The Scottish Elite and Development Squad (SEDS) helps Scottish-based orienteering athletes to reach their potential and promotes top quality training which is open to all athletes currently at TD5. It also offers an opportunity for ScotJOS leavers and orienteers aged between 18 – 39 to stay in the sport and develop their skills with a programme of coaching and social trips. The training programme is currently organised by SOA’s performance manager Graham Gristwood – grahamgristwood@scottish-orienteering.org.

As you may be aware this week is Scottish Disability Sport week. Earlier this week we highlighted some of the work SOA have been doing in support of Disability Sport week. Clubs including Forth Valley Orienteers have also been busy supporting disability sport.

This year Stirling University were the hosts of the 2024 Scottish Student Championships with the support of Forth Valley Orienteers. The championships consist of an individual event followed by a relay. The individual took place on Saturday at Kippendavie alongside the FVO club championships, meanwhile the relays took place at the Falkirk Wheel. Seven higher education institutions were represented across the weekend. 

This autumn has seen the SOA Lead Welfare Officer, Nikki Howard, talking to Club Welfare Officers, juniors, parents and the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad about the importance of safeguarding and wellbeing in orienteering. We are committed to ensuring that good and appropriate practices are in place and this applies not just to children but also to adults.

The SOA has a Child Safeguarding and Welfare Policy but also an Adult at Risk Safeguarding and Welfare Policy. These policies apply to everyone involved in the sport in Scotland from Board members, staff through to members and volunteers. As you will be aware the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was incorporated into Scots Law in July this year and as such SOA policies promote not only safeguarding but also promotes the health and wellbeing of children by providing opportunities for them to participate in a safe and enjoyable environment.

The policies can be found in the Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection and Welfare page of the website (here) or the Resources section.

Further Club Welfare Officer meetings will be held shortly but please ensure you are aware of who your club welfare officer is and ensure that should you have any concerns, no matter how minor, these are raised with the Club Welfare Officer or the SOA Lead Welfare Officer so we can ensure that our sport is a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone!

With lots of calls on all our member’s expenditure at this time of year we are grateful to those who have renewed their SOA membership ( 2025 membership opened on 1st November) – either through British Orienteering or direct through SI entries. Did you know that you could give SOA an additional gift this festive period at no cost to yourself if you are a UK taxpayer?

If you are a UK taxpayer and have signed the gift aid form, the UK government will pay an extra 25p for every £1 of your membership fee?

Gift aid is a simple government initiative which allows you to increase the value of your donations at no extra cost to you. HM Revenue and Customs regards membership subscriptions as ‘donations. Therefore, the SOA can claim gift aid on your membership fees.

The Scottish Score Championships hosted by Interlopers Orienteering Club (INT) at Vogrie Country Park outside Edinburgh were the penultimate event of the 2024 Scottish Inter Club Championships. The last event of the 2024 season will be St Andrews Glasgow Orienteering Club (STAG) Tinto Twin Day Race being held on 24th November at Strathclyde Country Park near Motherwell (entries close this Monday -18th November).

The weekend of 9th November saw over 250 orienteers travel to Vogrie Country Park on the south east of Edinburgh for the 2024 Scottish Score Championships. The weather may have remained dull for the event but the area offered a variety of terrain from parkland to the steep sided valleys of the Tyne Water and its tributaries and a disused golf course.

The last weekend in October saw Badenoch and Strathspey Orienteering Club (BASOC) hosting the fifth and last Scottish Orienteering League event of the 2024 season at Alvie near Aviemore. The offering of a area not used recently in the Speyside area meant that over 320 competitors had the opportunity to experience a stunning location in the delightful autumnal colours.

As part of the ‘Increasing Participation’ project overseen by Clyde Gateway at Cuningar Loop Woodland Park in Glasgow, SOA held another set of 3 sessions in the October school holidays that targeted families looking for a fun, free activity for their kids. SOA are involved at the request of Clyde Gateway and SportScotland. SOA was one of four sport governing bodies asked to help Clyde Gateway in their project to increase local engagement with sport and wellbeing. SOA have tried to ensure that any activity undertaken links to the local clubs and we have been grateful over the years for the assistance of STAG (St Andrew’s Orienteering Club Glasgow) volunteers and for the use of the club map, without which these activities would not be possible.

Juniors from all over Scotland headed north for this year’s junior interarea competition that took place on the weekend of 26/27th November. The North, East and West fielded their strongest teams and battled it out over a relay on the Saturday and the individual on the Sunday, with West hoping to retain their title from last year.