LVPC Chair’s Report to AGM
September 2024
Jonathan Males, Chair
Let me start by saying thank you to our club committee and our members who have volunteered for bank safety over the past twelve months. Without your contributions the club would cease to function. A special thank you to Pam Phillips, who continues to be the beating heart of the club. Thanks also to Sunny Rhodes who steps down as Welfare Officer, with Irina Medunyak taking over this important role.
We carried out a member survey in January 2024 and this has guided the committee in decisions and planning. As reminder, here’s what you said:
- 55% asked for more trips and peer paddling outside of Lee Valley.
- 19% requested additional club sessions, specifically on weekends.
- More coaching. There’s a thirst for more progressive coaching, especially post-legacy assessment and on the Olympic course.
- Club Environment and Communication. Several requests came under this heading, including more social engagement, more activities off the water and having a group chat or messenger board to help organize trips and get to know other paddlers.
- Volunteering and bank safety attracted contrasting views – several people wanted a fairer system to spread the load evenly, while one or two people would clearly prefer not to do bank safety at all, to the extent of paying to opt out of bank safety duties.
- Lighting system in the equipment shed needs improvement. Yes, and the main limitation is that we have been unable to secure a mains power supply, but we are continuing to discuss this with British Canoeing, who own the shed.
6. Cost and Membership Stability. The cost of living is impacting us all, and several members were concerned about possible price rises. Yet some also said they would be willing to pay more, because the club represents great value to them.
Recreational paddling beyond the whitewater centre has taken off this year, thanks to the efforts of Peter and Helen Nash and our collaboration with Whoosh Explore. There are plenty of hidden paddling gems in the east and south-east and I recommend these trips for a relaxing and sociable day out. The club supported the mapping of a Paddle Trail on the River Lea, so if you fancy a domestic adventure, it’s on our doorstep. We also have a North Wales peer paddling trip coming up soon, and I hope these types of events become regular fixtures.
Jon Halden and the coaching team have offered more coaching opportunities, although the take up has been less than we expected. If you’ve ventured into the club shed lately, you’ll see the storage is safer and much improved – thanks Mark Coleman and Harvey Phillips.
On the competitive scene, club members and coaches continue to do well on the national and international stage, in race rafting, slalom and freestyle. Big thanks to Ros Kettle and her team who have successfully organised several slaloms at Lee Valley. From next year, the club will host the prestigious British Open, the major domestic slalom competition. Flatwater racing is also an option, and we can now provide access to boats and Saturday morning training at Rammey Island, thanks to Martin Davies’ continued efforts to gain and improve access. Kayakcross is proving popular after its Olympic debut, and the club co-hosted an introductory race on the Legacy channel with Paddle UK earlier this year, the first of several planned events.
This is also the first anniversary of Jake Brown becoming the club’s first Paddlesports Coordinator. Jake looks after our introductory slalom pathway for youngsters between 8 and 11, as well as supporting other clubs and events across the south-east. He is formally employed by Paddle UK, and this epitomises the close relationship between the club and the national body.
After lengthy discussions, this year we formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GLL (Better), the incoming operators of the Lee Valley Whitewater Centre. As the club has grown it’s been important to re-negotiate our relationship with the Whitewater Centre, and hopefully we now have clarity on our mutual responsibilities and areas of activity. We have sought to balance GLL’s commercial interests with the Club’s role as a community group. There are of course compromises involved and we hope to review aspects of the MOU annually. In this regard, you’ll be aware that membership fees and session prices have increased as we respond to increases in the course hire costs. I know this has a negative impact and reduces paddling opportunities for some members. It also means that there is no longer a clear price differential compared to public sessions. Being a member of the club should not (at least in my view) primarily be about cheaper access. We offer the benefits of a peer community, coaching and access to equipment. Members who volunteer for bank safety regularly can still reduce their ‘out of pocket’ cost substantially. James Bradley has just joined the committee as Funding officer and we look forward to his expertise in gaining funding or sponsorship that will help us make paddling as accessible as possible.
There have also been suggestions to change the timing and format of Wednesday evenings, so we will run another poll to get your views on timing and additional sessions. We note the desire for Sunday sessions, but unless we can be sure that we will have at least 20 paddlers on the Legacy, these are not financially viable.
Looking ahead, we have opportunities to keep growing the club, attracting new members both young and old, and providing more inclusive access to paddlesports. We face challenges too, as rising costs put pressure on us individually and collectively. I know that for many of you, LVPC is your second (or even third) canoe club, but we can always welcome new committee members. I’m delighted that members have stepped forward to fill several vacancies (assistant welfare,youth rep, funding, and equipment) and would welcome support with communications and social media. You can also ‘shadow’ a current committee member to provide backup and eventual succession.
Thanks for being a club member and I hope to see you on the water again soon.
Jonathan Males
Club Chair