2018 CANOE WALES MEMBERS MEET & AGM 

13-14 October 2018
Celtic Camping, St Davids, Pembrokeshire

  • Paddle the Pembrokeshire coastline
  • Attend club volunteer workshops
  • Update your qualifications
  • Try other paddlesport disciplines
  • Meet the staff and directors
  • Listen to amazing guest speakers
  • Celebrate at the CW Awards Dinners
  • Vote at the 2018 Canoe Wales AGM
  • Check out stands and demo kit from Canoe Wales partners
  • Win prizes in our special prize giveaway
And much more! 
Book your event pass now to avoid missing out - Places are limited on some workshops! 

Booking extended until Thursday 11 October
FIND OUT MORE BOOK NOW
Photo: Phil Dolby

SCHEDULE

Saturday

9:00am - Arrival and Registration
9:30am - Opening Remarks
10:00am - 1:00pm - Session A Morning Workshops
10:00am - 4:00pm - Session A Full Day Workshops
1:00pm - 2:00pm - Lunch
2:00pm - 4:00pm - Annual General Meeting
4:00pm - 4:15pm - Break
4:15pm - 6:00pm - Session B Events
6:00pm - 7:00pm - Break
7:00pm - 9:30pm - Dinner and Awards Ceremony
Sunday

9:30am - Arrival and Registration (if arriving on Sunday)
10:00am - 4:00pm - Session C Workshops

VENUE

Celtic Camping
Pwll Caerog Farm, Berea, St Davids, Pembrokeshire SA62 6DG

Our hosts for the weekend are Celtic Camping who are based in a stunning coastal location in Pembrokeshire, near St Davids, just a few minutes down the road from gorgeous Abereiddy Beach. 

The venue has on-site camping and bunkhouse accommodation and a range of meeting rooms for all our indoor workshops, all based within converted farm buildings on a 250 acre National Trust working farm. There is plenty of on site parking and if you choose to stay for a few extra days, there's plenty of other adventures to be had nearby, with easy access to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and St Davids just down the road. 

How to get there - Click for driving directions
Aerial view of Celtic Camping farm buildings with sea in distance

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

Session A Morning Workshops (Saturday 10am - 1pm)

A1 - Tips and tricks for marketing your club or paddlesport business
Janice Lo - Palm Equipment
If you're looking to grow your club's membership or find more customers for your business, you need to know how to get your message out to your audience. The team at Palm Equipment know everything there is to know about reaching out to new paddlers, and Janice will take you through some simple tips and tricks to promote your club or business and its activities, and make sense of the free and low-cost tools that are out there - including how to navigate the world of social media.
A2 - How to build a strong, safe and sustainable club
Gayle Penn - Canoe Wales Regional Development Officer
Why do some clubs last for decades and others fold after a few years? In this session, Gayle will share the secrets of how to build a strong, safe and sustainable club - covering the basics of good governance, safety, safeguarding, volunteer recruitment and fundraising - to help you feel more confident about the steps you can take to help your club grow.
A3 - Coaching the Mind
Marianne Davies, MDavies Coaching
Introducing coaches to the role of mental skills in paddlesport development and performance, this three-hour British Canoeing Foundation module relates the area of mental skills training to coaching and paddler development. You'll get an introduction to the concepts of mental skills training, imagery training, concentration training and styles and optimal arousal and arousal control strategies for coaches in the paddlesport environment.


* This workshop provides 18 months of CPD. *
A4 - Time to Listen - Club Safeguarding Officer Training
Dave Loosmore, Welsh Sports Association
This course will support you in your role as a Club Safeguarding Officer and help to further develop your understanding of child protection and safeguarding within a paddlesport environment. You will learn about the policies and procedures in place, and the different roles and responsibilities of everyone contributing towards the safeguarding of children. You will be guided through a variety of exercises and activities in order to develop the skills necessary to implement best practice in your club.  

Please note: You must have already have completed a Safeguarding and Protecting Children (SPC) workshop before attending this course.
A5 - Event Safety Officer Training
Dan Golder - Canoe Wales Performance Manager
This workshop provides all the training required to fulfil the role of Event Safety Officer within a Canoe Wales club. You'll gain an awareness of safety management and duty of care issues as they affect your club, both in your normal everyday activities (closed activity) and also when you run events open to others. The workshop provides guidance and support to mitigate risks and uses the concept of an 'event span of control' to introduce simple, well-organised solutions that you can apply to a range of different types of events. 

Session A Full Day Workshops (Saturday 10am - 4pm)

A7 - Sea Kayaking for clubs and families
Martin Leonard, Sea Kayak Guides
In this introductory workshop, Martin will take you on a tour of the Pembrokeshire coast by sea kayak, introducing you to some of the basic skills and knowledge required for safe paddling in the sea environment in a range of different craft, including sea kayaks and sit on top kayaks. This workshop is appropriate for any level of paddlesport experience and ability.

Please note: Boats can be provided or you are welcome to bring and use your own boat. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
A8 - Pembrokeshire's coastal wildlife - by Stand Up Paddleboard -CANCELLED
Rachel Bott
Rachel, a qualified Marine Biologist, will introduce you to the fascinating native flora and fauna of the Pembrokeshire coast, as seen from a stand up paddleboard. This workshop is aimed at women and girls and is perfect for first-time stand up paddleboarders - no experience required. 

More info about this workshop:
When she hasn’t got her head in the rock-pools and intertidal zones, Rachel is teaching sea kayaking, surfing, climbing, mountaineering and coasteering. As well as loving the oceans and warm weather, Rachel is mad about the mountains; whether she’s climbing or skinning to the top or running or skiing her way down, she can quite often be found dusting herself off from a long day in the Scottish hills. 

Rachel has a long term passion for encouraging women into the outdoors; as a career choice and or just for personal enjoyment. She has worked with Sea Kayak Guides in running women’s paddling weekends and has ambitions to foster many relationships between the wonders of the outdoors and women who can, be this in kayaks, on SUPs, in the mountains or on the crag. 

The Pembrokeshire coastline boats a plethora of life unique to the area. It’s not often that jellyfish, porpoise, sun fish, a vast array of sea birds and fishes, sea anemone, turtles to name but a few, all exist in one place. For a glimpse into the orchestra of marine life thriving along the Pembrokeshire coast, join Rachel for a session of stand up paddle-boarding. The focus of the sessions will be for groups of women to establish some basic SUP skills, explore as far as the team feel comfortable and have fun! 

Please note: SUP boards and paddles can be provided to those who need them. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
A9 - Intro to Surf Kayaking
Paul Bramble
In this introductory course you'll learn how to select surf spots and interpret the weather forecasts to pick an appropriate location. Then you'll learn some of the tactics and skills of paddling out and wave selection before moving on to catching waves and edge to edge turns.

Please note: Surf boats will be provided to those who need them, but you'll need to bring your own paddling kit for this workshop. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Session B Events (Saturday 4:15pm - 6pm)

B1 - Q&A with the Canoe Wales Board of Directors
Moderated by Jen Browning, Canoe Wales CEO
Do you have a question for our Board of Directors? Then this is your chance! We'll be joined by directors David Wakeling, Kerry Chown, Sonja Jones, Andy Booth, Jet Moore, Russell Scaplehorn and Eryl Richards who will take questions from members and give you some insight into the governance of Canoe Wales and the vision the board has for the organisation.
B2 - New for 2019! Changes to Personal Performance Awards and Paddlesport Instructor Award
Paul Marshall, Canoe Wales Coaching Manager
There's some exciting changes coming in 2019 to British Canoeing awards! A whole new set of Personal Performance Awards will be replacing the star awards - designed to better meet the needs of paddlers in response to years of feedback from paddlers across the UK. We'll also be launching the newly revamped Paddlesport Instructor Award. Find out more at this information session led by Paul Marshall, the Canoe Wales Coaching Manager, who will take you through all the changes and answer any questions you might have about these and any other British Canoeing awards or qualifications.
Session C Events (Sunday 10am - 4pm)

C1 - Developing Sea Kayaking skills
Martin Leonard
This workshop will help you progress your sea kayaking skills to the next level - whether you're a relative newcomer just looking to take the next step, or an aspiring sea kayak leader or coach. Martin will take you to some amazing spots on the Pembrokeshire coast to develop your skills and make progress toward your personal sea kayaking goals.

Please note: Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
C2 - Pembrokeshire's coastal wildlife - by kayak
Lou Luddington
Lou, a qualified Marine Biologist, will take you on a tour to see some of the fascinating native flora and fauna of the Pembrokeshire coast. This workshop is appropriate for any level of paddlesport experience, ability or craft.

Please note: Kayaks can be provided for those who do not have their own equipment. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
C3 - Surf Kayaking group management and safety
Paul Bramble
In this course, Paul will take you though various rescues and scenarios and teach you the key principles of managing groups and yourself in the surf environment. The course will also cover the advantages and disadvantages of different outfitting systems, looking at foam T blocks and lap belts. 

Please note: Surf kayaks will be provided to those who need them, but you'll need to bring your own paddling kit for this workshop. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

BOOK ONLINE

FULL WEEKEND PASS - £60 
Includes access to your choice of workshops and events on Saturday and Sunday, lunch on both days, a ticket to our Saturday evening Canoe Wales Awards Dinner, entrance to the AGM, and a chance to win our free prize draw.

SATURDAY ONLY PASS - £30
SUNDAY ONLY PASS - £30
Includes access to all workshops and events on the selected date. Saturday passes include lunch, a ticket to the Canoe Wales Awards Dinner, entrance to the AGM and a chance to win our free prize draw. Sunday includes your selected workshop plus lunch only. 

AGM ONLY - FREE
Includes entrance to our AGM only (i.e. no meals or other events). Please note: You must be an On the Water or On the Bank member to vote at the AGM.

Booking open until 10am on 5 October,except for AGM only passes which can be booked until 12 October.

BOOK NOW

WHERE TO STAY

If you'd like to stay on site - convenient for falling right into bed after the Awards dinner! - there's sea-view camping and bunkhouse accommodation available at Celtic Camping. You can book directly through their website:


There are also a range of hotels and B&Bs nearby in St Davids and the surrounding area.
dozens of tents and campervan in front of a sea view

2018 CANOE WALES AGM

You can find the latest information about the AGM itself on our separate 2018 AGM page - where the agenda, papers and all related information will be posted as it becomes available.

CANOE WALES AWARDS CEREMONY

On Saturday evening, we'll be celebrating the greatest achievements in Welsh paddlesport in 2018 and honouring those who have gone above and beyond in their service to our sport. You can nominate someone for an award by visiting the page for the 2018 Canoe Wales Awards.

The festivities will kick off at 7pm and go on until 9:30, with a dinner and awards ceremony followed by a keynote talk from marine biologist and adventurer Rachel Bott who will tell us about her latest adventure, crossing Wales by Packraft.

Here's a preview of what you can expect from Rachel:

In May 2018 four friends embarked on an adventure; to be the first team ever to Packraft and walk the entire length of Wales. They called it: Mission Wales 

In 21 days the team paddled and walked over 400kms!  They wild camped by mountain lakes, in midge infested forests and under town bridges. From the Conwy estuary to Chepstow Castle on the Wye, the team endured a mixture of laughter and tears, punctured boats, bottles of rum, more laughter, farmers, fisherwomen and men, support teams manned by heroes, and a bit more laughter, and all this happened………… right here in Wales! 
Four brightly coloured packrafts being paddled in front of an ancient castle with a bridge across an estuary
Photo credit: Andy Theobald

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Throughout the day on Sunday, there will be trade and partner stands to visit with demo boats and equipment, information and advice, and much more. And if you purchase a Full Weekend or Saturday Event Pass, you'll be entered in a prize draw, with winners announced at the Awards Dinner.

Thank you to all of our 2018 event sponsors and partners:
If you're interested in having a stand at the event, there's still time left to book your place - just send us a message on our Contact Us page and we'll send you details about how you can join us.
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