ThePADDLER 106
OPPORTUNITY TO LIFT ME
I believe that there are always opportunities to be found , even in the darkest of days . Coming from a background in the Scouts , youth work , and other people-focused organisations , I knew I had the skills , experience , and ideas to help others through such difficult times and myself . I ’ m a big advocate for breaking the stigma of mental health and encouraging people to talk about their thoughts and feelings . I ’ d only returned to work shortly before the first lockdown following a long period of recovery after sustaining a traumatic brain injury , and my mental health , which hadn ’ t always been good , was taking a hit . In reality , lockdown and no paddling was breaking me . Being launched into the # ShePaddles role was an opportunity to lift me and bring some light into the darkness for us all .
At my first video meeting with Gayle and Jen Rigby , the Membership and Communications Officer at Canoe Wales , I asked what they wanted me to do and how they wanted me to be perceived . The reply was , “ Clare , if you have the ideas , we ’ ll make them happen ; you can mould the role as you wish .” YES ! Having that freedom , encouragement and trust right from the start was a fantastic stepping stone to getting 100 % directly involved rather than just being ‘ the face ’. This proved vital in bringing ideas to paddle reality and , ultimately , playing a massive part in the resulting explosive success of # ShePaddlesCymru !
SOCIAL MEDIA
Difficult times call for creative solutions . With so many at home , this seemed an obvious doorway to our intended audience , and so effective use of social media was the way to go . As the world was facing high demand for its supply of paddlesports equipment , one of my initiatives , # ShePaddlesSaturday was born . Promotion of discussion , learning , awareness and preparedness to new , beginner and even experienced paddlers who would be desperate to hit our blue spaces as restrictions eased . # ShePaddlesSaturday is my widely shared , weekly article on topics such as safety , personal equipment , mental health , the Clear Access Clear Waters campaign , the Waterways Licence , litter , injuries and training , qualifications and awards . The initiative has been a success with incredible engagement from all types and levels of paddlers , male and female .
Early on , I suggested a Wales-based Facebook group . I believed that building a solid , central hub in the time that we couldn ’ t be out there for real would be a time-efficient , valuable starting point for people to network . Also , for the experienced to interact with beginners , ask questions and share what they would like # ShePaddlesCymru to look like and provide . We weren ’ t sure if the group would take off as , at first , we only had around 25 members , and most of those were people that we knew ! But then , BOOM ! # ShePaddlesCymru exploded , and it hasn ’ t slowed