Keen followers of SROC news will remember that the club was chosen back in February to be one of just five BOF clubs piloting the British Orienteering Increased Participation project, led by Participation Manager Steve Vernon. Since then there has been much going on behind the scenes and we are now able to announce how the project will move forward.

Starting on Tuesday 9^th September, and continuing on Tuesdays thereafter, we will have a regular meeting place with orienteering and fitness related activities each week. The new “club house” will be in the Julian Lailey sports hall at Ripley Saint Thomas School in Lancaster, which we will have between 6.30 and 8.00. As well as the excellent facilities in the hall there is the possibility of outdoor activities using the school grounds, which are already mapped.

Activities on offer will change each week but will generally include circuits, and a mixture of fun, physical and technical exercises. These sessions are aimed at existing club members as well as beginners and improvers, with something for juniors of all standards as well. Existing club activities on Wednesdays will not be affected by the new club night.

There should be a great atmosphere at these evenings with something for everyone and time to catch up with friends or discuss last Sunday’s run. There will be a nominal charge, probably £1 per adult and 50p for juniors, which will cover the running costs. We expect to have around thirty regular participants, some of these being transferees from the regular Monday night circuit sessions which Quentin Harding has been running for some time, attended by members of SROC and Bowland Fell Runners. 

We expect Steve Vernon to be on hand to open the first session. 

This project has come to fruition thanks to the efforts of, amongst others, Steve McLean, Martyn Roome and Quentin Harding. 

Chris Roberts