CURRENTLY

The newsletter has been circulated and it is apparent that we have haveing a really busy time.  The summer sessions were overbooked and the autumn is looking very active indeed.  Not got your copy?  Have you renewed your membership?  Remember it runs out every April!

To apply for an application form to join the Association please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

All members must be 10 years old or over and current members of the Scout or Guide Associations as Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Guides, Explorers, Rangers, Networkers, Young Leaders, Helpers, Skills Instructors or Warranted Leaders, etc.

Wirral Guide and Scout Canoe Association are now a BCU Top Club and have achieved Clubmark status from Sport England.

BACKGROUND

The Association was started to promote canoeing on Wirral to and for Guide and Scout units/groups.  This has always including personal British Canoe Union based star awards and coaching awards.  The success of the Association has been demonstrated over the years by the increased number of groups getting on the water and or now having their own BCU qualified coaches.  This is now particularly evident in Girl Guiding in Wirral as the number of coaches has doubled.  Due to the expansion of disciplines, from grants for sea kayaks and open boats, membership of the Association now includes Scouters and Guiders from across the whole of Merseyside.

CLUBMARK – “SIGN OF A QUALITY CLUB”

Clubmark is the Sport England accreditation scheme that sets standards across all quality sports clubs in England. It represents higher standards of safety, coaching, and management. To bring greater benefits to our clubs, Canoe England have worked with Sport England to match core criteria of the Clubmark scheme with the Top Club scheme so that a club can gain accreditation for both schemes at the same time.

INTRODUCING CLUBMARK

Clubmark is a cross-sport quality accreditation for clubs with junior sections. According to research conducted by the Northwest Regional Development Agency in 2004, three fifths (60.5%) of young people belong to a sports club outside school. It is vital that these clubs serve young people well. Sports clubs that work with children and young people need and deserve support to improve the quality of work they do so that we can:

• Ensure the well-being of young people whilst in the care of adults, other than their legal parent(s)/carer(s).

• Enthuse young people to enjoy sport and active recreation to build a healthy and active lifestyle.

• Enable young people to use their leisure time creatively.

• Allow young people to optimise their talents and personal ability.

• Identify and support the development of the most talented young people.

National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) and county sport partnerships (CSPs) award Clubmark to proven high quality clubs. The national scheme has been in place since 2002 and there are now 2,500 accredited clubs across 25 sports and the aim is that by 2008 this will have increased to 5,000 and that Clubmark will be the stamp of approval to which all sports clubs aspire.

All organisations involved in accrediting clubs will be subject to a licensing process, this will help to establish Clubmark as the mark of high quality junior clubs.

WHAT IS A TOP CLUB?

The Top Club accreditation scheme is based on the principle that clubs demonstrate:

· A commitment to young people
· Provision of safe, quality activity and coaching programmes

For clubs that have achieved the standards it gives public recognition – for clubs that wish to improve what they do it is like a blue print – or model to help and guide which areas to work on.

Top Community Club (TCC) – the aims of a TCC is to provide young people with a good introduction to paddlesport and consolidation of technique (on the Long Term Paddler Development model Paddlesport Start and Develop); to give them the opportunity to participate on a regular basis, and to give access to progressive quality coaching programmes where they can experience at least two disciplines of paddlesport.

THE ACCREDITATION CRITERIA

There are four key sections to the criteria for accreditation – Activity Programme, Coaching, Duty of Care and Ethics and Club Management. A club has to provide evidence or complete a self audit to show that they meet the minimum standards for these criteria.

BENEFITS OF ACCREDITATION

The most important reason that clubs state for being a Top Club is always PUBLIC RECOGNITION. This in itself brings many benefits – there are also benefits from clubs working towards accreditation – they all add up to

Increasing membership

Developing your club

Developing your coaches and volunteers

Raising your club's profile

Priority Support