Membership

Come and join the fun!

Our Club memberships cater for Juniors, Adults and Families. Our Standard LVPC Membership is for those just concentrating on our flatwater paddle sport activities, and, as the name suggests, our Whitewater LVPC Membership is for those who participate in our white water activities at the Lee Valley Whitewater Centre and within trips and events.

If you are wishing to become part of Lee Valley Paddlesports Club, please contact our Membership Secretary as your first step to ensure you have a clear picture of our various activities, our memberships, and our participation fees. If you do not have any, or a full set of paddling kit, you may also want to check with the Membership Secretary on what we have available. We do have equipment for use on our activities, but it is in limited supply so we are unable to  meet every request on every occasion. Specified kit will be made available where it is shown as part of course or training activity.

Please ensure that you have read our Terms and Conditions and the Club’s Policies before agreeing to join the Club and before renewing your membership. They are available to read on our website HERE.

We manage our membership and renewal applications, and the fee payments that go with them, through WebCollect which also enables us to manage the bookings and associated payments for our activities. If you would like more information on how to complete our joining process using WebCollect, then please see our How to Join page HERE.

Just click on the heading in the list below and you will have access to our WebCollect joining and renewal forms. Or, if at this time you are seeking information on our fees, then there is a table to explain what these are. Please note that we show part-year fees if someone is joining within the second six months of the year, or within the last three months of the year.

If you have any questions about membership, or anything else relating to the Club, just pop us a message using the form on the contact page, and we’ll be in touch!

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New Memberships

Complete a new membership form if you wish to join a Junior or as an Adult Club Member, or, if you and at least one other member of your family are wishing to join and, together, you meet our Family Membership criteria.

Renew your existing Individual or Family Membership

If you are an existing LVPC Club Member, renew your Individual or Family membership through our WebCollect membership and activity site that will be able to take your online payment for renewal. Login to your WebCollect LVPC account and add the renewal to your basket before proceeding to the checkout.

How to join and how to pay

All the information that you need on types of membership, the fees payable, and dates for renewal are available through accessing our WebCollect membership and activity site. The system enables you to book and pay for memberships, renewals and our activities.

Book your activities

Once you have joined the Club, and have full access to WebCollect, you will want to book yourself on to our activities, whether you want to join in on our flatwater or white water paddling sessions, our pathway development programmes, coached sessions, trips or other events.

For information on how to use WebCollect for your bookings, go to our ‘Booking Club Activities’ page.

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Need to borrow equipment?

We encourage Club Members to acquire their own boat and equipment because this will maximise your progression and enjoyment of the sport. However, we do know that this is not feasible for all Club Members particularly when starting out in paddle sports. The Club therefore has a range of boats that are available for Club Members to use on authorised Club activities. Our stock is limited, so first priority goes to Members using boats during coached sessions, and then to other Club members for uncoached paddling.

If you would like to hire a club boat and equipment, please email lvpcmembership@gmail.com giving at least one day’s notice whenever possible. We do make a charge for equipment use to help offset the costs of maintenance and replacement, but if using a Club boat on a coached session or programme, the cost will be included in the course fee.

We do ask that any Member using our equipment treats it respectfully and that they make their own safety checks before, during and after use. Any defects are to be reported as soon as possible to the coach and session leader.

Further details on the borrowing of equipment are contained in our ‘Policy Statements Document’ which we encourage you to read if you are borrowing Club equipment.

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Membership FAQs

When can I become a member of Lee Valley Paddlesports Club?

  • Lee Valley Paddlesports Club memberships are available at any time, but please check at the time you want to join as to how much of that membership year is left to run. Our full Club Year runs from 1st October to 30th September.

Why is it called a ‘paddlesports’ club?

  • We want the Club to be an inclusive one, offering members opportunities across the breadth of water-based paddle sports. We would like to see all the different disciplines of canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and paddle boarding all thriving within the Club.

Why is the Club referred to as Lee Valley Paddlesports Club Ltd?

  • The Club was established as an incorporated club to minimise and restrict the liability of its members. This has been achieved by registering the Club as a company limited by guarantee and without share capital – Lee Valley Paddlesports Club Ltd. Every member of the Club becomes a member of the Company with the Club being a separate legal entity to the members and its committees. Should anything ever happen that causes the Club to close down, and it does so with debts, then each Member has their financial liability limited to just £1.

How can I become a member of the Club?

  • The Club is open to people of all abilities as long as they are over 8 years of age and we have vacancies.
  • To find out more on the types of membership and the current fees, and, to complete an application form, please see above on this Membership page, or, contact our Membership Secretary LVPCmembership@gmail.com

Why am I asked if I am a Paddle UK member?

  • As a Club that is affiliated to Paddle UK (previously known as British Canoeing), we need to provide a statistical return on membership.
  • Paddle UK provides benefits to the Club as a whole including insurances.
  • The Club needs to pay a levy for any Club members that are not individually registered.

How much is the Club membership fee?

  • We have Individual and Family membership fees, and a membership fee structure that is reduced proportionally in the second half of our membership year. To get the up-to-date fee rates, please follow the link to our ‘How to Join’ page, or contact our Membership Secretary for the latest details.

What are the benefits of membership?

  • Membership of an exciting and developing Club that is the resident Club at an iconic Olympic venue.
  • Exclusive Club-only sessions at LVWWC, and at discounted rates.
  • A range of flatwater and white water paddle sport opportunities.
  • Coaching and paddle sport development opportunities, peer paddling, trips, social functions, competing as a team.

What is Wednesday Club Night?

  • Wednesday Club Night was where we started! It traditionally refers to our Wednesday evening activities at the Lee Valley White Water Centre when we have exclusive access to water times. Increasingly though, we have Club paddle sport sessions on other ‘nights’ and at other venues. Ideally, every night would be Club Night!
  • Wednesday Club Night at LVWWC is not limited to any one paddle sport discipline.

How much do LVPC activities cost?

  • For up-to-date details on our fees, please check our WebCollect pages or contact our Membership Secretary LVPCmembership@gmail.com

Does the Club pay to use LVWWC or is it free?

  • Yes, the Club needs to pay the Centre for hire of the water courses.

Should I book if I want to attend a Club session?

  • All Club sessions held at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, plus most of our other activities, need to be booked through our online booking system. You may only book if you are a Club Member.
  • You may only book on to sessions for which you are qualified to paddle.
  • Non-members may only participate if specifically permitted, and, restrictions exist on when and whether this is possible. You will need to contact our Membership Secretary or use the Contact Form on this website to get up-to-date information on what is available at the time.

Will Club sessions be for limited numbers of paddlers?

  • For the safety and enjoyment of all, limits will need to be placed on activities at the Centre or at other locations.
  • Our booking system limits the number of places made available for each paddling session based on the risk assessments for the session types.
  • The number of boats on the Legacy and/or Olympic courses at any one time will be managed and limited by the Club and those overseeing safety on each session.
  • Some Club sessions will be limited by the availability of our volunteer coaches, activity leaders and bank safety. Risk assessments determine safe participation levels.

Do I sign-in before going on the water?

  • Club members are expected to sign-in with the designated ‘reception’ or activity leader.
  • Do not expect to paddle on Club sessions if you have not booked in advance – unless the sessions have expressly been designated for all-comers.
  • The Club is responsible for supervision of Club sessions except when alternative provision has been made.

If I don’t have all the necessary equipment, or I need to borrow a boat, is there any help available?

  • The Club has a selection of equipment that may be hired from the Club for authorised Club activities. Some of our coached sessions, especially for beginners, will include kit in the price of the session. See our ‘Policy Statements Document’ for more info.
  • The on-site shop ‘Above and Below’ at the Lee Valley White Water Centre has kit that can be hired as well as for sale.

Can I store my boat at the Centre?

  • The Club does not have storage facilities for the boats of Club Members, but limited boat storage can be available direct from the Centre.

Will there be coaching available?

  • The Club continues to develop its own coaching capability but for any given Club session coaching may be limited based on which of our volunteer coaches are available. We encourage members and prospective members to discuss their coaching needs with us so that we can consider how best to help them.
  • The Club also works with the Lee Valley White Water Centre and Paddle UK to identify and develop coaching opportunities.
  • When coaches are available to run specific courses, the sessions will be offered to our Club Members on WebCollect.
  • Contact our coach volunteers direct: coaching@leevalleypaddlesportsclub.org

Will I need an assessment to be able to go on the Legacy or Olympic during a Club session?

  • Club Members will only be allowed on the Legacy and Olympic if they have passed their assessment or are booked to be accompanied by one of our qualified coaches on a Club-approved paddler development session.
  • The Club’s designated coaches and leaders are responsible for validating competency or conducting assessments on Club Members to ensure they are paddling on water appropriate to their skills, and to ensure that the Club’s water-based risk assessments are being complied with.
  • We seek to offer supervised and coached opportunities to Club Members who are looking for progression.

What is WebCollect and why does the Club use it?

  • WebCollect is a flexible and simple online solution for clubs and societies to manage membership subscriptions and events.
  • The Club adopted it for use as the way to run a water booking system for our members, a role which had previously been undertaken temporarily on our behalf by the LVWWC.
  • To run effectively as a booking system we need membership information on the solution and it is therefore also the system through which membership applications and renewals are processed.
  • WebCollect enables the Club to take payments online at ‘point of sale’ and it helps with the running of the Club to minimise the handling of cash and cheques.

Can I Volunteer to Help the Club?

  • Yes! The Club is run by volunteers, and we are always keen to have more people involved. Just contact LVPCmembership@gmail.com to discuss your volunteering interests, skills and qualifications. We look forward to seeing you supporting our activities.

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