Meet Jim Gibson, one of our Equality Group Members. He is a member of the Lifelong Paddling Equality Group

Tell us a bit about how you got into paddling?

In my mid thirties I had to give up playing football because of a knee injury and soon after by chance a friend offered me a trailer load of broken glass fibre kayaks. Duck-tape repairs by the rolls and I was on the water!

A few paddles in I decided that I needed to find out more about the skills of this newfound activity so signed up for lessons with the old Grampian Regional Council Outdoor Education Department and met the coach Ned Ironside and through his love of kayaking I was soon hooked on white water paddling.

Shortly after this I resurrected the Moray Canoe and Kayak Club and progressed to obtaining my white water coach awards.

Through my involvement in this activity, I have had great experiences paddling throughout Europe, Nepal and Turkey.

In 2008 I purchased a fleet of SUP’s and my paddling was transformed from sitting down in white water to trying to stand up in the same environment! I really bought into this new craft and was a founder member of the Moray SUP Club, the first SUP club to be affiliated to the SCA.

With a membership of over 100 with interests of paddling across all environments I am never short of paddling buddies. I have SUPped in Spain and Turkey but here in Moray I have easy access to the wonderful coastline, surf at Lossie East Beach and whitewater adventures on the river Spey and River Findhorn, all within a 45-minute drive from home.

What do you love about paddling?

I love the great variety in paddling environments, the different characters who I class as my paddling buddies ranging in age from 17-72 and the common finish to a paddling day in acafé for coffee and cake. As a coach it is fantastic to be able to support others in their skills development. We concentrate on the learner centred approach where the participants manage their own development with choices of paddling environments, session plans and duration of session. This creates a positive environment for the learner and results in lots of success in member retention and growth.