Membership of Sutton Bingham and District Canoe Club

Thank you for your enquiry about membership of Sutton Bingham and District Canoe Club (SBDCC). We are a voluntary club run by members to promote recreational canoeing through regular club nights/weekends, river and sea trips, pool sessions, competitions and various social events. As a member you’ll have opportunity to join in activities across many types of canoeing: rivers, expeditions, surfing, racing and polo to mention just a few. For further information, and to see an up-to-date program of events, please visit our website at www.sbd.cc or contact us through email addresses shown on the website’s “Committee” page.

July 2011 update

The Sutton Bingham and District Canoe Club Membership has been growing consistently over the last 3 years from 170 members to a current level of nearly 280 members; the current membership year runs from March 2011 until February 2012. However, membership is limited by a number of factors:-

• Availability of our volunteer coaches
• Availability of parking at the Wessex Water Board picnic area
• The number of paddlers we are permitted to have on the reservoir at any given time.

As a result, the committee elected to close the club to new members once membership reached 250 members with the following exceptions:-

• Additional family members
• Paddlers who have already achieved a minimum of BCU 1 star with their own equipment.

As of July 2011, the club is not accepting new members, but to cater to potential new members, the club has established a waiting list; people on the waiting list will be sent the club newsletter and offered membership as and when vacancies become available. If you want to be placed on the waiting list or apply for membership, please email nick@sbd.cc

Club nights / weekends

We usually meet at Sutton Bingham reservoir for general sessions every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning during British Summer Time (May to September). These sessions are open to all Club members and gives opportunity to meet new paddlers, improve skills and confidence, try alternative boats and generally to get to know people within the Club. Instruction is nearly always offered at these sessions at beginner and intermediate level, depending on demand and instructor availability. People preferring to paddle as a family group tend to favour these sessions.

Other sessions are available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for the Club’s youth members and/or for Scout/Youth Group activities.

During winter months, daylight availability restricts us to operating just the Sunday general sessions, again dependent on demand and instructor availability.

At all Club sessions members are requested to observe the Club’s rules regarding numbers and abilities of paddlers on the water. If Committee members are available to unlock the boat store, a selection of Club boats and equipment is available for hire (hire rates are £2 per boat per session).

Membership fees are laid out on our Operations Manual -  here

Pool Sessions

At various Saturday evenings throughout the year we meet at Sherborne School swimming pool. This provides opportunity for instruction and practice sessions at all levels in a safe, warm environment. Due to limitations on the numbers of boats the pool can accommodate, places on these sessions must be booked beforehand. The cost of pool sessions are usually £4 per person, or £5 if you need to borrow Club equipment.

Trips

Throughout the year we organise trips to meet the various interests of our members. These are run by our coaches, who will give advice on the level of paddling ability that is recommended for each activity. Most winter river trips require paddlers to be 2* level or above. Club equipment is made available for hire at a rate of £2 per boat for the day, but you will be responsible for arranging collection, transportation and returning the equipment to the boat store.

Competitions

As paddlers become more competent and confident, opportunities to participate in events exist for those that want to take part. These are conducted at both recreational and competition levels and the club has various coaches that can advise and offer encouragement. Activities typically include the disciplines of marathon or slalom, or the team event of canoe polo. Coaching and practice for these are conducted at Sutton Bingham and other local bodies of water.

Coaching

Our program includes canoe and kayak courses where members can train and be assessed for British Canoe Union (BCU) awards. The two award schemes SBDCC follows are PaddlePower (targeted at youth members) and Star Awards (targeted at the more senior members). The award schemes are equivalent, e.g. PaddlePower Passport equates to 1*, and are often taught in mixed age groups. In addition to these, there are discipline specific courses such as Foundation Safety and Rescue Training (FSRT). There are no additional fees for Club instruction, though you may have to contribute a nominal amount (£3 - £6) towards any course material and any award certificates you gain (for which we have to send off to the BCU).

The Club coaches are required to maintain certain coaching standards and, as such, are required to attend additional courses, such as Aquatic First Aid. Depending on availability, these may also be offered to other Club members but will usually incur a fee to be given to the course provider.

Social Events

During the year we meet a variety of non-canoeing events such as barbeques and skittles. We’re always welcome to take suggestions (and volunteers) for any event the members may want to hold.

Newsletter

The club aims to produce a newsletter roughly every two months. The newsletter will be available from the website and/or sent to members’ email addresses where given. Members’ contributions to the newsletter are always welcomed.

Liability and Insurance

Canoeing and kayaking are “assumed risk”, “water contact sports” that may carry attendant risks. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own action and involvement.

The club cannot be responsible for the safety of, or damage caused by, any member or non-member taking part in club activity or using any club equipment or premises. The club accepts no liability for any loss of, or damage to, personal property that members bring to club meetings. Check your own insurance to cover your own equipment.

SBDCC is affiliated to the BCU and as such all club paddling is covered by third party liability insurance. A nominal £2 levy is included in the membership fees to cover the club’s affiliation. We would encourage and recommend the enhanced benefit associated with full BCU membership to all club members. BCU members that provide the club with their current and valid BCU membership number will have the insurance levy waived as identified in the membership fees policy.

Having said the above, the club aims to provide members the ability to recognise and assess associated risks, and to develop the skills that address those risks.

Medical Conditions

As a condition to becoming a member, you are requested to advise us if you have a medical condition or disability that may affect your ability to participate in canoeing activities and of which the club should be aware. Things you should consider giving details of include, but are not limited to;

• Do you suffer from health problems that are aggravated by exercise or exposure to the cold?
• Do you suffer diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, any heart condition, or persistent injury such as back/joint problems?
• Do you suffer from hearing or sight impairment (excluding normal use of spectacles)?
• Do you suffer from allergies to substances that you might be exposed to during canoeing activities?

Should a medical condition exist, this will not necessarily preclude you from membership/participation, but must be declared together with details of any controlling medication you may use. Should you be in any doubt, advice should be sought from your family doctor.

At paddling sessions or events, you should also advise the coaches or group leaders of a medical condition if you consider it pertinent. Please consider this carefully, otherwise you or the group may be placed in jeopardy. You should also inform the coach or group leader if you are carrying medication, e.g. inhalers, insulin etc, so they will be able to help you locate/administer your medication should you require it in an emergency.

Data Protection

The information supplied on the membership form will be entered and stored on computer, and used for club administration purposes only. SBDCC adheres to the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 1998. Members have the right to know which details are held, but if you have any concerns or prefer not to have your details recorded on electronic media please advise the club Membership Secretary.

Emails

SBDCC makes use of members’ email addresses to disseminate information. The email mailing list will only be used by club Committee Officers for the purposes of informing members of club activities. Members are requested to ensure details for the email list are kept up to date and can request for their details to be removed at any time. Please only provide a personal email address wherever possible unless your employer is happy for you to receive club email.

Photography

SBDCC follows NSPCC/BCU guidelines with all photography and video footage. Within this the club aims to celebrate the achievements of its members. We support photography on the web-site and use pictures in other club material. Please advise the Membership Secretary if you would NOT want appropriate pictures released of you or your family.

Club Rules, Policies and Codes of Conduct

It is the policy of SBDCC that all paddlers, volunteers, coaches and parents show respect and understanding for each other and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the club. The aim is for paddlers to improve performance and have fun. It is inevitable that a club of our size has to operate to a set of rules, policies and codes of conduct but we aim to maintain a sensible balance of permitting individual freedoms while working within the overall group restrictions. We derive much of our material from various sporting governing bodies, including the BCU, and publish them within the club’s Operations Manual. Access to the Operations Manual is provided at the Sutton Bingham boat store or can be obtained from the Committee. Upon joining, new members will be provided with relevant extracts from the Operations Manual but are requested to familiarise themselves with other material available.

Child Protection/Welfare

There is an elected club Welfare/Child Protection officer within the club, who acts as a point of contact for all child protection and vulnerable persons issues. This person has had the appropriate training from Canoe England as well as Sport England to support this role. The club has a strong and proactive commitment to the welfare of its membership, in particular its junior and vulnerable members

We trust the above has provided a useful outline of our operations at Sutton Bingham and District Canoe Club. Should you have any further queries you are encouraged to contact any member of the club’s Committee, or consult the other documentation available either at the boat store or via the website www.sbd.cc.

Regards, On behalf of the Sutton Bingham and District Canoe Club,

Nick Prince