Well everything is looking a little brighter for the next few months, and I don’t just mean the longer days.

Our Rushmore event is now less than a month away, and final preparations are being made, with more than 200 entries so far. With the assembly field setting and a wood full of wild garlic, it should make for a very pleasant day, so let’s hope for sunshine.

The orienteering calendar is filling up, a few events to be aware of:

April 3rd: BOK Pen Hill, in the Mendips; April 11th WSX Rushmore, April 18th TVOC Bradenham (Chilterns) or QO Ham Hill (Yeovil), April 25th BOK Blaise Castle, May 16th Blackdown (Mendips), May 23rd TVOC Hambleden (Chilterns), May 29th/30th Springtime in Shropshire, on rocky hillsides in Montgomeryshire/Shropshire borders, June 5th/6th British Middle Distance Championships and Northern Champs at Summerhouse Knott and High Dam (Lake District), June 27th WIM Golden Cap.

Then in July, it is the SW relays, Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon, SW sprints at Cheltenham racecourse, then Scottish 6 days. In August, there is the BOC sprint and sprint relays in Lancashire. In September: the Welsh Champs in the Brecon Beacons, our Caddihoe in the New Forest (subject to FE approval), the Junior Inter-regional champs in North Yorkshire. In October, the British Long champs at Braunton Burrows (Devon) then the Junior Home Internationals Weekend at Hindhead and Hankley common.

So, no shortage of opportunities over the coming months (fingers crossed).

Finally, congratulations to Arthur and Esk for winning SW galoppen awards for the green (top runner) and orange (top lady) for 2019/2020

See you all at Rushmore!