PENDLE PADDLERS

 

CHAIRMANS REPORT FOR AGM MAY 2011

 

Foulridge Site

The year has been dominated by things going on which were not directly to do with paddling.

 

In October 2010 we were given notice by our landlord to quit the boathouse which the club has used for some 10 years or so.  This was the culmination of a process which had started the previous May when we were told that the landlord was intending to sell.  We expressed an interest in buying which fell into abeyance when we discovered the price he was looking for.  We were given another chance during the summer when he couldn’t find a buyer.  We took our time over making an offer as it was prudent to look at all the alternatives before committing ourselves.  When our offer was declined we were initially given until the year end to get out.  This was extended until April 2011, when the terms of our Occupational Licence were pointed out.  In the meantime there was a fair old scramble to get containers in place on our clubhouse freehold site to take our boats and paddles.  What we have ended up with should meet our needs.  Time will tell over the upcoming canal summer season.

Our thanks to Dawn Odgers and Dale Contractors for letting us have a lot of material free of charge and to those who turned out on the work parties to sort the site out and to Tony who organised the canoe racking.

 

Finance

We have ended up meeting all the expense of reorganizing the site out of our own savings which has left a big hole in our finances.  This was because everything happened piecemeal fashion and not as some planned scheme, which we might have got grant aided given time.  First we had the trees cut down.  This left the Old Pub exposed in all its dereliction so we had that demolished.  Then we had all the expense of buying two containers and transporting them, plus the old Burnley Kayak Club unit, to a prepared base at Foulridge.

The remarkable thing is that the club was able to take this on at all which is a tribute to Tony’s husbandry of our resources over the years.  We are very much solvent and able to pay our way but the cushion we were holding against a ‘rainy day’ has been spent in the squalls which have hit us this year.

 

Membership & Subscriptions

Our membership is stable at 140. Once again the two Deborahs and Vikki between them have kept the records in an immaculate state and kept everyone properly booked in and informed about what’s going on.

Subscriptions and fees will remain the same this year but the expense of running a club is creeping up particularly in the sphere of coach training.  Wavelengths pool also hasn’t helped either by putting their prices up by nearly 50%.  We’d avoided any increase for years so the rise was all the bigger when it finally came along.  With all this to contend with the committee will be looking, over the coming year, to see what needs to be done to maintain our finances.  

 

Grants and Kit

Probably needless to say with our other distractions kit took a back seat this year.  However our fleets at the canal and the two pools at Nelson and Colne are in pretty good shape and will meet our needs for the time being.

Coaching

As always we lose coaches particularly our younger ones when three disappeared to university over the summer.  On the credit side were lucky to recruit two ‘ready made’ coaches Emili Peake and Kathryn Needham.  Welcome to them.  Congratulations also to Andy Malone and Lewis Hopwood who qualified as Level 1.

The opportunity to qualify under the old system is no more and we are now firmly on the UKCC system.  Whilst the new scheme may have its advantages it undoubtedly takes far more time, and money, to get qualified.  The existing old style Level 3’s, who are the only ones qualified to coach on moving water, will not last forever and the task will be to bring forward UKCC Level 2’s with Moderate Water Endorsement (what a mouthful) if we wish to continue offering the membership the fun of river running.

As before Peter continues to chivvy us all to stay compliant with Canoe England and tries to keep up with the ever changing CRB requirements.

 

The Annual programme and paddling awards

Through it all we still managed to do some paddling!! – actually quite a lot.  The mainstay of our programme remains the weekly Tuesday evening sessions some 49 over the year – the canal in summer- pool in winter.  The strength of the club has always been in training people but we’ve been bad in going the final mile and getting people through their PaddlePower or Star Tests.  There are a number of reason for this, which I won’t bore you with, well known to the committee but we’ve never been able to do anything about it.  Yet again Tony has picked up the cudgels, helped with a bit of girl power, to come up with a system of personal log sheets and a master record (on the web no less).  We are going to make a determined effort this year to give people the satisfaction of having something to show for the effort and progress they have made.

It’s been another odd winter for the river.  Much of it was snow and ice which even when it melted didn’t seem to produce much water.  Ever since it has been dry.  However we have squeezed in some rivers at the back of the season – thanks to Mike for doing the leading.

The Tyne Tour was once again very well attended and we treated ourselves to some comfort by booking a Youth Hostel – something we will repeat this year.  Thanks to Tony for organising.  Next time your chairman will try not to ignore a fellow club member swimming in the Gorge in quite such a blatant manner.

We had our first joint juniors’ day with Burwain Sailing Club during the summer – thanks to Vikki for making that happen.  Hopefully we can build on this to make the Burwain a regular alternative to the canal for the club.

Club polo continued to flourish over the winter at Colne Pool.  The distraction and fun of the game is a good way to get your skills up without realising it as well as keeping the pounds off.  Well done Jon for keeping it going.    

 

Outside Groups

We ran our usual fun/taster sessions for six outside groups during the summer.  All were for the scouts/cubs/guides except one which was a local school laying on a leavers end of term treat which was a novelty.  Most of the time is spent delaying the moment when the kids fall in, which seems to be the main object for many, and it cannot honestly be said that much tuition goes on.  However everyone has a good time judging from the fact that they come back for more next year.  Perhaps the paddling spark is lit in one or two of them.  My thanks to all the coaches who helped out.  They can be full-on evenings.

 

Social

Our three club weekend camps continue to be popular.  It’s a big chance for families to be all together and for those who don’t usually paddle to have a go.    For the second time in three years we had to walk the Christmas ‘paddle’ as the canal was frozen solid. Thanks to Andy for doing the organising chores.  Also to Geoff who runs the Keppelwray weekends twice a year.

 

Geoff Gedling

Whilst talking about Geoff we should record our thanks for the sterling service he has rendered the club over the years.  He is our last active founder member.  He has now handed over his Welfare Office role to Kath Needham but will continue to be a stalwart of the club leading the charge for the canoe brigade.

 

Website

The website continues to do us proud.  Our thanks to Tony for looking after it.  We say it every time but the message is still just as relevant.  It’s the club’s website which means it’s yours.  Why not send in your photos or stories for Tony to put up?  We aren’t expecting purple prose or classy photography as long as we can work out what you’re talking about and see who people are.

 

Clubmark

We are in the process of renewing our Clubmark accreditation.  Amazingly it’s three years since we first got it.  I’m aware all this passes most people by in the club and I’m not offended or surprised.  However it’s something which is dear to the heart of those who administer our affairs in the higher reaches of paddling and more relevantly to those who hold the grant purse strings.  At sometime we will want to do something with the site which is better than containers and an old shed we have now at which point we will need all the financial help we can get.  So for that reason alone it is worth looking after what we’ve worked hard to get.  If it makes us a more ‘professional’ outfit in the meantime so much the better.

 

Marriage Lines

Our congratulations to Jon and Donna on their engagement.  It all goes to prove that paddling has ‘something for everyone’ even romance.    

 

 

George Haisman

Chairman 

 

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