Waterside Specialist (Paddle sport assistant)

Do you want to help deliver quality canoe and paddle board sessions to members of the public? We are looking for volunteers to help us deliver our paddle sports offer and make life better by water.

As a volunteer paddle assistant, you will be responsible for assisting in the delivery of community-based canoe and paddle board sessions to members of the public. This will include registering participants, kitting them up and teaching them paddle techniques.

The majority of sessions will take place on the stretch of canal from Standedge Visitor Centre and tunnel to lock 42 near Marsden train station but may also be on other sites around the Huddersfield Narrow/ Broad canal and the Rochdale canal.

Each session will include setting up for a session, safety briefing, kitting up a group and getting afloat, initial familiarisation activities, games and activities to support learning and how to use mini journeys to inspire adventure and exploration. After a session, the assistant would also be required to help pack up and sort the paddle kit for the next session.

As an assistant, you will be required to help manage the safety of participants and provide guidance on how to control the canoe/paddle board.

The aim of the sessions is to promote paddling activities, and they are essentially safe fun introductory sessions to allow participants to enjoy their experience on the water.

The successful candidates will be given training by qualified instructors, which will allow them to develop their personal paddle skills in preparation to complete their Paddle Sport Instructor qualification with Paddle UK.

Suitable candidates should have a passion for the outdoors and be willing to commit to delivering several paddle sessions over a year.

Why we want you

Our Waterside Specialists help maintain the sustainability of the waterways by giving higher levels of skills through their volunteering.

Volunteering with the Trust takes on many guises and welcomes people with specialist skills in a wide range of areas from practical to surveying, indoors and out. These skills may include working alongside existing specialists within the Trust or bringing skills that we don't currently have within our team? We have a wide range of skilled activities which you could be doing.

What you will be doing

The skills you need

What's in it for you