RYA Midlands blog – September 2024
Following a frenzy of activity over summer at home and away, as we head into September and the cooler and shorter days of autumn, mid-week evening sessions are drawing to a close and I know many of you will be having club championships and prize givings to mark the end of the main season.
But the weather does continue to be mild and the water is still relatively warm, so it’s at this point that it’s really important for you to take a look at your club/centre calendar to make sure it’s busy and that your members and customers know what’s on offer and remain engaged.
Likewise it’s a good time to review the activities of your training and volunteer teams and keep them inspired for the next part of the year. As you may have seen in our news pages, I’ve been out and about throughout summer supporting volunteers and instructors with ‘Ben in a Boat’ visits.
Read more about these informal on-water upskilling sessions in our Ben in a Boat 2024 round-up and see if you’d like to book one for your club or centre. Moving into autumn and winter, although evening sessions are not possible, ‘Ben in a Boat’ visits will still be available to clubs on weekdays.
Olympic journeys
The turn of the season is also an opportunity to consider the ways you may like to say thank you for the incredible volunteer efforts of those without whom our sport would not be possible.
I was reflecting recently on the Olympics and Paralympics and the buzz of these incredible sporting events, which spark interest and inspire engagement in sport, encouraging people to not only watch on in awe, but also get fit or try new activities for themselves.
These events are also the pinnacle of a very long journey for those in action on the world stage, one that begins in grassroots clubs up and down the country and which over the years for each athlete will have been nurtured along the way by a volunteer army!
If you are one of those volunteers who gives their time to support activities at your club or centre, behind the scenes or on the water, a huge thank you from all of us who love our sport. If you are a volunteer co-ordinator at your club, have a think how you really show your appreciation to your team and celebrate their efforts.
RYA Connected
Bookings are now live! Please take a look at our main regional event of the year for clubs in the Midlands – RYA Connected – and register as soon as possible to secure your place.
We have an exciting agenda and it will be a busy day, so if a couple of you from your organisation are able to attend and split the topics between you, that will enable you to not miss anything!
Our event is at Brockington College in Leicestershire on Sunday 17 November 2024 and will cover all aspects of boating in the region, including dinghy sailing and racing, boardsports, Sailability and cruising.
Tickets are free and include lunch. Come along to pick up tips and ideas, tap into the expertise of the RYA and our partners, and of course have an enjoyable day networking with like-minded people.
And finally…
It’s been fantastic to see the impact of our RYA Midlands Learning & Development Bursaries over the year, following the award of our first round of funding from the scheme.
Benefits have included the training of an additional nine RYA Dinghy Instructors at Covenham SC, which has provided a vital boost for the club’s activities. Read more about all of the bursaries awarded in 2024 and look out for when applications re-open in January 2025.
In the meantime, I’d like to wish good luck to all those who will be taking our RYA Senior Instructor course at the end of the month at Aztec Adventure / ASF Birmingham.
For upcoming opportunities and courses you may like to follow RYA Midlands on Facebook and X and bookmark the RYA Events hub.
Until next time, Ben.