do to inspire people into cycling" according to the organisation's chief executive Paul Tuohy.
Tuohy said in a statement that the new name is a result of extensive consultation with members, partners and stakeholders. However, some CTC members have expressed that they are not happy with the rebranding process.
"Through the rebrand process we engaged with over 2000 members, supporters, partners and local and national government departments across the UK," said Tuohy.
"Based on this comprehensive research, and listening to your views, we are confident that this change is one that reflects the pride that we all take in our charity, and that helps to magnify the great work that we do to inspire people into cycling, as we campaign to protect the gift of cycling, and help people to overcome personal barriers to cycling."
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Although the public name of the organisation will change, it will still be registered as a charity and as a company under the name Cyclists' Touring Club - a name that dates back to 1883 when it was changed from the original 1878 name of Bicycle Touring Club.
"Our charity will still legally be registered as the Cyclists’ Touring Club with its charity and companies registrations unchanged. The Cyclists’ Touring Club is not being disbanded. In fact, part of the need for this change is because we hope the new brand will enhance our touring offering," said Tuohy.
"The new name (as I’m sure many of you will now have seen) is ‘Cycling UK’ and the brand ‘we are Cycling UK’ will be adopted as the ‘trading name’ of the charity. We are very proud of our heritage and history, and we know that a new name and brand will really help to make our charity even more attractive to many more people."
Not all CTC members are happy about the change, with several claiming that they were not consulted about the new name. Former CTC council member Philip Benstead is attempting to gather 200 CTC members to petition for a member-wide poll on the rebranding.
In a letter to CTC members, Benstead wrote: "We are petitioning the CTC to demand a poll of the whole club so CTC members will have the opportunity to endorse or overturn the motion. It is our opinion the entire decision-making process was flawed and any dissent was either ignored or shouted down.
"We need 200 valued CTC members signing, but I want many more to avoid any being discounted and to show the strength of feeling."
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CTC chair of council David Cox replied to Benstead's letter, saying: "The decision [for the rebrand] came at the end of an impressively thorough process. While some Council members were initially cautious of the jargon that can surround exercises like this, there was a near-unanimous acknowledgement that the team working with us understood CTC with all its complex heritage and exciting future – and had captured our collective desire to share the joy of cycling.
"Only one Council member voted against the proposed rebrand, with 15 voting in favour."
The new name and logo have already been logged with the Intellectual Property Office for registration as a trademark.
The rebranding will be officially launched in April through the organisation's magazine, Cycle.
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