It was November 2015 when Alan Honey caught me at a weak moment and I agreed to organise Croeso Day 1 at Kenfig. We made our first site visit on a cold and windy December day. Despite the promise of the unmapped terrain and a friendly welcome from the Nature Reserve Manager, what struck me then was the lack of road access and the likely need to rely on coach transfers from Margam. I felt this would detract significantly from the atmosphere of the event. It would also bring everyone in via a grotty M4 underpass, graffiti-covered and littered with dumped fridges. Hardly the best welcome to “possibly the best new orienteering area in the UK”!
However, we soon tracked down Mark Davies, the owner of the Castle Meadows. This wonderful 3 hectare block of well-drained fields lay right on the northern edge of the Reserve under the castle ruins with direct access to the dunes. Mark and his partner Karen had no hesitation in granting us permission to set up our parking and arena. Over the following months they offered a variety of advice and support, and proved to be both welcoming and responsive. Their support was certainly a key factor for event success.
A second contributing factor was Mark Saunders’ ethos for Croeso 2016 of simplicity and hassle reduction. Mark consistently pointed the Day Organisers towards the least complex approaches where possible. This led to savings of effort both big and small, such as the decision to opt for punching starts (simplifying life for the start teams), the decision not to hire rubbish skips (instead asking competitors to take away their own trash) and the out-sourcing of medical support to a private firm (avoiding the need to mobilise club First Aid teams). This stripped-down approach perhaps resulted in a less ‘corporate’ Croeso with minimal event branding and no merchandise, but certainly made the Organisers’ lives more straightforward. This is a tricky balance when you rely on volunteers to run high level events, trying to minimise their workload while also offering a memorable experience for competitors.
The third success factor on Day 1 was the amazing support provided by 57 fellow BOK members (plus the Gilberts from NOR). I circulated a blanket request for assistance at the start of June and within two weeks had more volunteers than I could cope with. I would like to single out David Palmer for his advice on Start procedures, and the hands-on help over the event weekend from David and his wife Anne, Mark and Katy Dyer, Dave Urch and the Stagg and Hallett families.
I would also like to acknowledge the partnership of Pat Macleod, the Day 2 Organiser from NGOC. Pat has considerably more experience than me in organising big events and was a great sounding board for ideas. The linking of two Croeso events in the same terrain on consecutive days certainly made both of our lives simpler. Alan Honey and David May were easy-going and helpful collaborators on Planning and Controlling, and I would like to acknowledge them too.
We had minimal competitor feedback – a couple of kind comments about the friendliness of the publicity materials (thanks Alice Bedwell!). But despite the wet weather, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. Commiserations to the couple of competitors who had to visit A&E with suspected broken ankles. And thanks to all of the competitors who did a great job of clearing up after themselves. As Pat and I left the site on Monday evening we could hardly find enough trash to fill a tiny plastic bag. Orienteers can be an amazingly tidy lot!
Matthew Owen (BOK)