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A Memorable Conclusion to the Year
- Recent results
- Upcoming events
- Visit a POC over the festive break
- Free training for members
- Incentive Scheme update
- CompassSport Cup latest
Final NOC event of 2025:
Strawberry Hill was the venue for the final NOC event of 2025 and it was one to be remembered! Kevin Lomas had planned some excellent courses which were made all the more challenging given the recent rain and the low-level mist that lasted for the whole day. Orienteers had to use most of the tools in their toolbox to get round successfully! There were plenty of tricky controls and it was great fun.
Apart from this event being part of the East Midlands League, it also hosted the club championships for DVO and LOG so the event was a popular one with more than 270 participants and watched over by a former World Champion and some GB elites! Take a look at the NOC microsite for a quick summary of results and then visit Routegadget for this event to see the variation in routes used for each course.
Once competitors had run their courses, they headed back to Download for warm refreshments, mince pies and plenty of post-run chat. It was a terrific event. Huge thanks goes to Robert & Helen Parkinson for organising the event and catering, Kevin Lomas for course planning, Ant Squire for controlling and numerous others involved in securing permissions and updating the map.
Thanks too to all the helpers on the day. The extra starts added a few more challenges than normal but it all resulted in a memorable event. A final thanks to David Olivant who took numerous photos of the post event gathering. Keep an eye on the Gallery section of the NOC website as the images should appear there over the festive season.
There have been a couple of other events since the last newsletter. You can find details of NOC successes on the Info.noc-uk.org microsite.
Upcoming orienteering opportunities:
You can get your O fix at a number of events & activities over the coming weeks.
December 28th: Grey Lodge Estate, just north west of Leicester (enter before 23rd December)
January 1st: Matlock, the first event in the 2026 EM Urban League
January 4th: Shirebrook; Hilary is hosting a training session - free to paid-up NOC members. Spaces are still available so if you’d like to come along please email Hilary before the 28th of December (Coaching@noc-uk.org). Hilary will aim to design the coaching to suit individual needs where possible.
January 11th: Cademan, the first forest event in the 2026 EM (forest) League
January 18th: Thieves Wood - our first event of the New Year, between Mansfield and Nottingham.
Take a look at the British Orienteering website for other events and activities taking place too.
If you just want an easy, non-competitive orienteering fix, then why not pay a visit to a nearby Permanent Orienteering Course. Great fun for all the family over the festive break. Remember, you can set your own ‘course’ and there are some smartphone/virtual courses available too.
Also, if you spot a missing or broken POC marker as you go around, please let David Olivant know, ideally with a photo too (contact him via email at POC@noc-uk.org). POCs have proven really useful to newcomers so we want to make sure they stay in good condition and help to encourage many more people to try the sport in 2026.
More Incentive Scheme Achievements:
Following on from the awards mentioned in the last newsletter, it’s great to see even more members being recognised for their recent performances:
Alan Blackwell (a new member to the club and a participant in the most recent MapActive course) has achieved the Navigation Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 3 Award.
Another MapActive graduate, this time from autumn 2024, is Bodie Milsom who has achieved the Racing Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 4 Silver Award.
Also, fresh from their performances at Strawberry Hill, we have:
- Evan Llewellyn, Navigation Challenge, Level 3 Award.
- Grace Robinson, Navigation Level 4 Award.
- Emilie Milsom, Racing Challenge - Bronze Level 4 Award.
- Victoria Hanman, Racing Challenge - Silver Level 5 Award.
- Ed Cochrane, Racing Challenge - Gold Level 5 Award.
Well done all! Use the link to discover more about the British Orienteering Incentive Schemes.
CSC 2026 Update:
Our new Team Managers, Tim Booker and Victoria Hanman, have confirmed that the venue for NOC’s qualifying heat in the CompassSport Cup in February has been switched to Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham. The heat will take place on the 22nd February.
Keep a look out for a club email in the New Year with details about how to apply to take part. In the meantime, take a look at the preliminary event details currently available on the OD website.
The Committee have once again agreed to pay the entry fees for all members who represent the club at this event and indeed the various national relay events in 2026 too. However, this offer is only available to those who have paid their membership fees for 2026, so do ensure you’re all up-to-date if you want to take part.
As we will be taking part in the Cup rather than the Trophy competition this year, it’s really important that we have a full turnout of members representing NOC in this, and all the other national competitions. Remember, even if you are not a ‘scorer’ as such, your finishing position can still be ahead of scorers from other clubs which all helps our final points total.
We wish everyone a happy festive break and best wishes for a successful 2026!
EMews 299 - Dec 2025
- EM Junior Squad Report
- Status and 2026 fixtures for EM League and Urban League
- A history of Strawberry Hill & Ransom Woods as well as Thieves Wood
- plus puzzles and other editorial items.
Download the EMews 299 PDF to read your copy.
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC
Also in this issue:
- Final NOC event of 2025
- MapActive - Winter 2025
- Planning webinar
- Membership renewals
- Incentive Scheme
- Event Officials quiz
- Recent results
- Opportunity to influence EMOA
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC:
The Junior Inter-Regional Championships (JIRC) took place at the end of September in an area near to Coniston in the Lake District. Bodie Milsom (M14) of NOC was in the EM team. The competition was held over two days in tricky terrain with the individual competition on a detailed moorland area. Despite being technically very challenging, Bodie completed his course and contributed valuable points for the regional team.
In the relays on the following day on a sand-dune area, again nothing like we have here in our region, Bodie ran in a mixed team with a boy from OD (West Midlands) and Eoin Simpson of LEI. This couldn't count for the JIRCs as it was a mixed team but they won the Ad-Hoc (mixed) category and Bodie was 3rd fastest on the M14 leg. Given that Bodie started orienteering on the MapActive course last November and has only recently joined the regional junior squad, these results are very impressive. Well done, Bodie!
End-of-Year Events:
The final NOC event of 2025 is just a few weeks away. Kevin Lomas is finalising the courses along with those for the LOG and DVO Champs, so the event will be buzzing. Robert Parkinson is also busy as the Organiser and always manages to put on an enjoyable December event with festive treats!
The event details are now available on the NOC website. You can also study the terrain and the routes taken in previous visits to the area on RouteGadget.
We will obviously need plenty of volunteers on the day to ensure the event takes place without a hitch, so please contact your Team Leader if you are planning to take part and can spare some time to help out either side of your run.
With just a few events left in the year, the league standings are looking promising for many NOC members. Good luck to all those involved!
The first NOC event in 2026 will be at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. Event details are being finalised and will soon appear on the NOC Fixtures web page. The area was last used back in 2014. The map updates are now being finalised in preparation for the January event. In advance of the event details being published, you can get a feel for the venue by looking at a previous map for the area, and study the routes taken by competitors at the time.
MapActive Winter 2025:
We have had a good level of interest in this season’s MapActive programme with over 12 newcomers who have signed-up for all three sessions, plus a couple more who are only able to make one or two of the sessions.
We like to have as high a student:helper ratio as possible during these sessions as it means the students learn faster, enjoy the experience more, and it also tends to increase the proportion who sign-up as new NOC members after the course.
We could do with a few more helpers, so if you are available on the 13th December (Burntstump), please let Hilary know (email: Coaching@noc-uk.org). It’s just a couple of hours (1030 to 1230) and would make a world of difference.
Past experience suggests that even those who have been orienteering for a short time can act as helpers for the MapActive sessions. By listening to the coaches briefing the different activities, and supporting the newcomers as they navigate the various loops, the helpers themselves pick-up a few new tips and reinforce good practice. So do consider helping-out if you are available. Thanks in advance!
Planning webinar:
British Orienteering recently hosted an informative webinar on the subject of course planning which was delivered by Barry Elkington. The recording is available now on the British Orienteering website.
The webinar is an hour long and provides plenty of examples of best practice and recent rule updates. This is obviously useful to existing planners but also provides some really useful knowledge about how courses are presented on maps generally. Most orienteers will pick-up some useful tips by watching the video!
Membership Renewal:
The annual membership renewal window has opened and many members have already signed-up for 2026; many thanks to them for engaging with the process so promptly. The direct debit process will take place soon too if you use that facility.
Renewing your membership promptly is important as you may only be considered to take part in major events like the CompassSport heats (February 2026) or national Relay competitions if your name appears on the British Orienteering register as a paid-up 2026 member. So, unless you have a direct debit mandate in place, please make a point to renew your membership before the end of December.
British Orienteering Incentive Scheme:
We are really pleased to announce that three NOC members have been recognised for their achievements in recent events:
- Elodie Booker Racing Challenge: Silver Award - Level 2
- Emilie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level 4
- Bodie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level
You can learn more about the Incentive Scheme on the British Orienteering website.
Results to Event Officials Quiz:
Back in August we shared details of an Orienteering rules quiz produced for the EMOA Event Officials Conference with links so that NOC members could have a go too. The results for the quiz are now available on the EMOA website. Any queries should be directed to Ranald Macdonald at DVO!
Recent Results:
There have been a number of East Midlands League events in recent weeks which have seen good performances from NOC members. Read some quick reviews for the events at Shipley Park (DVO), Wellow (NOC), Cromford Moor (DVO) and Beacon Hill (LEI).
Opportunity to influence EMOA:
The EMOA committee does many things to ensure orienteering is successfully promoted and delivered in the East Midlands. For example, collaborating with other clubs to ensure that events don’t clash, support aspiring juniors, organise the Forest and Urban leagues, provide a link to the other EM clubs, neighbouring associations and British Orienteering.
The EMOA Committee is looking for a Vice Chair. The EMOA constitution states that the key officials must come from more than one EM club. It has been many years since NOC filled one of the key official roles and the Chair of EMOA has asked if we could find a volunteer from our club. Would you be interested in taking-on the Vice-Chair role? If you would like to discuss further, please have a chat Pauline Olivant (the NOC rep’ on the Committee (email:membership@noc-uk.org) or contact the EMOA chair: (email: Chair@emoa-uk.org).
NOC Member Coaching Session - 4th January 2026
Hilary has confirmed that she will host a training session on 4th January at Shirebrook Wood. The exact times are still to be confirmed but likely to be between 11am and 1pm.
Hilary will be planning courses to suit both beginner and intermediate orienteers, and this will act as really useful preparation for the NOC event to be held at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. This coaching session will be free to those NOC members who have paid-up for 2026.
The session will consist of a number of short loops for those new to the sport (Yellow and Orange standard with controls on or just off paths) plus a series of challenges at Light Green+ standard; so expect routes of increasing technical difficulty!
Club Coaching: All ages & experience welcome.
Information on Bassetlaw club evenings can be found here.
If you are not able to attend an orienteering event, you may want to try some of the smart phone courses available across the NOC area.
These use an app on a mobile phone, and punching at a control sites is detected by the GPS in the phone. The app and the courses are all free and can be used at any time, providing you observe any COVID19 rules, and don't go in anti-social hours.
Follow this link for a directory of courses and results.
East Midlands League
East Midlands Urban League
A Memorable Conclusion to the Year
- Recent results
- Upcoming events
- Visit a POC over the festive break
- Free training for members
- Incentive Scheme update
- CompassSport Cup latest
Final NOC event of 2025:
Strawberry Hill was the venue for the final NOC event of 2025 and it was one to be remembered! Kevin Lomas had planned some excellent courses which were made all the more challenging given the recent rain and the low-level mist that lasted for the whole day. Orienteers had to use most of the tools in their toolbox to get round successfully! There were plenty of tricky controls and it was great fun.
Apart from this event being part of the East Midlands League, it also hosted the club championships for DVO and LOG so the event was a popular one with more than 270 participants and watched over by a former World Champion and some GB elites! Take a look at the NOC microsite for a quick summary of results and then visit Routegadget for this event to see the variation in routes used for each course.
Once competitors had run their courses, they headed back to Download for warm refreshments, mince pies and plenty of post-run chat. It was a terrific event. Huge thanks goes to Robert & Helen Parkinson for organising the event and catering, Kevin Lomas for course planning, Ant Squire for controlling and numerous others involved in securing permissions and updating the map.
Thanks too to all the helpers on the day. The extra starts added a few more challenges than normal but it all resulted in a memorable event. A final thanks to David Olivant who took numerous photos of the post event gathering. Keep an eye on the Gallery section of the NOC website as the images should appear there over the festive season.
There have been a couple of other events since the last newsletter. You can find details of NOC successes on the Info.noc-uk.org microsite.
Upcoming orienteering opportunities:
You can get your O fix at a number of events & activities over the coming weeks.
December 28th: Grey Lodge Estate, just north west of Leicester (enter before 23rd December)
January 1st: Matlock, the first event in the 2026 EM Urban League
January 4th: Shirebrook; Hilary is hosting a training session - free to paid-up NOC members. Spaces are still available so if you’d like to come along please email Hilary before the 28th of December (Coaching@noc-uk.org). Hilary will aim to design the coaching to suit individual needs where possible.
January 11th: Cademan, the first forest event in the 2026 EM (forest) League
January 18th: Thieves Wood - our first event of the New Year, between Mansfield and Nottingham.
Take a look at the British Orienteering website for other events and activities taking place too.
If you just want an easy, non-competitive orienteering fix, then why not pay a visit to a nearby Permanent Orienteering Course. Great fun for all the family over the festive break. Remember, you can set your own ‘course’ and there are some smartphone/virtual courses available too.
Also, if you spot a missing or broken POC marker as you go around, please let David Olivant know, ideally with a photo too (contact him via email at POC@noc-uk.org). POCs have proven really useful to newcomers so we want to make sure they stay in good condition and help to encourage many more people to try the sport in 2026.
More Incentive Scheme Achievements:
Following on from the awards mentioned in the last newsletter, it’s great to see even more members being recognised for their recent performances:
Alan Blackwell (a new member to the club and a participant in the most recent MapActive course) has achieved the Navigation Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 3 Award.
Another MapActive graduate, this time from autumn 2024, is Bodie Milsom who has achieved the Racing Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 4 Silver Award.
Also, fresh from their performances at Strawberry Hill, we have:
- Evan Llewellyn, Navigation Challenge, Level 3 Award.
- Grace Robinson, Navigation Level 4 Award.
- Emilie Milsom, Racing Challenge - Bronze Level 4 Award.
- Victoria Hanman, Racing Challenge - Silver Level 5 Award.
- Ed Cochrane, Racing Challenge - Gold Level 5 Award.
Well done all! Use the link to discover more about the British Orienteering Incentive Schemes.
CSC 2026 Update:
Our new Team Managers, Tim Booker and Victoria Hanman, have confirmed that the venue for NOC’s qualifying heat in the CompassSport Cup in February has been switched to Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham. The heat will take place on the 22nd February.
Keep a look out for a club email in the New Year with details about how to apply to take part. In the meantime, take a look at the preliminary event details currently available on the OD website.
The Committee have once again agreed to pay the entry fees for all members who represent the club at this event and indeed the various national relay events in 2026 too. However, this offer is only available to those who have paid their membership fees for 2026, so do ensure you’re all up-to-date if you want to take part.
As we will be taking part in the Cup rather than the Trophy competition this year, it’s really important that we have a full turnout of members representing NOC in this, and all the other national competitions. Remember, even if you are not a ‘scorer’ as such, your finishing position can still be ahead of scorers from other clubs which all helps our final points total.
We wish everyone a happy festive break and best wishes for a successful 2026!
EMews 299 - Dec 2025
- EM Junior Squad Report
- Status and 2026 fixtures for EM League and Urban League
- A history of Strawberry Hill & Ransom Woods as well as Thieves Wood
- plus puzzles and other editorial items.
Download the EMews 299 PDF to read your copy.
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC
Also in this issue:
- Final NOC event of 2025
- MapActive - Winter 2025
- Planning webinar
- Membership renewals
- Incentive Scheme
- Event Officials quiz
- Recent results
- Opportunity to influence EMOA
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC:
The Junior Inter-Regional Championships (JIRC) took place at the end of September in an area near to Coniston in the Lake District. Bodie Milsom (M14) of NOC was in the EM team. The competition was held over two days in tricky terrain with the individual competition on a detailed moorland area. Despite being technically very challenging, Bodie completed his course and contributed valuable points for the regional team.
In the relays on the following day on a sand-dune area, again nothing like we have here in our region, Bodie ran in a mixed team with a boy from OD (West Midlands) and Eoin Simpson of LEI. This couldn't count for the JIRCs as it was a mixed team but they won the Ad-Hoc (mixed) category and Bodie was 3rd fastest on the M14 leg. Given that Bodie started orienteering on the MapActive course last November and has only recently joined the regional junior squad, these results are very impressive. Well done, Bodie!
End-of-Year Events:
The final NOC event of 2025 is just a few weeks away. Kevin Lomas is finalising the courses along with those for the LOG and DVO Champs, so the event will be buzzing. Robert Parkinson is also busy as the Organiser and always manages to put on an enjoyable December event with festive treats!
The event details are now available on the NOC website. You can also study the terrain and the routes taken in previous visits to the area on RouteGadget.
We will obviously need plenty of volunteers on the day to ensure the event takes place without a hitch, so please contact your Team Leader if you are planning to take part and can spare some time to help out either side of your run.
With just a few events left in the year, the league standings are looking promising for many NOC members. Good luck to all those involved!
The first NOC event in 2026 will be at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. Event details are being finalised and will soon appear on the NOC Fixtures web page. The area was last used back in 2014. The map updates are now being finalised in preparation for the January event. In advance of the event details being published, you can get a feel for the venue by looking at a previous map for the area, and study the routes taken by competitors at the time.
MapActive Winter 2025:
We have had a good level of interest in this season’s MapActive programme with over 12 newcomers who have signed-up for all three sessions, plus a couple more who are only able to make one or two of the sessions.
We like to have as high a student:helper ratio as possible during these sessions as it means the students learn faster, enjoy the experience more, and it also tends to increase the proportion who sign-up as new NOC members after the course.
We could do with a few more helpers, so if you are available on the 13th December (Burntstump), please let Hilary know (email: Coaching@noc-uk.org). It’s just a couple of hours (1030 to 1230) and would make a world of difference.
Past experience suggests that even those who have been orienteering for a short time can act as helpers for the MapActive sessions. By listening to the coaches briefing the different activities, and supporting the newcomers as they navigate the various loops, the helpers themselves pick-up a few new tips and reinforce good practice. So do consider helping-out if you are available. Thanks in advance!
Planning webinar:
British Orienteering recently hosted an informative webinar on the subject of course planning which was delivered by Barry Elkington. The recording is available now on the British Orienteering website.
The webinar is an hour long and provides plenty of examples of best practice and recent rule updates. This is obviously useful to existing planners but also provides some really useful knowledge about how courses are presented on maps generally. Most orienteers will pick-up some useful tips by watching the video!
Membership Renewal:
The annual membership renewal window has opened and many members have already signed-up for 2026; many thanks to them for engaging with the process so promptly. The direct debit process will take place soon too if you use that facility.
Renewing your membership promptly is important as you may only be considered to take part in major events like the CompassSport heats (February 2026) or national Relay competitions if your name appears on the British Orienteering register as a paid-up 2026 member. So, unless you have a direct debit mandate in place, please make a point to renew your membership before the end of December.
British Orienteering Incentive Scheme:
We are really pleased to announce that three NOC members have been recognised for their achievements in recent events:
- Elodie Booker Racing Challenge: Silver Award - Level 2
- Emilie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level 4
- Bodie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level
You can learn more about the Incentive Scheme on the British Orienteering website.
Results to Event Officials Quiz:
Back in August we shared details of an Orienteering rules quiz produced for the EMOA Event Officials Conference with links so that NOC members could have a go too. The results for the quiz are now available on the EMOA website. Any queries should be directed to Ranald Macdonald at DVO!
Recent Results:
There have been a number of East Midlands League events in recent weeks which have seen good performances from NOC members. Read some quick reviews for the events at Shipley Park (DVO), Wellow (NOC), Cromford Moor (DVO) and Beacon Hill (LEI).
Opportunity to influence EMOA:
The EMOA committee does many things to ensure orienteering is successfully promoted and delivered in the East Midlands. For example, collaborating with other clubs to ensure that events don’t clash, support aspiring juniors, organise the Forest and Urban leagues, provide a link to the other EM clubs, neighbouring associations and British Orienteering.
The EMOA Committee is looking for a Vice Chair. The EMOA constitution states that the key officials must come from more than one EM club. It has been many years since NOC filled one of the key official roles and the Chair of EMOA has asked if we could find a volunteer from our club. Would you be interested in taking-on the Vice-Chair role? If you would like to discuss further, please have a chat Pauline Olivant (the NOC rep’ on the Committee (email:membership@noc-uk.org) or contact the EMOA chair: (email: Chair@emoa-uk.org).
NOC Member Coaching Session - 4th January 2026
Hilary has confirmed that she will host a training session on 4th January at Shirebrook Wood. The exact times are still to be confirmed but likely to be between 11am and 1pm.
Hilary will be planning courses to suit both beginner and intermediate orienteers, and this will act as really useful preparation for the NOC event to be held at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. This coaching session will be free to those NOC members who have paid-up for 2026.
The session will consist of a number of short loops for those new to the sport (Yellow and Orange standard with controls on or just off paths) plus a series of challenges at Light Green+ standard; so expect routes of increasing technical difficulty!
East Midlands League
East Midlands Urban League
If you are not able to attend an orienteering event, you may want to try some of the smart phone courses available across the NOC area.
These use an app on a mobile phone, and punching at a control sites is detected by the GPS in the phone. The app and the courses are all free and can be used at any time, providing you observe any COVID19 rules, and don't go in anti-social hours.
Follow this link for a directory of courses and results.
Club Coaching: All ages & experience welcome.
Information on Bassetlaw club evenings can be found here.
A Memorable Conclusion to the Year
- Recent results
- Upcoming events
- Visit a POC over the festive break
- Free training for members
- Incentive Scheme update
- CompassSport Cup latest
Final NOC event of 2025:
Strawberry Hill was the venue for the final NOC event of 2025 and it was one to be remembered! Kevin Lomas had planned some excellent courses which were made all the more challenging given the recent rain and the low-level mist that lasted for the whole day. Orienteers had to use most of the tools in their toolbox to get round successfully! There were plenty of tricky controls and it was great fun.
Apart from this event being part of the East Midlands League, it also hosted the club championships for DVO and LOG so the event was a popular one with more than 270 participants and watched over by a former World Champion and some GB elites! Take a look at the NOC microsite for a quick summary of results and then visit Routegadget for this event to see the variation in routes used for each course.
Once competitors had run their courses, they headed back to Download for warm refreshments, mince pies and plenty of post-run chat. It was a terrific event. Huge thanks goes to Robert & Helen Parkinson for organising the event and catering, Kevin Lomas for course planning, Ant Squire for controlling and numerous others involved in securing permissions and updating the map.
Thanks too to all the helpers on the day. The extra starts added a few more challenges than normal but it all resulted in a memorable event. A final thanks to David Olivant who took numerous photos of the post event gathering. Keep an eye on the Gallery section of the NOC website as the images should appear there over the festive season.
There have been a couple of other events since the last newsletter. You can find details of NOC successes on the Info.noc-uk.org microsite.
Upcoming orienteering opportunities:
You can get your O fix at a number of events & activities over the coming weeks.
December 28th: Grey Lodge Estate, just north west of Leicester (enter before 23rd December)
January 1st: Matlock, the first event in the 2026 EM Urban League
January 4th: Shirebrook; Hilary is hosting a training session - free to paid-up NOC members. Spaces are still available so if you’d like to come along please email Hilary before the 28th of December (Coaching@noc-uk.org). Hilary will aim to design the coaching to suit individual needs where possible.
January 11th: Cademan, the first forest event in the 2026 EM (forest) League
January 18th: Thieves Wood - our first event of the New Year, between Mansfield and Nottingham.
Take a look at the British Orienteering website for other events and activities taking place too.
If you just want an easy, non-competitive orienteering fix, then why not pay a visit to a nearby Permanent Orienteering Course. Great fun for all the family over the festive break. Remember, you can set your own ‘course’ and there are some smartphone/virtual courses available too.
Also, if you spot a missing or broken POC marker as you go around, please let David Olivant know, ideally with a photo too (contact him via email at POC@noc-uk.org). POCs have proven really useful to newcomers so we want to make sure they stay in good condition and help to encourage many more people to try the sport in 2026.
More Incentive Scheme Achievements:
Following on from the awards mentioned in the last newsletter, it’s great to see even more members being recognised for their recent performances:
Alan Blackwell (a new member to the club and a participant in the most recent MapActive course) has achieved the Navigation Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 3 Award.
Another MapActive graduate, this time from autumn 2024, is Bodie Milsom who has achieved the Racing Challenge - Technical Difficulty Level 4 Silver Award.
Also, fresh from their performances at Strawberry Hill, we have:
- Evan Llewellyn, Navigation Challenge, Level 3 Award.
- Grace Robinson, Navigation Level 4 Award.
- Emilie Milsom, Racing Challenge - Bronze Level 4 Award.
- Victoria Hanman, Racing Challenge - Silver Level 5 Award.
- Ed Cochrane, Racing Challenge - Gold Level 5 Award.
Well done all! Use the link to discover more about the British Orienteering Incentive Schemes.
CSC 2026 Update:
Our new Team Managers, Tim Booker and Victoria Hanman, have confirmed that the venue for NOC’s qualifying heat in the CompassSport Cup in February has been switched to Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham. The heat will take place on the 22nd February.
Keep a look out for a club email in the New Year with details about how to apply to take part. In the meantime, take a look at the preliminary event details currently available on the OD website.
The Committee have once again agreed to pay the entry fees for all members who represent the club at this event and indeed the various national relay events in 2026 too. However, this offer is only available to those who have paid their membership fees for 2026, so do ensure you’re all up-to-date if you want to take part.
As we will be taking part in the Cup rather than the Trophy competition this year, it’s really important that we have a full turnout of members representing NOC in this, and all the other national competitions. Remember, even if you are not a ‘scorer’ as such, your finishing position can still be ahead of scorers from other clubs which all helps our final points total.
We wish everyone a happy festive break and best wishes for a successful 2026!
EMews 299 - Dec 2025
- EM Junior Squad Report
- Status and 2026 fixtures for EM League and Urban League
- A history of Strawberry Hill & Ransom Woods as well as Thieves Wood
- plus puzzles and other editorial items.
Download the EMews 299 PDF to read your copy.
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC
Also in this issue:
- Final NOC event of 2025
- MapActive - Winter 2025
- Planning webinar
- Membership renewals
- Incentive Scheme
- Event Officials quiz
- Recent results
- Opportunity to influence EMOA
NOC member represents East Midlands at JIRC:
The Junior Inter-Regional Championships (JIRC) took place at the end of September in an area near to Coniston in the Lake District. Bodie Milsom (M14) of NOC was in the EM team. The competition was held over two days in tricky terrain with the individual competition on a detailed moorland area. Despite being technically very challenging, Bodie completed his course and contributed valuable points for the regional team.
In the relays on the following day on a sand-dune area, again nothing like we have here in our region, Bodie ran in a mixed team with a boy from OD (West Midlands) and Eoin Simpson of LEI. This couldn't count for the JIRCs as it was a mixed team but they won the Ad-Hoc (mixed) category and Bodie was 3rd fastest on the M14 leg. Given that Bodie started orienteering on the MapActive course last November and has only recently joined the regional junior squad, these results are very impressive. Well done, Bodie!
End-of-Year Events:
The final NOC event of 2025 is just a few weeks away. Kevin Lomas is finalising the courses along with those for the LOG and DVO Champs, so the event will be buzzing. Robert Parkinson is also busy as the Organiser and always manages to put on an enjoyable December event with festive treats!
The event details are now available on the NOC website. You can also study the terrain and the routes taken in previous visits to the area on RouteGadget.
We will obviously need plenty of volunteers on the day to ensure the event takes place without a hitch, so please contact your Team Leader if you are planning to take part and can spare some time to help out either side of your run.
With just a few events left in the year, the league standings are looking promising for many NOC members. Good luck to all those involved!
The first NOC event in 2026 will be at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. Event details are being finalised and will soon appear on the NOC Fixtures web page. The area was last used back in 2014. The map updates are now being finalised in preparation for the January event. In advance of the event details being published, you can get a feel for the venue by looking at a previous map for the area, and study the routes taken by competitors at the time.
MapActive Winter 2025:
We have had a good level of interest in this season’s MapActive programme with over 12 newcomers who have signed-up for all three sessions, plus a couple more who are only able to make one or two of the sessions.
We like to have as high a student:helper ratio as possible during these sessions as it means the students learn faster, enjoy the experience more, and it also tends to increase the proportion who sign-up as new NOC members after the course.
We could do with a few more helpers, so if you are available on the 13th December (Burntstump), please let Hilary know (email: Coaching@noc-uk.org). It’s just a couple of hours (1030 to 1230) and would make a world of difference.
Past experience suggests that even those who have been orienteering for a short time can act as helpers for the MapActive sessions. By listening to the coaches briefing the different activities, and supporting the newcomers as they navigate the various loops, the helpers themselves pick-up a few new tips and reinforce good practice. So do consider helping-out if you are available. Thanks in advance!
Planning webinar:
British Orienteering recently hosted an informative webinar on the subject of course planning which was delivered by Barry Elkington. The recording is available now on the British Orienteering website.
The webinar is an hour long and provides plenty of examples of best practice and recent rule updates. This is obviously useful to existing planners but also provides some really useful knowledge about how courses are presented on maps generally. Most orienteers will pick-up some useful tips by watching the video!
Membership Renewal:
The annual membership renewal window has opened and many members have already signed-up for 2026; many thanks to them for engaging with the process so promptly. The direct debit process will take place soon too if you use that facility.
Renewing your membership promptly is important as you may only be considered to take part in major events like the CompassSport heats (February 2026) or national Relay competitions if your name appears on the British Orienteering register as a paid-up 2026 member. So, unless you have a direct debit mandate in place, please make a point to renew your membership before the end of December.
British Orienteering Incentive Scheme:
We are really pleased to announce that three NOC members have been recognised for their achievements in recent events:
- Elodie Booker Racing Challenge: Silver Award - Level 2
- Emilie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level 4
- Bodie Milsom Navigation Challenge - Level
You can learn more about the Incentive Scheme on the British Orienteering website.
Results to Event Officials Quiz:
Back in August we shared details of an Orienteering rules quiz produced for the EMOA Event Officials Conference with links so that NOC members could have a go too. The results for the quiz are now available on the EMOA website. Any queries should be directed to Ranald Macdonald at DVO!
Recent Results:
There have been a number of East Midlands League events in recent weeks which have seen good performances from NOC members. Read some quick reviews for the events at Shipley Park (DVO), Wellow (NOC), Cromford Moor (DVO) and Beacon Hill (LEI).
Opportunity to influence EMOA:
The EMOA committee does many things to ensure orienteering is successfully promoted and delivered in the East Midlands. For example, collaborating with other clubs to ensure that events don’t clash, support aspiring juniors, organise the Forest and Urban leagues, provide a link to the other EM clubs, neighbouring associations and British Orienteering.
The EMOA Committee is looking for a Vice Chair. The EMOA constitution states that the key officials must come from more than one EM club. It has been many years since NOC filled one of the key official roles and the Chair of EMOA has asked if we could find a volunteer from our club. Would you be interested in taking-on the Vice-Chair role? If you would like to discuss further, please have a chat Pauline Olivant (the NOC rep’ on the Committee (email:membership@noc-uk.org) or contact the EMOA chair: (email: Chair@emoa-uk.org).
NOC Member Coaching Session - 4th January 2026
Hilary has confirmed that she will host a training session on 4th January at Shirebrook Wood. The exact times are still to be confirmed but likely to be between 11am and 1pm.
Hilary will be planning courses to suit both beginner and intermediate orienteers, and this will act as really useful preparation for the NOC event to be held at Thieves Wood on the 18th January. This coaching session will be free to those NOC members who have paid-up for 2026.
The session will consist of a number of short loops for those new to the sport (Yellow and Orange standard with controls on or just off paths) plus a series of challenges at Light Green+ standard; so expect routes of increasing technical difficulty!
East Midlands League
East Midlands Urban League
If you are not able to attend an orienteering event, you may want to try some of the smart phone courses available across the NOC area.
These use an app on a mobile phone, and punching at a control sites is detected by the GPS in the phone. The app and the courses are all free and can be used at any time, providing you observe any COVID19 rules, and don't go in anti-social hours.
Follow this link for a directory of courses and results.
Club Coaching: All ages & experience welcome.
Information on Bassetlaw club evenings can be found here.