Since 2023, Eryri has increased its membership numbers from less than twenty to seventy at the end of 2025. This increase has been the result of a sustained effort, initially from a small group of volunteers and now a volunteer base that is a substantial proportion of the club’s membership.
The Club of the Year Award has been designed to recognise Clubs that:
- Provide opportunities for everyone to experience high-quality activities at all levels.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the development of participants, coaches, and volunteers.
- Take an innovative approach to the promotion of orienteering activity throughout the wider community.
Eryri have increased participation and membership through the provision of a range of activities and events that encourage participation and progression for both athletes and volunteers. Eryri holds weekly training sessions on a Thursday evening, which aim to develop key orienteering skills and align with the Welsh Orienteering Association’s skills development booklet. The sessions aim to help develop the skills and confidence of new participants and challenge more experienced orienteers. At many of the sessions, more experienced orienteers help newcomers, increasing the friendly feel of the sessions and helping to provide an environment that people are comfortable returning to.
Beyond increasing participation at introductory level, many of Eryri’s new junior orienteers have become members of the Welsh Junior Squad, competing at national level.
Eryri have also developed their program of events, from putting on fewer than 4 events in 2022, to this year, where we have an established winter street O series, a park series in spring and additional events through summer and autumn, and were able to host the Welsh orienteering championships weekend in 2025. Our winter street O series provides an opportunity where we encourage the progression of new organisers and planners, with the help of an experienced mentor.
This winter, all our street O planners and organisers have been new to the club since 2023, representing a key upskilling of volunteers within the club. One of our Street O events was run in collaboration with Denbigh Striders, developing partnerships with a club in the local area and bringing orienteering to a wider group of athletes. The series as a whole has brought in new participants from local running and triathlon clubs (around 50% are non-members) and has showcased grassroots orienteering using MapRun and simplified town maps as an entry route to the sport. We encourage team participation to remove a barrier to running at night, and our gender balance at the events is now approximately 50:50.
Image below: Eryri following their qualification for the CompassSport Cup Final 2026. Credit: Matthew Fortes.
We have been working in partnership with Conwy County Council’s outdoor development team and are in our second year of running a series of park events across Conwy County. These events are aimed at newcomers, with a particular emphasis on encouraging families and young people to enjoy the outdoors. The outdoor development team have been visiting local schools demonstrating orienteering, and we have planned and organised a series of events that are advertised through the county council. At each event, we have prioritised having members on hand to help out and explain what to do, allowing people to run multiple courses to encourage progression and enjoyment, and having an activity such as a string course aimed at younger juniors.
Image below: Participants at the Bodlondeb Conwy Park Series. Image credit: Lizzie Bennett.
We have been developing a club development strategy that aligns with Welsh Orienteering’s five-year development strategy, with the aim of increasing participation, membership and volunteer numbers through the provision of regular training and events. Though an ongoing challenge is the comparative geographical isolation of North Wales, which can limit entry numbers from the wider orienteering population. A key part of the strategy is upskilling volunteers. Through a grant from the Orienteering Foundation, we have trained 9 additional first aiders for our events. We pay for all new event officials to undergo the British Orienteering event safety course. Our event officials are thanked at the time and at the AGM are given a small token of appreciation as public thanks for their time, enthusiasm and effort. None of this would be possible without our enthusiastic committee, so thank you to them.
Image below: Eryri members at the White Rose Weekend 2025. Credit: Lizzie Bennett.
Congratulations to Eryri Orienteering Club on winning their award.
Next up, we will be sharing details of our University Club of the Year Award Winner 2025! Check our website or social media daily for the latest updates.
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Club of the Year Award Winner 2025: Eryri Orienteering Club
