From my hideaway in Charlbury, deepest West Oxfordshire, I continue to be impressed by Cyclox and its endeavours to get the city cycling.

The group started almost 15 years ago as a band of rag-tag of provocateurs specialising in stunts to raise the profile of cycling. Commuter challenges were the order of the day, demonstrating on local TV, radio and press how much quicker it is to commute by bike into the city. Gradually the group matured, getting involved in the politics of local government and managing (with others) to get 20mph limits on most city streets.

Cyclox is run by volunteers with an amazing array of specialisms in cycling best practice, urban planning and infrastructure design. But there’s always a limit to how much an entirely voluntary group can achieve, and bigger cycle campaigns such as Cambridge and London transformed their organisations by taking on paid staff covering tasks that can easily fall between the fingers of the volunteers.

Now it’s Cyclox’s turn. Late last year, Cyclox advertised for an administrative support person to help maximise efficiencies in its campaigning. The job is only 4–6 hours a week, but that should be enough to take this successful group to the “next level”.

But who on earth, with the right experience and ambitions, would be available for just half a day a week? The answer is: someone who’s already working almost full time in the same area.

Cyclox’s new administrative support is Kath Cochrane from Leafield (near Witney) whose cycle training business runs Bikeability classes for 230 primary schoolchildren in West Oxfordshire. The Cyclox role gives Kath a chance to learn the language of campaigning and infrastructure, as well as getting to grips with the local politics and funding procedures. What Cyclox gets is dedicated back-office support, making sure Kath adds value and keeps the committee going without ever doing their work. Kath is busy engaging the membership, using their talent and appointing area champions, and responding to what the membership want.

Cyclox is nothing if not busy. Last year they announced a short film competition which attracted 24 fantastically varied entries which you can still see at www.cyclox.org/. It’s well worth having a look – there have been over 10,000 views to date. On Wednesday 9th March 6.45–8.00pm in Keble College’s O’Reilly Theatre (Blackhall Road) they are screening all 24 film entries at a prize giving ceremony, with commentary and feedback by BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz, and Chair of Cyclox, Dr Simon Hunt.

For Cyclox in 2016, campaigning is the number one priority. There is a massive appetite for top quality segregated infrastructure in Oxford these days. Cyclox is keen to find a project than can really showcase the infrastructure needed to get the least confident riders to enjoy and access the city fully by bike.

Cyclox will be pushing at an open door, of course, if the city becomes a unitary authority. The City Council and the four other district councils all think they could do a better job than Oxfordshire County Council as devolved councils all with the their shares of county council’s budgets. That my MP, Hon Member for Witney, favours the plan makes me suspicious, but for Oxford City, there is no question that this could been the biggest boon for cycling in a generation.