Inter-school Orienteering Event

Last month thirty one Year 7 and 8 students from Beal and Oaks Park High Schools took part in an inter-school orienteering event at Fairlop Waters. 

The aim was to give students from the after-school clubs CHIG has been running, the chance to try out their orienteering skills in a more challenging area - and to have some fun. 

After some refresher navigation exercises, all students successfully completed a Yellow course of 15 controls, with the fastest  students finishing in sub 25 minutes, a commendable performance (in warm sun too). Students and teachers said they had enjoyed the event, and the clubs. 

That concludes the orienteering after-school clubs for this year. We hope to be able to offer and run something similar with more schools next year; and that these activities encourage students and families to continue exploring the adventure and opportunity that orienteering offers. 

Our thanks go to: the PE departments and teachers from both Oaks Park and Beal schools; Charlotte Moore, for the design and running of the clubs; Ray Weekes, for course planning; Tony Maycraft for mapping school grounds; CHIG committee and volunteers for funding and supporting the clubs; and last but not least, Redbridge Vision for kind permission to use Valentines Park and Fairlop Waters for orienteering. 

The finishing line

Today was the final session in our new “Introduction to Orienteering” course. Over the last six weeks 11 participants with no previous experience of orienteering learnt all the essential navigation skills in a series of hands-on exercises in Hainault Forest, Fairlop Waters and Epping Forest, under the guidance of British Orienteering coach Josh Jenner. In this final session the participants put their new-found skills to the test in a short competition in Epping Forest.

Everyone said they enjoyed the course, learnt a lot and were keen to progress further in the sport.

Overall it was a great success and well done everyone who took part!

London Park Orienteering

Come and orienteer in London’s Parks on Tuesday evenings this summer. A series of 10 weekly events across London begins on Tuesday 20 May at Waterflow Park, Camden. Start times are usually 6:30pm to 7:30pm, with two courses to choose from (about 3km and 5km) and the cost is roughly £6 to £9. Full details can be found here.

Olympic Orienteering

We are delighted to announce that our new South Permanent Course in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is now open. This complements our existing North Course, and is suitable for beginners, families with young children and those familiar with map reading.

The South Course can be run either with a paper map or with a smartphone app which automatically measures your time. Full details can be found on the GoOrienteering website.

Congratulations to Tim Pribul for his olympic efforts in setting up this course for everyone to enjoy.

News Ightham

Four CHIG members journeyed down to the SAXONs event at Ightham in Kent at the weekend. Dominique finished 26th on Green and Iain 13th on Blue, whilst Jacob came 27th and Harold 13th on Brown.

Join our club for just £23

The Adult part-year membership for 2025 is now just £23.

For Young Adults (aged 21 to 25) it’s £15.50, Juniors £6 and Families £54.

Click here to join.

GLOSS Series 2025

The Greater London Orienteering Summer Series (‘GLOSS’) is an annual Summer competition between SLOW, HAVOC, Happy Herts, CHIG, MV and LOK, with the prize being the prestigious London Bus trophy.

There are two courses: the GLOSS course which is about 3½ to 4½ km (with optional extension to around 6 km) and is of moderate navigational difficulty, and a ‘Yellow’ course which is about 2km with easier navigation. Navigate between control points – you decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. Beginners welcome!

The first event in the series is on 22 June at Northa Fields, hosted by SLOW.
CHIG’s event is on 6 July at Fairlop Waters.

JK 2025 report by Iain Ambler

Who went?

CHIG! 5 club members - Joanna, Jacob, Dominique, Tom and I - competed.

Club results?

CHIGnition (Jacob, Tom, Iain) placed 22/26 of clubs in the Senior Men’s Relay, with 3 clean rounds.

Our individual results:

Jacob put in the club’s best individual, and a highly consistent, performance. In M50 he placed 17/62 on the Sprint, 32/57 on the Middle, 33/52 on the Long, and 26/62 overall. Really well done Jacob.

Dominique in her first JK placed 10/17 in the W50(S) in the Middle - not a bad result even with one major mistake - and then 42/84 on Light Green on the Wharncliffe area, a super result.

Joanna placed 43/56 on the Novice Adult sprint. Nice one Joanna!

Tom competed on all days. Good effort Tom. In M60 he placed 101/117 on the Sprint and 105/122 on the Middle and 28/33 on the Long (Short).

In M50 I placed 48/57 on the Middle, 41/52 on the Long. I survived Wharncliffe! A great learning experience.

Best moments?

Standing on top of Wharncliffe Chase in the start grid in anticipation of what was to come. Curlew and skylark singing, spring sun on our backs, competitors as petrified as the slopes below.

Shouting encouragement alongside our friends from DFOK at the Relays, who kindly stayed to cheer on my worst solo run on the last leg.

Worst moments?

Unfortunately Joanna fractured her ankle at Tankersley in the latter stages of the Middle. After a trip to A and E she recovered sufficiently to cheer on everyone at Middleton Park in the Monday. Great recovery powers and team spirit! Best wishes for it healing swiftly Joanna.

Discovering to my horror on my descent to control 1 on the Long, that an individual black dot on the map did not mean an isolated large boulder; but a slightly bigger rock in a boulder field.

Overall?

A super experience taking in some of the UK’s best orienteering areas, in mostly very good weather. Planning and organising was excellent, and the JK2025 website very well constructed. Thanks to everyone from the Yorkshire and Humberside region involved.

Here’s to JK2026!

Jacob & Joanna - far left

Last one home

Training in Epping Forest

This Saturday’s training session was all about improving our use of Attack Points.

With a series of mini-courses based on our recent Mitre event, we practiced how to use a distinct feature near a control as a stepping stone to locating the control itself. If you missed the session and want to find out more, watch this four minute video from Team GB’s Megan Carter-Davies (you can find the rest of this video series at the foot of our home page).

Many thanks to Tim, Tony and Sally for putting on a very instructive and enjoyable event

Results from SWELL 2024/25

The 2024/25 season for the South and West Essex Local League (SWELL) concluded at Belhus Park on 13 April. Seventeen club members took park, and hearty congratulations are due to Donatas Tumaitis for coming first on the Brown course (out of 124 competitors) by a wide margin of 96 points. Other notable performances include Dave Norman (5th out of 220 competitors on Green) and Iain Ambler (11th out of 227 competitors on Blue). The full results are available here.

Donatas Tumaitis

The 2025/25 season starts on 28 September with a HAVOC event in Epping South West, followed by a CHIG event in Harlow Town Park on 19 October

Results from JK 2025

This year’s Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering took place in and around Sheffield over the Easter weekend. With more than 2,600 competitors from 140 clubs and 28 countries this is the biggest orienteering event in the UK, and comprises four races:

• a sprint race around Sheffield city centre

• a middle distance race around Tankersley Woods

• a long distance race around Wharncliffe Woods and

• a relay race in Middleton Park near Leeds.

Five CHIG members took part - Jacob Stevens, Iain Ambler, Dominique Lazanski, Tom Elgood and Joanna Qiu. Jacob distinguished himself with a “Championship” result in the Sprint and a “Bronze” result at Tankersley Woods, whilst Tom achieved a “Bronze” in the Sprint. The full set of results can be found here.

Unfortunately Joanna fractured her ankle at Tankersley Woods and we all wish her a speedy recovery.

Dominique, Jacob and Joanna

Jacob (2nd left)

Orienteering for Schools update

CHIG’s orienteering after-school clubs at two Redbridge secondary schools, Beal High School and Oaks Park High School, started in the Easter term.

As a reminder, the aims of the clubs are:

• To engage and attract new juniors to orienteering and CHIG

• To give student participants a “Track-to-Yellow” experience 

• Widen access to orienteering, aiming for a representative Redbridge demographic.

Clubs are running with 15-20 students at each session. Students are up and running completing orienteering courses in their school grounds and have been getting to grips with all the orienteering kit they will use or encounter at events; sessions have included familiarisation with orienteering maps, basic navigation using a compass, and line and score courses. See below for a few photos (with kind permission from schools and parents) from the sessions so far.

 The Summer term will see students head to Valentines Park in Redbridge to try out their orienteering skills in a less familiar setting, and then compete against each other, hopefully at Fairlop Waters, a bigger area to increase the level of challenge. Charlotte Moore, a specialist PE teacher with significant experience of setting up and running school orienteering clubs, is leading, with Saskia Johnston, PE teacher at Oaks Park High School, and Keith Bennett, Head of PE at Beal High School ably supporting. CHIG volunteers have supported each session and CHIG presented at assemblies introducing orienteering to c. 500 Y8 students at both schools.

It’s been super to see students starting to experience and enjoy orienteering in the mostly glorious spring weather to date. Massive thanks to both schools, students, Charlotte, Keith, Saskia, and CHIG volunteers for their excellent support and engagement so far! 

Other Redbridge secondary schools that might be interested in setting up a similar club over the school year 2025-26 should get in touch via email.

“Introduction to Orienteering” course

CHIG are delighted to announce the launch of their new, 6 week course aimed at adult beginners, running from 26th April to 31st May. The cost is just £30 for all 6 sessions. Places are limited so don’t delay! Further details can be found here

Orienteering for Redbridge Schools

CHIG put on an introductory orienteering event for teachers from Oaks Park and Beal High schools in Valentines Park on Monday 24th February. 

Both schools are providing free after school orienteering clubs for their students over the Easter and Summer terms, supported by CHIG and Charlotte Moore, who has run similar clubs for DFOK in SE London. 

The aim of the event was to provide an experience similar  to a “real” orienteering event, on a course planned for newcomers, with use of controls with SI units, dibbers, and navigation using an orienteering map; so that teachers are better placed to help their students get to grips with and enjoy the sport. 

10 teachers participated, seemed to enjoy!, and all successfully completed the course of 12 controls. This prompted some good discussion about how use of the technology is likely to engage students, and how to cater for students of different abilities.

Thanks to all the teachers for participating with energy; Ray Weekes for planning the course, the day after the CSC qualifier!, stalwart as ever, and to Vision RCL for our use of Valentines Park.  

We now look forward to working with the students, teachers and schools - the after school club sessions have now started at Beal with 15 Y7/8 students participating. 

Elevate your fitness - Try Orienteering!

Come and join us

Looking for a sport that is versatile and encourages you to use your mind while incorporating and building core fitness? Join thousands across the country and become an orienteer!

Awaken your sense of adventure this year and try orienteering! All you need to get started is a map, some appropriate footwear and a sense of adventure. You can either take part solo or get your mates on board and see who can make to the finish first!

Level up your fitness with us

Your aim is to navigate around all the points on a special map. There are no set routes, and you can walk, run or race your way through a course. In competitive orienteering, the aim is to get around the course in the quickest amount of time.

If you are looking to mix up your fitness regime with a sport that brings a sense of adventure and purpose, orienteering is for you! Try it for the thrill and experience that sense of accomplishment.

Your local club
CHIG is a small and friendly orienteering club covering the M11 corridor: NE London and SW Essex. We have a programme of training sessions and events where you can socialise, learn new skills and explore new areas around you. You do not need to be a club member to attend a training session or an event and can find details of our programme here on our website.

Explore the great outdoors for less
If you are bored of the gym, being stuck indoors and paying monthly membership fees, then it’s time for you to reframe your fitness regime.

There is a bank of orienteering courses set up ready for you to take advantage of across many local parks and green spaces, right through to places like the Scottish Highlands and urban surroundings. You can search for permanent orienteering courses and virtual (GPS based) courses online.

If you don’t want the hassle of printing or purchasing a map, you can simply download them straight to your phone using an app called Maprun. Here you will find hundreds of virtual orienteering courses (GPS) waiting for you to try throughout the UK and Ireland. Visit the Go Orienteering website for a list of virtual orienteering courses.

Most of these courses are either free to try or carry a small one-off charge allowing you to explore the great outdoors at a time and pace convenient to you.

Get started!

So, what are you waiting for?! This year, it’s time to set your sights on a new target and try orienteering. See you on the course! 

Training/coaching programme

The programme for this Winter/Spring is as follows:

• 25th January: Epping Forest Far East

• 1st March: Epping Forest East

• 22nd March: Walthamstow Forest

• 26th April: Hainault Forest

These sessions will start at 10:15 and last 90 minutes. They are designed to cover all capabilities and experience.

Details of each session will be emailed nearer the time

SE Individual League 2024 Results

The results for the South East Individual League 2024 have now been published.

Individual placings are based on the best 5 scores out of 8 qualifying events, and Certificates have been awarded for each Class. Alison Saunders presented the Certificates at today’s Mitre.

The full list of Certificate winners is available here, and includes the following CHIG members: Harold Wyber 2nd on M35, Donatas Tumaitis 3rd on M40, Mark Ford 1st on M45, Jacob Stevens 2nd on M45 and Iain Amber 3rd on M50.

Left to right: Harold (holding Donatis’ and his own Certificates), Jacob and Iain

Captain’s Newsletter

Click here to read the latest Newsletter from Club Captain Harold Wyber

Charles Taylor-Keane, RIP

We have just had news that Charles has recently passed away.
He was a social member of CHIG and a full member of TVOC.
From working in mental health for Essex County Council in Harlow he has taken part in many of our local events over the past 25 years and has volunteered at many Mitres, mainly in parking cars.
He suffered a severe heart attack while cycling to the shops earlier this month  and died almost instantly.
His funeral will take place at St John’s Chapel, Oxford Crematorium, Headington , OX3 9RZ on Thursday 9th January at 3pm.
If any club member wishes to attend, please contact Ray Curtis.

CHIG Dinner

Our annual dinner was held at the Miller & Carter in Epping Forest on Friday 6 December. We had quizzes to entertain us between the courses, and after the meal the Club Captain Harold Wyber presented trophies to this year’s successful members.

In the Club Championships, the winners were:

Open Women - Philippa Allen

Open Men - Harold Wyber

Novice - Joe Toller

Veteran Women - Dominique Lazanski

Veteran Men - Thomas Elgood

Ultra Veteran Men - Dave Norman.

Jacob Stevens was awarded the Maycraft Trophy for his outstanding contribution to the Club: planning several Events and introducing new runners to the sport.

View fullsize

Pictured from left to right are Harold Wyber, Philippa Allen, Jacob Stevens and Tom Elgood.

A big thank you to Sally for organising the event