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News Letter August 14th 2022

Posted on by Mat Sefton

Successfull Bid

I am pleased to announce that we have been successful in making a bid for a bursary from our national governing body, British Canoeing, The bursary scheme targets leadership and coaching. We will now be able to run some training courses at a subsidised rate.

Getting Into Coaching and Leadership

Leading trips and coaching new paddlers can be a very rewarding experience. Seeing new members from all walks of life make rapid progress, encouraging people to become safe, independent paddlers, and fostering a love for adventure and the natural environment give leaders and coaches a great sense of worth.

In the next 12 months we are planning to run Paddlesport Leader Award training and assessment for 6 active members.

Every club relies on volunteers, and I hope you will consider training to become part of the club coaching team.

You do not need to be an expert on ‘gnarly’ grade 5 whitewater to become a coach or leader! At the higher levels, most paddlers learn from challenging themselves in peer groups and possibly using professional coaches. For beginners and intermediate paddlers we need people who can coach or assist a coach at the Riverside Centre and possibly, but not necessarily, plan touring trips on sheltered water. The club can offer mentoring and guidance to support new coaches and leaders.

Is It For Me?

YES! If….

  • If you want to get into coaching and need to take the first step…or..
  • If you are already a Deva Club approved coach, but have no formal qualification, this is an opportunity for you to gain a British Canoeing qualification….or…
  • If you enjoy sharing your love of paddlesports with others…or..
  • If you have some personal skills and experience but feel you don’t know enough about safety and assessing risk.
  • It’s open to all paddlesport disciplines. Your preferred craft could be kayak, sea kayak, canoe, SUP, sit-on-top, or a mix of the above!

Need More Info?

We are hoping to get a group of about six to undergo training for British Canoeing’s Paddlesport Leader Award. For full details go to: https://paddlesuptraining.com/courses/paddlesport-leader-course/

Are there any prerequisites?

No- though for the award you do need to be a member of British Canoeing to qualify, and will need to hold a First Aid qualification if you don’t already have one.

What is the time commitment?

Training will be locally based taking 2 days, (probably over a weekend), and assessment will be either one or two days, depending on the provider. We aim to run both training and assessment during the next 12 months.

How much will it cost me?

As we will be employing a professional provider for the course and assessment, we are asking participants for £50 for the training week-end and £50 for an assessment week-end. This is heavily subsidised as you will be aware if you have done any courses or days with a professional coach. However, we do not wish to exclude any Deva member, so have word with Ray McCann or Simon Carver (treasurer) if your personal financial circumstances would prevent you from putting your name forward.

What’s the Catch?

There is none! You will have a great experience learning from a professional, and be able to help others start their journey into paddle sports. In return the club will expect you to put your new skills into practice by either coaching or helping at the Riverside, or planning and leading trips.

Next Steps…

Ray McCann (Deva Coaching Co-Ordinator) is in conversation with some local training providers to sort out dates. In the meantime, you can register an interest (without obligation) with Ray by sending an email to the club email address.

Newsletter November 10th 2020

Posted on by Mat Sefton

Paddling Update

As I am sure you are all aware, our club activities have again been temporarily put on hold by the Covid-19 regulations. Although this may be a source of frustration, especially to new members who do not yet have their own equipment, we need to be mindful that protecting the ability of the NHS to cope in the current circumstances is of great importance.

However, this does not mean that all paddlesports are banned. You can go paddling solo, with members of your household, or with one other individual.

Our Welsh members now have more freedom to get on the water but are still urged not to travel unless the journey is essential.

Outdoor activities are so important to maintain our physical and mental health, so get out on the water, but keep in mind that we are urged by British Canoeing to make sure you paddle in your local area, and only attempt activities well within your ability level. For full details click here

Paddling solo is not without risk, so ensure you have suitable equipment and clothing for winter paddling, check river/ tidal conditions and the weather forecast, carry a mobile phone (in waterproof case!), and inform someone of your plans and expected time of return.

We would certainly encourage Deva members to ‘buddy-up’ and paddle with a friend where possible. You could use the Facebook group to do this.

If you are a new member without your own craft, stick with it! We know it’s been very stop/start but hopefully it won’t be too long before we are allowed to use the Riverside centre again and can return to club meetings and trips.

Deva Canoe Club Web Site

As mentioned in our last newsletter, our website has had a total makeover. It is now easier to navigate, especially on mobile phones. It includes the club calendar, an updated gallery of new and historic photos, links to other paddle sport related sites, and a ‘contact us’ page.

Many thanks to Mat Sefton for using his excellent design and technical skills (as well as many hours of work) to bring this to fruition.

Newsletter

Posted on by Mat Sefton

Newsletter, October 21st 2020

Extra Sunday Dates Added

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 THIS 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.
When attending the Riverside please keep to the Covid protocols we have in place with signing-in, maintaining social distances, and cleansing of equipment at the end of the session.

Deva Facebook Page

New members may not be aware that we have a Facebook group ,’Deva Kayakers and Friends’. This is a closed group, so you need to ‘request to join’. It means you will not get bombarded with spam adverts, and the content is restricted to posts about the club, its members and paddlesports.

RNLI Donation

This week Deva CC made a donation of £233 to the RNLI. In March we were planning to hold a fish and chip night with a raffle in aid of RNLI. Meanwhile….I think you know the rest… however, all our members who had bought tickets agreed to donate their fee.
Thank you for your generosity

New Paddler Resources

British Canoeing have put together some e-resources on their ‘Paddles Up’ training portal which new members may find useful here
Happy Paddling!