In today's (Friday 13th) Daily Mail there is a letter extolling orienteering as a way to "fight the cotton wool culture" that overprotects our children.
See pages 66 and 67 for the letter, a photo of Mrs H and family and one of young Nev running thorugh the forest.
Daily Mail Letters Page
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It's a challenge to BOF central plus all orienteers to follow this up. Bombard the press with info. Get your local paper to take note I'm sure Mrs H won't mind small extracts being quoted. Don't forget to publicise your events on the back of this. Hopefully the new marketing officer will follow up and credit Mrs H. She volunteered to do this for BOF ages ago but RF didn't want to know so now she's done it for herself and the sport. It's up to us now whilst it's in the mind(s) of the press.
Well done Mrs H
Nice photo. Perhaps you should send a copy to your family dentist for his publicity
Well done Mrs H
Nice photo. Perhaps you should send a copy to your family dentist for his publicity
Diets and fitness are no good if you can't read the map.
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HOCOLITE - addict
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That really is brilliant. Well done Mrs H.
Now, how was it done? How do you convince a National newspaper to take you that seriously and to include a photo? BOF have a Press Forum for club press officers.... please post details on there, and on here if you like.
Individuals and clubs who have success like this need to share the expertise with other clubs so that we can get those 8000 new members we need. I did suggest to BOF that we have something like a competition (!!? poor name!) to identify good ideas and good practice, just like this publicity. I think BOF should be awarding (rewarding?) your club Mrs H (HOC), say, £250 as a reward for your success. That is assuming another club hasn't come up with something else.
Keeping orienteering in the sports pages and elsewhere in newspapers on a regular basis is needed. One-offs are great.... a strategy for the long haul is also needed.
Now, how was it done? How do you convince a National newspaper to take you that seriously and to include a photo? BOF have a Press Forum for club press officers.... please post details on there, and on here if you like.
Individuals and clubs who have success like this need to share the expertise with other clubs so that we can get those 8000 new members we need. I did suggest to BOF that we have something like a competition (!!? poor name!) to identify good ideas and good practice, just like this publicity. I think BOF should be awarding (rewarding?) your club Mrs H (HOC), say, £250 as a reward for your success. That is assuming another club hasn't come up with something else.
Keeping orienteering in the sports pages and elsewhere in newspapers on a regular basis is needed. One-offs are great.... a strategy for the long haul is also needed.
- RJ
Well done Mrs H.
I hope somone will show your letter to the head of a Dorset primary school who stopped a senior teacher bringing 20 kids to tonight's Dorset Schools Championshps because she wasn't happy about them travelling in other parent's cars and because she's not in favour of competitive sports. She's also stopped them having a competitive sports day as well.
As someone else commented "You can see from the size of her on the website what her attitude to competitive sport is" but its still an all too prevalent attitude out there.
Contrast that with the parents at another school who last week took their kids to a schools league event when the teacher who usually takes them was unavailable. Sadly, this excellent orienteering school closes this summer when our area of Dorset abolishes Middle schools and goes back to Primary and Secondary schools only.
I hope somone will show your letter to the head of a Dorset primary school who stopped a senior teacher bringing 20 kids to tonight's Dorset Schools Championshps because she wasn't happy about them travelling in other parent's cars and because she's not in favour of competitive sports. She's also stopped them having a competitive sports day as well.
As someone else commented "You can see from the size of her on the website what her attitude to competitive sport is" but its still an all too prevalent attitude out there.
Contrast that with the parents at another school who last week took their kids to a schools league event when the teacher who usually takes them was unavailable. Sadly, this excellent orienteering school closes this summer when our area of Dorset abolishes Middle schools and goes back to Primary and Secondary schools only.
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kedge - light green
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Thanks everyone
RJ - It's no use me telling BOF anything - I tried to tell them 18 months ago and as Hocolite says - i was told in no uncertain terms and on more than one occasion that my ideas were of no interest - believe me i have lots and lots of ideas - the Jk stuff and MADO are just a couple that i can actually make happen - most of them stay in my head. Timing is evrything - so many opportunities have been missed.
I have long thought that O should be marketing itself as an antidote to the cottonwool culture - it's a very strong selling point among thinking parents. But BOF prefer the cotton wool approach.
the letter has been edited - but quite reasonably - if anyone's inerest I could post up my original.
Apologies to those who would have like a more cutting edge adventure sport image - but that was not the platform I was working from (on this occasion) it doesn't mean it couldn't have been if the opportunity and timing had been right.
I don't suppose anyone at BOF Central has even noticed i could really do with the £250 tho' to finance the Malvern Initiative
the answer is timing! The letter was written directly in response to two separate articles which appeared in the Mail last thursday - election day. One was about Cotton Wool culture, the other was how the government was letting our children down in regard to sport and condemning them to a life of obesity. I just e-mailed them a reply to get it off my chest really and forgot about it. i was contacted on Wednesday afternoon and the phorotgapher came that evening - i sent the picture of young Nev with the e-mail. i only told a few people before because i thought Prince charles might get divorced today as it's Friday 13th.RJ wrote:Now, how was it done? How do you convince a National newspaper to take you that seriously and to include a photo?
RJ - It's no use me telling BOF anything - I tried to tell them 18 months ago and as Hocolite says - i was told in no uncertain terms and on more than one occasion that my ideas were of no interest - believe me i have lots and lots of ideas - the Jk stuff and MADO are just a couple that i can actually make happen - most of them stay in my head. Timing is evrything - so many opportunities have been missed.
I have long thought that O should be marketing itself as an antidote to the cottonwool culture - it's a very strong selling point among thinking parents. But BOF prefer the cotton wool approach.
the letter has been edited - but quite reasonably - if anyone's inerest I could post up my original.
Apologies to those who would have like a more cutting edge adventure sport image - but that was not the platform I was working from (on this occasion) it doesn't mean it couldn't have been if the opportunity and timing had been right.
I don't suppose anyone at BOF Central has even noticed i could really do with the £250 tho' to finance the Malvern Initiative
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Mrs H. - nope godmother
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This is my original - not quite as it appeared in the paper
I tried to put the picture of Young Neville on - but I can't seem to manage that image/image thing
Dear Editor
In the face of yet more articles about overweight children and “cotton wool culture” might I offer parents my own solution to the dilemma. We all want our children to grow up healthy, happy, capable and self-reliant, but in this day and age its getting harder to find the opportunities to develop these life-enhancing qualities. I have, however, found a way which tackles all these area – and even a few more besides.
Every weekend, my three children, aged 12-15 years, my husband and myself have our own private adventures. In the holidays – these could last a week. We might do it locally, we might go abroad, we might do it in the dark, the rain, the sun, by the sea, in the mountains – even in town parks on weekday evenings. We do it on our own, and yet are surrounded by friends to share the experience and enjoy the social side. We can run it, or walk it or anything in between. We might line up or cross the finish line with a world champion, a child of eight or a veteran of 80 – all of us will have solved problems and used skills to complete our course to the best of our ability.
When I tell you what we do, you may feel a little disappointed – but think again. My children are athletic, adept at problem solving and risk assessment – they know thrills and achievements that no computer game can generate – they also know disappointment and defeat and how to deal with it. They know that success is relative and not always about winning. They socialise freely with their own age group but also interact comfortably with everyone. They recognise the beauty of the changing seasons and our indigenous wildlife. They already have friends all over the country (and abroad), and are not afraid of the world.
And as for us, we get the chance to compete against people our own age (and compete we do – although that is not obligatory). We get to see some of the finest countryside in Britain and abroad – much of which is not open to the public. We get to enjoy the barbecues, the picnics, the pubs and the old fashioned socials with like-minded families all over the place, all year. And at the end of the day, even though our children maybe some of the most independent and capable young people on the planet – we still get to see them (usually from a distance). It really is the answer to every thinking parent’s prayer.
The name of this panacea is Orienteering and it’s happening somewhere near you – check it out!
I tried to put the picture of Young Neville on - but I can't seem to manage that image/image thing
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Mrs H. - nope godmother
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Your letter just shows the art of keeping the detail until the end... a la...
http://www.swil.org/JoelPage/purplejoke.html
http://www.swil.org/JoelPage/purplejoke.html
- SLOWly
I think that was necessary due to the negative associations that some people have with (the word) orienteering. You did well not mentioning it until the very end Mrs.H.
I may have to go and buy the Daily Mail today. And that's something I never thought I'd hear myself say.
I may have to go and buy the Daily Mail today. And that's something I never thought I'd hear myself say.
It's a magical world. Let's go exploring.
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Nailest - diehard
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Ed wrote:. do we really want a big influx of daily mail readers into the sport?
Ha ha ha - gosh i wish i was an intellectual
but it's no use expecting Guardian readers to orienteer - it would ruin their cream linen suits, they don't serve latte at Wilfs and the Grauniad invented cotton wool in the first place
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Mrs H. - nope godmother
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