Cracking post (as usual) over at Crap Cycling which I urge everyone to read. It inspired me to dig further into The Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust – which I’d never heard of either… This charitable body that glories in the  acronym BHIT -  bit of a sick joke for a bicycle safety charity! – is apparently leading the campaign to make bicycle helmets compulsory for under-16s in the UK.

There’s an old adage which enjoins researchers – whether investigative or academic – to “follow the money”. In this case, a quick rummage through the past few years of accounts registered at the Charities Commission reveals substantial donations from the following:

David Coulthard (ex-Formula 1 racing driver, apparently)

Silverstone Motorsport (major UK motor-racing circuit)

ConocoPhillips (Big Oil! Perhaps best known in Europe as Jet)

Nestle (Major international purveyor of processed food)

Bulmer Charitable Trust (Cider – yes, cider! – brewery’s welfare fund)

I really wish I was making this up!

Marks & Spencer (retail giant)

The taxpayer via the DfT

Jo Brand (Comedienne…no, really! )

Oh…and the Freemasons!

I can offer no explanation that wouldn’t sound like a conspiracy theory.

But to back up a bit…I really wish Crap Cycling had comments turned on!

r:B