Category: News

Orienteers taking part in the Bow & Lea Woods event on the 22nd March enjoyed mild and dry conditions.  The team at DVO did a great job in putting on this event and designing courses that were suitably challenging.

Some thirty NOC members took part which saw wins for Richard Robinson (Brown) and Bodie Milsom (Light Green).  Elodie Booker (W10) also finished first on the White course and Lily Robinson secured a podium position on the Yellow course.  There were top ten finishes too for Neil and Emilie Milsom.  

It was great to see so many new members take on this event and doing so well on the Light Green and Yellow courses.

Take a look at RouteGadget to study the different courses and the tracks taken by those who have uploaded their GPS files.

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Participants in the EM League event hosted by NOC at Watchwood & Calverton were welcomed by a strong and very cold wind as they entered the car park at Patchings Art Centre.  The walk to the Start represented a welcome warm-up!  

Early starters set-off in sunshine but later competitors had to endure some squally showers.  Course Planner Anthony Squire had set some challenging legs and made great use of the terrain available.

Almost 50 NOC members took part with wins for Paul Morris (Green) and Bodie Milsom (Light Green).  There were second place finishes for Jan Ellis (Very Short Green), Sam Clements (Orange) and Elodie Booker (Yellow).  A further eleven members finished in the top ten of their courses: Tim Booker, Jane Booker and David Booker, Hilary Palmer, Tricia Neal, Neil Milsom, Emma Donson, Peter Brookes, Alan Blackwell, Tina Brindley and new member Thomasina Copcutt.

A big “thank you” goes to Ant Squire for planning, David Sissons (Organiser), Mick Lucking (on the day Controller) along with Richard Robinson.  David Olivant and Andrew Ridgeway undertook various map updates and Dave Cooke secured landowner permissions.  The thanks is also extended to all the on-the-day helpers on car parking, enquiries & download, start and finish, and control collection.

A special mention and thanks must also go to all the team at Patching Art Centre who offered their facilities to make this event successful.  Not only did they allow us to park in a dedicated field, but they prepared the field in advance to accommodate all the vehicles and NOC tent, and even offered a special rate for refreshments in the cafe.  Super hosts.  We are all very grateful indeed for their support.

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It was another misty day at Thieves Wood near Mansfield for the first NOC forest event of 2026.  The drizzle and bouts of light rain tested the waterproof maps that the courses were printed on.  There was plenty of forest debris to navigate too!

Despite the conditions, the event attracted a good number of entries who all seemed to appreciate the challenge.

There were podium finishes for Paul Morris (Green), Robert Gibb (VSG), Bodie Milsom (Light Green), and Brianne Haigh (Orange).

There were top ten finishes for Tony Donaldson, Hilary Palmer, Natasha Claus, Catherine Hughes, Jan Ellis, Peter Brookes, Patrick and Janet Cain, Neil Milsom, Kevin King, Grace Robinson, Rianne Gibb, Tricia Neal and Alan Blackwell.

On the Yellow course, NOC filled the top four positions.  Well done Leo and Elodie Booker, Brianne Haigh (who also completed the Orange course) and Lily Robinson.

Thanks to Jane Booker for organising the event, Richard Robinson for planning the tricky courses and Simon Elliott who provided Controlling duties.  A big thanks also to all the volunteers who helped before the event (obtaining permissions, updating the map, etc.) and on the day.   Results and courses are available on RouteGadget.

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