The 2026 British Championships weekend was held in South Wales on the weekend of 28th Feb - 1st March, with some big successes for SWOC. Not least the club took on the huge task of organising and delivering the British Relays Championship event on the Sunday (read on for more on that below). But first up, the Saturday was the day of the British (and Welsh) Long Championships event organised by our neighbours and friends at SBOC…
British (and Welsh) Long Championships
Orienteers from across the UK gathered in the Swansea Valley for a fantastic day of orienteering on the high, rugged plateau of Carreg Goch, above Dan yr Ogof showcaves. Courses took in the best of the wild, technical terrain, making the most of the many features including shakeholes, pits, crags and boulders that are scattered throughout this area. Competitors were also treated to the some classic Welsh weather, ranging from glorious sunshine to a heavy hailstorm that added a wintery feel to the higher parts of the course.
The event acted not only as the British Championships, but also the Welsh Championships, and SWOC members put in some fine performances with podium positions in both events: SWOC British Championships Medalists 🥇Clare Dallimore - 1st W35 🥇Jill Manning - 1st W75 🥈Alice Bedwell - 2nd W65 🥈David May - 2nd M80 SWOC Welsh Championships Medalists 🥇Clare Dallimore - 1st W35 🥇Thomas Foord - 1st M45 🥇Christine Farr - 1st W50 🥇Alice Bedwell - 1st W65 🥇Jill Manning - 1st W75 🥇David May - 1st M80 🥈Dougie Innes-Farr - 2nd M16 🥈Adrian Moir - 2nd M60 🥉James Clemence - 3rd M65 Congratulations to all. A few photos of some of the podiums can be found below.
British Relays Championships
Sunday was the day of the British Relays Championships, organised by our very own SWOC in the grounds of Margam Park. The event was an unqualified success for such a small club as ours. The organisation was ably led by Laurence Snowden along with a team of helpers from SWOC and volunteers from other clubs. Mark Saunders planned the courses which kept the competitors on their toes all the way round. The event seems to have generated plenty of positive reports, with a fun time being had by all (despite the Welsh weather doing its best to dampen spirits… not to mention the mud, mud and more mud!) SWOC Team Results In addition to organising, SWOC also entered 4 teams in the relays. The standout performance of the day went to the SWOC Ad Hoc team of John Mills, Kani Hinshelwood and Clare Ponsford who finished 4th out of 28 competitive teams. The Innes-Farr family finished 22nd in the Mens Short, the M60 team was 17th and another Ad Hoc family team unfortunately mispunched. Huge thanks go to everyone who helped to put on such a successful event! Below are some photos featuring SWOC members from both days, courtesy of Wendy Carlyle:
More posts like this
