For many people, joining an orienteering club is the moment when an occasional event participant becomes part of the community. Helping new members feel confident, informed and included at this stage can make a huge difference to long-term retention and increase the likelihood of adoption of the sport

One approach being used by several clubs is newcomer or welcome packs — a collection of information and resources given to new members to help them understand how the club and the sport works and how to get the most from it. These might be physical packs, or a collection of information sent digitally, but the most success comes from personal follow-up.

This article aims to share examples of what clubs are already doing to highlight useful ideas that other clubs may decide to adopt, and also identify areas where support or shared resources from SOA could help. Please get in touch if you have any ideas for resources that we may be able to help with.

Thanks to those clubs that have provided information on their current practices, detailed below.

We are pleased to announce the latest round of funding awards made through the SOA Development Fund. This fund is designed to provide financial support to projects that contribute to the development of the sport and fit within the remit of the SportScotland agreed development objectives for the sport. This time around, we asked clubs to propose projects which support Lifelong Pathways for improvement which is one of our four strategic aims. These Lifelong Pathways within orienteering relate to progression of orienteering skills as well as personal development opportunities for our volunteers. We wanted projects that focused on development of all athletes on either the performance, recreational or volunteer pathways, or continued to focus on the recruitment and retention of young adults aged 18-40.

Congratulations to the clubs and areas that have received awards: GRAMP, INVOC, North Area regional squad and RR.

Scottish Orienteering has been working with Dundee University to introduce third‑year Primary Education students to the benefits of orienteering in schools. Through taster sessions, student teachers are introduced to orienteering and orienteering activities they can do in school. The sessions highlight how easily orienteering can be delivered in schools, dispelling the myth that orienteering is difficult and requires woodlands or specialist equipment. By giving future teachers an orienteering taster, it equips them with ideas they can use during placements and in their future classrooms.

Some of you will have seen the Scottish Orienteering Impact Report for 2025 published in December last year which highlighted some of the activities which had taken place under the auspices of Scottish Orienteering via the SOA staff team as well as our clubs and members. As ever in our volunteer dependant sport, none of this would be possible without our amazing orienteering community who give so much of their time.

That said we often hear feedback that some of our members don’t know what the SOA does. Whilst we have been trying to ensure that we talk about what the SOA staff team have been doing (in the Monthly newsletter, via Club Despatches and on social media) we also wanted to provide everyone with the opportunity to come and ask any questions. So why not pop into our first Community Conversation of 2026 on Monday 23rd March with Jonathan Molloy (our SOA Board Chair) ? Sign up via this link

Forth Valley Orienteers provided a weekend of entertainment for our membership combining the Scottish Middle Championships with the CompassSport Cup/Trophy Qualifier. In the first big weekend of forest adventures of the season it was certainly a test for some rusty orienteering skills with plenty of heather, glorious forest and hilly terrain to test participants.

The sunshine did not emerge for the Scottish Middle Championships but the location of the event assembly at Loch Katrine with the Steamboat cafe offering fabulous coffee or food and respite from the intermittent spring dampness and plenty of opportunities to socialise with friends. The download team were also to be found in the ticket booth which provided shelter and even a heater! The event team even managed to secure presentations of the medal and trophies on the Sit Walter Scott steamboat.

Our time in the Trossachs may have headlined as the Scottish qualifier of the CompassSport Cup/ Trophy but just as importantly it was 2026 Scottish Inter Club Championships . The remit of the Scottish Inter Club Championships is to help clubs foster a feeling of club comradery and member contribution towards the success of a club.

At Scottish Orienteering , our values underpin everything we do.  These are:

• Welcoming – ensuring a positive experience to those who wish to participate in our sport.
• Inclusive – offering a range of experiences and entry points within our sport to enable everyone from all sectors of society to participate regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race or physical ability.  Identify and remove conscious and unconscious barriers to participation in the sport.
• Dynamic – to continue to offer new experiences and development opportunities for all our members, clubs and volunteers.  Develop new approaches and ideas to appeal to those in the identified “demographic participation gap”.
• Rewarding – to recognise those who make our sport happen through valuing our volunteers. To ensuring everyone’s experience of orienteering is rewarding in some form. 
• Respectful – of our environment and communities, and to our clubs, members and volunteers.

As clubs across Scotland wrap up their Night-O leagues, it’s been fantastic to see so many Night- O events over the last few months. 

We are excited to announce a new series of Adult Beginner Coaching Days taking place throughout March in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness.

These sessions are part of a wider outreach project aiming to introduce more young adults to the sport whilst raising general awareness across Scotland. Whether someone has never held a map before or has only tried a local event once, these sessions will provide a friendly and supportive introduction to the skills needed to enjoy orienteering independently.

As it turned out out MAR Orienteering Club (MAROC) choose a suitable location to host the Scottish Nights Championships! The stone circles on the Muir of Dinnet map were ancient hut circles close to the monument on Culblean Hill which was the site of the Battle of Culblean which took place during the Second War of Independence. A bit of research by curious members discovered that the coat of arms of one of the battle leaders, Sir William Douglas was a large red heart – suitably appropriate for those members who decided to take their other half on a Valentine’s day adventure!