AOAC Newsletter

Message from the Chair - December 2022

I hope you are all managing to stay warm on these chilly days and nights. Nearly Winter solstice so the days will get longer again which is always something to look forward to.

A couple of social events to highlight alongside ongoing outdoor (and indoor) activities – Christmas gathering on Thursday December 15^th at the Slug and Lettuce in Harbourside, and the ‘Kicking off 2023’ social night on Saturday January 21st at the John Sebastian boat that will include a buffet and DJ. See the calendar for more details – hope to see lots of you at either or both of these.

A couple of other things that I wanted to highlight following discussions at recent committee meetings:

COVID-19 and other viruses – please be mindful of others and avoid attending a residential (or any indoor) event if you have active symptoms of any type of infectious illness. There are lots of nasty things going around – including COVID-19 - that are easily spread in such settings.

Incident reporting – we need to improve incident reporting, and preferably also near misses – currently very few are submitted. The main reason for this is so that we can learn from incidents and change SOPs or RAs as needed.  Also some incidents are reportable to the insurance company – please see insurance policy on website if you are interested.  The committee is currently looking at how we can best share learning from incidents within the Club - more on this at the end of the newsletter. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this.

Thanks as always for everyone who contributes to putting events on the calendar – organisers, leaders, coaches and assistants. Also to the committee for their hard work behind the scenes. People sharing their enthusiasm with others is what makes this Club what it is.

Always room for more events and there is help available for less experienced organisers. If you’re not a leader get in touch with the activity coordinator of your sport – details on the website – and ask if someone can lead on your event. 

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or any of the committee if you have any ideas/comments/suggestions about Club-related matters. Our email contact details are on the website.

Wishing you all a very happy festive season and a new year with lots of outdoor adventures!

Katie, AOAC Chair
[email protected]

WALKING

Walking Update

Big congratulations to Sarah on obtaining her HML (Hill and Moorland Leader) award.  Many of us enjoy Sarah’s walks and it’s great to see her pass quickly through another outdoor qualification.  Also congratulations to Tony, the latest addition to the list of Club walk leaders. Tony brings with him a mass of experience and we’re sure he’ll be a real asset to the Club. Watch out for Tony’s first Club walk - most likely in the Brecon Beacons in January.
 
Am I the only one getting a barrage of emails marketing outdoor kit?  It’s slightly ironic given the emphasis outdoor brands are putting on their environmental credentials. So a quick shout out for some of the ones offering great repair services – Alpkit, RAB, Mountain Equipment and Osprey are all doing good stuff to extend the life of trusty kit by repair and replacement. A number of us have had really good experiences with coats, backpacks, waterproof trousers, gaiters … you name it. And not forgetting the very excellent scheme run by Cotswold Outdoor:
 www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/recycle-my-gear
 
It’s the time of year to update the walking development plan and so a quick reminder that the Club offers support – usually up to 50% of the cost of training and assessment for obtaining relevant qualifications. Do get in touch if you’re interested in this or have ideas for training and development in general.
 
Looking ahead to the new year, there are plans to trial weekday walks to see if there is demand from members. I’m betting there will be.  
 
Finally, if any of the Club’s walk leaders are casting around for New Year resolutions, how about resolving to put on at least one Club day walk. With 40 or so walk leaders out there we’d be looking at offering a walk nearly every week.
 
Have a great festive season!

Andy, Walks Coordinator
[email protected]

You Are My True North!

Thank to Elinor for finding this interesting one . . . 

As expert map readers will know, when you’re out and about navigating with a compass, there is a difference between magnetic north (where the compass points) and grid north (the vertical blue grid lines shown on OS maps).

The difference between magnetic north and grid north is often referred to as ‘grid magnetic angle’ and it not only varies from place to place, but changes with time. This needs to be taken into account when navigating with a map and compass.

In 2014, for the first time in Great Britain since the 1660s, magnetic north moved from being to the west of grid north to the east. The change started in the very south-west corner of Britain and will slowly progress across the whole country over the next 12 to 13 years. 

Now, there is a third line about to come into alignment – true north. This is the direction of lines of longitude that all converge at the north pole. 

To find out more, you can read the Ordnance Survey article - it is an interesting one!  Ordnance Survey - True Grid North Align Over Great Britain

OS have made some calculations and estimate that the triple alignment makes landfall at Langton Matravers, just west of Swanage, in November and will arrive in Poole by Christmas!

Pre-Christmas Weekend 09 - 11 December - Forest of Dean

Karen's trip to FoD turned into an adventure and went from this . . . 

to waking up to this on Sunday . . . !

Thankfully everyone got home safely after a great team effort by all to get cars started, dug out and onto the main road.  Thanks to Karen for organising a great introduction to Christmas - and to winter!  Some stunning photos of the weekend on the AOAC Facebook pages.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Mid Wales Paddle and Mountain Bike Trip 06 - 08 January 2023

Still some places for this multi-activity trip to Mid Wales 06 - 08 January - take a look at the calendar for further details - https://aoac.co.uk/content/mid-wales-paddle-and-mtb-trip

Playing in the Forest

November saw a group of mountain bikers head over to the Forest of Dean for a play on the local trails - thank you to Stu for organising this one, and another one . . . a trip to Brechfa Forest for new members, organised by Chris, saw some walking and mountain biking in the forest with a misty ride led by Shaun.

If you would like to organise a mountain bike ride and need some help with posting and managing it, let me know - happy to help get some more rides on the calendar during these winter months!

Sue, Comms
comms@aoac.co.uk

ROAD BIKING

Road Ride Leader Assessment

Sian would like to thank all the intrepid riders that turned out in the November rain to support her first leader road-ride event, heading from Iron Acton towards Marshfield.  The weather was more unpleasant than forecast but most made it to a much needed refuge (the Little Nannie cafe soon after Pucklechurch) where steam rose and cake or cooked breakfast helped the mood.
 
Several riders made their excuses (puncture, inappropriate clothing, general wimpiness!) and headed home, but the toughies stayed and we had a surprisingly sunny second half of the ride back through Dyrham and West Littleton.
 
Special thanks to Jo B and Keith C.
 
If you would to know more about become a road ride leader, please email: [email protected] or [email protected].

CLIMBING

Indoor Climbing 

Cold nights require some indoor fun! 

Join the indoor climbers - beginners and more advanced climbers are welcome.  There are evening sessions on Tuesdays at Redpoint climbing centre and on Thursday at The Church.  Details are in the calendar: Climbing Evenings.
 
For new members who are not sure but would like to try - you can join the Club on an introductory membership for 3 months: Introductory Membership.

Find out more on our website: Climbing Info

PADDLESPORTS
 

Paddle Sports Development Meeting

Thanks to all who attended the paddle sports development meeting organised by Elinor. The minutes and updated plan are on the calendar under event details: https://aoac.co.uk/content/paddlesport-development-meeting-3

South West Wales Kayaking and Mountain Biking Trip

The South West Wales trip organised by Irene saw the mountain bikers and kayakers join up for some fun on the river and on the trails. . . 

Marianne - 06 November
"First day of the multi-activities weekend in Llandysul. Some of us did mountain biking and two groups went kayaking (I personally went on a coffee/cake/explore the area walk 😉). Below are some pictures of the group of kayakers that are working towards the white water award - in the programme: paddling trip from Maesycrugiau to Llandysul on the Afon Teifi (Teifi River), slalom challenge at Llandysul and roll practice in the pond. In the evening, some had a fun night at a local pub (with live music!) while others enjoyed a quiet evening by the fire at the cosy converted barn where we were staying."
 
Elinor Griffiths - 07 November
"Lovely weekend in Llandysul - thanks very much to Irene for organising and the leaders of the various activities. Saturday's paddle from Ciliau Aeron to Aberaeron, new river for all of us and something special about paddling into the sea at the end. Sunday on the Gwili, good level but a tree completely blocking it towards the get out and interesting portage through the trees!"

#SHE PADDLES PROGRAMME

As we are affiliated with British Canoeing, two categories we are encouraged to work towards are becoming Clear Access Clear Water champions and also taking part in the #shepaddles Champion Club Programme women only paddling events. We are going to start offering #shepaddles women only skills training and day trips going forward. This will include flat water and whitewater paddling. All events will be advertised on the Club Facebook page and booking will be through the usual place in our website. Further information about this can be found here: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/guidance-resources/shepaddles/shepaddles-club-champions.
 
Irene
[email protected]

PADDLESPORT LEADERS

Paddlesport Leaders and Coaches Required

As AOAC is a Club run by its members, we rely on members becoming leaders and coaches in all activities so that we aren’t relying on the same people to step up year after year. We are particularly short in paddlesport WW leaders just now. No matter what level you are currently paddling at, there is a pathway to follow so that you can eventually become a coach or leader. We are looking for kayakers and canoeists to become either coaches for Discover, Explore, WW or Canoeing and leaders for day trips in all craft.

The Club can help you achieve this by advising on what is required and providing course and assessment subsidies. This can start with the British Canoeing Paddle Sport Instructor course through to WW Advanced Level Coach. Not only would you be helping the Club, but you will also be gaining qualifications and experience in First Aid, Safeguarding, Safety and Rescue and in your chosen craft. If you are interested and would like further information, please email [email protected].

AND FINALLY . . .

Web Officer Position

We are looking for a volunteer to take on the role of Web Officer once our new website goes live. This will involve maintaining and updating a new WordPress site, maintaining the Club Gmail, attending monthly Committee meetings (mostly online) and addressing website queries from members. There will be a complete handover before you take over the role. If you have any questions or queries, please email [email protected].

Club Incident Reports

The Club encourages leaders and members to submit incident reports where there has been a health and safety accident or a near miss. This is a strength of our Club and helps maintain safe trips and leaders. We’ve had three incidents in 2018, six in 2019, one in 2020 and six in 2021. Most reassuring of our leaders and for members, few were accidents where an injury was experienced. Other reports provided some excellent feedback and learning experiences to inform and improve leadership. Most importantly, this information was used to help keep all of us safe when enjoying the fantastic activities and trips the club provides.

By way of example, several recent reports concern our residential weekend trips where there has been a number of post event COVID cases reported. These trips are excellent and whilst we all love to enjoy them, as we move into flu season and COVID remains with us; if we have symptoms of a respiratory infection then as much as we’d love to join the trip it may be worth considering how wise this is as we are often in close contact with our fellow club members and could pass on our illness.

So we should see incident reports concerning health and safety as an asset to the Club to improve and maintain standards, therefore please keep them coming. If you have any questions, then please feel free to contact the Development Officer for a chat.

[email protected]

Club Operation

If members would like information on how the Club operates, you can visit the website https://aoac.co.uk/content/how-club-operates.

Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the Christmas festivities everyone!

Sue
[email protected]

Events