Canoe Wales Annual Member Survey Results 2023

Paula Mckenna • 15 May 2023

How to improve your canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding and find paddlesport groups.

Thank you to all members who responded to the 2023 Canoe Wales Membership and Club Surveys. The surveys were open from 24 January – 28 February 2023 and sent to all Canoe Wales members with an email address on our database and, in the case of the Club Survey, all affiliated club contacts. It was fantastic to see a total of 220 responses, or about 5% of members, and 16 clubs respond to the respective surveys.


163 respondents entered our competition and we are pleased to announce that Frances Unerman won the free Canoe Wales membership for a year! Well done Frances!

Overall findings suggest that members are generally still satisfied with Canoe Wales membership with satisfaction at 68%. However, this has dipped slightly from the 74% satisfaction last year. Understandably, members seem to be questioning the cost and value of our membership more than before with the impact of the Cost-of-Living crisis starting to take hold. We used this feedback while reviewing membership fees in 2023 and, while membership fees are experiencing an inflationary rise, we worked to minimise this as much as possible and we are pleased to say it’s very much under the 10% inflationary rise which seems to be the norm at the moment.


You have noticed our increasing focus on environment and sustainability which was a result of the feedback received last year at the Roadshows and through previous surveys. Many of you told us that you have been noticing and enjoying the Wildlife Wednesday content and articles in the magazine and the increasing engagement from our Environment and Sustainability Lead, Mike Raine.

Access remains a concern and many clubs, in particular, have been experiencing challenges with access a local waterways or swimming pools with the rising costs of swimming pools driving out club activity for more profitable alternatives. Our Places to Paddle Manager, Phil Stone, has been working with clubs to find alternative venues or speak to the swimming pool operator on the club’s behalf.


Once again, many of you have reminded us that you find the coaching scheme confusing. Clubs have also made it clear they are struggling to train volunteers and need some help and support with running the Performance Awards within clubs. As a result, we have shaped some workshops around these topics and the up-and-coming Roadshows. We continue to work with British Canoeing Awarding Body to develop the scheme and make it as applicable to volunteers as it is to professionals working in the sport.


Overall, you would like to see more benefits associated with your membership. As a result, we are developing a plan to reach out to more Welsh businesses linked with paddlesports to develop member partnerships. If you have any suggestions of organisations, you think may be interested in working with us, please do let us know!


Once again, we have some interesting and useful feedback which will help inform us on what we do and why. We will be following up with all of those who requested a follow-up over the next few weeks.

As before, the results of the survey will also help to shape the new 2024-28 Strategy.


Finally, the Canoe Wales Board will be reviewing the feedback in their April meeting and would like to pass their appreciation to all members who engaged in the process. 


Please do join us at one of the up-and-coming Roadshows which will be your chance to discuss this feedback in more detail and hear from the Canoe Wales team on how we will be progressing things over the next 12 -24 months.


To take a look at what is happening at our upcoming roadshows click the button below to find out!!

Upcoming Roadshow Info - Join us!

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