STOCKTON & THORNABY CANOE CLUB
TRUSTEES REPORT
Chair
I’m pleased to present the Trustee Report for the 2024/25 period. Since our last AGM, the club has continued to go from strength to strength, maintaining stable finances and a strong, growing membership.
One of the key changes we've made this year is the adjustment of the AGM timing to better align with the end of the paddling season rather than the start. We hope this shift will encourage greater attendance and, in turn, increase member engagement in the governance and direction of the club.
Our Wednesday Club Nights resumed in April and have offered a wide variety of paddling opportunities. This year, our introductory courses were particularly successful, including the launch of both a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Introduction Course and a dedicated Junior Course—both very well received. These were delivered alongside our regular coached sessions covering kayaking, touring, sea kayaking, canoeing, and now SUPs as well.
A huge thank you goes out to our team of coaches, volunteers, and all the behind-thescenes helpers who make Wednesday nights run so smoothly. Your ongoing support is the heartbeat of our club.
Through the winter, we continued to offer pool sessions at Thornaby Pool, providing 24 midweek training opportunities. These were scheduled on Wednesday evenings to maintain consistency with club nights and included several sea kayak-specific sessions. While attendance was generally strong, the number of sessions exceeded demand, and we did not quite break even. Nevertheless, the value they provided— particularly for members developing their rolling techniques—was clear. Many thanks to all who supported these sessions.
Members have taken full advantage of opportunities to build their skills and work toward qualifications. A huge congratulations to everyone who achieved personal paddling awards and met their individual goals. We are proud to have a solid group of coaches and leaders delivering high-quality sessions each week. This year, we also invested in future development by supporting further training, including subsidising two First Aid courses and two PSRC courses for prospective coaches and leaders.
The introduction of the booking app has been invaluable for organising Wednesday nights, providing visibility of coach availability and helping members book sessions at their convenience. Feedback has been very positive, and it has significantly improved planning and participation.
Membership numbers are extremely healthy. We began the period with 233 members and currently sit at 202. The breakdown includes:
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64.5% Adult members
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11.5% Family memberships
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11.5% Junior members
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5.2% Senior members
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7.3% Student members
Finally, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated team of trustees, coaches, volunteers, leaders, and all those who generously give their time. Your continued efforts make Stockton & Thornaby Canoe Club such a fantastic community and a welcoming, vibrant place for all.
Trustee Team in place of Chair
Coach Coordinator
I would like to thank all the volunteer coaches, leaders, aspirant coaches and all that have assisted over the last 15 months. We have had a busy year. In that time the club has run 4 adult intro to kayak sessions with another fully booked one starting on the 23rd. 3 Jr into kayak sessions and an intro to SUP which is going well and just completed it 3rd week. There are plans to run an intro to sea kayaking block coming soon. The club has run a PSRC or its members with another one to be arranged sep/oct time. The club has received a bursary from the stronger together fund which has been used to fund 6 white water paddlers through their white water leader training. Unfortunately the course planned to run 12th April had to be postponed due to a lack of water, the course has been rearranged for 15th 16th Nov. I know the candidates have been working on their skills when they get a chance.
Paddle UK have been updating policies, the biggest change for the club are the standards of deployment. please see standards of deployment document.
In the coming months coaches, leaders, trip planners get together to formally discuss the Standards.
One area that needs some work on is how the club/committee record someone is 'competent' at the moment qualifications are being used as a standard measure of competence however there may be times when experience and a club framework would be suitable.
An example of this could be an assistant helping a coach deliver an intro course. It is a great opportunity for them to get experience and learn but the committee needs to decide and be confident they are able to fulfil the role as an assistant. This could be assured with experience, completion of a PSRC, completion of a safeguarding course.
A working group of coaches and committee members will be made to put something robust in place for Jan 2026.
There has been an inquiry about members doing self led paddling on a wed club night. In principle this is a good idea and will be looked into as a priority.
it could fall under the category of supervised club activity or collaborative club activity please see standards of deployment documents. The club would also have to decide how the committee has assessed the participants as capable of taking part as paddling independently within the activity.
My initial thoughts are for any one that wants to take a craft out i.e. a SUP, complete an intro course on said craft. Or have a sign off from a club coach who is able to assess that craft or a third option would be to to have a recent personal/leadership qualification in that craft.
Thank you all, Tom Robertson.
Junior Report
This year has been a fantastic success for our junior section, with strong momentum carrying through the winter months and excellent retention across all age groups. We're especially proud of our more experienced junior members, who have taken great strides in their paddling journey by joining adult sessions and exploring a variety of water types. Their confidence and skill development have been wonderful to see.
Our Wednesday night sessions continue to thrive, with a vibrant and enthusiastic cohort of juniors regularly taking to the water. They’ve had full access to all the craft available in the store, and it’s safe to say that Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUPs) have become a firm favourite among the group!
Progress has also been impressive on the skills front. Many of our juniors have been working through Paddle UK's Personal Performance Awards, with a large number successfully achieving their Start Awards within the first six weeks of the programme. Our latest intake of new paddlers, just four weeks in, are already showing great promise and are well on their way to earning their first awards too – no doubt the first of many milestones to come.
Looking ahead, we’re excited about upcoming plans including a fun-filled family day at Ellerton Lake and some introductory whitewater sessions, which we’re sure will be hugely popular and a great way to broaden the juniors' paddling experiences.
None of this would be possible without the incredible dedication and support of our volunteer coaches and helpers. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who gives up their time each week to guide, encourage, and inspire our young paddlers – both on and off the water. Your energy and commitment are truly the backbone of our junior section’s success, and we are incredibly grateful.
Bekki Robertson
Boat store oficer
This position still remains vacant however the committee would like to thank Harry Peers who organised a working group to go through the boats and Thank you to David Brown and Addi for inspecting and updating the clubs records for all Buoyancy aids and Helmets.
Safeguarding report
I am pleased to report that over the past year no safeguarding concerns have been raised within the club. This reflects the ongoing commitment of our coaches, volunteers and members to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all.
I had the opportunity to meet with Patrick Burney, the Tees Valley Welfare officer. The meeting focused on the potential for welfare officers across different sports in the region to come together and share knowledge, best practices and experiences. This collaborative approach will help strengthen safeguarding awareness and consistency across the sporting community.
Responsibility for DBS checks has now transitioned to Know your People, a new platform that supports safer recruitment and verification processes. This is a very recent change. This will be to ensure compliance and continuity.
As we all know that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility so a sincere thank you goes to all our coaches and volunteers, whose dedication helps to keep our members safe both on and off the water. Your vigilance and care are vital to everything we do.
Debbie Oliver
Media report
Over the last year, the social media accounts have had great success in bringing attention to the club, and the sport as a whole. Throughout the year, there has been many posts showing what the club brings to its members, and how it continues to thrive as one of the most active clubs in the north east.
The club continues to receiving numerous enquires, almost daily about potential members, as well as a successful marketing campaign which saw numerous introduction courses being booked early in the season.
Harry Peers
Member Without Portfolio – Andy Howe
We’ve had a great start to the season with new adults and junior kayaks, plus paddleboards. Hoping to help people to continue their progress in whatever disciplines they enjoy. We are always very grateful for all the volunteers that help on club nights, so if you would like to help, please contact Tom.
ACTING TREASURERS REPORT
Overview
This report covers the period starting 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025 The period since the last AGM shows a continued healthy bank balance starting the period with £12914..13 in the bank and ending with a balance of £14654.43.
STCC’s main income streams, similar to previous years came from membership fees, club nights including introduction courses, and pool sessions. A big well done to all the coaches and volunteers who gave their time to help deliver the courses and help out at our club nights, pool sessions, and those delivering club activity and keeping members keen and interested.
The club is comfortably solvent and spending is controlled within our means, the club continues to maintain a strategic cash reserve of £3,000, which is to be used only in the event of significant unexpected expenditure requirements or loss of expected income.
Our main cash outgoings are premises rent, equipment insurance, purchase of new paddling equipment, and course delivery fees.
With suitable management of our finances and an increase in reserves, the Trustees have not seen any need to increase the membership and hire fees at this time.
| | Full Adult Membership | £ 27 |
|---|---|---|
| | Family Membership | £ 39 |
| | Junior or Senior Membership | £ 15 |
| | Student or Unemployed Membership | £ 15 |
| | Equipment Hire Fee | £ 3 Club-linked Session / £ 10 for |
| Personal Hire (day) | ||
| Financial Position (Reported at the AGMs) | ||
| | Balance at: 09/02/2023 |
£ 12,892.48 |
| | Balance at: 01/04/2024 |
£ 12,914.13 |
| | Balance at: 31/03/2025 |
£14,654.43 |
| Year | End Accounts Summary |
The accounts for 2024/25 show an opening balance of £12914.13 in April 2024. Income of £13,647.24 and expenditure of £11,904.15. This shows an increase in balance of £1,740.30. This increase is due to no major capital investment so far this year.
| Stockton & Thornaby Canoe Club | Stockton & Thornaby Canoe Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Account | |||
| Receipts and Payments Statement 2024/25 | |||
| Receipts | |||
| Club activityand Memberships | £12,797.24 | ||
| Donations / Grants | £850.00 | ||
| Equipment Sales | £0.00 | ||
| Total Receipts for theperiod | £13,647.24 | ||
| Payments | |||
| British CanoeingAfiliation | £651.40 | ||
| Merchandise Cost | £228.29 | ||
| Boat Store Rental | £733.00 | ||
| Course Costs | £3,279.06 | ||
| Event & TripCosts | £2,472.24 | ||
| Equipment & Maintenance | £1,323.48 | ||
| Equiptment Insurance | £1,098.68 | ||
| Pool Session | £2,118.00 | ||
| Total Payments for theperiod | £11,904.15 | ||
| Balance of Funds | |||
| OpeningBalance | £12,914.13 | ||
| Total Receipts: | £13,647.24 | ||
| Total Payments | £11,904.15 | ||
| End ofyear Balance | £14,654.43 | ||
| Balance of account | £1,740.30 | ||
| Cash at hand | £0.00 | ||
| ClosingBalance | £14,654.43 |