Bell Boat Helm

Course Description

Become a Bell Boat Helm!

• Looking to lead bell boat journeys?
• Do you want to lead people from all walks of life on sheltered water?
• Are you a paddler or do you have experience of paddling?
• Do you want to support your centre, school or club as a Bell Boat Helm?

If so, becoming a Bell Boat Helm could be for you!

Why become a Bell Boat Helm?

First of all, the award is open to all paddlers! The award supports your existing skills and enables you to lead fun, safe and enjoyable bell boat trips. 

Secondly, you will be supported to develop your personal, safety and group control skills during the combined training and assessment, with like-minded bell boaters.  

Furthermore, this award is used by clubs, outdoor centres, schools and organisations to support their activity delivery on bell boats. 

What can a Bell Boat Helm do? 

Your award will support you to run rewarding and enjoyable trips, based on your group’s needs and aspirations. You will lead journeys on sheltered water, including slow moving river and quiet canals, for a range of paddlers of all ages. 

As a  Helm, you can work independently or be deployed by a club, centre, school or organisation to lead trips and journeys. The purpose of these trips may be wide ranging from educational experiences, expeditions, competitions or trying something new.

You will be able to provide Paddle UK Awards and Training such as:

Personal Performance Awards – Paddle Start and Paddle Discover.

Note: other experience, training or qualifications may be required. Find out more in our develop skills section.

How should I prepare for the training and assessment course?

There are no formal Personal Performance Award or Safety Award requirements to becoming a Helm. However, to get the best from your course you need to feel comfortable in a bell boat and be able to paddle on sheltered water.

In addition you will need to be a member of your National Association, have attended Safeguarding and First Aid Training (within the last 3 years).

You can look at the Course Guide here.

You can access the course handbook here.

Registration

The Bell Boat Helm has a formal registration requirement.

LEADERSHIP REGISTRATION

Registration is a process for leaders who are planning to attend a Leadership Assessment course. The purpose of Registration is to confirm you hold all prerequisites, it's quick and confirmation is sent straight to your inbox*.

This should then be shared with the assessor to confirm eligibility for assessment. It also gives you peace of mind that you have everything you need in place and you can focus on enjoying your assessment.

Please do not try to Register unless you hold all prerequisites:

• You need to be at least 16 years of age to register.
• Safeguarding Training (dated within the last 3 years).
• 1 day First Aid (dated within the last 3 years).
• Full National Association Membership.

WHAT DOES REGISTRATION COST?

Bell Boat Helm Registration is Free!

HOW DO I REGISTER?

• You need to access your membership portal and register through the portal.
• Ensure your record is up to date before you start**.
• Click on the registration tab and follow the on screen instructions.
• For more information you can use our Registration Guidance.

When should I Register?

When you have all of the prerequisites in place

At least 2 weeks before your assessment, this allows us to resolve any issues in plenty of time!

Why do I have to Register?

Your Registration covers:

• Advice, support and guidance
• Registration services
• Provision of Internal Verification
• Provision of digital platforms and resources
• Administering qualifications including e-certificate and digital records
• Enhanced insurance
• For more information you can use our Registration Guidance.

Course Content

The course content is delivered through a training course, which is usually two days’ of formal training or as modular delivery, which also includes the assessment. The course covers personal skills, group control and safety.

To effectively prepare you to take responsibility for the crew and bell boat, the training will cover the following areas:

• Philosophy behind the bell boat
• Sheltered Water – Remit and Ratios
• Risk Assessment – able to identify hazards and risks and how to reduce/remove them.
• Safety, the environment, equipment, emergency procedures and leptospirosis
• Coaching techniques
• Negotiating a Lock
• General Information: The next step; Paddle UK; Access to water; the Environment

You can look at the Course Guide here.

Bell Boat Assessment

We believe in assessments for learning and you will definitely learn a lot from your assessment. To find out more click on the assessment tab.

Course Assessment

We do everything we can to take the stress out of assessments, we are focused on the journey and not the destination. The experience will be safe, engaging and enjoyable, with you at the heart of the process. Consequently, the assessments are part of the learning and as enjoyable as the rest of the course!

By the end of the assessment you will have to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills with a Bell Boat and crew, successfully and safely:

• Safety routines, checking equipment and screening crew
• Load a boat and give safety information to crew
• Move away from the bank
• Basic forward paddling technique
• Teach proper use of the paddle and basic paddle strokes
• Emergency stop
• Steering the boat over a straight course
• Steering through a figure of eight course
• The procedure for negotiating a lock
• An approach to the landing stage, disembark the crew and secure the boat
• The procedure for lining the boat round a rapid or weir (venue dependent)

Help and support ahead of your assessment

Every Bell Boat Helm will prepare differently for their assessment, however, you can check your readiness for assessment using:

• The Bell Boat Helm Course Guide here. – this explains in detail, the training and assessment process, as well as course structure
• Skills Checklist – can be used to self-profile and check if you’re ready for assessment

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