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CEO Statement re COVID-19

Mar 23, 2020

Statement from Stuart Smith, SCA Chief Executive Officer

Dear paddlers, clubs, course providers and everyone in the paddlesport community.

I am writing to you at a time when we are all having to adapt to fundamental changes in the way we go about our daily lives. So many things we take for granted have been curtailed and many of the plans that we have made at work or in education and at home have been cancelled or postponed.

Over the last few days, based on the government advice, centres and clubs have had to suspend activities and many people who have dedicated their careers to helping others enjoy the outdoors have had their work reduced or halted. We acknowledge that there are serious consequences for individuals and organisations. The SCA has already highlighted to our partner, sportscotland the significant number of people (including self-employed) that rely on the outdoor sector for their livelihood.

Within Scottish Paddler magazine, which is currently being printed, we had initially listed all the planned events taking place this year. However in the last couple of days before going to press, we removed many events including the Club and Volunteer Conference and the Scottish Women’s Paddle Symposium as well as competitions across all paddling disciplines, when it became clear that these could not run. It cannot be underestimated how much work by dedicated volunteers goes into planning all these events. When we get to a point where things can be considered for rescheduling, the SCA staff team will enthusiastically support the SCA committees to bring these events back and to get people on the water.

Some of you had planned trips and expeditions this summer and several individuals have been preparing for British team selection events across a range of disciplines, including the Junior Slalom selection events which would have begun last weekend at Nottingham and the first sprint regatta of the National series due to have been this weekend. It is hugely disappointing for the individuals and coaches who have been looking forward to excelling at key national and international events, which are now cancelled.

For many of us it is not possible to paddle right now and we urge you to consider the safety of others as well as yourselves in everything that you do. The SCA Campsite is closed and we will monitor it using CCTV until we are able to reopen it. 

In the meantime there are some opportunities for people to get involved such as free access to UK Coaching e-learning, and the British Canoeing Digital Library containing many free learning resources. We are also exploring other ways we can support our members and the paddlesport community at this time such as online sessions or resources and we would love to hear from you with suggested topics. Maybe you or your club would like to host an online session about an aspect of paddlesport? Please get in touch (office@canoescotland.org and keep an eye on our news and social media channels for more information. 

Last week we took the decision to move staff to remote working, based on plans already in place for such a situation. Whilst the office is closed, all staff remain contactable and we strive to assist and support you as normal. The best email address for general enquiries is office@canoescotland.org or you can contact any individual directly using their email address or mobile number from the website. You can also leave a phone message on 0131 317 7314 and voicemails are responded to regularly Mon-Fri 08:30-15:30.

It will take us all time to adjust to new ways of engaging with and supporting each other. It has been really heartwarming to see people reaching out to others in a caring and supportive way and the sharing of great examples of resilience and tips on staying safe, healthy and active when paddling is restricted. All this should mean that we can collectively make a much bigger splash when we are given the go ahead to resume our normal activities and events.

We do not know yet what all of this will mean for us long term, however, we will be back on the water at some point and I know, based on the passion people have for paddlesport, that we will all be supporting and encouraging each other when that time comes. In the meantime we will continue to update you with any news on the  website and SCA social media.

On behalf of the whole of the SCA please keep yourself and others safe and please keep in touch. Be assured that we will continue to do everything we can to support paddlesport in Scotland.

Our best wishes to all

Stuart Smith
Chief Executive Officer

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