Table of Contents

Welcome to the first electronic version of our Newsletter that members receive in the post. This version is provided for your convenience and contains the same information plus links on some items to information that may be of interest to you. To read the letter either scroll down the page or click on an items of interest to jump to it. Note that this page contains links to other parts of the site so you may need to user your browsers back button to return to this page.

[Membership Fees] [Pool Sessions] [Club Sessions] [Canal Trip] [Logo Competition] [North West Weekend] [Open Days] [Wild Water Racing] [Private Hire] [International Canoe Exhibition] [Kids Looking 4 Stuff 2 Do] [Swallows And Amazons] [PaddleQuest]

Membership Fees [back to top]

Yes, its that time of the year again! Membership fees become payable from April, a new membership form is included with this letter. To help control costs, it would be most helpful if the forms are returned promptly with membership fees so that the management committee do not have to incur the additional costs of sending reminders and chasing forms and payments.

As was stated in the January newsletter, membership fees have been held at the same level as last year i.e.:

Family Membership Adult Membership Junior Membership

£55 £20 £15

However, from April, there will be a change to the cost of the general, coaching, and fun sessions at Chatburn Water. The new charges will be:

Members Non-Members

£4 £10

A new tariff is to be introduced which will cap the cost for a member family where there are more than 2 juniors.

Junior Family Ticket

£10

So for a family with more than 2 children the cost for the children will not exceed £10, regardless of the number of children.

Pool Sessions [back to top]

The pool sessions will continue to run through to the end of March. If you haven't booked your places yet, do so before they're all sold out.
Please note that due to an administrative error, the sessions on Saturdays 20th and 27th March, the pool sessions will now take place 2 hours earlier than previously stated.

The 5pm session will now start at 3pm
The 6pm session will now start at 4pm

If you have booked your place, and this change is not convenient, please contact Marie Heyworth and she will arrange to refund your money.

Footnote : The cost of pool hire could so easily make the pool sessions loss making events, fortunately this year enough members have taken part in events at the pool for this not to be the case. The management committee would like to thank everyone for their support, and would welcome any feedback on the pool sessions this year so that your views can be taken into account when planning sessions for next year.

Club Sessions [back to top]

Saturdays

Regular club sessions will start at 2:00pm on Saturday 10th April with an Easter Eggstravanza which will include some coaching with particular emphasis on skills learnt in the pool sessions and a fun session with a chocolate egg hunt.

From Saturday 17th April club sessions will comprise of skills coaching from 2:00pm to 3:30pm, and fun sessions from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. Costs for each session will be £4.00, or £5.00 if taking part in a fun session after a skills session. Booking forms are enclosed for April/May sessions. Wherever possible, on a monthly basis, subject to water levels and coach availability, river trips will be organised for paddlers who have achieved an appropriate level of competence.

Wednesdays

From Wednesday 12th May there will be a regular "club night" where club members can come along and do their own thing. Coaches will be on hand to help develop skills or run specific training sessions if requested. Sessions will start at 6:30pm and finish at 8:00pm, cost will be £4:00 payable on the night.

Canal Trip (Mad March Hare Raising) [back to top]

Unfortunately the canal trip on Sunday 29th February had to be cancelled due to the cold weather, and the fact that ice-breakers would have been required to cut through the top layer of solid water.

The next scheduled canal trip will be on Sunday 28th March, meet at the clubhouse 10:00am, finish times unfortunately cannot be accurately estimated. Don't forget, parents and partners are particularly welcome, and bring a packed lunch. Keep a lookout on the website for trip details or last minutes changes.

The trip will be the one we didn't do in February! Cost for the canal trip will be £3.00 each.

April's canal trip will be on Sunday 25th (make a note in your diary), meet at 10:00 am at the club house.

Logo Competition [back to top]

Congratulations to Ben Goodwill whose logo caught Jem Lee's eye as the one which most accurately captured the spirit of Cliitheroe Canoe Club. Jem was particularly impressed by the quality of all the entries to the competition and the effort that had clearly been made by all the participants. Well done everyone!

Jem intends to work with Ben to produce a production quality logo which can be used on all club stationery, documentation, web site, equipment, and merchandise.

Ben won a watch which not only tells the time, but it has 32Mb of on board memory which can be accessed via the USB port of his PC!

North West Weekend [back to top]

Preparations for the North West Weekend continue. Letters have been sent to all the canoe clubs in the North of England inviting them to the event at the Teesside White Water Course on the weekend of May 8th & 9th.

Costs for the weekend have now been confirmed at £8 per day or £14 for a weekend ticket.

Saturday 8th May will be the competition day with prizes donated by Nookie. Sunday 9th May will be a coaching day for all participants, an opportunity to be coached in many different paddling disciplines.

Open Days [back to top]

On Saturdays 29th May and 3rd July, the club will be having open days, starting at 10:00am, and finishing at 5:00pm. The purpose of these days is to allow anyone who wishes to try canoeing, or wants to have a look around the club, to do so, free of charge. All club members are invited to come at any time during the day and help to show members of the public who we are and what we do. If you have any friends who would like to try paddling, perhaps these days would be an excellent opportunity.

(Please note - There will not be the usual Saturday sessions on open days)

Wild Water Racing [back to top]

This year's Perception Wavehopper Challenge Series started at The Burrs in February, the second event in the series is on Saturday 24th April at Sowerby Bridge hosted by Halifax Canoe Club. The Wavehopper Challenge is a series of races run on challenging but safe stretches of water across the UK, and is specifically for junior paddlers to introduce them to wild water racing.
Paddlers must be at least one star standard, and competitions are for age categories of under 12, under 14, and under 16. Entry to the competition is £3 per paddler, boats are provided, and the club will provide buoyancy aids, helmets, spray decks and paddles as appropriate.

If you would like to take part in this event, or the series, contact Jonathan Downing on 01200 423962 or see http://www.wildwater.org.uk/events/specialevents/whopchall.htm.

Future Wavehopper Events :-

Saturday 24th April - Sowerby Bridge
Sunday 15th May - R. Aire Wagon Lane Bingley (Eve. event)
Sunday 20th June - R. Dee Chester
Saturday 4th September - R, Goyt Marple
Saturday 9th October - Nene WW Course Northampton (Finals)

Private Hire [back to top]

Starting in May and throughout summer, the club will be available for hire. A series of packages will be available to the general public, subject to the availability of the club's facilities, and coaches, on Sunday afternoons, and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.

Childrens Party

Fun session for up to 20 children for 1½ hours, £4 each, minimum charge £50. The clubhouse may be used after the fun session for a party, however parents must be responsible for provision of entertainment and food (kitchen facilities available if required). An additional charge of £15 will be made for the use of the clubhouse after a fun session.

Have-A-Go

A fun session for grown-ups, aimed at social clubs, and companies, or just groups of friends, these sessions are designed to let adults experience canoeing in a fun and friendly way. For up to 20 adults for 1½ hours, £6 each, minimum charge £75.

Canoe & Cow

This is a social event which comprises of a Have-A-Go fun session, followed by a meal at the Brown Cow in Chatburn for up to 20 adults. At £12 each this represents an excellent value for money evening out with a difference. The charge includes a meal at the Brown Cow, ordered in advance from a menu that will be made available beforehand. A minimum charge of £120 will apply.

If you belong to a club or society, or have an active social club at work, which may be interested in any of the above, please contact Marie Heyworth on 01254 822440 for more information.

Leaflets will soon be available for these events.

International Canoe Exhibition [back to top]

This year's International Canoe Exhibition will take place on 2nd - 4th April as part of the Ordnance Survey Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The canoe exhibition is an excellent opportunity to hang your noses over all that is new in canoeing and wish that you had a lot more money than you have! All the major vendors of canoeing paraphernalia will be there along with lectures and workshops by world class canoeists. If in the unlilkely event that you tire of the canoeing exhibition, the Outdoor show also features exhibitions on climbing, walking, diving, mountain biking, paragliding, and many more.

For more information try the Outdoor show website www.theoutdoorsshow.co.uk.
Tickets are £12 for adults, or £6 for children and can be obtained from the ticket hotline on 0870 010 9086, however, as always discounts are available, either quote "BCU" or "MAM".

If you would like to go on Sunday, book your tickets and be prepared to make your own way there, however if there is sufficient interest Jim Nolan has offered to organise a coach to make the trip to the NEC from the clubhouse. Call Jim on 01200 426816 so that he can gauge demand, and let you know whether a club coach is going to happen, and if it does, how much it will cost.

Kids Looking 4 Stuff 2 Do [back to top]

Lancashire Youth Council and Lancashire County Council are working together to identify things to do and places to go for young people in Lancashire. They have asked us to tell our young members about their survey.

Young people can take part in the survey by going on-line at www.stuff2do.lancashire.gov.uk , and get a chance to enter the prize draw.

Swallows And Amazons [back to top]

On Sunday May 23rd the club will be taking a day trip to the Lake District. This will be a sponsored event. Children and young people will be able to create and wear a fancy headdress to wear over their helmet, paddle to an island on Coniston Water, have a picnic, and paddle back.

Sponsorship will be in aid of club funds and children will be able to win prizes. More details will be made available nearer the time. Robert Anderson will be organising this event.

PaddleQuest [back to top]

This years PaddleQuest North West event will take place at Queens Dock Liverpool on Saturday 26th June. This event brings together young paddlers from across the North West to take part in a day of skills training and competition. In previous years the event has included diamond slalom, canoe polo, a bellboat regatta, K1 lightening races and much more.

Make a note in your diary, more details later.