Category: Community

BSCC at the Opening of Castle Park (1 Sep 2024)

1/9/2024

Bishops Stortford Canoe Club joined many other local community groups for a celebration of the official opening of Castle Park, the upgraded and rebranded area incorporating the area around the Castle Mound, including Sworders Field, children's play area, skate park, paddling pool and new cafe facility.

The day also featured historic re-enactments, and displays of falconry and skateboarding, as well as opportunities to try archery and axe-throwing but the members of BSCC were kept too busy throughout the afternoon by a steady stream of enquiries to take time off to enjoy the other attractions.

The club took a display of racing boats, photos and leaflets to help to explain what the club is all about. In particular we also took along two ergos (paddle machines), which attracted a lot of attention.

Sixty people took the opportunity to try out the machines. After a chance to warm up (perhaps a misnomer on this incredibly hot day), they were encouraged to record their a 100m time, with the best senior and the best under-14 being awarded prizes at the end the day.

David G, Joe, Alex M, Eddie K and Tom H worked principally at supervising the ergos, while Kevin, Mick, Chris, Angela, Kerstin, Andrew and Alex S were on hand to answer questions about the club and what we can offer. Particular thanks are due to Kevin, David G and Mick who moved all the equipment.

After the event the club received a flurry of enquiries about membership, and a programme of invitations for tasters is now under way.

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Rich sets off to face Yukon 1000

6/7/2024

On 12th July our very own Rich Winstanley, committee member of BSCC and Sprint Team Leader, will be setting off in one of the most extreme competitions the world of sport has to offer – the Yukon 1000.

The canoe race begins at Whitehorse in Yukon Territory, Canada, and follows the route taken by the prospectors who canoed down the Yukon river in the 1896 Klondike goldrush to Dawson City (roughly half way through the race), then crosses into the Arctic Circle to finish at the Dalton Highway Bridge in central Alaska.

Thousands of crews apply to participate in this annual event, but no more than 30 will be selected. Each must convince the organiser that they have the necessary bush-craft and survival skills necessary, as well as the fitness and paddling skills, to be able to complete the distance within the maximum 10 day period allowed.

Whitehorse, where the race begins

At 1000 miles, the event is the longest canoe race in the world. However, it is far more than just an extremely long marathon, but also a test of physical and mental endurance in wilderness conditions. The organisers claim that "more people have been up Everest than have been beyond Dawson City." Participants may face forest fires, bears, moose, rapids, whirlpools, rain of "biblical" proportions, or high water.

The race is completely unsupported, and much of the route is so remote as to make external rescue difficult if not impossible, being out of the range of helicopters. Although crews carry mobile phones for emergency use, any other contact with the outside world means an automatic DQ. All the camping gear and food needed for the expedition must of course be carried in the boat.

Each team’s progress will be monitored with a tracker. There is a compulsory minimum of 6 hours’ rest each “night” - though they will be so far north that the sun will not set.

Some crews have already pulled out leaving 23 at the time of writing. All entries are doubles crews – organisers deem the race too dangerous to be attempted alone. Rich and his friend John Astbury (who were paddling partners from their teens) have entered under the team name “Winging It”.

As well as the personal satisfaction of completing this extreme challenge, Rich and John are also hoping to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Rich’s son underwent multiple brain surgeries – if you would like to donate you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/yukon1000

During the race, Rich & John's progress (boat 21) can be live-tracked here:
https://teammap.net/yukon1000/2024/race.html
All paddlers must stop by 23:00 each night for a min 6 hour rest. Assuming this refers to Mountain Standard Time, this would be 7:00 BST, which is 8 hours ahead.

Big Paddle Clean Up - 11 June 2023

11/6/2023

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Many thanks to those who went out in the heat on Sunday 11 June to collect litter from the river and bank as part of the "Big Paddle Clean Up" - a nationwide two-week effort by groups across the country as part of the "Clear Access Clear Waters" campaign

Six members collect litter by boat while another four combed the towpaths for litter, mainly between Southmill and Twyford locks.

By the end of the session we felt confident that everything that could possibly be collected had been removed.

The good news is that the total amount collected was not huge - possibly two full bin-bags worth if it was all put together - and roughly half of that came from the land.

Just a few years ago, the same stretch of river typically yielded at least 3 bags of rubbish every month from the river alone.

The reduction in the amount of litter is almost certainly as a result of fortnightly litter picking that takes place by the SOS (Save our Stort) group.

By removing the litter at source (the town centre), they are not only making the river cleaner and healthier in Bishops Stortford but are directly affecting the river all the way down to the next town and beyond.

The current lack of rubbish on the upper Stort is a testament to the wide-reaching effectiveness of regular and sustained litter picking.

Save Our Stort are a voluntary group who meet every fortnight to help keep the river clean, usually at 11.30am on the towpath near the Rose and Crown. See their FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/saveourstort

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James Smythe

22/4/2022

It is with great sadness that the Club announces the passing of James Smythe on Monday 18th April 2022 after a short second battle with cancer.

James started his paddling career in the mid 1980’s at Wey Kayak Club, finishing his first Devizes to Westminster 125 Mile Canoe Race (DW) with them in junior K2 in 1987. He then went to university and raced for Royal Lemington Spa before moving to Nottingham. By this time he was a Men’s A sprinter, Div 1 marathon paddler, and represented Great Britain at two World Cups in Hungary in 1994 and South Africa in 1995, as well as competing for GB at other races on the international circuit. In 1995 he also took the bronze at the National Marathon Championships in Senior K1.

He then took a break and moved to France before returning and joining Leaside in 2001 and latterly Bishops Stortford in 2016. In his very first race in a Bishops Stortford vest he took silver in Veteran 35-44 K2 at the National Marathon Championships before winning the Bill Sparks trophy for the fastest veteran K2 at the Hasler Finals later that same year.

Waterside D – Full kit rehearsal ahead of DW in 2016 [photo: Chris Worrall]

First race in a Stortford vest at the National Marathon Championships 2016

Start line of Hasler Finals 2016

On his return to paddling he started to drive the minibus and trailer to international events and later became Team Manager for the GB Marathon Team. He became secretary of the Marathon Racing Committee and has had a big influence on what happens in the sport today. Although not necessarily a regular attendee at the Club, he proudly raced in his Stortford vest and volunteered at many of the Club’s races.

Leighton Buzzard Hasler 2017 [photo: Chris Worrall]

In late 2019 James first discovered he had cancer. In April 2020 he had an operation to remove his kidney and other areas with tumours in his abdomen and had a further operation in December 2020 to remove a lump behind his lung. Probably his most impressive achievement was to come back from this to win the Veteran 45-54 K2 at the National Marathon Championships in 2021.

As well as marathon racing James very much enjoyed surfski paddling and spent lots of time paddling out of Southend and other places in recent years and raced surfski a few times too.

Surfski in Devon in 2020

In December 2021 James found out some lumps were detected on his routine scan and in February he was told these were inoperable. James leaves behind his wife Catherine and son Ollie.

Summary of achievements:

Bronze – Senior K1 – National Marathon Championships
6 x Veteran – National Marathon Championships medalist, 4 of them Gold
1st Veteran K2 at Hasler Finals
Waterside Series Veteran K2 winner and A & C course record holder (with the C record still standing today)
3 x DW finisher including 2nd overall and 1st Veteran K2
GB Marathon Team member for several years

Club revitalised by £14K grant funding

4/10/2019

We are delighted to announce that we have recently been awarded two major grants to help the club introduce more people to the exciting sport of kayak racing. The first grant of £9600 of National Lottery funding comes from Sport England and this has already funded the purchase of five beginner racing kayaks and is supporting three volunteers in taking coaching qualifications.

A further £4400 is to follow from an East Herts Council Community Grant towards the purchase of five more kayaks suitable as follow-on racing boats. Together, these will enable the club to run a programme of beginner training with the aim of tempting people into joining the club and taking up the sport regularly.

BSCC is strongly focussed on kayak racing on rivers and canals ("flatwater racing"). This often appeals to those who have not settled into the more mainstream sports, delivering a unique blend of serious competitive challenge with the perennial fun of "messing about in boats". It is equally accessible to both sexes and a very wide age range, making it ideally suited to family groups. Personal fitness need not be high at the outset, but canoeing delivers a great deal of exercise to those who participate regularly.

A new group of juniors begin training at the club

Racing requires a particular type of kayak.The grant has enabled us to purchase four extra boats of the most stable kind, suitable for new paddlers. From here, the beginners can gradually progress to lighter and sleeker craft which are harder to balance but can go faster. But the equipment alone is not enough - the magic ingredient is hours of teaching by racing coaches who can pass on the skills and techniques needed to master the sport.

Unfortunately, both have been in limited supply at the club of late. A shortage of coaches brought recruitment into the club to an almost complete stop in 2018. A record number of people were keen to come along, but the club simply did not have enough coaches to teach new paddlers as well as training existing ones. Like most racing canoe clubs, BSCC is 100% volunteer-powered, and it typically costs in excess of £700 for a coach to became qualified - often at their own expense.

Club chairman Andy White said: "We are delighted to have secured this investment to enable us to support our volunteer coaches - qualified coaches are the heart of the club, and without them we cannot thrive. Having the new beginner equipment will allow us to teach brand new paddlers in groups of similar ability which will be more efficient for the coaches and more fun for the participants".

Thanks to the smart new boats provided by the Sport England National Lottery grant, and with the new trainees already acting as assistants to established coaches, the club is now offering weekend beginner courses for adults and older teens new to the sport, and a programme of four taster sessions on Sundays for youngsters (usually age 10-15).

A two-day Starter course took place in September and there will be another in October - a third may take place in November depending on demand and the weather. More will follow in the spring. See our Join Us page for scheduled dates.

Participants on a weekend Starter course in September

The club is hugely grateful to Sport England and East Herts Council for their support - and of course to everyone who plays the National Lottery.

Anybody interested in giving kayaking a go should contact the secretary so that we can get you along to the club as soon as possible.

Grove Cottage fundraiser (20/8/2019)

24/8/2019

Coaches and other volunteers from BS Canoe Club again staged the annual "Come and Try Canoeing" event on the River Stort from the towpath between Station Road Bridge and the Causeway/Hockerill Bridge.

The total raised this year was over £570 - all of which goes directly to Grove Cottage (home of Bishops Stortford Mencap). This brings the sum raised over the five years that the event has been running to a grand total of £3600!

Members of the public took to the water in the club's stable one-person kayaks and in large open canoes operated by coaches and assistants. Many of the families coming along commented that they they had been to the event before in past years and were delighted to find it being repeated.

Many thanks are due to the club's volunteer coaches Jacque, Dave, Malcolm, Mick, Ken and their assistants Catherine, Will, Connor, Pat, Rod, Cory, Kayleigh and Jack.

Grove Cottage fundraiser (21/8/2018)

23/8/2018

For the fourth successive year, BS Canoe club volunteers staged a "Come and Try Canoeing" event on the Stort between Station Road Bridge and Causeway/Hockerill Bridge.

We were once again blessed with warm sunny weather, so it was no surprise that the event proved as popular as usual. A record number of people took to the water in the club's stable one-person kayaks and in large open canoes operated by coaches and assistants. Most of the 170 participants were junior-school age children, but some mums and dads had a go too.

A long queue had built up before the first timed tickets were issued and continued unabated until the very last one had been sold.

It was sad to have to disappoint some people who arrived half-way through to discover that they had already "missed the boat", but no more could be expected from the coaches and club volunteers. In addition to working non-stop for the three and half hours that the public were on the water, they had also had to bring all the equipment from the club's premises and return it to storage at the end.

A total of £880 was generated, with all the proceeds going to Grove Cottage (home of Bishops Stortford Mencap).

Well done to coaches Jacque, Dave, Fred, Malcolm and Ken, and their assistants Siobhan, Catherine, David, Will, Yasmin, Jessica, Judith, Angela and Pat - as well as the ever-patient Buster!

BSCC at "Goodness in the Park" (19 Aug 2018)

22/8/2018

Bishops Stortford Canoe Club were delighted to be invited to this wellbeing and fitness exhibition on Sunday 19 August 2018. The event took place on Sworders Field to highlight the development of this area, together with Castle Gardens, an important community resource for the town which will be collectively known as Castle Park.

A wide range of instructors and clubs were represented, as diverse as belly dancing, yoga, martial arts and vollyball. Some groups held 30-min join-in sessions in the arenas, while others - including BSCC - offered an activity throughout the day on their stands.

The club took a display of racing boats, photos and leaflets, and two paddle machines.

Octavia was assisted by Matt, David, Euan and Adam in putting people on the paddle machines, while Sue, Andrew and Angela were on hand to answer questions about the club and what we can offer.

We had a steady stream of enquiries throughout the day including 23 people who added their names to the waiting list for a visit to the club to have a go on the water.

Grove Cottage fundraiser (15/8/2017)

10/9/2017

For the third year running, Bishops Stortford Canoe Club held a Come-and-Try event on the river in the centre of town in aid of Grove Cottage.

We had a sunny August day, and the event was just as popular as ever, with over 160 paddlers taking part and having fun on the river.

The Club's coaches and volunteers worked tirelessly all afternoon and raised a whopping £835 for Grove Cottage.

Come-and-Try Canoeing event (16 Aug 2016)

18/8/2016

This year's "Come and Try Canoeing" on the Stort in the town centre attracted even more youngsters than last year's successful event. At least 160 were given the chance to have fun on the river in stable PolyPippin kayaks or (for the younger ones) in open canoes escorted by our coaches.

The event is an annual fundraiser for Grove Cottage (home of Bishop's Stortford Mencap), and the great response enabled us to raise a total of over £850 for the charity this year.

Grove Cottage runs a range of clubs which provide social and educational activities for people of all ages with learning disability. Over 120 members benefit each week from the experiences Grove Cottage can offer, developing potential, avoiding social isolation and bringing respite to families and carers.

The queue for tickets began to form over an hour before the advertised start time and all the available places had been booked long before it drew to a close. The majority of the participants were aged 8-14, but at least 30 adults took the opportunity to have a go as well.

Our dedicated coaches (Malcolm, Jacque, Dave, Ken, Wayne and Gary) worked non-stop all afternoon in the August sunshine, ably assisted from the bank by committee members Andrew and Angela, plus one of the club's youngest paddlers, Ryewin. Special thanks are due to club juniors Kaitie and Julius who patiently kitted everyone up and kept the queue in order throughout the event, and also to Matt, John, and Kaitie who helped the six coaches tow all the boats from the clubhouse into town, and then back again afterwards.

If you took part and are interested in finding more about canoeing by attending a longer taster at the club on a Sunday, or if you missed this session but think canoeing might be for you, have a look around the rest of our website to find out what we do. If you like what you see, go to the JOIN US page to find out how you can book a trial session at the club on a Sunday.

<<Previous

BSCC at the Opening of Castle Park (1 Sep 2024)

Rich sets off to face Yukon 1000

Big Paddle Clean Up - 11 June 2023

James Smythe

Club revitalised by £14K grant funding

Grove Cottage fundraiser (20/8/2019)

Grove Cottage fundraiser (21/8/2018)

BSCC at "Goodness in the Park" (19 Aug 2018)

Grove Cottage fundraiser (15/8/2017)

Come-and-Try Canoeing event (16 Aug 2016)

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