History
Lisburn City Paddlers (LCP) was established in October 2008 by a small group of paddlers from the Lisburn and Greater Belfast areas. In the space of 6 years the club has 74 registered members and the club is renowned as one of the most active clubs in Northern Ireland. The club is regarded as a cross community club and have members come from all areas and all backgrounds. Lisburn City Paddlers are fully affiliated to the governing body, the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland (CANI). The clubs members are interested in most aspects of the sport including whitewater kayaking, surfing, Open Canadian canoeing (both touring and flat water) and canoe slalom. The emphasis at present is on river running, sheltered flat water paddling and surf.
Location
The club does not have an exact location as they have no clubhouse. However the group tend to meet at the Glenmore Activity Centre which is where all the equipment is stored.
Membership
Lisburn City Paddlers has 74 members of all ages, who are mostly male members. There are no age restrictions on members and there is currently one male member under the age of 10 in the club. There are currently 18 members under the age of 20 in the club 12 of which are male. The club have a very strong membership cohort aged between 20 and 50 with 31 male members and 19 females as well as having 6 members over the age of 50, however only one of these members are female.
A breakdown of the cost of membership fees can be found at: http://lisburncitypaddlers.co.uk/2013/images/forms/MembershipForms/LCP2013-14_Membership_Application_Guidelines.pdf
Club Provision
The club has various boats such as 4 open canoes 6 kayaks and ancillaries BA s which are at the member’s disposal however, renting this equipment will cost the members £5 each session.Members however will need to purchase their own wetsuit or other suitable clothing as the club does not supply these. The club also caters for those members who suffer from disabilities, and all the clubs coaches have attended a Paddleability course, which is a training course for coaching those people have disabilities.
Training sessions
All details regarding training sessions can be found on the clubs website. Training sessions will be the same all year round and will not be altered during winter. They will also be free of charge to those people who have paid their membership. Also, as the club has been accredited with a Clubmark, during junior sessions, their parents do not need to be present however than can attend if they choose to do so.
Trips away
The club will try and organise a few trips away each year. They regularly travel to Scotland on two occasions every year and they also made the trip to the French Alps in 2012 and 2014. These trips however will not be subsidised with the membership and therefore members will have to pay the price of the trip. The price will vary depending on the location of the trip in terms of travel expenses and accommodation as well as the number of people attending.
Additional information
The club practices a number of different disciplines including white-water, surf and open boating which members will take part in. The club is considered as a recreational as well as a performance based club. They will host Come-Try-It/recreational days for families and new members to come along and paddle for the sheer enjoyment of the sport in the hope of attracting new members to the club. The club will also hold 5 introduction sessions for these new members to give them a real feel for the sport before they decided whether they want to take up the sport. However the club also the chance for members to participate in the performance sector of the sport as there are junior members on the Surf, slalom and sprint development squads.
If you require any additional information please contact the club via: info@lisburncitypaddlers.co.uk
Or alternatively visit their facebook.
