Photo: Kieron Allsop competing at BSOC. Credit: Ray Barnes BRITISH ORIENTEERING AWARDS WINTER 2009/10 Welcome to For further information about awards and to download nomination forms please visit the British Orienteering website > Volunteer Support and Training > Volunteer Awards Club of the Year Award Is your club an important part of the local community? I would like to draw your attention to I would also like to congratulate all the • Providing opportunities for everyone to experience a the Awards that are featured on this medal winners from the World Masters high quality club programme? page. Please consider nominating a Championships in Australia. A report on • Demonstrating a commitment to the development of fellow club member for one of the British the event can be found on page 14. participants as well as coaches and volunteers? Orienteering Awards. We are reliant on • Taking an innovative approach to the promotion of the you, our members, telling us about the Finally I would like to wish all our club? achievements of your clubs volunteers members a Merry Christmas and a If the answer is “YES” why not enter the British and we would like to be able to Happy New Year! Orienteering Club of the Year Award? acknowledge their hard work. Details on all the Awards and past recipients can If you have any feedback or reports for Electronic application forms are available from be found on the website at Volunteer future editions please email [email protected] and from the Support and Training >Volunteer Awards. [email protected] British Orienteering website. Caroline Povey Closing date for applications: 15th January 2010 Marketing Manager Prizes • 1st Prize: £300 for the clubs judged to be ‘Club of the Year’ and ‘University Club of the Year’ Young Volunteer • 2nd prizes: £200 for the next two best placed clubs in Awards both categories The PGL Young Volunteer Award scheme aims to Prize winners will be entered into the National Sports Club offer an incentive for young of the Year Award Competition which is run by the CCPR people to get involved in conjunction with the Foundation for Sports & Arts. with volunteering within • Prizes of £6000, £3000 and £1000 orienteering clubs. It is • Previous national prize winners have been CLOK, hoped that an increase DVO, OD, and WCH in young volunteers will provide relief to the already Silva Award strained volunteer sector within British Orienteering Nominations for the Silva Award for Services to Clubs. Orienteering 2010 are now being accepted. In 1983 SILVA (Sweden) AB decided to mark the fiftieth British Orienteering are looking Jon Duncan presents the anniversary of the first Silva compass by establishing for young people who have: 2008 winners Stephen an annual award within each IOF member Federation. • Made an outstanding contribution at club level Haley and Stuart Hooton The awards were to enable Federations to honour • Shown innovation or creativity in their volunteering those who have contributed in a special way to the • Demonstrated leadership within their role as a volunteer development of orienteering. • Volunteered with energy, commitment and enthusiasm • Demonstrated a willingness to develop their talents into new areas With the assistance of SILVA (UK) Ltd this was interpreted within the UK as being a person or persons Services to who have made a very significant contribution to Orienteering Award orienteering over a period of years, with an emphasis Congratulations to all the on ‘field’ activities rather than committee work. Indeed, recipients of the Services nominees may not be active or retiring members of to Orienteering Awards. the British Orienteering Board, nor part or full-time Further information about employees of the Federation. the awards and a list of recipients can be found on All members can nominate someone they believe has the Volunteer Award pages made a significant contribution to orienteering through of the website. ‘field’ activities. The nomination deadline is Friday 5th February 2010. The Board will make the final decision on the successful recipient. The award will be presented at the AGM on the 3rd April 2010. BSOA Services Awards Do you know someone who deserves to be recognised for all the work they have done in developing or Above: John Butler, Chairman of HALO supporting Schools Orienteering? If so, why not nominate Orienteers presenting Dorothy Smith them for a BSOA award? The next closing date is the 31st January 2010 and full details can be found at Left: Ken Hutson, past Chairman of HALO www.bsoa.org Orienteers presenting Pete Kullich More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3) 3 organisation it is obvious that, as a priority, we must look after Chief Executive’s and consider our members views and feelings. That naturally takes me to the staffing changes that are taking Mike Hamilton Chief Executive place. We have recently announced the appointment of Helen Errington and Dave Peel as the Events Manager in a split role. Update We see this role as key to working with you as members and event volunteers to enhance the enjoyment and satisfaction you The National Office has just completed a three day audit from a specialist company. This is required by gain from participating in and staging orienteering events. Further UK Sport and Sport England to demonstrate that British Orienteering is an organisation ‘fit for purpose’ information about the role can be found on page 6. in managing government funding. The audit was extensive in looking at a vast range of documents including all agenda, meeting papers and minutes for the last two years for all General Meetings, Board, We also welcome Peter Brett who has agreed to act as the Committee and Group Meetings. It took National Office staff almost a week to prepare for the audit, British Orienteering Environmental Officer. Peter is a member of in addition to the three days of the visit during which staff responded to questions and requests. At Devon OC, a former mapper and mapping adviser as well as the end of the visit I was debriefed, although the primary auditor still has to speak with Neil Cameron, currently being a Grade 1 Controller. Chairman of British Orienteering before the audit report will be finalised. My reason in mentioning In brief the role is to act as an expert resource for British this visit is that as members you should be aware that we are audited and that our governance, Orienteering and its clubs, ensuring that as far as possible procedures, financial systems and human resource systems etc are checked as being fit for purpose. orienteering in the UK adopts best practice in environmental Something that should provide you with a degree of confidence in your governing body. Once we have matters and maintains positive relationships with national the final report the Board will be considering it and I will let you know the significant findings. agencies, thereby maximising land access for orienteering. British Orienteering is extremely fortunate in having a person In the last edition of Focus I made a comment making about the events structure was informed participants. Nothing could be further from the with Peter’s experience, knowledge, contacts and credibility about “… a minority of very vocal people with by members’ views and did go through due truth! I appreciate that this perspective may to help orienteering maintain and build upon its environmental some strong views ….” And several people governance processes. From a governance inadvertently have been generated through credentials. have commented about my statement. I was perspective there is now an issue; the majority of the information we have provided but I would Sadly, at the end of November, we also said goodbye to Vicky not being dismissive of people that project members and their representatives supported, or like to firmly correct this message! Yes we are Thornton as Coaching Manager. Vicky has been in this role since strong views – far from it; we need more people did not disagree with, the recommendations for committed to generating increased participation October 2005 and has made a big impact on the coaching giving us their views. I was however being changing the events structure but we now have – this was after all the primary message that programme and on the coaches that have been trained and open in reflecting that we do have a problem a number of members asking for some of those clubs gave to us during the Whole Sport Plan supported. From a National Office perspective, Vicky has livened communicating with our ‘quieter’ members and changes to be reversed before the changes have consultation. We are however just as committed the office up considerably and been a valuable member of the determining what their views are. The event been fully implemented and evaluated. The article to working with you as members to increase your team. Vicky will be missed; it is unfortunate that we do not have restructuring that took place at the start of 2009 on page 24 about events should answer some of enjoyment and satisfaction in your orienteering. the finances to maintain the role however coaching is probably as is a prime example in that there was an extensive the queries currently being made about the event In order to do this we need your input and strongly supported now as it has ever been with Derek Allison as consultation with members and included a club structure. feedback as to what you enjoy and what the full time Director of Coaching. conference in October 2008. Feedback was frustrates you about orienteering, particularly in considered by the Working Group who made Similarly several members have commented regard to the events you participate in. Perhaps Finally I would like to congratulate all the recommendations to the then Council which that ‘BOF central’ does not care about its I have not stressed this message enough, were accepted in January 2008.