The 24th edition of the 6-Day event was held in Moray in 2023 with a return to more normal conditions compared to 2021. Congratulations and thanks are due to the Coordinator, Elizabeth Furness, and her team for a very successfully run event. The format of the event was amended with only 5 days being run, the best 4 out of 5 to count, the reduction from 6 days having been agreed following the 2021 event. This change was made to make it easier to find suitable areas and to put less pressure on volunteers. This change also aligned us with other European multi-day events most of which are run on a 5-day basis.
The appointment of Directors has been aligned with the policy of the SOA in that the term of office for future appointments will be 3 years and, in normal circumstances, Directors will be permitted to serve a maximum of two terms. Under this arrangement, two of the current Directors would be due to retire in 2023 but this has been deferred for a year on account of WOC 2024 and the demands on the Directors resulting from this.
The financial outcome of Moray 2023 was a significant surplus and, as a consequence, payments to the SOA have been resumed. In addition, a payment of £5,000 will be made initially to Scottish clubs who helped to run the event with a further £5,000 dependent on the financial outcome of WOC 2024.
The Central Organising Team for the next 6-day event, Deeside 2025, will start to be put in place shortly following the appointment of a Coordinator, Nic Crossley, who will be paid by the SOA on a 1 day per week basis. A long list of areas has been identified including some used for previous 6-day events and some potential new areas.
As indicated in previous annual reports, the sprint World Orienteering Championships will take place in July 2024 in Edinburgh. The postponement from 2022 due to covid has resulted in strains on the original budget given inflation over the last 2 years and a better understanding of the issues and costs involved following the initial sprint WOC in Denmark in 2022. The event has benefited from the generous financial support offered by EventScotland and the City of Edinburgh Council and these two organisations, together with British Orienteering and the SOA, have contributed in grant aid or in kind to put the event on a firmer financial footing. The Company has also agreed to the use of part of its reserves to help balance the budget. In addition to the financial issues, the original Event Director, Paul McGreal, resigned in summer 2023 and has been replaced by Andy Mitchelmore, an experienced event organiser, who initially reviewed the viability of the event given the financial strains noted above and is now proceeding with the detailed organisation of the event.
Nikki Howard was appointed in 2022 as Events and Operations Manager at the SOA and was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer in 2023. Part of her time in her initial role was dedicated to 6-Day and WOC business and she has continued with this duty until recently. Jon Cross has now been appointed as the Assistant Event Director of WOC 2024, reporting to Andy Mitchelmore.
The Board has been strengthened by the appointment of Special Advisors this year to help deal with the challenges posed by WOC 2024. Ben Hartman, Tim O’Donoghue and Keith Roberts are welcome additions in this regard. There have been no changes to the Directors this year and I would like to thank the Directors and co-opted members for their work and support during this difficult period. I am very grateful for their commitment and contribution to the success of the Company.
David Kershaw
Chair
November 2023