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Autumn Blog

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The summer is now well and truly over and as we settle into the Autumn and the shorter days, I thought it was about time for the blog to return. I want to share what we have going forward and a little of what has gone on.


As the Summer came to an end and we transitioned into Autumn the club had its biggest trip in a few years. Thirty members of the club headed to St. Briavels castle for paddling and the medieval banquet. Over the weekend people played and worked on the Symonds Yat rapid or went on a tour down to Redbrooke on the Wye. Fantastic organising by Trish for a regal event at the castle. 


Images courtesy of Sonia Harrison


We had a popular and well attended Lakeside series from May to September, with a run of busy and fun sessions at Eastleigh Lakes, with a few paddlers refining their roll and building confidence - Many thanks to the Mitchells for their tireless efforts. The pool sessions have now started at Oaklands Pool in Southampton on Sunday afternoons. The first sessions have been busy and we have run through training to have over a dozen assistants so we can have plenty of collaborative learning for those wanting to improve their skills and get some rolling practice in. We have a run through to November and if they prove popular we will look to extend into the New Year.


There has also been white water development, with visits to the Nene and Cardiff. We also ran another White Water Safety and Rescue course in North Wales with another six club members gaining knowledge and understanding how to be safe and confident on white water. We also had a clutch of new people run the Dart Loop in recent weeks.


Images courtesy of LQC



Image credit: Jacqui Morgenstein


The other big news is that the club is exploring changing its governance from the present Private members club to Charitable Incorporated Organisation. There are a number of points to consider before we can commit to making such a move. Presently the club has an unincorporated association structure which can be defined as no special legal status. 


“That is, the membership adopts rules that the members all agree to abide by, and elect officers to run the club. When new members join they have to abide by those rules as well, to enjoy the privileges of membership.”


This type of operation is fine for reasonably small clubs operating with locally accepted rules and operating procedures. This has suited the club well since it was formed. However it does have a couple of disadvantages. One of the most major is that in being unincorporated, the lead roles on the committee have a personal financial liability for the club. Presently the club is in a strong financial position and could cover any expected debts if the club were to fold such as the run out of the lease on the Barkstore. Moving to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation will mean that the club committee/trustees will have incorporated status so no financial liability. The change in status would also better position us for applying for certain grants and support. Everything comes with some form of additionality, this will be mainly in the form of more formal procedures, certain reporting and changes to the constitution to meet the CIO requirements. 


So far the Committee has agreed to take the proposal forward and we are presently redrafting the constitution for application to the Charity Commission. We would then consult with the wider club before submission. Once the application is made and hopefully accepted, the club will need to hold a formal meeting to essentially dissolve the club and relaunch as a CIO. If you would like to be involved in the final drafting of the application please contact me.


The club change to Charitable Incorporated Organisation allows us to move forward with expanding in activity and building frameworks to train and develop people in the club. It will also ensure we can attract people into the club committee  



Have a look through the future dates. See you on the water soon,

Joe


Dates for the Diary


Halloween Paddle

31st October 2024 - Apply club paddle on the Hamble. Email Lyn the Club Secretary for more details


Pool Session

Sunday 3rd November 2024 14:30 - 16:00 - Oaklands Community Pool, please book via LoveAdmin, follow the link on the UHCC Calendar


Pool Session

Sunday 10th November 2024 16:15 - 17:45 - Oaklands Community Pool, please book via LoveAdmin, follow the link on the UHCC Calendar


Pool Session

Sunday 17th November 2024 14:30 - 16:00 - Oaklands Community Pool, please book via LoveAdmin, follow the link on the UHCC Calendar


River Dart Trip

15th-17th November 2024 - Club trip aimed for those who want to develop Grade 2 and 3 skills. With leaders and coaches there to support those who need support. For this trip people will need to book their own accommodation. 

Popular Choices:

Bunkhouse/Camping - River Dart Country Park

Hotels - Dartmoor Lodge or Abbey Inn

More details to follow


Pool Session

Sunday 24th November 2024 16:15 - 17:45 - Oaklands Community Pool, please book via LoveAdmin, follow the link on the UHCC Calendar


Finlake Trip

December - This is a club favourite that sits slightly outside the club trip planning and will be a peer paddle.


Christmas Social

Thursday 12th December 2024 - 7pm at the Cricketers Arms - See email from Kirsten (sent Monday 28th Oct) for more details


A draft of the 2025 Calendar has been drawn up and details will be shared shortly. Also do not forget there are the Barkstore sessions every week as well.




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