Manvers Lake & Dearne Valley Trust are pleased to announce that the main car park at Manvers Waterfront Boat Club is to be improved by relevelling and surfacing with tarmac. I am sure you will all agree that this will be a major improvement that will benefit all users of the facilities at Manvers Lake.
 
The car park will be closed from 9 pm on Sunday 21st June to 6 am on Saturday 27th June while the levelling and surfacing work is carried out. There will then be a further short closure between 9 pm on Sunday 5th July and 3 pm on Monday 6th July for white lining work.
 
As a consequence, there will be some modifications to normal club activities during this period – these will be posted on the Facebook groups for each section of the club. If you have any questions about how your section’s activities will be affected, please contact your section head.
 
Manvers Lake Café will remain open throughout the work period.

Two Team Manvers coaches have featured on the British Triathlon Facebook page in recognition of their efforts throughout the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Gavin King is a maths teacher who has been providing schoolwork for his pupils and support for their parents whilst studying at home. He’s also a level 2 coach at Team Manvers, leading Zwift online sessions during the lockdown. Join us in thanking Gavin for his continued work in helping students and parents during the crisis

Gary Ridgeway is a firefighter and alongside regular duties, has been assisting other agencies in their work throughout the pandemic. He’s also a level 2 coach at Team Manvers and has been supporting members with their training whilst at home. Thank you Gary for the work that you and your colleagues across the emergency services are doing to help keep us safe during the crisis.

Firstly, thank you for your patience over the last few months. We really appreciate your continued support in making this a safe and successful club.

Following the revised social distancing measures which were recently announced by the government, the club committee has been seeking further guidance and advice from Sport England and the various National Governing Bodies (NGBs). We believe we can now restart some of the club’s activities, but this can only be done if all of us act responsibly and abide by the “social distancing” rules specified by the government.

The Committee has and will continue to monitor the situation and update you weekly when new information is provided. Our aim is to keep everyone safe - members, coaches, volunteers, members of staff and the public.

Therefore, we have agreed that the following activities will restart this week. We must stress that this is not a “return to normal”. There will be no formal club sessions – what we are doing is making the lake available for club members to use for their own exercise in line with the current government rules.

This has meant putting in extra restrictions and limitations on all the activities that are being allowed to take place. Unfortunately, it also means that restarting some club activities will be delayed until a safe way of operating can be agreed.

We have laid out the following timescales and new rules that have temporary been introduced for your safety. Please see the comments under the section, your section leader will advise any details on changes and how the section will operate.

Timescales

Wednesday 13 May – Main Car Park Re-opens 
Thursday 14 May – Angling, Open Water Swimming to restart (see below)
Friday 15 May – Café to re-open 9am till 3pm (Take Away only, Contactless Payments only)

 Additional Information - Please Read!

• All users must abide by the current social distancing guideline issued by the UK Government. Failure to do so puts everyone at risk and jeopardises the reputation of the club. 
• Please note of the rules on exercising. You can exercise with members of your household or with just one person from outside your household. If you exercise with someone from outside of your own household, you must maintain social distancing. 
• The building, including the changing rooms and WCs will not be open to the either the public or members of the club. 
• Members who have their own boats and equipment stored in the boat store will be given access on one occasion only and by arrangement to collect their equipment. They must then take it home with them after use. 
• These are not formal club sessions. There is no safety cover provided – you are responsible for your own safety around, on and in the water.

Angling
Permitted Times:    
Day time only   6am – 8pm
Comments:

• Members will need to book in using WebCollect for each session, a limited number of places will be available each day. 
• Please check you have a valid rod licence
• https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence) 
• The gate code will be issued through the reply email once booked on. 
• Updates will be posted on Facebook

Book your place here:
https://webcollect.org.uk/mwbc/event/members-fishing-day-ticket
 
Open Water Swimming
Permitted Times: (In the Water Time)
Mon – Fri  6am till 8am
Sat - 6am - 8 am
Sun (7am - 8 am)
Comments:

• Signed off members will need to book in using WebCollect for each session, a limited number of places will be available each day. 
• Updates will be posted on Facebook. 
• There shall be no access to the building and therefore, the changing rooms and W.Cs will not be accessible. 
• There is no safety cover provided – you are responsible for your own safety!

Book your place here:
https://webcollect.org.uk/mwbc/event/signed-off-open-water-swimmers

Paddlesport Including SUP
Permitted Times:    
                                    Thursday – 6pm – 8pm
                                    Saturday – 10am – 1pm
                                    Tuesday – 6pm – 8pm
Comments:

• Only signed off paddlers and members of their household can paddle. You can check if you are signed off by looking at your details on WebCollect. You can apply for signed off status via this link https://www.mwbc.org.uk/solo-lake-use-agreement.html 
• Signed-Off adult paddlers may supervise other members of their household on the water. 
• Signed off members will need to book in using WebCollect for each session. 
• The current UK Govt. Social distancing guidelines must always be observed. Do not congregate in groups on or off the water. 
• There shall be no access to the building and therefore, the changing rooms and W.Cs will not be accessible. 
• You will not be allowed any of the Club equipment and no safety cover will available. 
• If you have stored your boat at the Club, you will be permitted access on one occasion only to remove your kit (by appointment). 
• Updates will be posted on the Manvers Paddlesport Facebook group. 
• Any questions ask!

 
Book your place here:
https://webcollect.org.uk/mwbc/event/signed-off-competence-paddler-session-booking

Dear Member
 
We are all living in uncertain, unsettling and anxious times.
 
Our thoughts and condolences go out to members and committee members that have lost loved ones to Coronavirus. 
 
To our many members that work in the NHS or are key workers, we are so proud of you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts .
 
I am writing to you to advise you how your Trust and Committee members are dealing with the various evolving challenges and what are our priorities in order to come out of the other side as intact as possible.
 
Our joint number one priority is to ensure we have enough money and cash flow to pay the bills. The good news is that currently we have combined cash reserves to last beyond the end of May. We have comprehensive and robust plans in place to manage our cash for the duration by also taking advantage of the various initiatives of national and local government, volunteer organisations and Sport England.
 
Our other priority is to keep our people together, whether they be members, trustees, volunteers, or staff.
 
As you may be aware we have:

• Closed the boathouse building and café.
• Closed all car parks.
• Together with Waterfront Golf we are employing security.

To ensure we re-open with the minimum of fuss we have enacted the following:-

• Holding a weekly staff meeting by remote communication.
• Keeping the monthly committee meetings going again by remote communication.

Some our planned events have been cancelled and others are under review as plans to come out of lockdown develop.  We are looking forward to the Summer and Autumn being very busy.
 
We also have some good news.

1. We have been awarded a further £900 towards our jetty plans.
2. Rotherham Council and the Trust have agreed a licence for the “Station Road Triangle” for car parking. Some work clearing trees and bushes has taken place during the lockdown.

We cannot wait to reopen and start club activities again, we have really missed the social aspect of the club and spending time at the lake.
 
We would like to thank the coaches and volunteers that have provided online activities and coaching during the crisis and hope members have enjoyed being kept busy with these.
 
The committee are looking at how we be fair with the unused portion of your membership during the lockdown and would welcome your thoughts on this. We understand that some members will be suffering financial hardship and the club will be as flexible as possible. However, if it is at all possible please can you to renew your membership when it becomes due?
 
Stay safe, stop at home, help the NHS and save lives.
 
Warm regards,
  
Chris. Hawkesworth.
President MWBC and Chair of Manvers Lake Trust

By know we are sure you all know about the Government advice on "Social Distancing" to reduce and slow the spread of COVID-19. But Social Distancing doesn't mean that you have to be a couch potato! You are allowed to go out for a walk and get some fresh air - and with a few precautions it will do you the world of good!

If only there was somewhere nearby where you could go for a walk, enjoy great scenery. Somewhere with enough space to stay at least 2 metres from other people. Somewhere that had a cafe serving hot drinks and delicious snacks. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

There is such a place and it is called Manvers Lake!
​
So why not come along to Manvers and enjoy a break from all of the doom and gloom on TV. We have even removed the car parking charges so you can park for free! 
​

Club paddlers Iga and Pola Tomasik have been selected to represent England in Canoe Slalom in the 2020 Pan Celtic Cup Competition. Iga is Boat 1 in the Womens K1 J12 class, sister Pola is reserve in Womens K1 J14.

The competition will take place at the following races in the 2020 canoe slalom season:

Grandtully Premier Saturday 11 April (Senior/U23/J18/J16)
Grandtully Division 1 Saturday 18 April (Vet/M/J14/J12)
Cardiff Premier Saturday 8 May (Senior/U23/J18/J16)
Llandysul Division 2/3 Sunday 9 May (Vet/M/J14/J12)
HPP Division 2 Saturday 7 June (Vet/M/J14/J12)
Tees Premier Saturday 17 October Senior/U23/J18/J16

Manvers Waterfront Boat Club member Solomon Maragh has been selected to represent Jamaica as that country's first Canoe Slalom athlete. Fifteen year old Solomon, who is from Sheffield, became eligible for Jamaican citizenship because his paternal grandmother was born in Jamaica.

Now that Solomon is officially registered as a Jamaican athlete, the next step is for him to represent the country at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom Pan American Championships in Rio De Janeiro on 3rd-5th April. As this event is an Olympic Qualifier he will be competing to represent Jamaica at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo! 

According to Solomon's mother Julie; "Solomon has always loved being in a canoe and quickly became interested in competing in canoe slalom, rising from division 4 to division 2 in kayak and canoe in less than three seasons! Setting a goal of becoming an Olympian, Solomon chose to race for Jamaica"
 
Solomon had this to say about the challenges of combining training and his studies; "I have met a lot of great people through canoeing from different competitive and non-competitive disciplines. I have my GCSE's this year and I aim to start an engineering apprentice in September. I am pretty much either studying or training, in the gym or on the water!"

We are sure that everyone at the club will congratulate Solomon on his achievement, and wish him all the best as he sets out on his amazing journey #GoSolomon!

Follow Solomon's progress on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Solomon_JAM-101856708064734/

Solomon, pictured above with his father, Dean, coach Les Ford and members of Manvers Waterfront Boat Club during Storm Dennis!