Interesting in joining? That's great - we are a diverse and inclusive club and welcome new members from all backgrounds and abilities. Please email membership@chippenham-scc.com and we'll tell you about next steps. Our membership year runs from April to the following March, in line with the "warm weather" paddling season. Please be aware that from time to time we may pause the intake of new CSCC members and maintain a waiting list ; this is to ensure we balance our desire to be inclusive and welcoming with our capacity to provide a safe and effective introduction to the club. Please bear with us if this applies

Our club nights (when there are generally people around) are Tuesdays and Thursdays. (See also "What happens on a club night?"). Members may also access at other times to suit them.

We run regular club sessions on a Tuesday and Thursday during the season. Tuesdays seem to be busier than Thursdays. Clubs nights are mainly an opportunity to paddle together but, to use an analogy, they are more like a casual football kickabout than a sports fixture night. Keep an eye on the Facebook pages or website calendar for advertised social paddles/coaching sessions. Unless these are taking place there's no-one who "takes charge" of a club session. As a new member, aim to arrive promptly at 6.00pm. By 6.15/6.20 those who are paddling together will have geared up and departed up or down the river. It's safer and more sociable to paddle in groups, so please don't be afraid to introduce yourself and ask if you can tag along. Very occasionally members have a particular purpose in paddling as a pair - but mostly those who are around at the same time will paddle off in mixed craft, mixed ability groups. Sometimes, to be honest, you can turn up when there's no-one around. If that happens, don't be discouraged. During the winter - we run pool sessions, and because you can see everyone in the swimming pool, it's a bit easier!

Above all, we're a friendly club. Keep an eye out on our Calendar and Facebook page and don't be afraid to introduce yourself! Once you have been inducted into the club, you can meet other members on a casual "turn up" basis on a Club Night. We also run social paddles for new or returning paddlers, and social events (such as SUP-ball, weekend camping trips, white water rafting etc). Some of these require booking (via LoveAdmin).

The club has a good stock of open canoes, kayaks (sit-in and sit-on-top) and paddle boards - and associated accessories and safety equipment. Club boats are available to suit most paddlers and they are available for members to use on site, at pool sessions and official club trips. As you gain experience and confidence you should plan to purchase your own paddles and buoyancy aid which will help in the development of your skills. When you want to paddle independently or away from the club, you need your own boat. Club members can provide advice about what and where to purchase. Club boats may not be removed from site unless as part of an organised, coach-led and insured trip.

The Club site is at Long Close Chippenham SN15 3JY and is signposted from the A4 London Road when heading WEST into Chippenham . It's a short walk from bus stops and there are cycle paths nearby. The club compound is gated and kept locked - and the combination is provided to members on joining and whenever codes changed. Premises are covered by CCTV.

There is parking on site which is sufficient for typical club meets, though occasionally we spill over to nearby ground. You may bring a car to the club site while paddling (on/offsite), or dropping off/collecting a boat, but cars are to be removed once activities are complete.

We are committed to providing facilities that are suitable for a wide range of people and abilities. We'll be happy to discuss any specific needs you may have in line with the physical constraints of our site and the waterway. The club location and clubhouse are wheelchair accessible and include ramped access, and a disabled toilet. Other facilities, including our shower and changing building, are accessible to people with a range of disabilities. We always request participants in activities to discuss any medical or other requirements with the activity leaders.

Facebook Group Please keep an eye on our facebook group pages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342629559080869 Love Admin CSCC maintains an up to date database of its members on the LoveAdmin platform. There are a number of reasons for this, not least of which is to make sure you all get all the information you would like to get about upcoming club trips and opportunities. It is therefore important that you please regularly review your information for all your members in your LoveAdmin account and make and changes, for example if you move house, change your email address or get a new phone number. Member emails from CSCC All members on your family memberships can will get individual club emails - it's up to you. You can login and change this as you wish. Events ALL CSCC events will be administered through LoveAdmin, where members will login to book their place. This is really important for planning, preparation and execution of events, but also for compliance reasons so we have an accurate record of precisely who was at each CSCC event. If the event carries a cost, for example a trip or a course, then this cost will be paid to the club through your LoveAdmin account. Events can still be advertised in any way which is appropriate for that event, for example by email, on Facebook or even just on posters at the club, but in all cases booking on to the event will be via LoveAdmin.

Outside storage is generally available. We have a limited amount of boat storage which is allocated at the start of the membership year. If there's more demand than supply we'll give preference to those who volunteer for tasks such as grass cutting or working parties etc. There is no automatic right to boat storage for current or lapsed members. There's a fee payable for storage. If you fail to renew on time, there is a good chance your storage slot will be reallocated. If you don’t think you will be able to renew on time you must let us know and we will do what we can to help. Former members whose membership (or boat storage payment) has lapsed are requested to remove their craft promptly to make way for other members; we respectfully remind all owners of the terms of the club's constitution. If you have any queries in this regard please contact nickg@chippenham-scc.com

We have changing facilities, including showers and toilets. We don’t have space for lockers, so please don’t bring valuables with you to the site.

There is a selection of hot and cold drinks, snacks and treats in the clubhouse that members can help themselves to and pay for using an ‘honesty box’ system. The system only works if everyone who takes something is indeed honest and makes their payment accordingly! In the same place in your LoveAdmin account as the guest booking you will find ’Tuck Shop Honesty Box Credit’. Buying credit through LoveAdmin permits you to help yourself to goods of the same value as the credit you’ve bought. You can buy more credit in multiples of £1 at any time. For example you can ‘pay as you go’ - paying each time you take something, or pay a larger amount less frequently to cover what you take over a few months. The key is it relies on honesty, so if we all buy credit to cover what we take, the money to replenish it over the season will be there too!

CSCC members can bring guests to use the facility with you. Under club rules, an individual can attend CSCC as a guest a maximum of 4 times before they have to join, should they wish to continue using the club facilities. It is important that CSCC maintain a record of those who have used our facilities as guests. This is done through LoveAdmin. Think of it like buying a day membership for a guest to come with you, but the cost of that day membership is free! So the process is as follows: Access your LoveAdmin account either online or through the App and select ‘Payments’ in the online version or ‘Club Extras’ in the App. Scroll in the ‘Club Extras’ window and find CSCC Guest Booking, and ‘buy’ the number of guest day memberships you need. You will be asked to provide their name and the date they are coming with you to the club. If you need to do it again in the future, just do the same again and keep adding new names, or repeating names with a new date, to the booking list that comes up. Any questions, we'll be happy to help - just email membership@chippenham-scc.com and I will help you out.

In due course we'll release information about our coach run courses for the upcoming months. These will be at various levels of experience and in various different craft disciplines. These will also be booked through your LoveAdmin account in the same way as events.

These are available on the website in the members areas ( an access code is provided to members) and also in the clubhouse

If you are a current member, you will receive an email about one month before renewal inviting you to renew membership online and complete a boat storage application if you wish to store your own boat at the club. All you need to do is to renew your membership online, typically by the end of March each year. If your membership has lapsed, please contact the membership secretary for further guidance.

2023/24's membership rates are shown below - we'll update when future rates become available: Membership fees are the same for new and renewing members (there is currently no one-off "joining" fee). We're a club run by volunteers - and in recognition of the considerable contribution some members make in a wide variety of roles we currently operate a discretionary "reduction" scheme which offers a % reduction against a recognised time commitment

We don’t reduce the membership rate based on your joining date

As with any sport, there are many items you can buy as you progress in the sport or to aid your paddling comfort and performance. These include paddles, buoyancy aids, paddling specific clothing (especially for cold weather paddling) There is a range of skill development courses in the British Canoeing curriculum; established members may receive support for qualifications (such as coaching qualifications) which can benefit the wider membership. The list is endless, but it depends on how much you want to spend and your ambitions.

[Add current]

We're a club run by volunteers - and in recognition of the considerable contribution some members make in a wide variety of roles we currently operate a discretionary "reduction" scheme which offers a % reduction against a recognised time commitment Members who volunteer their time to help run the club are able to apply for a discount on their membership renewal for the following year. These discounts are: 15+ hrs volunteering - Valid for single person and dual membership - £25 discount 30+ hrs volunteering - Valid for dual person and 3+ family membership - £40 discount 45+ hrs volunteering - Valid for 3+ family membership - £50 discount Application for volunteering discount can be made through your LoveAdmin account. The committee will review all applications and approved discounts will be applied to your renewal