Welcome to this long-overdue roundup! Spring was DVO’s busy season, with 2026’s two major events happening in Scotland (JK) and Wales (British Champs). April bought us the Middle Distance Champs, paired a tad confusingly with the Midlands Champs at Brown Clee, Shropshire. And in humid June, some of us travelled to the Bristol campuses for the Mixed Sprint Relays and the Sprint Champs, where we had three podium finishers:
- John Duckworth was 3rd in M60, less than a minute behind CLARO’s Quentin Harding.
- Sal Calland took 3rd in W50.
- Imogen took 3rd in W14.
Very well done to you all!
Ten DVO members are at the O-ringen in Göthenburg this very week. Some are continuing to the World Masters, this year in Poland, where other Club mates will join them.
Others are going to the Lakes 5 days in early August. If you’ve missed these trips but want a late summer orienteering cum seaside weekend, why not enter the White Rose 28–31 August in Scarborough? It’s always a great weekend, at which many mugs are won!
Our featured image above is the Navigation Festival earlier this month at Hardwick Park. Huge thanks to the National Trust for hosting us again, and to organisers Judith and Lester Evans and Jane who planned.
Staying in touch
To follow your Clubmates’ forest antics, have a look at Derwent Valley Orienteers on Strava. Thirty members and ex-members are part of this Club.
Another way to stay in touch is our WhatsApp Community with 54 members and sub-groups for various trips. The invitation link to the Group is here.
On Facebook, our page is Derwent Valley Orienteers, on which only Admins can pos, but anyone can like and comment. DVO group is more of a community, in which anyone who is a member of the group on Facebook can post.
New DVO Members
Welcome to new members Mick and Kate Brett MW60, from SYO but previously LOK, and Matt and Karen White MW55 from LEI (pictured left, at Hardwick). Also Matty Brennan M45 who is also a fellrunner – as shown by his performance in the Allestree Hill Climb! Matty was up and down the hill in 3 mins 33 seconds. At that point, some of us hadn’t yet got to the top!
Twelve-month Coaching Programme
Coach Matt (pictured above) has put together a series of skills sessions, to take place on the last Saturday of each month, starting 26th September in Belper Parks. Venues and session leaders change across the year!
Swadlincote Woods Permanent Orienteering Course
Rex has been working hard to update the POC, and all are invited to the inaugural event on August 21st. Please email Rex if you’re able to help.
British Schools Score Orienteering Championships: 8th October
DVO are are hosting the Score Champs for a third time at Shipley Country Park. Entries are live now on the DVO website, and youngsters need to be entered via their school or youth group before September 21st (no entry-on-the-day). Nicky Hart is the Organiser, and will need a lot of helpers on the day.
CompassSport Cup Final: 18th Oct
At the Heat in Sutton Park in February, DVO narrowly beat 5 rival clubs winning a place in the Final at Pippingford Park in Essex. Details and photos of the area on the Mole Valley website here. Sal Calland our Club Captain will be taking entries in the next few weeks. We don’t know yet if there are any club arrangements for travel/accommodation.
MapRun morphs into Urban Fox
A huge thank you to Chris Millard for all his hard work launching and sustaining three years of MapRuns in Derby and the surrounding towns. The series will continue this autumn, the first one on Thursday 24 September from the Furnace Inn. The Duckworths and the Chaffeys (helped by Chris) will be delivering the series, and it will stay free, but we’ll rattle a donations box out at every fourth event!
O Foundation Coaching Weekend it the Forest of Dean: 21–22 November
Ann-Marie has details of the coaching offered on the Saturday (link here). That evening there’ll be a night event at symond’s Yat and on the Sunday a Regional at Soudley. Some of the East Midlands Junior Squad will be attending, but the day is open to adults and non-squad members too.
