Paddle UK

In 2000 the BCU federalised to become the umbrella organisation for the Home Nation Associations in Scotland (Scottish Canoe Association - SCA), Wales (Canoe Wales), England (Canoe England) and Northern Ireland (Canoe Association of Northern Ireland - CANI).

The BCU is responsible for leading and setting the overall framework for the National Associations; representing canoeing interests such as coaching and competition at UK and international level.

The British Canoe Union (BCU) is the National Governing Body for the sport of canoeing and kayaking in the UK whose stated purpose is to help and inspire people to engage in what it now terms 'paddlesports'. It formulates standards for training programmes with certification levels. It administers a range of personal performance awards and coaching awards, some of which are recognised by the UKCC.

1887 saw the formation of the British Canoe Association, which lasted about thirty years. Revived in 1933, it merged with the Canoe Section of the Camping Club of Great Britain. In March 1936, representatives of the Canoe Section of the Camping Club, Clyde Canoe Club, Manchester Canoe Club and the Royal Canoe Club formed the British Canoe Union.

The BCU is an umbrella organisation which brings together Britain's separate paddlesport organisations: Canoe England, The Scottish Canoe Association, The Welsh Canoeing Association and The Canoe Association of Northern Ireland. It is concerned with all paddlesports in the UK, recreational as well as competitive, in open and closed craft, paddled with single and double-bladed paddles, on inland and coastal waters as well as open ocean.

The organisation creates the rules for competitive canoeing used throughout the UK and has over 30,000 individual members, 625 affiliated clubs and 145 approved centres. It is now approaching its 75th anniversary and is running a photo competition to celebrate. It is unique among national sporting certifying bodies in requiring continuous membership for qualifications to remain valid; thus it's membership is not strictly voluntary and may not accurately reflect the organisation's popularity.

The BCU has been attempting for over fifty years to increase the extremely limited public access to English and Welsh rivers. It recently started a Rivers Access Campaign which aims to raise public awareness of the problems that kayakers and canoeists face in accessing the rivers of England and Wales (the right to paddle on Scottish rivers is already written into the law). This campaign aims to bring about changes in the law for England and Wales similar to those now established in Scotland that will open up more rivers to the public but is essentially a continuation of the previous ineffective policy.

"Canoeing" refers to the paddling of an open, non-decked craft (though there are decked canoes) propelled by a single-bladed paddle, generally in a kneeling position, while "kayaking" involves a closed-deck craft driven by a double-bladed paddle from a seated position. The term "canoeing" in the UK is often used generically to cover both kayaking and canoeing, in contrast to North American usage where the different terms are used.

External links

• BCU Official Website
• Canoe Foundation - Official Charity Partner of the BCU
• Canoe England
• Scottish Canoe Association
• Canoe Wales
• Canoe Association of Northern Ireland
• GB Canoeing
• International Canoe Federation
• BCU North America