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A Brief History of the Club
Once upon a time, before there was an 'open' Canoe Club in Liverpool,
a small group of Merseyside Canoeing enthusiasts used to organise
weekend trips away and go paddling on rivers and the sea. One
of their regular canoeing venues was the Novice/Division 4 slalom
on the River Eden at Carlisle. Their accommodation for the weekend
was at a caravan site at Allonby which is a village on the Cumbrian
coastline.
Slalom competition is divided into team events run on Saturday and individual competition run on Sunday. Teams consist of three people and they are asked to submit a team name for the start list. Our intrepid trio chose the name 'Friends of Allonby'.
On returning home they thought that as canoeing was becoming more popular there should be an organisation set up locally so that interested people could get together. At the end of 1981 your Canoe Club was formed in Liverpool by a small group of friends. There were no formal training sessions, no Club premises, no Club equipment but people could get together to discuss ideas and organise weekend trips away river and sea canoeing. It seemed appropriate to keep the name 'Friends of Allonby' so they did.
From these small beginnings the Club grew to 150 Members in 1985 and now has a great breadth of expertise. Friends of Allonby has continued to maintain its strong slalom tradition and a role in teaching canoeing in the area. With the help of Sports Council Grants we were been able to purchase B.A.T.s for pool sessions and General Purpose Kayaks for lake and river trips. From funds raised from membership fees and social events we have purchased specialist slalom kayaks and canoes, white water racing kayaks, a surf shoe and an open canadian canoe. New equipment is bought from time to time to replace old or damaged equipment.
Friends of Allonby Canoe Club prides itself on trying its best to cater for Club Members canoeing requirements. The Committee is always looking for ways of improving the Club and welcomes constructive criticism.