Category: News

Summer on the Way!

After a soggy winter you are probably looking forward to some pleasant spring and summer paddles and light nights. Our summer season starts on Thursday 4th April, from 5.30 p.m. From then on, we meet each week on Thursdays, and also on alternate Sunday afternoons at 1.15 p.m. Our first Sunday session of the new season is on April 7th. This year we have 30 minute longer sessions and can be on site until 4.15 p.m. The dates for you diary for the first half of the season are:

April; Thursdays; 4, 11, 18, 25 Sundays; 7, 21

May; Thurdays; 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (May 9th. Deva CC AGM)

Sundays; 5, 19

June; Thursdays; 6, 13, 20, 27

Sundays; 2, 16, 30

As far as membership goes, our prudent treasurer, Simon, has asked not to be sent payment until April when he will send out reminders.

Deva Family on TV!

Of interest to all Deva members, and especially those with children (and those with grandchildren), will be a Channel 5 programme entitled “Meet the Experts”. Each week a young person gets to demonstrate their expertise. Episode 9 of series 2 is all about kayaking, and features Idris Ellis. His dad, Deva member John Ellis, also features (in a supporting role!). During the programme Idris gets to go kayaking on the Dee in Llangollen with Darren Clarkson. You can see the 15 minute programme by signing into the catch-up service, My5 and searching for Meet the Experts, Series 2, Episode 9. Well worth watching and should be BAFTA nominated.

Change at the Top

B.C. rebranded as Paddle UK As you may be aware, British Canoeing, our governing national body, has changed its name to Paddle UK. This is to reflect the wider range of activities it covers which now includes paddleboarding, sit-on-tops, the many kayak disciplines as well as canoeing which has led to a considerable growth in its membership. More details about the name change can be found here.

Bio-Security Plan for the Dee Estuary

I have recently had the pleasure of attending a meeting with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru. They are in the process of writing a biosecurity plan for the Dee Estuary with the aim of controlling the problem of invasive species, both plants and animals. Seeds or eggs from invasive species can be very small and easily transferred from one body of water to another on canoes, kayaks etc or on personal kit such as shoes, clothing, PFDs etc. Several invasive species have already been detected in the Dee, and the aim of the biosecurity plan is to monitor, control and limit their spread. It also aims to be watchful for ‘horizon species’, which are not in the Dee at present but are in other UK locations and may arrive in the future. An example of an invasive creature is the mitten crab, which probably arrived in the UK in ballast water discharged from ships. It has spread to many European rivers and can cause bank erosion where it burrows and decimate native species. There are many other examples of plants and animals that are possible threats to our environment. As responsible river users we need to make sure we check, clean and dry kit after each trip. We can also record and report the location of any suspected invasive species we see when on the river. More information about species identification will be made available soon and we will pass this onto Deva members. In the meantime, CHECK- CLEAN- DRY. ‘Clear Access Clear Waters’ Work Goes On As part of our ongoing work to improve the environment of our rivers and seas, we will be organising a river clean event during the season to remove litter from the Dee. Simon Lawson is taking on the role of Club Environmental Coordinator and will be calling for volunteers and announcing details in the coming months.

Coaching and Trips

We want to widen club activity by encouraging members to run club trips. If you have an idea for a trip, then have a word with Ray McCann who will advise and help you plan it. We already have some ideas but would like to see more on the calendar. If you are interested in leading trips or coaching for the club, then also see Ray or a member of the committee. To keep the club active and lively we need coaches and leaders to help out at every level. If you would like to qualify as a club approved coach or leader, then also see Ray. Those of us who have already done so will tell you how rewarding it can be, and that leading and coaching will also improve your own paddling.

Adventures at Sea

Colin Hayward writes… The number of club members showing an interest in touring or sea kayaking has increased dramatically in recent times with the Sunday winter sessions at the riverside seeing demand for club sea kayaks regularly hitting double figures and outnumbering the white water paddlers. I would like to think this is at least partly due to the stories and photos of sea kayak trips making an impression. Since the weekly club sessions finished for the winter back in September 2023, I have personally completed 20 sea kayak journeys, many of them accompanied by various club members. These winter adventures also included the odd river or canal paddle if the weather on the coast was too rough, but whenever possible we ventured out onto the sea. I have been attending the pool sessions at Northgate right through the winter and I’ve spoken to plenty of newcomers who have expressed an interest in getting involved with sea trips this summer. The primary route to getting invited to paddle on the sea is to ask to be added to the ‘Deva B’ list or speak to myself or Bill Neary at the riverside. I’ve included a couple of photos from some of our winter paddles which may whet some appetites further.

Thanks Colin.

We are looking forward to a successful summer season paddling a variety of craft on both salt and fresh water.

Do you know LEFT from RIGHT?

A strange question you may say, as we all know the difference….don’t we? Maybe, but…. as a paddler on a stretch of water it’s not that obvious and there may be a time when you’ll need to know. For example, if you are paddling upstream or downstream, left and right are as you would expect and it is courteous to paddle on your right to allow approaching water users to pass on your left.

For example, if you are paddling downstream with the river flow, ‘River Left’ will be on your LEFT!
If paddling upstream against the flow, ‘River Left’ will actually be on your RIGHT!
Understanding this nomenclature will help you in identifying potential no-go areas as some commercial operators (i.e. TNR at MEM) and land owners use these phrases to clearly identify private property that is ‘out of bounds’ to river users. This knowledge could also be crucial in a rescue situation.

The River Dee, like most waterways, has designated rescue points along its route and these signs inform the emergency services where the nearest point of vehicle access is in relation to your current position.

In this example, you are at rescue point ‘7’ on the bank and the preceding letter ‘R’ signifies the closest vehicle access point is on RIVER RIGHT.

So next time you are out paddling, please take more notice of the various signs along your journey as this apparently trivial information could help save someone’s life!

Stay safe and happy paddling

Keith Brocklehurst, Deva CC Secretary.

Pie’n’Peas Evening in support of the RNLI

Back in late 2019, the club made a financial donation to the RNLI. In February 2020 we received an email from Bryan Hughes, a local RNLI fundraiser, thanking us for this money and offering to come and give a talk about this organisation.
Great we thought, let’s have a Fish and Chip supper in aid of the RNLI, make it an evening event and we could also ask club member Keith Peek to come and present something about his recent Alaska adventure.
So we booked it for 19 March 2020. Then COVID hit us and everything shut down!
Finally, it all happened on Thursday 12 October 2023. Many thanks to John Lewis, for the Pie’n’Peas idea and organising everything, his wife Alex for helping in the kitchen, speakers Bryan Hughes and Keith Peek for presenting and to the 40 Deva members and friends who supported the event.
We also wish to acknowledge the support and generosity of Andy Lees from GoKayaking (NW) in Runcorn for providing the raffle prizes of a £75 G-K shop voucher, Dry Robe and Sweatshirt.
We raised a fantastic total of £395 on the evening which with a donation from club funds we are increasing to £500 which will be donated, via Bryan, to the RNLI.

Are you willing to support the RNLI by being a fundraiser?

We’ve been asked by Bryan Hughes, a local RNLI volunteer, if any of our members might be interested in joining or supporting the RNLI’s fundraising branch in Chester?
No firm commitment is needed, just a few hours every now and again. There may be some who are interested in joining their committee.
Keith Brocklehurst

Lakes Week-end Trip November 17-19th

Fancy an autumn weekend break in good company and paddling?
There are still some places left for our Lake District weekend. If you have not been before, the accommodation is warm and comfortable and there will be a variety of trips out to cater for every ability from beginner to experienced paddler in either sea kayak, canoe, or whitewater kayak. As this is a club trip members can also borrow club boats and equipment.
The price for the weekend, including breakfast, evening meal on Saturday and packed lunches for Saturday and Sunday is £70.

Congratulations!

To Judith Lathean, Ray McCann, David Draper and Bill Neary who have qualified as British Canoeing Paddlesport Leaders. The practice and training they put in preparation for the qualification, sometimes in craft they were not used to paddling, paid off and all passed the assessment weekend. Well done!

Paddler Magazine

In case you are not already aware, we had an article printed in Paddler Magazine about the club’s welfare policy and the fund raising we did earlier this year for MIND. Thanks to Judith Lathean and Mat Sefton for their initiative for highlighting this and developing our policy.

It can be read online here

River Dee Assembly; Clear Waters

As a British Canoeing “Champion Club” for Clear Access Clear waters we have a commitment to work for improving water quality. We are just one of many river users who wish to see reductions in pollution levels and in particular the discharge of untreated sewage by combined outflows. There are six CSO (combined sewage outflows) locations in Chester. For much of the time they will only discharge surface rainwater, but after prolonged or heavy rain when the system cannot cope with the volume, sewage and rainwater will be released.
On Friday 14th July I attended the River Dee assembly, a forum put together by Chester MP, Sam Dixon.
Welsh Water are setting up an alert system which will appear on their web site soon and give real time information about the duration and location when discharges occur, though not volume of the discharge. In the medium and long term Welsh water are aiming to improve the infrastructure and capacity of drains, but there is no commitment to eliminate them completely.
Our local council, Cheshire West and Chester, are supporting the application by Barry Johnstone of the Chester Frosties swimming group in applying for bathing water status for the Dee. There is now a Facebook page “Clean Dee” where you can keep up with developments (or lack of them).
Despite the fact this is the middle of the bathing season (May to Sept.) the government have moved the goalposts to make it much harder for a river to be designated as a bathing water. We now must prove that on 2 days there were over 100 people swimming. Other river users (e.g., kayakers) do not count, despite the fact this is an immersion sport. Campaigns, Emails, letters, and social media petitions are all ways we can influence water companies, decision makers and politicians. I know many Deva members already do this, but I would urge everyone to make their views known and help keep up the momentum to improve our river environments.
There are also actions we can take at an individual level. Blockages in the drains can make the situation worse. Only put the 3 P’s down toilets, (pee, poo and paper), not wet wipes, sanitary products, cotton buds etc. Welsh Water have reports of fat bergs, traffic cones, underwear, and mobile phones being removed which were reducing the capacity of Chester’s drains to cope!
We can also improve the ability of drains to cope by delaying run-off after rainfall events. Installing water butts on downpipes and using permeable surfaces (not concrete) where possible on new driveways and patios are two examples of individual actions. Within the whole catchment area various groups as well as CWaC are investigating creating and reinstating wetlands which also reduce peak flows. All these ideas will become increasingly important as the frequency of storm events due to become more pronounced.

Public Safety on the River Dee

As kayakers and canoeists we are very aware that waterways and rivers can be places of danger. Whenever the temperature rises, so do the number of casual swimmers and people unaware of factors such as cold water shock, panic, and entrapment on underwater objects.
The Dee assembly gave me the opportunity to talk to Vanessa Griffiths, responsible for river safety for CWaC, to discuss the possible installation of public throwlines along the river bank with basic instruction boards instead of the current infrequently placed life buoys which are difficult to use effectively and are often misused.
Our background in safety and rescue puts us in a useful position to help advise with aspects of keeping the wider community safe on or near the water.

Improved Access and Egress to the Weir

I have also started a conversation with Vanessa Griffiths the state of the egress steps by the Old Dee Bridge below the weir. She shares our concerns that these have become dilapidated and has agreed to assess the site and discuss ideas. Earl days, but hopefully we can work together to renovate or replace the steps and improve access and egress.

Welcome Team

At Deva Canoe Club we aim to be a safe and welcoming place for newcomers, including people who have no previous experience of paddlesports. We achieve this by having a dedicated team of individuals who make up our ‘welcome team’ at every club meeting.
As we are now in the middle of the summer season, a huge THANK YOU to all who help with administration, kitting out and coaching at the Riverside. Your commitment and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated and help us to achieve this aim.
If you are interested in becoming a team member and can contribute to the running of club meetings, please have a word with me or any member of the committee.

Training and Trips

Some of our members have recently completed training to start their journey into coaching and leading. Others have also taken or renewed Outdoor First Aid qualifications. Congratulations to all involved, and thanks to Ray McCann for organising them.
Thanks also to Colin Hayward for running a series of safety sessions at Colwyn Bay for sea kayakers. Introducing and improving techniques, using equipment, and building an awareness of safety at sea build confidence and abilities which enable participants to take on more challenging trips in the future.

John Lewis,
Chair, Deva CC

We have been contacted by the Welsh Dee Trust, an environmental charity caring for the River Dee asking us to share their upcoming sewage pollution workshop with you:

https://www.welshdeetrust.com/online-workshop-it-shouldnt-be-in-the-dee-sewage-pollution-11-april-7pm/.

It’s a topic that affects all paddlers on the Dee, so may well be of interest to you. Unfortunately for those who attend Northgate pool sessions on Mondays there is a clash as I imagine it will overlap with travel and changing time, but it would be good if other members were informed about the Trust’s work.

If you follow the above link you can register for the event for free.

This report has been written by Keith Brocklehurst (Deva CC Secretary) and
approved by John Lewis (Deva CC Chair).

Help clean up our river and reduce pollution

Postponed until 3rd June due to high river levels

On Thursday 20th May we are holding a river clean-up during our evening meeting.

As water sports enthusiasts we are all aware of how litter, and particularly plastic pollution, can detract from a day out on the water and also its negative impact on the environment and wildlife, and anything in our rivers will end up in the sea or on beaches.

A week on Thursday we are joining in with the Surfers Against Sewage national Million Mile Clean campaign by picking up litter from the Dee in Chester.
Our meeting will run as normal, but we are looking for 10-20 people to collect litter that they see. it is probably easier to do this from an open canoe, SUP or sea kayak, but there’s no reason why a short kayak could not accompany a canoe and work as a pair.

We have some protective gloves and reusable collection sacks, but if you have a litter grabber and your own thich gloves please bring them.

We will brief those taking part on the night, but note that we will not be asking people to pick up any hazardous material, or collect litter that is trapped in hazardous locations. If the weather is unsuitable or river flow is high and flowing quickly we will postpone the litter pick to a day when conditions are better.

You do not have to sign up for this, but to help planning please let me know this Thursday if you want to help out, or reply to this email.

As well as cleaning a section of the River Dee we hope our actions will highlight the problem of litter and plastic pollution to the local community.

See the attached flyer. Happy Paddling!

John L

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Development Planning for the Future

8 Strategic Targets for a five year plan

During the period of lock-down in the 2021 Covid pandemic, the officers of the club agreed to develop a strategic plan to promote Deva CC to renew and encourage policies which will ensure long term security and survival. In a changing world where many things, including paddle sports are evolving, we need to stay relevant to the needs of the paddlers and engage with the local community.
Here is a summary of the Deva Development Plan, and the means by which we can measure success:

1. Increase participation and membership.
   The number of members dropped during the close down, we aim to recover to pre-pandemic levels by holding taster days, resuming pool kayaking sessions, and recruiting new members.
   Evidence for this will be in our membership records and age profile.
2. Strengthen Community Links.
   Strengthen the relevance of Deva to the local community and make clear our value as an asset in improving physical and mental health. We will investigate the possibility of links with NHS mental health initiatives. Community action can also involve supporting charities and other events (e.g. Dee Mile Swim) and holding river clean events.
   The annual report and calendar will be used as evidence to assess progress.
3. Further Develop Communications.
   Raise the club profile with the members and general public through the media. The re-designed Deva web site is a much improved asset. We now wish to use social media and community notice boards to inform the wider community of our activities.
   Evidence can be the number of reports of Deva’s activities and number of web site hits.
4. Grow the leadership and coaching team
   To achieve our aims and ensure long-term survival Deva needs coaches and committee members. We need to identify those willing to join the Welcome Team to help beginners at club Riverside sessions. We also need to encourage those who wish to get into coaching and leading on rivers or sea. To achieve this we can promote personal awards and coaching courses (both internal club courses and external BC approved courses).
   Evidence will be the number of active coaches and leaders and a succession of members on the Welcome Team and committee.
5. Support New and Intermediate Paddlers
   We feel there is a need to hold more ‘touring’ events on lakes, canals etc suitable for a mixture of craft (“cakes and lakes” to quote one member) as well as whitewater trips. A local “Where to Paddle” page on the web site for members would be helpful.
   To achieve this we will need more trip proposals and trip leaders.
   Success will be judged on the variety recorded on the club calendar and number of peer group paddles as well as official club trips.
6. Increase Diversity
   The profile of the club is currently skewed with more males than females, and an increasing average age. There are new trends in paddlesports which if we encourage will appeal to a wider section of the population and diversify our membership, for example SUP and SOT. We also wish to organise “She Paddles” events. To achieve this we need “She Paddles” organisers.
   Evidenced by a She Paddles event, increase in % female members, and greater diversity of craft.
7. Work towards greater sustainability and environmental responsibility
   Our sport immerses us in our immediate environment (sometimes literally!), we wish to see clean, healthy rivers and seas and also to act in socially responsible ways to eliminate waste and pollution. Use of single use plastic cups at Riverside meetings should be discontinued when the current stock are used up. The club should support campaigns to reduce litter and pollution of the Dee. Pressure can be brought to bare on water authorities and government agencies and departments to stop sewage discharges into the river, and work towards designating the Dee in Chester bathing water. We should seek to engage with other river users, e.g. Tri-club, swimming club, SAS etc.. Appointment of an Environmental Co-ordinator would help drive this forward.
   Progress will be measured in water quality statistics, and events logged on the calendar.
8. Secure our place at the Riverside Centre and work to help improving facilities.
   The Riverside Centre is in need of refurbishment or renewal. We need to negotiate and work with Cheshire West and Chester (the site owners) and Queens Park School (who manage the site) to negotiate licences to continue our tenancy. We also wish to contribute towards plans to improve the centre building and facilities.
   Progress on this can be reviewed in the annual report.

How can we achieve our aims? (The really important bit!)
To achieve our aims we need two things;
1. That the members agree with the aims and buy into the plans
2. Members are willing to take on roles and help out with the work needed.
This does not mean we need meetings and committee work, many of the tasks are practical and specific. We will need action not words!
Please re-read the aims again. Is there an area you are interested in or would be willing to work on? If we organise action days (for example, a river clean) would you be willing to help out? Please feel free to discuss the aims with me or any of the club’s officers. If you think there are other aims we should include over the next 5 years then let us know.
We will report back on the progress we have made each year in the annual report and at the AGM.
John Lewis, Deva CC Chair

Return To Paddling!

And now for some good news… we are restarting weekly club activities on Thursday evenings on  April 1^st at 6.00p.m., and fortnightly meetings on Sunday April 11^th at 1.00p.m. We will be following the advice from British Canoeing to make sessions as Covid safe as we can.

This means we will not be able to access the changing rooms, so please arrive changed and keep a change of clothes in your car. Please leave a contact number when signing in for track and trace, and if you use club equipment clean touch points at the end of the session. Hand sanitiser will also be available. We will not be able to provide tea and coffee, so bring your own. Aim to get onto the water promptly to avoid gathering in groups in front of the Centre and on the jetty.

At present the ‘stay local’ rules still apply so we will not be organising any trips that involve travel out of the area.

Taking it easy…

We are aware that many members may not have done much canoeing or kayaking this year, so we urge a gentle return to the water. Even the most experienced paddlers can become ‘rusty’, so spend the initial sessions re-building your fitness and skills. We don’t want to be burdening the NHS with sprains and strains caused by over exertion. For new and inexperienced paddlers, please don’t take unnecessary risks. Stay within your ability zone until you are ready to tackle more challenging situations.

Fundraising for a Defibrillator at Mile End Mill. 

Public Access Defibrillators save lives and a fundraising campaign has been started to purchase one for the Mile End Mill whitewater site at Llangollen.  This will have 24/7 access, so can be used by anyone at any time, even when TNR’s site buildings are closed.  Once the fundraising target is reached the defibrillator will therefore be a great asset to all users of the river and also to the local community.

The Mile End Mill site is used regularly by Deva club members both as individuals and for club activities, so it would be great if we can support this fundraising campaign.

We will be making a donation from club funds towards this, but we are also asking members to support this with individual donations. To give directly to the appeal please follow this link
Fundraiser by Tom Robinson : Public access AED at Mile End Mill (gofundme.com).

Thanks to David Riley and Alan Reay for alerting us to this appeal.

Many Happy Returns to Paddling! Deva Canoe Club.

News Letter January 12th 2021

Happy New Year to all!

So, here we are again in lock-down with club meetings and trips suspended. You probably are aware of what you can and cannot do. However here is a reminder of how to stay safe and to help protect others. Deva members are asked to abide by the following information which is taken from the British Canoeing web site;

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Paddling for exercise is permitted within the government measures, so long as you are: 

• By yourself
• with the people you live with 
• with your support bubble (if you’re legally permitted to form one) 
• in a childcare bubble where providing childcare 
• when on your own, with one person from another household while following social distancing.

Staying Safe

At this time of national lockdown British Canoeing encourages all of our members to paddle responsibly and follow the government guidelines at all times, when paddling for exercise.

Our priority remains to protect the health of our members and the paddlesport community, to help to suppress the spread of the COVID-19 virus. 

We fully advocate staying safe on the water particularly during the winter months.

Individual paddlers should restrict their paddlesport activities to environments which are well within their capabilities, alert friends and family to their activity and predicted return times, and ensure they have a means to call for help with them at all times.Paddlers should be fully prepared for winter conditions. A guide to staying safe during winter paddling is available on the British Canoeing Go Paddling website.

The advice from British Canoeing about covid restrictions applies to England. Members who live in Wales are of course under different regulations as specified by the Welsh Assembly. Regulations about exercise outdoors for Welsh members can be found here.

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Club Committee and Annual General Meeting

Due to the pandemic restrictions we have taken the decision not to hold face-to-face meetings. Officers’ and committee meetings will be held by Zoom if and when they are needed. We have decided to postpone the AGM which is usually in early April (yes, I know it’s a highlight of your year). However, our club secretary, Keith, is burning the midnight oil compiling the annual report which will email out for your consideration, we will then invite comments and questions to officers based on the report.

In Other News… (Yes, there is some)….

The club officers have met by Zoom to look at future plans. Peter and Keith are working with the aim of securing our long term occupancy of the Riverside Centre. This will be important if refurbishments and improvements to the building are made in the future. 

Future Meetings and Trips

Through Facebook we asked ‘Post-lockdown, what trips would you like to see?’ Thanks to all those who have responded we have lots of ideas from touring on canals, to estuary and coastal trips as well as whitewater days for beginners, intermediate and experienced paddlers. Anyone not on Facebook can email the club to make trip suggestions. Alan Reay (our safety officer) is always interested in hearing from members willing to lead and organise trips.

Despite the limited meeting schedule in recent months, our membership has grown. We are aware that without pool sessions new members in particular have not had access to capsize and rescue practice. We aim to put in a safety session as soon as we can meet again and when river and weather conditions are suitable.

Your Tips, Trips and Links

We know that though limited, some members have still been able to get out and exercise. To keep up with what people are doing, you could join our Facebook group. It’s a closed group, so no junk ads, just content related to paddlesports.

This link should take you to the Deva Kayakers and Friends page. You will have to request to join. Once accepted you can see what members are up to.

If you are already a member of the group, please keep us up to date with photos or notes of your paddling. Post onto the page any paddle related links, photos, tips, kit and book reviews, and let us know how you are keeping fit at home. (Anyone slalom down a staircase?  Roll a kayak in the lounge without breaking any ornaments? Practice polling on a skateboard?).

Looking Forward

As you can see, as a club we have lots to look forward to, even if we are restricted for now. If anyone is stuck at home alone or isolated and needs practical help or just a chat, feel free to get in touch via the club email. The email link can also be found on our recently re-designed web site. Any feedback or suggestions about the web site would also be appreciated.

On behalf of all the officers of the club,

Stay safe, look to the future and be positive, best wishes. John L

Extra Sunday sessions

Sunday afternoon sessions are usually run fortnightly at the Riverside at this time of year. This year they have proved to be more popular than usual and our membership is growing. To meet this higher level of demand we are now planning to hold club meetings weekly on every Sunday between now and Christmas. STARTING SUNDAY 25th OCTOBER.
Our programme of trips and pool sessions are very restricted at present. Extra Sundays will allow new members increased access to club boats and equipment and help them develop their paddling. For our more experienced paddlers we hope this goes some way in replacing trips you may have planned to rivers in areas under restrictions where we are asked not to travel. We are also aware that at present people need increased support to maintain physical and mental health.