On Friday she gave a talk in the Sailing Club, On Saturday she joined a group of 12 people from the club paddle boarding in the estuary.
Jo said: “It was really great to join the club for their first paddle of the season. The scenery was amazing. It was lovely to be on the estuary paddle boarding in bright sunshine.”
Jo had her first paddle board lesson in 2016 at the age of 51. In 2019 she paddled 162 miles across the country from Liverpool to Goole on the canal collecting litter on the way. Jo’s motto is - “You're never too old to do something wild and it's never too late to make a difference."
Arnside Sailing Club introduced Paddle Boarding in 2000 and have since taught over 400 people to paddle board. The Club has paddle boards and sit on top kayaks available for use by members. The Club are now affiliated to Paddle UK as well as the RYA. About 25% of club members are paddleboarders rather than sailors,
In 2025, the Club are running a programme of group social paddleboarding and kayaking on the estuary at Arnside and trips to other locations, such as lakes, canals and rivers in 2025. This includes family taster sessions at Arnside so that children can paddle board or kayak with their parents. The sessions will be led by trained leaders and instructors. The Club also offer taster sessions for schools and youth groups.
Alasdair Simpson for the Club said:
“By offering social paddleboarding and kayaking, we are giving a people chance to paddle with others, make new friends, discover new place and enjoy the safety benefit of paddling in a group with trained leaders rather than alone. If you are looking for a group to paddle board or kayak with, we welcome new members. Our emphasis is on social paddling with friends on calm water. It was great to have Jo here to start our new paddle sports season”
On Easter Saturday, April 19th in the morning, the Club are running an Easter Fun Day in their Boat Park. There will be an egg and spoon race on paddle boards in the estuary, whilst on land there will be an Easter Egg Hunt, Pebble Painting and Sand Art. As well as being a family event it is a chance to find out more about the Club
