November 2020
As the season changes from Autumn towards winter, the world is slowly changing too, with yet another adaptation to the current Coronavirus pandemic. Once again we lead with an update on Guidance, feels like that is the main story each month but at least we are still able, in parts, to get out on the water! Due to launch of the new 'Tier' Protection System from the Scottish Government at the beginning of November, we at RYA Scotland have combined our general and Club & Centre guidance to produce one RYA Scotland 'Guidance for Boating' which looks at the protection levels. We've included a summary table and also updated what is appropriate/allowed at each level as outlined by the Scottish Government. As this month's blog is written, no Local Authority area is in Level 4, although a number are in Level 3 which limits 'contact activity' for Adults although contact and non-contact activity is allowed for all Under 18s.
The Scottish Government guidance, is due to be reviewed every second Tuesday from 10th November (any changes implemented on the Friday), however it looks like the current five-level system may be around for quite a while. If there are any updates/changes then we will let you know, however, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like any further clarification on what the current guidance may mean for your club or centre.
Affiliated Club Conference - Saturday 21st November 2020
Hopefully you have seen lots of social media posts and received information, directly from the RYA around the Affiliated Club Conference (ACC). An exciting morning of online updates, interviews, videos and conversations will be led by Scotland's own Shirley Robertson! You can book a free place for a number of committee members, club officers and volunteers so that you can all represent your club and attend this conference. For further details and to book your tickets please see here.
There are two key elements that are also running alongside the conference:
- Expo area - during the weekend there will be an online area with interactive stands that will offer access to a variety of RYA and RYA Scotland contacts including Legal, Racing, Training, Home Country Updates, downloadable resources and with bookable 1-1 appointments. This can be accessed starting midday on Friday, running during the Saturday and finishing up at midday on Sunday.
- Club Development Webinar Streams - these will start on Monday 23rd November and run for up to 3weeks after the conference. They cover a variety of topics from planning, volunteers, sustainability, creating impact and equality. Again these are free online sessions so please indicate which ones you wish to attend.
Online Club Race Official Workshops
We are offering clubs the opportunity for an online workshop to train and develop race officials. This workshop can be tailored to the activity at your club and can help to explore other ways of delivering racing. With new rules for 2021, this will be a good opportunity for current race officers to come along and understand what effect these changes might have on a racing event. If your club is interested in getting involved in some training, please contact nikki.stewart@ryascotland.org.uk for more information.
We are recruiting�.
Hopefully you will have seen the news that we are looking to expand the RYA Scotland team. We are looking to increase the Participation & Development team to include a new Regional Development Officer who will cover the North (& Islands) of Scotland which will finally allow us to have total coverage across the whole of Scotland. In addition to this, we are looking to recruit a new Training Development Officer to support the development of 'people' within our clubs and centres, specifically around instructors, coaches and race officials.
On a low note, Jack who has been our East Regional Development Officer for over 2.5yrs is leaving us after Christmas. This means that we are looking for a replacement for this role too.
If you know anyone who may be interested in applying for these roles then please see here, for further information or to have a chat about the roles then please get in touch with Liza (RDO roles) or Nikki (Training role)!
We hope that some of you are still able to take advantage of the late autumnal sunshine and get out & about at your club and centre, enjoy!
We hope to see you soon, however, in the meantime, please don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat or general check-in if we can help!
Take care and stay safe!
The Development Team, aka Robin, Jack & Liza