One of the first actions we got underway was to create the Scottish Women’s Paddling Community Facebook Group at the beginning of August. We have been blown away by how this group continues to grow – now at over 600 members, with fantastic engagement! If you’re a female paddler (or want to get into paddling) please come and join this friendly group to share ideas, make new friends, meet up, swap advice and stories and discuss paddling in general. And guys, please pass on the link to the females in your paddling network. It’s a real community of female Scottish paddlers coming together.

We have also just launched the Women Go Paddling webpage. This is a space to celebrate, highlight and support the community of female paddlers. The site includes a range of news items and podcasts created by and for female paddlers, a selection of podcasts and links to a number of Facebook groups that support the community. With lots of visual pictures and targeted information and inspiration.  

There was some excellent discussion on ideas for coordinating a range of Women Specific Paddling Events next year, including a collective calendar of events happening all over Scotland, and ideas for a mass participation event, all sensitive to the changing landscape due to Covid. Watch out for more news on this topic over the next few months, and hopefully an announcement on International Women’s Day, March 8th 2021 to kick start things for next year.

“Its fantastic to be able to share ideas with other like-minded women. To be at the stage where we’re putting ideas into tangible actions is really exciting”

If you want to get in touch please email equality@canoescotland.org.uk.