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Share  Tweet Friday 8th September 2017

City of Birmingham Orienteering Club set to host more Junior Events

Newcomer and Schools Events are set to be held on Saturday afternoons throughout the rest of the 2017 year and throughout 2018.

As well as hosting the Peter Palmer Junior Relays this weekend, the City of Birmingham Orienteering Club are also running a new series of monthly Newcomer and Schools Events starting on Saturday 30 September 2017 at Witton Lakes (B23 7XA) and then every other Saturday afternoon in 2017/2018 in various parks in and around Birmingham.  Sessions will run from 1pm - 2.30pm.

You can find full details of these Saturday afternoon orienteering events hosted by the City of Birmingham Orienteering Club – here. 

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Jennie Taylor (JT) Communications Officer at British Orienteering caught up with Ian Gamlen (IG) City of Birmingham Orienteering Club Secretary.

JT:  “Ian, I understand that your Saturday afternoon events are set to start on 30 September at Witton Lakes at 1pm and are being rolled out throughout 2017 and 2018 in parks in and around Birmingham.  This all sound great.  What do you hope to achieve from these particular events?”

IG:  “We are hoping to achieve a strong following for orienteering, especially park orienteering, among children in North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield.”

 

 


 

JT:  “Why you think this type of activity is needed?”

IG:  “The city's parks are underused, and not enough sport is going on in the city, especially in the more deprived areas, and we can help to fulfil that need, especially among those children who aren't so keen on team sports. The area we're covering includes some of the richest districts in England and some of the poorest, and orienteering has the advantage of being challenging but cheap.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

JT:  “What do you intend to do?”

IG:  “We intend to follow in the footsteps of Sheffield Orienteering Club and clubs in other areas that have had successful schools-and-families events in parks.”

 

 

 

 

JT:  “How are you promoting the series?”

IG:  “We are distributing promotional flyers in libraries, leisure centres and youth clubs. We are also sending invitations to school children via their schools.”

 

 

 

 

JT:  “What will the activities be?”

IG:  “There will be white, yellow, orange and long orange courses for children progressing from year 3 to year 10 and above. We will also have a fun O maze. There will also be a longer course for adult orienteers.”

 

 

 

 

JT:  “What has led your club to do this?”

IG:  “Seeing what's going on in other clubs. 

The City of Birmingham Orienteering Club is a small club with lots of ambition and enthusiasm. We are very keen to increase our membership particularly juniors so that they get the opportunity to learn how to orienteer and help grow the sport.

For a number of years now the City of Birmingham Orienteering Club has been putting on a short orienteering course and a Maze O at the Sutton Coldfield Community Games. This was held this year in July and children and adults have the opportunity to take part and learn about over 90 different sport activities, including, of course, orienteering. This year they had over 500 children and adults go around the Maze O with many expressing an interest in taking up orienteering more regularly.”
City of Birmingham Community Games

JT:  “Thank you Ian; this is great to hear. All the best with everything.” 

For more information on the above events please go to www.coboc.org.uk

British Orienteering would like to take this opportunity to wish the City of Birmingham Orienteering Club and its volunteers all the very best with the organising of their new club membership recruitment events.

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