BOF Annual Awards 2024: Development & Innovation of the Year Award Winner – Kath Savage (LOC)

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

Kath Savage is the Development Officer at LOC and has worked tirelessly to attract newcomers to the sport through innovative and exciting opportunities.

Seasonal orienteering trails

During the school holidays, she organises seasonal orienteering trails around the local towns, this involves working with businesses where they have orienteering posters displayed in their shop window. The trails are free and can be downloaded, with treats for all who complete
them they are well-advertised and now an asset to the local communities. Participants are asked to complete the trails and provide a contact address, where orienteering, local events, and club information are then sent to the participants on a regular basis.

LOC Family Workshops

Throughout 2024 have been massively successful, these are based around popular locations, where orienteering skills are introduced in a fun way. These see families work together to solve orienteering puzzles (including the parents in the activity), and then, families can complete the short courses to try out their new skills. Locations are well thought out, including indoor provision for the availability of amenities such as toilets, tea/coffee, and a warm space to make the sessions more inviting, welcoming and a base for families to stay, socialise, and engage with club members afterward. Google Forms are used to capture
participant details so that further information can be sent to them about local orienteering opportunities, and certificates, stickers, and modern, fun advertising are available for each event and widely shared in local non-orienteering community groups.

Kath has developed the DVO idea of Explorer Awards and has made these navigation achievements something to strive to achieve from the juniors at the club. She has enhanced
the awards on offer from the BSOA, updating them visually, and has created a bespoke LOC
Courses Collector and Awards scheme. These are regularly celebrated across social media and to LOC members with regular award ceremonies at local events. Together with introducing a free LOC junior kit, these have made newcomers and existing juniors feel part of a belonging and an identity within the club and have offered inspiration to improve within the sport. This has progressed to older juniors with the new Junior Club, which promotes friendship and team building, and these juniors can carry on enhancing other skills through the LOC Logbook, with support from SBOC. These skills are aimed at White/Yellow and Orange level volunteers with certificates and badges for completing, again, creating a sense of unity and belonging within the club.

Maprun Meet-Up’s, an innovative series of new, novice-friendly courses, has been pivotal in
attracting newcomers of all ages to the club. These are supported by LOC volunteers and
have additional games and skills attached to them to add value to the meetups. These have
been brilliant in explaining the app, how to get the best out of it, and promoting other ‘Anytime
Orienteering’ opportunities to those attending, who go away with new confidence in using the
app successfully. opportunities, certificates, stickers, and modern, fun advertising are available for each event and widely shared in local non-orienteering community groups.

Images below: A team of Lakeland Orienteering Club volunteers helping to oversee one of the family workshops, and a social media advert promoting Lakeland Orienteering Club’s October half term activities.

Not only has Kath brought in new and exciting opportunities, but she has also ensured that
LOC’s social media presence is modern and contemporary, with innovative images, posters, and advertisements. These are created and shared throughout a wide range of different
communities and have created a sense of 'FOMO’ about the events and activities on offer, and showcase the sport in an exciting way.

Kath’s innovative and exciting ideas have made LOC a thriving club full of active juniors and
families. The activities and events help attract newcomers to the sport, but the pre/post event/
activity communications, social media, and information help for them to see the wider
offerings available to them. By showcasing the sport in a rounded way, the newcomers attracted to these initiatives are not only enjoying and confident enough to attend LOC events and activities but are also signposted and encouraged to try other clubs’ events too, helping them gain a rounded experience of the sport and drive participation within it. 

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Congratulations Kath - you thoroughly deserve this award!

Next up, we will be sharing details of the winner of the Respect the Environment Award 2024. Check our website or social media daily for the latest updates.