AIRE and CLARO look forward to seeing you all at the British Middle Championships this coming weekend. 

You have entered in greater numbers than we anticipated, but we have adapted to cater for you all as best we can.  Both Danefield and Kilnsey Moor is a lovely places in the Spring sunshine and we really hope the weather is kind so that you can enjoy it at its best.  The technical woodland of Danefield is in sharp contrast to the fast open areas of Kilnsey.  You should enjoy some great orienteering on both days.  Str8 compasses is sponsoring a lot of prizes for the Northern Championships and the British Middles so run well and good luck.

Start times and final details are published, maps are printed and lots of equipment is ready to move.  No controls are out yet, but we have been busy at Kilnsey as you may be able to see from a picture.  There are a variety of crossing points on Kilnsey Moor – many of you will only encounter this one.  There are no stiles to cross at Danefield you’ll be relieved to know.

We will be able to accommodate you all in the parking areas for both events, but as always, it would help if you car shared as much as possible.  The Danefield field has remained in good condition throughout the winter, but as some rain has been forecast over the coming days we will have some tracking available.  Kilnsey has the delight of hard standing in the quarry.  We can’t promise that you will keep your feet dry, but at least cars should not get stuck in the mud as might have happened at some recent events.  We’re hoping that’s true for Danefield.  Definitely true for Kilnsey!

Anyone wanting to carry a club tent to Danefield, could reduce the distance to carry the tent by 800m by using the drop off point suggested in the event details.  It would need to be a rapid drop-off as there are often no parking bays available. They are all quite uneven, and the road is very narrow.  To get back to the parking field it is best to not attempt a 5 point turn but to drive in an anti-clockwise route with LH turns for 2.5k to get back to the parking field.  This should take no morfme than 5 minutes.

Have a great weekend.

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Full details on the British Middle Championships are available via this link. Visit the CLARO website for more details regarding the Northern Championships. Good luck to everyone taking part!

As agreed at the AGM 2023, from 1 May 2024 British Orienteering would like to offer an exclusive part-year Membership to new members.

New members are individuals who have not been members of British Orienteering in any of the previous four calendar years.

Part year membership fees 2024

Seniors – £10

Young adults – £7.50

Juniors – £3.00

Families – £25.00 (all members must be new members and not on the database to take up this offer).

No memberships will be merged with existing memberships.

Please note from 1 January 2025, any “new” members will need to renew their membership for 2025.

Find out more about how to join online today. 

The GBR teams for the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) and the European Youth Orienteering Championships (EYOC) are announced.

The JWOC races are in Plzeň, Czechia from 1 - 6 July and the EYOC races are in Szczecin, Poland from 21 - 24 June.

All named athletes are selected to all disciplines at each competition.

In alphabetical order of surname, the JWOC team is:

Non-travelling reserves: Adam Barrie and Emma Crawford

In alphabetical order of surname, the EYOC team is:

Guidance for Competition Organisers

Introduction

British Orienteering is monitoring closely the developments relating to the spread of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and noting the updates and advice given by the UK Government, the World Health Organisation and other UK public bodies.

The UK Government has indicated that “banning large gatherings is one of the least effective measures a country can take”.

We recognise that the Scottish Government has taken a different approach in that from Monday (16^th March 2020) “all large gatherings above 500 people with the potential to impact the emergency services should be cancelled to prioritise the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak”.

British Orienteering will follow the advice of the UK government unless we are instructed to do so by the government or other relevant authorities. For clarification in Scotland events over 500 must follow the advice issued by the Scottish Government.

We take the safety of our members and all those involved in organising and delivering competitions and events very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation and potentially introduce further guidance or measures as the situation evolves.
 

Competition Guidance

However, you must not come to any British Orienteering competition or activity if you fall into one of the following categories:

• If you have a high temperature
• If  you have a new continuous cough
• If you have been in Wuhan city or Hubei Province (China), Daegu or Cheongdo (Republic of Korea), Iran, or the containment areas in northern Italy on or after Saturday 7 March
• If you have been anywhere in Italy on or after Monday 9 March
• If you have been advised to stay at home by a health professional.

Risk Management

Competition organisers should look at opportunities to reduce the risk of close contact for orienteers, officials and volunteers.  For example:

• Extended start times
• Increased size starting pens;
• No results or awards ceremony at the event (available on line);
• Reduce areas where people congregate such as club tents, catering, download areas;
• Where possible source sufficient sanitizers for all areas but recommend that competitors bring their own along;
• Rubbish to be taken away by participants after the event
• Consider providing additional information in advance (e.g. about the personal hygiene facilities available at the event) to support people in making an informed decision as to whether to compete
• Where possible review your Cancellation Policy.

As you can appreciate the situation is changing rapidly and we will keep you informed of any further developments or changes.

13 March 2020