The winner of the Development & Innovation of the Year Award 2023 is…Swansea Bay Orienteering Club!

This award celebrates the efforts an individual, group, or club has put into delivering a programme or initiative which supports the growth of orienteering.

Many congratulations to the club on receiving this award. Below we share some of the comments made by their nominators. 

Swansea Bay Orienteering Club

Over the year, the club has developed some great initiatives to attract a wider range of people into the sport. They accommodate for all with a lot less jargon, more social opportunities and not being worried to adapt style/ courses from the standard to be more appropriate and engaging.

Here are some of the great ways that the Club has delivered programmes or initiatives to support the growth of orienteering:

• Created the family orienteering coaching day.
• Developed a track progress initiative for the Welsh Orienteering Association.
• Create fantastic graphics on social media.
• Successfully sell orienteering as a sport for all with the ‘Swansea Bay Fun Day(s)’.
• Distribute a great club welcome leaflet.
• 60-minute urban map runs!
• Make competing as pairs or family’s an accepted norm and part of their messaging.
• More score orienteering opportunities.
• Provide their courses on a real mix of terrain. 
• Run club nights with skill sessions, strength and conditioning and SI training.
• There are more opportunities to socialise and more event series.
• Volunteer incentives are aplenty.

Swansea Bay Orienteering Club have established themselves as a professional but family-friendly club. By truly putting their members first, and using the support and humble inspiration of athlete Megan Carter-Davies, they have been able to identify what they are capable of doing, and achieving this to a high standard.

Congratulations again to the club on winning the Development & Innovation of the Year Award 2023!

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It’s important to us, to recognise the other clubs and individuals who were nominated for the Development & Innovation of the Year Award 2023. Here they are, alongside some of the comments regarding their contributions over the past year.

Nominees for the Development & Innovation of the Year Award 2023

The Outdoor Classroom

“The Outdoor Classroom App brings digital versions of orienteering into schools and encourages the sport of orienteering through a different lens of lesson content all while following a map and locating plaques.

Member schools in the UK have significantly increased their physical activity thanks to the app and the annual competition - The Big League. All activity is tracked in the app, so there is detailed and in-depth data reporting on distance travelled, time spent outside, speed of the course and more.”

Hilary Palmer, Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club

“Hilary started and has been running a series of ‘MapActive’ orienteering teaching classes for new and progressing orienteers in the Nottinghamshire area, that is now being expanded into neighbouring counties, orienteering Clubs.

The MapActive ‘Courses’ (held twice in 2023) take each participant in the group through basic and advance map reading and compass use and are held in current or past used actual orienteering locations and follow these up with weekly zoom discussion and information sessions on the past weekend’s event, and the use of available technology e.g. RouteGadget. The complete course includes entry into 2 actual orienteering events with support by Hilary at the start and post event zoom sessions. Past participants are encouraged to support later classes.”

Andy Thornton, Manchester & District Orienteering Club

“Regular spunch events are an outstanding MapRun and development initiative. Around 100 people at each event, using enhanced and extracted OS map. Well-chosen c50 controls with scenic trails and cafe meet after.

There is a simple motto to get more and younger people out running with. On a mission to de-clutter the sport and make it more accessible to all and give more people the opportunity with less barriers to get out running with maps. Big advocate of MapRun and it’s development to ease workload for planners.”

Kath Savage, Lakeland Orienteering Club

Kath is the Development Officer at the club and has organised events throughout the year to introduce as many new families as possible to the club. Each couple of months she organises four events where around 200 children and their families completely new to orienteering try the sport.

Each event has a selection of different games and courses, and a competitive map or map run event. In addition, during the school holidays she has organised events where businesses have posters and the children can download a map and follow a course in urban routes (Christmas holidays there was a course in Ulverston, Windermere and Kendal all available for the two weeks). She is so enthusiastic and positive!

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Next up, we will be sharing details of the winner of the Respect the Environment Award 2023. Check our website or social media daily for the latest updates.