DOGGY PADDLE

13^th May 2012

Statement dated 14/5/2012

Starts:

The Doggy Paddle is a Canoe Tour that raises money for Guide Dogs for the Blind and Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club.

The Event attracts paddlers from all over the country and has been running without incident for over twenty years.

We were very upset to hear of the tragedy at Barford Weir on Saturday and our thoughts have been very much with the Mynott family and their friends at this difficult time. The decision to run the event was a very difficult one. Despite our best efforts overnight, the information available at 06:00 on Sunday morning was still very sketchy although we were aware that there had been two fatalities. We consulted with a number of people, including some Barford Residents and Warwickshire Police. There was at least one Barford resident in our Safety team.

The overwhelming attitude of the paddlers that had turned up at the start of the event (before we announced that we would be able to go ahead) was that they wanted, as river users from across the country, to pay their respects in Barford. We know that the majority of the paddlers left flowers in the river as they rejoined the main flow, after passing the site of the accident. The club placed a large bunch of flowers with the other tributes at the Bridge.

From a safety point of view, a group of seven experienced paddlers from the club paddled the river on Saturday to inspect it and to assess the risks to paddlers of the higher water levels. We adapted our safety procedures in a number of ways to ensure that the event could go ahead. We passed through Barford only a few hours before the tragic accident. Our route uses the upstream weir at Barford and we rope off the stretch of river on which the accident took place. We have always taken great care that participants do not get close to the dangerous weir on the main channel. We provide trained and experienced safety crews on every weir and portage on the route. We had a team of four ensuring safety in Barford.

Rivers are magical places. Most river users find them to be places of peace and healing. The Doggy Paddle does not attract many thrill seekers and we know that the thoughts of almost every paddler were with the family as they passed through Barford. As information about the family has become available we are also finding that we, as a club, are not unaffected and a number of us knew the Mynott family or their children.

River users run risks whenever they get onto the water and it is our business, as a Canoe Club, to minimise those risks. We coach paddlers to recognise the risks of different water features and to take appropriate action. We would be more than willing to engage with the people of Barford in any way that we can to help to make the river and its use safer.

ENDS

For more information please contact Tessa Lukehurst: 07773 394487

Some photos from the 2011 Doggy Paddle are available here on flickr.com or on Facebook.

The Doggy Paddle is a recreational canoe and kayak event in aid of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The trip runs from Royal Leamington Spa, along the rivers Leam and Avon, and ends in historic Stratford-upon-Avon. The run takes you through the spectacular grounds of Warwick Castle and Charlecote Manor, and at this time of the year we go out and get all the permissions so that you can run this beautiful and fascinating stretch of river.

This is a flat-water trip open to any competent paddler who is capable of paddling 18 miles. The cost of entering the event is £10 for adults, £5 for under-18s (providing they are accompanied by an adult and capable of completing the trip).

You can enter in advance by sending us the form below, or you can enter on the day. If you send us your form we will have a printed copy waiting for you at the check in and you can pay us then. If you prefer to wait you can still enter on the day.

• Doggy Paddle Details 2012
  
• Entry Form 2012
• Directions to Vantage Points
• Sponsorship Form
• Map of Route
• Doggy Paddle Poster 2012

The Doggy Paddle have a group on Facebook

Details:

1. At about 9-30 am-ish, after signing-in, get on the water below the weir at Edmundscote Sports Field. Paddle the short distance along the river Leam until it enters the river Avon. Continue downstream.

2. When you reach the broken bridge beneath Warwick Castle you reach the only COMPULSORY portage. The portage route will be clearly marked on the left of the river-right weir. You must NOT under any circumstances shoot or play on the dangerous weirs at Warwick Castle. Do not approach either the waterwheel or the sluice.

Do NOT stop while at or near Warwick Castle, as the Trebuchet randomly throws a 1 ton concrete block over 300meters!

3. After a few miles the river flows past Barford Mill where a small shallow rapid runs slowly under the bridge and the next weir on river right. Portage river right immediately after weir, or river left via foot-bridge. Note there is a second dangerous weir beyond the bridge (marked 'NO ENTRY') - do not shoot! Emergency route via house near bridge.

4. Not long to the next weir at Hampton Lucy Mill, where there is a portage on the river-right just before the weir. Note there is a second dangerous weir (marked 'NO ENTRY') - do not shoot! Emergency route at bridge. Phone box at church.

5. Soon after you pass through Charlecote House you will reach some river-wide deer gates. Portage recommended. You will see the large country Manor on river-left and the joining of the river Deane with a rocky weir at its mouth. Emergency route via the paddock.

6. A couple of miles after Charlecote Park you will find another weir at Alveston with difficult portage on river-right. Note there is a second dangerous weir (marked 'NO ENTRY')
- do not shoot! Emergency route at campsite
½ mile downstream on river left

7. The river then meanders down towards Stratford Bridge,
which carries the A3400 across the Avon. Beyond this on river-right
is the Stratford Theatre. Carry on another 100m and get out river-left,
just after the bowling green but before the ferry. There you will
see the Doggy-Paddle tent. Congratulations - you've finished!