Last updated 31 Aug 2026
The following is emailed to all new members, but is reproduced here for reference. If any part of it appears to be out of date, please email secretary@orkneyarc.org.uk and we will update it:
Welcome to Orkney Athletic and Running Club
Thank you for completing the membership form and paying your membership fee and welcome to Orkney Athletic and Running Club. We hope you will enjoy training, competing or volunteering with us.
About The Club
Orkney Athletic and Running Club is a registered Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO) that is affiliated to Scottish Athletics and accepts members from age 9 (P5 year group) upwards. Full details of our Vision, Mission and Values can be found on the Club website. Our website, https://www.orkneyarc.org.uk/ contains a wealth of information and resources, including the details of the Club Board members/trustees, policies and event details.
You will find all relevant codes of conduct on the documents page here: https://www.orkneyarc.org.uk/about/documents/. It is important that all athletes and parents/guardians keep themselves up to date on all codes of conduct that are relevant to their age group.
Who To Speak To
Your Coach should usually be the first point of contact for any questions. If you/your athlete is going to be absent from a session, please let us know through Facebook Messenger.
If you need to report a welfare concern, please email welfare@orkneyarc.org.uk – Chris Webb is the club’s welfare officer. Information about our safeguarding and welfare policies can be found at https://www.orkneyarc.org.uk/safeguarding-welfare-hub/
John Cairns, Club Development Officer (cdo@orkneyarc.org.uk) – John is our paid part-time Club Development Officer, and is generally at training most weeks. His role is to co-ordinate training and make sure everyone is getting the most out of their training. Talk to him about training plans, feedback on training & competition opportunities as well as general questions about athletics & development.
Rob Dinsey, Chair (chair@orkneyarc.org.uk) – Rob chairs the club’s board and is the best point of call for non-training related questions that you may have that don’t fit anywhere else
Mairi Dennison, Membership Secretary (membership@orkneyarc.org.uk) – Mairi manages the club’s waiting lists and intakes, and can help with any questions around those
Sarah Finn, Seniors Rep (seniors@orkneyarc.org.uk) – Sarah leads the club’s senior road section, and can help with questions around Wednesday senior training or road races
Information about the club is also available via our website (orkneyarc.org.uk) and also the Club’s Facebook page: facebook.com/orkneyathletics. You will also receive emails from us via the Coacha system. Our emails sometimes go into ‘junk’ mail, so it is useful to regularly check there and add us to your contacts so that you receive emails.
Coacha
Newer members will have registered via Coacha (https://my.coacha.app/) and have a log-in for it. Coacha is mostly a system for the club to use on the administrative side, but you can use it to keep your athlete’s details up to date: contact details and medical information in particular. We may occasionally send reminders asking folk to keep it up to date. For longer standing members, you won’t have a log-in but we can set one up for you, just email chair@orkneyarc.org.uk and we’ll get it sorted.
Training
Regular coached training sessions take place at the Pickaquoy Centre on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings in term time for Primary athletes, and year-round for Secondary and Senior/Adult (18+) athletes, with short breaks in October and December. Session times are detailed here: https://www.orkneyarc.org.uk/training-evenings/ . We ask everyone to keep an eye on their emails and the Club Facebook page for updates to training times as last minute changes can occur due to weather, coach availability etc.
A register is taken at each training session, and every athlete must ensure they report in so that their attendance can be recorded.
Junior (Primary & Secondary) Athlete Training: Athletes train outdoors whenever possible all year round, so please ensure you / your athlete comes prepared for all weathers – think layers! Athletes should always ensure they bring a water bottle with them to training sessions and can we please ask that all items of clothing, bags, shoes, water bottles etc are named.
All Primary athletes train regularly in running, jumping and throwing activities (some examples of the disciplines offered are sprints, high jump, shot put). Scottish Athletics encourage athletes to continue multi-eventing well into their teens. When athletes move into S1, we ask them to select at least two disciplines to train in. As they get older, some choose to specialise in one discipline, but we generally advise not doing this too early, as their strengths change as they grow, and they often find that they are suited to different disciplines than those they liked best when they were younger. Any Secondary athletes who wish to change disciplines/coaches must discuss this with their present coach and/or the Club Development Officer in the first instance, and may be constrained by availability as some groups have more space than others
Senior/Adult Athlete Training: The Senior section currently hold running sessions at the track on Wednesday evenings led by a coach (Coach in Running Fitness). See link above for the training details page on the website or email seniors@orkneyarc.org.uk for more information.
If Senior athletes attending Club coached sessions alongside the Junior athletes wish to change training groups or coaches, this must be discussed with your present coach/or the Club Development Officer in the first instance, as outlined in the Senior Athletes Code of Conduct.
Competitions in Orkney and further afield As well as weekly training sessions, there are competitions/races held in Orkney for Primary, Secondary and Senior athletes. It isn’t mandatory that athletes take part in competitions/races, but it is a good way to set and achieve goals, and they are exciting events to be part of. The Club also organises fun sessions and an annual awards night, to socialise and celebrate together. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for event dates and competition entry details.
Athletes may also have the opportunity to compete in competitions/races outwith Orkney. Coaches will do their best to make athletes aware of these opportunities and there is also the events page of the club website. There are usually one or two competitions a year outwith Orkney, for Primary, Secondary and Senior athletes, that are organised as Club trips . Some of the competitions outwith Orkney will require entries to be made by athletes/parents/guardians, who should make themselves aware of entry requirements and deadlines.
Athletes may also want to compete at other competitions independently. The Scottish Athletics website, https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/ includes a full list of events throughout Scotland. Members competing outside Orkney will need to be a member of Scottish Athletics (this is separate to your Club membership). Membership details for Scottish Athletics are available here: https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/membership/
For non-Club organised trips, the Club has a policy in place which offers assistance with travel, you can find out more here: https://www.orkneyarc.org.uk/financial-assistance/
Club Kit
A new Club kit was introduced at the end of 2024, if you would like details of the items that are available to purchase, please contact kit@orkneyarc.org.uk. Club kit isn’t compulsory but there are some instances where it is required. Athletes travelling to competitions outwith Orkney are encouraged to travel in Club tops and compete in Club vests.
Our Club is almost entirely run by volunteers, this includes all coaches, trustees and officials. With your membership form, you will have indicated ways in which you can help at the Club, and we will be delighted to welcome you. It takes a lot of time and effort to run a club of this size, but many hands make light work.
We ask that you reply to communications as promptly and accurately as possible, please, to avoid volunteers having to spend additional time chasing things up. We greatly appreciate your/your athlete’s support in treating all volunteers with respect.
We hope you find the above information useful, but, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting the Club using the email addresses detailed here: www.orkneyarc.org.uk/about/#trustees or via Facebook Messenger. We are also sure other athletes and parents will be happy to welcome and help our new members get to know our friendly club.
Best wishes,
Orkney Athletic and Running Club
Registered SCIO SC051316