Welcome to the June newsletter,

It has been a busy month as usual. There have been lots of trips and events going on including a great weekend away to Symonds Yat, the annual Doggy paddle on the Avon, the Washburn trip and the first 3 star training at Jackfield rapids near Ironbridge.

We have been having a record number of paddlers on the lake sessions with all the coaching courses going well, and a lot of social paddling going on…

As most of you will know the annual membership is now overdue, This year it is a reduced rate and is only till the end of March 2015, this is going to be the new annual renewal date instead of the end of May as it has been previously. So if you haven't paid for your membership yet, can you organise it as soon as possible please.

The HCC/Stanton lakes open day is on Saturday 5th June from 11am till 4pm (ish), as we have mentioned before any help advertising it and help on the day, on and off the water would be really appreciated.
 
See you on the water  Dave Clarke

Its nearly time for the annual HCC Open Day. There'll be loads going on and we're all looking forward to a day packed with paddling and fun.

If you know anyone that you think would like to come down, please tell them about it as we need as many people there as possible to make the day a success. Its a great opportunity to get young people interested in paddling and there will be come and try it sessions for all ages.

If any of you can help lend a hand on the day (even for an hour) we'd all be really grateful. This is a call to all members to come and lend a hand if you can, if not, just come down and support us on the day.

Click here to see full details of what's going on on the day.

Jonny Bennett is running white water sessions at Holme Pierrepont on Friday evenings for those that are interested. Its a great opportunity to hone your skills in a safe environment on an exciting course.

If you're unsure whether its right for you, contact Jonny through our Facebook page and he'll explain the venue and requirements to you.

At the moment we usually perform at least one rescue every session at the open water swimming on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings. They are simple rescues (people with cramp, panic attacks etc), but it is a good foundation to build up real-life experiences for your paddling life.

If you fancy learning how to do a rescue for real, contact Stuart Ritchie through the club Facebook page or on 07966 318 305 to find out more. Its a great natural extension to your FSRT or First Aid courses, to keep your skills up and to learn how to keep others safe on/in the water.

Congratulations to all the recently qualified coaches at Hinckley Canoe Club. Many coaches are coaching at a higher level than before, for some its there first season as a coach and they're doing a great job.

Check out the coaching page on the HCC website to see the new faces, we're updating the page at the moment, so if any of you coaches haven't provided me with your details yet, get them over to me asap so all the members can see who the coaches are.

Click here for the coaching page.

This weekend!!! - Matlock beginners white water Sun June 22nd.

Next weekend - Wye Camping weekend Sat 28th Sun 29th June.

August - Sat 22nd Sun 23rd - River Dee camping weekend.

Click on the links above for full details and to find out how to book on the trip or who to contact.

One of our coaches Ian Bailey has written some really useful articles on his blog iBoutdoor.com recently. Take a look using the link below, he's got loads of great knowledge gained from paddling all over the world. Click here to go to Ian's blog.

Ian has also had an article published in the paddler magazine recently, you can read that here (starts on page 98) The Paddler article.

• Well done to the six paddlers who just successfully passed their one star!

• Don't forget to check on the latest trip reports here.

• For those that don't know (and those who may have forgotten) all HCC members get a 10% discount from both Desperate Measures in Nottingham and the Leam Boat Centre in Leamington Spa. Be sure to mention you're a member when making a purchase.