Hi Folks,

Just a quick update from here at CIWW.

The Course – as you have seen by the pics that have been on the construction website the pumps have been running and the course has been looking good for this stage of the project. The movable blocks that fit into the bottom of the course have not yet arrived hence the lack of eddies. This will also allow the course to be fine tuned and tailored for different events whether it be freestyle, slalom or a bit of everything. For a better look at the course in its current state here is a short video:

Opening Date & Prices – The final opening date is still to be confirmed, we will let you know when it is definite. Prices to paddle will be £10 for a days paddle, we are currently looking at season ticket prices for those that want to use the course on a regular basis, again once this information is set in stone we will let you know.

Some of you have already voiced concerns over our emphasis on commercial activities, this is due to the fact that there will be a significant cost related to the running of the course and therefore CIWW will need to have a commercial emphasis for the course to remain open for years to come like most other similar centres.

Unfortunately for paddlers this means that we wont be running the course 24/7, there will be allocated time slots where the pumps are running and this information will be available in advance through the website. We are keen to make the course accessible for all paddlers whether they are club members or national teams but this needs to be done in a financially sustainable way. This means that you are likely to be sharing the course with rafts and other river traffic.

Staff – We are looking for paddlesports coaches and raft guides to work for us on a freelance basis. BCU qualifications are essential for these roles and we do have a range of training and assessments courses running; for both rafting and paddlesport.

Jack has posted dates previously for those that have already done a level 1 raft training and are looking for some stick time and an assessment. Note that the raft-training day on the 26th March is no longer running. There will also be Level 1 raft training courses on the following dates:
• 16-18 April
• 18-20 June
• 20-22 Aug
• 22-24 Oct
• 10-12 Dec

There will also be details of our range of other courses appearing on the website in the next couple of days, this will include Star and coaching awards. http://www.ciww.com For any work or course queries then please contact the office on 02920 353 912 or info@ciww.com

Hope this helps and watch this space for more info.