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                             Cycle of change

From a distance, the pointed gables of the old Raleigh plant look like the edge of a sharp saw.
It is an appropriate image. For demolition workers are cutting part of the century-old works to the ground.
It reflects the changing world in which Raleigh now has to compete. Gone are days when thousands of workers turned out the famed Raleigh All Steel Bicycle in one of the most up-to-date manufacturing environments in the country.
Production of cycle frames ended at Raleigh last year - now, the company's concentration is on assembling parts shipped from overseas and building a thriving parts and accessories business. But it doesn't need so many workers.
In 1950 around 7,000 people worked at Raleigh. Today the figure is nearer 800.
Many old workers will remember the buildings in Faraday Road now being cleared for redevelopment - this was the old canteen block and also the area used for parts and accessories.
The canteen has stood empty and silent for years, the space around used for car parking.
Raleigh's operations director, Alan Spencer, said: "The canteen served the factory way back in time but had not been used for 12 to 15 years. It was derelict and certainly not a part of Raleigh's recent past."
"Parts and accessories has grown quite significantly and has been moved to a new location. And Raleigh is still assembling cycles at Triumph Road."
The significance of the moment was not lost on cyclist Brian Jackson, 59, of Basford, who rode over to Lenton on his trusty old Raleigh Triumph bike to take a last look at the buildings. He formerly worked for toy manufacturer Britain's Petite before being made redundant. He said: "With Brittains, Players and now Raleigh all closing or reducing in size, there is hardly any manufacturing left in Nottingham."
The Raleigh company was founded by Frank Bowden in 1890. He bought a small cycle company owned by Messrs Woodhead, Angois and Ellis and turned their tiny Raleigh Street manufacturing business into a world leader.
But the pressure of competition from abroad, and particularly the Far East, which started in the 1960s, gradually eroded Raleigh's manufacturing position.
Mass production of cycle frames was ceased last year and the machinery was auctioned - ironically, some of it heading for the Far East.
But while production of cycles at Raleigh is now exclusively the assembly and painting of imported parts, the company has grasped the need for diversification with some style.
Its range of parts and accessories covers everything from essential equipment to clothing, map books and guides, novelty accessories for children and even a range of health equipment and foods.
Today, Raleigh is shedding the derelict images of its glorious past and setting its sights firmly on the demands of the 21st century.

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                                                    Text and image from article in Evening Post, by Andy Smart