Our History at Pugneys
West Yorkshire Canoe Club has been part of Pugneys Country Park for nearly two decades. This is our story.
Our presence at Pugneys
With records of our presence at Pugneys dating back to at least 2005, West Yorkshire Canoe Club has called the lake home for the best part of twenty years. Ours was not a casual arrangement. We held a formal club booking agreement with Pugneys, paying launch fees directly to the site for every paddler we put on the water. We were a recognised, paying, accountable presence at one of West Yorkshire’s finest outdoor venues.
That relationship was reflected in something tangible too. West Yorkshire Canoe Club has a storage container on site at Pugneys, stocked with club equipment, with keys to access the site. It is still there today.
This was not a historical arrangement that had faded over time. As recently as spring 2022, the club was actively corresponding with Pugneys management, submitting risk assessments, insurance documents and instructor qualifications, paying launch fees and paddling at the site. Our booking forms evidence a formal, active relationship right up until access was withdrawn.
What we did there
Pugneys was the heartbeat of much of what the club does best. We ran regular taster sessions, opening up paddlesport to anyone curious enough to give it a try. We ran member skills sessions and open paddling days, developing paddlers of all abilities on the flat water the lake provides so well.
We also used Pugneys to deliver paddlesport sessions for Air Cadets, Combined Cadet Force, Scout groups and Brownie leaders, giving young people experiences on the water that many would not have had otherwise. This was community sport in its most direct form, delivered by volunteers, at a public venue, for the benefit of the region.
[Photo gallery: WYCC at Pugneys, 2005 onwards]
Explicitly permitted to continue
Following a period of safety review at Pugneys in 2021, West Yorkshire Canoe Club sought and received written confirmation from the then General Manager that our activities could continue. In April 2022, Mike Tomes wrote to the club confirming:
“We will still be allowing access onto the water for events like the Dragon Boat and activities such as yours (canoeing), because we feel that the risk of hazard is reduced, as these are what we call ‘on the water activities’.”
The club responded accordingly, submitting the requested documentation and continuing to paddle at Pugneys under that agreement. We were there, welcomed, accounted for, and paying our way.
18th July 2023
On 18th July 2023, access to the lake was withdrawn. There was no formal notice, no consultation with the club, and no explanation related to anything WYCC had done. The decision was an administrative one, made when Street Scene and Corporate Landlord departments took over management of the site from the previous Pugneys team.
In the words of the outgoing General Manager at the time:
“Street Scene and CLT have taken over Pugneys. It has been their decision not to allow further access to the water. This is in line with all the parks that they manage.”
Our container remains on site. Our equipment is still there. We are still here.
Where we are now
West Yorkshire Canoe Club has been working through every available channel to restore access to Pugneys. Paddle UK, the national governing body for paddlesport, has engaged formally on our behalf. We are in dialogue with Wakefield Council and remain hopeful that a solution can be found.
We are not asking for anything extraordinary. We are asking to be allowed to do what we have done for nearly twenty years, at a venue we helped bring to life, under a formal arrangement, as a recognised charity serving our community.