FAQ

To become a member, you will need to fill in our membership form. This will then give you access to our Spond group where you’ll be able to book a taster session, introductory course, or a Tuesday evening session.

The first step is to fill in the membership form for each member of your family. Make sure to read all of the questions, and reach out to us if you have issues.

Once your application is reviewed, and you make the requested payment, you’ll be invited to our Spond group. This will let you see what taster sessions and intro courses we have available.

You can then book your family onto the course of your choice.

Once you have booked on, our treasurer will contact you and instruct you on how to pay for your course.

Spond is SCC’s club management app. It is how you book onto sessions, and how the coaches can communicate with you. Don’t worry if you don’t have a smartphone, it also works on a computer.

Once you have completed the membership form, you will be emailed an invite to our Spond group.

Once you have received the invite link to our Spond group, you will be able to see all the sessions available to you. This will be a mixture of Taster Sessions, Introductory Courses, tuesday evening sessions, pool sessions, and trips away. If you think you don’t have the correct sessions visible, contact a member of the committee.

After you’ve chosen the session you would like to attend there are a few things you need to do:

• Click ‘Accepted’
• Select your ‘Task’. This lets us know what craft you will be paddling. Some crafts have a limited availability. If the task is full, there are no more of that craft available.
• Turn up!

If you decide you can no longer come to the session, simply decline your task, and your attendance at the event.

If you decide you can no longer come to the session, simply decline your task, and your attendance at the event on Spond.

See also “I will miss or have missed a Taster Session or part of an Intro Course – what happens?” if relevant.

Our taster sessions are held outside our clubhouse in Salisbury with our qualified coaches. They are designed for people with little to no experience in paddlesports. We look to introduce you to some basic concepts, in a fun, friendly, and supportive atmosphere. From there we will be able to assess your paddling ability, and signpost you to what you should do next. Our Taster Session closely mirrors the syllabus of the Paddle UK Start Award

Our Introductory Course is a programme designed to take you from ‘zero’ to ‘hero’. Run over three consecutive weeks (one evening a week) with our qualified coaches outside our clubhouse in Salisbury. We introduce the core concepts of kayaking, and develop them into techniques that will allow you to join us on our regular Tuesday evening members sessions. Our Introductory Course closely mirrors the syllabus of the Paddle UK Discover Award

We require a basic level of swimming proficiency in order to assure your safety. Participants should be able to swim the length of a 25m pool unaided.

This answer depends on your child. As coaches, we look for good strength and coordination abilities, as opposed to a simple ‘ages 8 and up’. That being said, ‘ages 8 and up’ is usually a good starting point! We do also require that your child (and any adult!) is able to listen and take instruction.

If at the end of the three weeks our coaches deem that you are still not safe to paddle with us on Tuesday evenings, then you will not be allowed to attend. Our coaches will provide you with a list of items to improve on, which once completed may then allow you to attend our Tuesday member sessions.

Reasons for Introductory Course failure can include

• Not listening to safety instructions.
• Not completing the required course content (no capsize drill completed).
• Persistent failure to wear safety equipment correctly.
• Missing a week, without agreement from coaches prior.

Our membership year runs from March – March (we call this a ‘paddling year’). Any membership purchased, whether it is a returning member, a new member, or an intro course participant, will expire at the end of March and will need to be renewed if you want to continue paddling with the club.

For the Intro Course you will need to sign up for Weeks 1, 2 and 3. If you can’t make a week please “reply” and we can aim to work something out – this is generally easier if you have attended a Taster Session.

Note that if you attend a Taster Session and later upgrade to join an Introduction Course, the Taster fees are deducted from the Introduction Course fees.

If using the app is an issue please discuss options.

For “17 and Under” paddlers the parent/guardian will need to complete the sign up. You can include contact details for the child if you wish. If you do this, both child and parent will receive notifications of events and be able to book.

When you use the link you’ll have the option to sign up as “guardian” or “member”.

Signing up as “guardian” for anyone “17 and Under”:

1. Add “child’s name”
2. Add “parent/guardian details”
3. If you want the child to also get invites add “child’s email” this will allow them to accept/decline invites, which will come via email (“guardians” will also see the invite and can also accept or decline). (bottom item on the screen – that’s on iphone, I assume it should be nearly the same on android)
4. ⁠⁠At the end select done.
5. Then use the link again to sign up another child or sign up as member if you are paddling parent/guardian.

Hopefully you’ll find the “member” sign-up easy to follow.

The “child’ can download the Spond app (if appropriate) and sign up using the same email as already added above, they can then accept/decline invites using the app.

Booking on Spond:

Chose the session you would like to attend

Click ‘Accepted’

Now select your ‘Task’. This lets us know what craft you will be paddling. Some crafts have a limited availability. If the task is full, there are no more of that craft available.

If you have any issues with Spond, please “reply” and I will aim to help.

Please bear with us while we get used to the Spond app. If you have any feedback on the new membership form or Spond please do let me know.

Courses are booked on a first-come-first-served basis, and SCC cannot guarantee availability. Should you pay membership and then find you are unable to attend the course due to a lack of capacity, SCC will refund your (unused) membership on request – please contact treasurer@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk.

If you are unable to complete the course within one paddling year due to your own availability, then SCC may, at it’s sole discretion, facilitate you attending some or all of the course the following paddling year at no extra cost. This will only be possible if the course would not otherwise be full with new, paying members. Please re-sign up the following year using the link on the ‘Become a Member’ page of this site and email membership@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk if this is the case.

Intro Courses and Taster Sessions can be found on the calendar page of this website, or in Spond once you have joined the club. Members should book an available space through Spond once they have paid their dues.

If you need to check for remaining spaces on a specific Intro Course, please contact membership@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk with the specific dates you wish to check, and how many child / adult spaces you would require.

Courses are booked on a first-come-first-served basis, and SCC cannot guarantee availability. Should you pay membership and then find you are unable to attend the course due to a lack of capacity, SCC will refund your (unused) membership on request – please contact treasurer@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk.

If you are unable to complete the course within one paddling year due to your own availability, then SCC may, at it’s sole discretion, facilitate you attending some or all of the course the following paddling year at no extra cost. This will only be possible if the course would not otherwise be full with new, paying members. Please re-sign up the following year using the link on the ‘Become a Member’ page of this site and email membership@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk if this is the case.

SCC is a volunteer-run organisation. Please submit requests to join the club / Intro Courses well in advance. There is a cutoff a week before the event, after which your request to join may not be processed in time for you to attend. Do not attend if you have not had a space confirmed via “Attending” on the event in the Spond app or direct communications from the commitee. 

In the event you did request in advance, and have not heard back, message the event organiser via Spond to confirm your spot.

This is for:

1. Previous club paddlers that don’t want to commit to Full Membership. Day Member can be converted to Full Member*
2. New club paddlers whose paddling experience indicates that an Introductory Course is unlikely to be required. You will be invited to attend as a Day Member so we can confirm your paddling ability, and you can make sure the club is right for you. If all is fine then you will have the option to stay as a Day Member, or convert to a Full Member*

*Day Members have the option to convert to Full Member. This applies up to, and including, your 3rd session. Should you choose to convert, any Day Member fees received will be deducted from the Full Member fee. Beyond your 3rd session, you will remain a Day Member until the next membership year. You can attend as little or as often as you wish, paying the £15 fee before each attendance. Day Membership includes the use of club kit/equipment if needed.

Our taster sessions and intro courses are popular, and capacity limited. Therefore, if you can’t make it following payment, you are likely taking up a space someone else could have filled. Our policy is as follows:

• No refunds for no-shows – if exeptional circumstances, contact us via Spond or email to treasurer@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk
• Cancellation less than 2 weeks before event: as above
• Cancellaton more than 2 weeks before event: refund possible, contact treasurer@salisburycanoeclub.org.uk

In exeptional circumstances, SCC may try to accomodate you on a future course, including in the following paddling year or offer refunds. Depending on the circumstances, this is likely to take secondary priority to new, paying members.