Blog

At the beginning of September Jason Falconer (Wessex Orienteering Club) and Find Your Way Officer, Caroline Barcham attended the Gilwell Reunion Scout Weekend at Gilwell Park. The Reunion is the largest Scout Leader gathering in the UK and is a weekend for Scout Leaders to connect, upskill and gain information about events and activities which will improve their offer to the groups they lead.

Brunel University were the hosts yesterday for the final British Championship of 2023! London Orienteering Klubb put on a fantastic and well-planned event once more with 150 teams tackling the grounds of the somewhat intricate university grounds. In the Elite category South Yorkshire Orienteers (SYO) came out on top with a superb result ahead of Bristol Orienteering Klub (BOK) and multiple-time winners Forth Valley Orienteers (FVO). SYO also took 1st place in Junior (-16) category pipping the Dorset Junior team who came in second and the Junior (-12) category coming in ahead of West Anglian Orienteering Club (WAOC) in second and South Downs Orienteering Club (SO) in third.

A wonderful time was had by all as Forth Valley Orienteers celebrated its Golden Jubilee with a gala dinner at Stirling's Colessio Hotel, as more than a hundred former and current members assembled to mingle and catch up on old times writes Steven Scott, Press Officer (Forth Valley Orienteers).

From 30 July – 4 August, orienteers from near and far came together to compete on high-quality terrain and courses in Moray, Scotland. Here, some of the Clubs in attendance provide an overview of how they spent their time at this year's event.

On Sunday 9th July 2023 the Yvette Baker Trophy & Shield Final took place in the ancient woodland of Sandall Beat. The competition provides a great opportunity for both experienced & new orienteers to represent their club, with juniors able to select a course to match their current orienteering ability and Joint Organiser, Jacky Dakin provides more insight in this blog.

From 10–11 June 2023, Roxburgh Reivers Orienteering Club held Race the Abbeys in the Scottish Borders, within the historic towns of Kelso and Jedburgh. Both days included an elite sprint competition in addition to the usual urban classes. Here, Ian Maxwell (Event Co-ordinator), Rob Cranston (Organiser), and Lindsey Knox (Treasurer and Computing) share their experience of putting together a fantastic weekend of orienteering.

Over the past few years, Sal Chaffey from Derwent Valley Orienteers has worked with two welcome and support charities for asylum seekers and refugees in Derby. In this blog, she tells us more about how DVO got involved in local initiatives and how orienteering has had a positive impact on their lives.

South Yorkshire Orienteers have participated in World Orienteering Day since it began in 2016. They held their 2023 World Orienteering Day event at Wincobank on 17 May attracting 52 juniors (alongside accompanying adults) and 49 senior participants.

Thank you weather gods, for being kind to the weekend of the British Orienteering Championships 2023. The lead clubs, Berkshire Orienteers (BKO) and Thames Valley Orienteering Club (TVOC), supported by the rest of South Central Orienteering Association (SCOA), deserved a bit of luck, writes Paul Fox, Weekend Coordinator of BOC 2023.

The first Melton and Charnwood Schools orienteering race was held at the Melton Country Park on Tuesday 14 March. Nearly 350 Year 5 and Year 6 primary school children took part, representing ten schools.