ewan_c

Winter Pool sessions!

by ewan_c 0 Comments

We’re happy to announce that after our very popular Autumn pool sessions, our winter ones are launching, starting starting next week, on Wednesday 12th January.

This is a great place to gain confidence on your kayaking skills that might involve getting wet in a warm environment, such capsizing and recovering your boat, braces and maybe even practicing or learning to roll!

Please see this flyer for more information regarding the pool sessions & how to book your place. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us by emailing [email protected] or dropping a post on our Facebook group!

94 views

Spuds & Sparklers 2021

by ewan_c 0 Comments

Our popular Spuds & Sparklers event is back this year! See the poster below for more info on how to book on.

The normal Rotary club display isn’t happening this year, however we will still have a bonfire, sparklers & food.

56 views

Autumn Pool sessions!

by ewan_c 0 Comments

We’re happy to announce that our pool sessions are starting next week, on Wednesday 6th.

Please see this flyer for more information regarding the pool sessions & how to book your place. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us by emailing [email protected] or dropping a post on our facebook group!

112 views

A July update from the committee

by ewan_c 0 Comments

We hope everyone has been getting down to the club in this warm weather, please find the below update from your committee covering the following things:

  • COVID-19
  • Using the club
  • Volunteering
  • Upcoming courses

COVID-19

We have carefully considered the current restrictions and it being clear that cases are rising rapidly once again. As a committee we discussed this at our most recent meeting last Monday, our decisions on what procedures/limitations would remain, and what could be lifted, depended on risk of transmission vs general safety and convenience; with the knowledge that the highest risk of transmission is still through aerosol spread in confined spaces. Please see the very simple, short and easy to remember list below:

1.      The changing rooms will remain generally unavailable for changing & showering purposes, although the toilets will of course continue to be open for use. Please continue with the thorough 20 second hand washing regime after using them. We view the changing rooms as the most likely place for the virus to spread. It is a minor inconvenience to continue to change from the back of a car with a towel robe, or to arrive dressed to paddle. This situation will be reassessed in the Autumn as the weather begins to deteriorate.

2.      Please continue with the sensible measures inside other enclosed spaces: Not entering the equipment sheds when there are other people inside; Consider wearing a mask before entering the club hut or better still wait until other people have vacated it. Be considerate of other people’s personal space.

3.      Please continue to use your track & trace QR codes with the app on your phone should you have it installed.

As of Monday (19th), it is no longer necessary to clean equipment with soapy water. Virus transmission is less effective through surface contact than it is through the air in confined spaces. Please put the equipment away securely and tidily though!!!

Using the club

This summer we’ve welcomed lots of new members to the club and so we thought it was worth reminding everyone of what we have all signed up for when we join.

We’re a community club so if we look after the site and the equipment it will make sure it can be enjoyed by everyone.

We try to keep rules simple to follow as we want people to concentrate on enjoying themselves on the water. They are:
if you open it, lock it up – this includes storage sheds, gates and the front access when youre not using it. Please double check just before you leave 

  • If you use it, put it away
  • Equipment is expensive to replace, so once it is gone it is gone. Please return all equipment to where you got, in the same condition you found it.
  • You are responsible for everyone in your group – if you have brought children or guests along with you then your are responsible for making sure their equipment is put away properly and anything they opened is locked up.
  • Do not share access codes with anyone other than your membership group, if someone asks you for the codes and you’re not sure on whether they are a member or not, please ask them to email [email protected]
  • If you spot something is broken then email [email protected]

Volunteering

We’re always looking for help – whether it’s cutting the grass, maintaining the equipment or welcoming new members. If you’d like to help out in any way, we’d love to chat to you. Speak to one of the coaches or someone from the committee, alternatively post a post on our facebook group and someone should point you in the right direction.

Upcoming events

We’ve arranged a number of events across the rest of the year. You’ll find the latest calendar here.

Upcoming courses

With so many new members our wonderful volunteering coaches wanted to run some extra courses for you over the coming weeks. They’ll teach you some extra paddling skills and how to be safe on the water.

Details about the courses:

  • Please find the course calendar here
  • All courses will be in the evening & will run approximately from 6pm through to 8pm including time to get on & off the water.
  • You should get about 1.5 hours on the water time.- Ideally participants would attend a full block of 3 sessions to get the most out of the course, however with it being the summer holidays in some cases that might not be possible.
  • Therefore each session for adults & over 12s will be £3 per person per session.- There are also some sessions for under 12s (& over 7s), these are sessions focusing on learning through fun & games, & are £2 per session.

How to book:

Drop us an email to [email protected] with your preferred dates. We will then send you a payment request which you should be able to pay by card.

Happy paddling!

77 views

Initial calendar of events for the year

by ewan_c 0 Comments

As mentioned in our Spring update from the committee, a group of volunteers have been working hard and planning some events for our members that include social camping weekends, introduction to white water trips, paddles on the Avon and more!

Our first event will be this Thursday (20th May) in the form of a knots and nibbles night, please bring some kit to go on the water with if you wish to, this will then be followed by the knots and nibbles part which you will need to bring some rope/cord and snacks for.

Following on from the knots & nibbles on Thursday, will be a local trip back from Kellaways, please let us know if you want to join in, preferably on the facebook post however if you do not have facebook please reply to this email.

For more information about the events we are intending on running this year please see the below PDF.

2021 CalendarDownload

We look forward to seeing you down at the club.

115 views

A Spring update from the committee!

by ewan_c 0 Comments

We hope that everyone has been getting out on the water when its not been raining, snowing or hailing as it has been recently (or braving the weather)! We’ve been busy behind the scenes getting ready for another slightly unconventional year, in this update you will find a few of the things that we are currently working on and us asking for your thoughts on what we can improve!

  • Kit checks – Annually we have to do checks on all of our equipment, these have now been done in the gap between opening the club to members, and folks wanting to use club kit last month.
  • Increased storage – we are looking at expanding both club and private storage for Kayaks, Canoes & SUP’s
  • The club calendar for the year – We’re busy drafting up a calendar for the year of club organised events. These are set to include a couple of the most popular items from the membership form which was a BBQ and Camping weekend.
  • Wild swimming – We’re investigating the possibility of this being officially supported as an activity down at the club. If anyone knows of any good contacts for this or wants to help get it up and running please reach out via our contact page.
  • Whilst this isn’t anything that will change your experience down at the club, we have launched an Instagram account (@chippenhamscc) so that when you’re away from the water you can keep up to date with what other members are doing on the water!

What do you want to see out of your club?

Following on from the question on your membership form (if you’re a member) please let us know if there is anything else you want to see from us! The 3 items top came up a lot were: wild swimming, a BBQ Social and a camping weekend so we hope to bring you more info around these soon.

There was also some demand for Trips, however these are a bit more difficult to organise with the club at the moment due to the current social distancing rules. If any members want to organise anything among them selves before we’re able to run any club trips, please put a post up on the Facebook group and I’m sure people will want to come along.

If we haven’t mentioned an item that you suggested please don’t think that it has been ignored, we’ve just called out the top 3 items. We value the feedback that we get from our members and encourage you to give as much as possible as to how we can improve our club, equally if you have an idea that you are passionate about please get in reach out to us to help organise it or put a post on the Facebook group.

For those getting this email or reading this on our website that aren’t members, if you’re on the edge about getting a taster session or renewing your membership please get in touch, we’ll happily take you out on the water for a taster session or show you round the club before you commit to anything.

Courses

We have had a lot of questions surrounding courses, we are not currently in a position to give out any concrete updates surrounding this, however we have had some discussions around offering shorter 3/4 week courses around June/July time. Stay tuned for more updates! Please let us know what type of courses you would like, whether its SUP, kayak or canoe and what you want to learn!

If any of our members have any relevant British Canoeing Coaching qualifications or think they have enough experience to do one, please do reach out to us. All of our coaches, like our committee and other volunteers around the club, do so in their spare time so it helps if we have a bigger pool to give everyone a break.

Apologies if we mentioned about getting in contact a few times, we are keen to make our club as good as can be and to suit all of our members needs.

We look forward to seeing you out on the water!

101 views

Initial re-opening of the club

by ewan_c 0 Comments

As it currently stands we look to be in a position to start re-opening the club on the 29th March for people with their own equipment and the 4th April for people needing to use club equipment. Please see below for a reminder as to what the club’s COVID rules mean for our members.

If you have not renewed your membership yet then please remember to do this if you are intending on it as you membership will run out on the 31st March.

  • Previous members can find info on renewing here
  • New members can find info about signing up here

Club COVID rules

For anyone thinking about renewing, the guidelines are much the same as last year, please see below for a refresher. We will look at what courses/coached sessions and inductions we can offer down the line.

  • For enhanced track & trace, please use one of the QR code posters & the NHS track & trace track app on your smartphone, or add you session to the Team-up calendar (ask me for details if you need it)
  • All club equipment is available for use: SOTs (sit-on-tops), open canoes, SUPs (stand-up paddle boards), kayaks and sailing boats, as applicable to the users training and experience.
  • SOTs are recommended in preference to closed-cockpit kayaks as the SOTs are easier to clean.
  • Members intending to visit the club will be expected to:
  • Maintain 2 meters distance;
  • Use the hand wash facilities provided;
  • Wash down club equipment before and after use, cleaning facilities are provided;
  • Be responsible for their own launching and landing;
  • Only paddle if the conditions are appropriate and manageable for their level of ability;
  • Not enter the club house;
  • Not use the club for any other purpose. No picnics or BBQs etc. Snacks & hot drinks are OK but use good hygiene measures;
  • Leave as quickly as possible after completing their activity;
  • Ensure the gate is locked behind you after they enter;
  • Ensure that the site is secure before you leave.
  • The toilet facilities may be used but with the changing areas only used to access the toilets. Specifically, the changing areas are not open for changing or showering. Members should therefore arrive at the club already changed or have the means to change discreetly.
  • Members are expected to limit occupancy of the buoyancy store or toilets to one person, or one group from a single household, at any one time.
  • For your safety, you should have a waterproofed phone with you while out on the water. It is also recommended that you bring a small first aid kit in case of minor accidents.

If any of the arrangements do not work well, please let the Committee know and we will try to make suitable adjustments via our contact form.

45 views

New year and a new start

by ewan_c 0 Comments

Its been a little while since we last sent an update out, there’s been some changes behind the scenes of our club which are centred around a new committee. We want to welcome our new committee, for some its their first time, some returning.

Please check out this page on our website to get upto speed with your clubs committee members, supporting roles and coaches.

We have just lived through the strangest of years, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and there seems to be an overall change in peoples’ desires about what they want from their lives and what they value in life.

We are all changing, and we will all be stronger for it. Chippenham Sailing and Canoe Club is no exception. This year the club has elected a new Committee and Club Officers. The previous Committee have served us extremely well during a very difficult period and we would like to offer our thanks for all their efforts over the past few years and for their continued support as we move forwards into 2021. Our first monthly meeting was held in early February (minutes can be found here).

The first order of business covered how best to manage the transition process, but we also started planning our way forward. We want to increase club members’ engagement in their club and encourage all members to participate in projects where they have a particular interest. Everyone will have an opportunity to define your club and will have the ability and necessary support to go ahead and make things happen. Our idea consists of setting up a series of satellite teams who would focus on various aspects of club activity. These teams are:

  • Infrastructure
  • Equipment
  • Club events
  • Coaching
  • New Member Introduction
  • Wildlife & Environment

This is a small selection of ideas that have already surfaced through discussions with a few enthusiastic club members:

  • Low cost courses designed to help you develop your skills in paddle-sports and hopefully sailing, in your chosen craft or in specific disciplines. These will be based around the student’s needs and desires rather than tied to a specific syllabus.
  • Social events and get togethers at the club
  • Group trips to events such as the World Championship Slalom, or to the Palm factory to see how kayaks are manufactured!
  • Enhancing our environment, re-vamping the buildings and creating a wonderful, bright and colourful place to be.
  • Giant SUP super slalom!!!
  • Paddling trips to the seaside, white water trips, weekend touring etc
  • Planning and planting a garden or breakout area
  • Getting involved with other local adventure clubs to broaden our interests
  • Fund raising events
  • Regatta

There are endless possibilities and all it needs is a little imagination. You may only choose to have a small involvement with a single project, or you might decide that you want to get more involved in several teams. We will be launching them gradually over the next few weeks, if any pique your interest either now or as they are launched, we would love to hear from you either through the contact advertised, our facebook group or through our contact form.

Each team will be encouraged to be as autonomous as possible, developing their own ideas and taking them to fruition. There will be a team leader/coordinator, and everyone can get involved with as many teams as they want to. You can have a significant hand in shaping the way your club looks, feels and operates.

It will be the committee’s job to guide and help these teams as much as possible. We will welcome every suggestion made to us and give each equal consideration. Try to see us not as “Planning Permission” and more as enablers. This is your club.

We are all volunteers and we need your help to build the club into a place that offers a wealth of knowledge, experience, learning, enjoyment, fun and adventure in a wonderful environment. We hope you have the willingness and interest to voice your ideas and get involved. We intend to set up & launch the teams gradually over the coming weeks starting off today with Environment & Wildlife.

It seems that this team will have some serious issues to tackle such as putting the club’s view across on environmental issues, but should also generate some fun & interesting activities for members to take part in such as nature paddles. The coordinator for this group will be Nicky, I know that she already has some really great ideas, & that there is also quite a lot of interest in this from other people. If you would like to get involved in this team or if you just have some ideas to share, please contact Nicky via [email protected] if you’re interested & want to know more.

We’re looking forward to letting people get out on the water from the club as soon as we can, keep an eye out for future updates from your committee and if you have any comments on the above, or any suggestions please do get in contact with us, we want to hear your ideas!

58 views