Hi all,
I am just writing to update members on what the club has been going on this year and last…
Pool Sessions: Pool sessions have run with the Eola booking system and has been working well. Many thanks to those involved with the sorting and running of the sessions. The additional sessions over the winter season proved popular with a number of members using these evenings to learn and improve their skills including rolling.
Paddle Trips
We had and have a lot of trips planned this year, using venues on the Medway, River Stour, and Chelmer. There were several sea paddles on the River Orwell, Blackwater, Crouch & Mundon Creak. With adventurous trips planned to Anglesey and the Farne islands. We are also planning a number of white water trips for 2023, so keep an eye on the website calendar.
The Blackwater tour from Kelvedon to Langford is on 16 April and is fully booked. Well done Mike for sorting this.
Blackwater show. This was a major event for the club with try-it sessions for over 500 participants. A great effort was put in by the club over the years but sadly the show is not running in 2023
Coaching: Last year we ran kayak rescue training sessions and a number of members passed the British Canoeing Foundation safety rescue and Sea kayak award.
Clive again ran an outdoor first aid course attended by a number of club members which helps members and coaches remain active.
Some members attended the sea trip at Anglesey being pushed hard by some of the best coaches in the country and passing their Advanced navigation course. More of these are being planned.
Ad Dell & Judy sorted a number of evening paddles from Maldon, these were well-attended and great for coach development.
White Water This has been good with three Lee Valley sessions running, many thanks to the coaches and all who helped to get these running. This was a great feather in the club’s cap as we saw so many smiling faces from those who attended from ours and other invited clubs. We also ran a white-water trip to Wales alongside 2 other clubs. This went well with plenty of good photos and videos.
2023 Lee Valley sessions are on 13 May, 8 July, and September.
Social meets: we held a navigation /social meet at the Maylandsea yacht club which was well attended. Another of these meets is being planned.
Tech We have amended the web with details adding “what 3 words” to give members more location information. The Web continues to be a great asset for the club and has been updated with blogs and other updates. This is a great resource and if you haven’t seen the latest updates including within the resources section showing tides, weather & river levels, etc.) It’s worth having a look.
A big thanks to Clint and Steve for keeping the web page up to date.
Committee: We returned to face-to-face monthly meetings in 2023. We continue to update the club’s procedures whilst taking into account British Canoeing’s procedures as well as Swimming pool policies and data protection, amongst other documents.
We are able to check/issue DBS via British Canoeing & monitor the finances & membership numbers.
Chelmer licence, There have been a lot of meetings to minimize the change of terms imposed by the navigation. Club members are entitled to a 10 percent discount on canal licences. We have also been working on storage facilities for club members’ boats and this should be available soon.
AOB Other major achievements this year have been the progression of many paddlers, and the discount negotiated for club members from Canoe Nucleus and Kent Canoes. Also, the super deal Rob arranged for members purchasing Scorpio sea kayaks.
Quality Club Award This is effectively an audit from British Canoeing and prior to awarding accreditation, this meant all our procedures were updated including a few new documents produced. A lot of work put in by Clive, Rob, and Clint means we are now in a better position to apply for grants and have approved systems of work.
Upcoming events Pool sessions: Last Saturday of the month 6.30-7.30 pm. at South Woodham Ferrers Pool.
The committee, hopes to have the pleasure of paddling with you all this year.
Kind Regards
Clive Marfleet
Club Chairman
