Bell-boating has added a new dimension to our paddlesport, educational and team-work provision.

The Bell-Boat is a team boat for ALL and has been used by every section of the communities in which it has been introduced: primary school children; toddlers; octogenarians; Scouts/Guides; those with learning difficulties; Olympic class paddlers...

Each Bell-Boat is guided by a trained and qualified 'helm' and this unique feature makes it possible for ANYONE to be able to enjoy paddlesport. We could, if you wish, train your teachers/leaders to helm the boats themselves, enabling your school or group to come Bell-boating regularly on a 'hire-only' basis.

The Bell-Boat is also a dynamic moving school on the water, and the raft of a philosophy of creative competition, co-operation and a systems approach to learning and working*. The Bellboat is an ideal resourse both for the outdoor activity section of the PE curriculum and as a platform for fieldwork in geography, biology and ecology.

Making Waves - Times Educational Supplement Feature - Gerald Haigh 6/11/92

...the Bell Boat. ...in which up to 12 children or adults, of all abilities, can learn safely, with a coach moving around on a walkway between them.

...What they (headteachers), and other teachers - especially those from primaries - can see is that the Bell Boat is potentially a tremendous resource for meeting the outdoor activities section of the new PE national curriculum. They realise too that it makes a superb platform for fieldwork in science and geography."

Go with the flow in the classroom on water - Pam Cooley - TES 29/3/96

" Now erosion is not just a word. They have seen it, they know what it is"... "There were so many things they asked about as we went along"... "In the end we had touched on nearly a third of the geography curriculum"

'Bell Boat' - Canoe Focus (British Canoe Union Magazine)

Geoff Good - Director of Coaching

"The Bell Boat is an undoubted success and popular among primary schools, as a craft for getting young children afloat in a safe and a purposeful way. The thinking behind the scheme, including stories and a philosophy of life, provides a complete package...

Inner-city dream takes to the water - Kevin Delaney Local Press (Salford) 1994

..."Parents were initially quite worried about their children going onto the water, but everybody enjoyed themselves so much. In the end it was the mums and dads who wanted another go, everyone had such a terrific time."

 

*A Paddle for Life This innovative and exciting project combines education and sport; meets the requirements of Key Stage 2 and will complement a school's existing curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Developed in Fladbury by David Train, the full 'Paddle for Life' programme involves active learning about systems, history, environment and working together to solve the problems facing the world, such as climate change. This starts with a series of children's stories, along with soft toy versions of the main two characters: Walter the Tortoise and Winnie the Hare. Paddling the Bell-Boats is part of an extended programme in which the children plant and grow willows which they crop to build and decorate paddles. Alternatively, they can buy wooden paddle kits and replace the trees by planting another species. Some suppliers are now supplying paddle kits on the basis of 2 trees planted for every paddle kit sold. 'A Paddle for Life' is established in many schools, and has been taken up by other countries in Europe. The idea has now crossed the Atlantic, where Purdue University in Indiana, among other 'Paddle for Life' initiatives, is using the ideas in a programme for trainee teachers. To 'Paddle for Life' in Wales, contact Pam Bell 01873 831 825.