Author: M O'Sullivan

Want to take your event planning skills to the next level? Join us for a Level C Controllers Course and become an official controller for orienteering events! 🗓 Date: Sat 31 May 2025🕘 Time: 9am – 3:30pm📍 Location: Hillsborough Village Centre (indoor sessions) & Hillsborough Forest (practical outdoor sessions) We’re thrilled to have Barry Elkington from England leading this course. Barry is a seasoned controller and has worked with national teams, bringing a wealth of experience to share with you! This course is perfect for any planner who wants to support the sport by becoming a controller for Level C Read More …

The Hill and Dale Series by Newcastle AC is now open for registration, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to get involved in some great mountain running! 🏔️ A quick reminder: LVO is not affiliated with Athletics NI, so if you’re a member of an athletics club, please represent them during the series. If you’re not part of a club and don’t know which team to enter, no worries! You can still use the “free text” option on SIEntries to enter Lagan Valley Orienteers (LVO) as your team name. Just a heads-up – if you choose to represent LVO, there’s a Read More …

The Orienteering Foundation has just launched a survey into volunteering in orienteering. This survey aims to gather data and inform future actions to help recruit, train, and develop our volunteers and make their jobs easier and more enjoyable. The survey has the full support of British Orienteering and all UK orienteers (whether currently volunteering or not) are being encouraged to complete it.  The deadline to complete the survey is Monday 28 April 2025 and one lucky respondent will secure themselves a £200 voucher for outdoor kit to be used at www.sportsshoes.com. There are also six other randomly awarded prizes of Kickback coffee bags. As you will well know, Read More …

Running Wild is heading back into the forest! Join us on Sunday 23 March for an unforgettable orienteering experience among the trees! Get ready to race through the underbrush, climb over fallen logs, and navigate through the forest floor—it’s going to be wild! Who’s up for an adventure? Full details can be found here or via the QR Code above: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/running-wild-mar-25/ Sign-up directly here: https://forms.office.com/r/YjKBb7yWE7

Don’t forget to sign up to our next Club Meet session at Belvoir Forest on Saturday 8 March, from 10am to 2pm. Join our expert coaches and meet our friendly community. Our AGM will take place after the coaching session in the BB Hall, so please stay to hear how our club is doing and to elect our new committee for 2025. Full details can be found here: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/club-meet-mar-25/ Or sign-up straightaway here or via the QR Code below: https://forms.office.com/r/qgfYiWad8t

Due to some wild weather, we’re postponing our orienteering session by a week—now happening on Sunday 2 March instead of 23 February. But don’t worry—the adventure is still ON! Sign up by Tuesday 25 Feb to join us on the epic slopes of Meelmore. Expect muddy sprints, rock-hopping leaps, and marshy mayhem—because this is Running Wild after all! Oh, and bring spare clothes… because staying clean isn’t an option! Who’s ready to take on the challenge? Full details here: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/running-wild-feb-25/ Or sign-up directly here: https://forms.office.com/r/Mb2pmEgqPB #RunningWild#Orienteering#AdventureAwaits

Notice is given of LVO’s 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Saturday 8 March at 1pm. This meeting will be held in person after the morning’s Club Meet. Due to Storm Éowyn, we have had to move venue, but are currently looking into using Belvoir Forest as the Club Meet and AGM location and hope to confirm this soon. Club Meet details and sign-up can be found here: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/club-meet-mar-25/ Any member wishing to bring an item of business is requested to contact the Club Secretary.

Last chance to enter! Entries for the NI Score Orienteering Championships close this Monday 10 February at midnight! Join us in Donard Forest on Saturday 15 February (1-2pm) and see how many controls you can visit in one hour (or 45 minutes for juniors!). Don’t miss out – Enter now: https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=15142 Full event details can be found here: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/ni-score-champs-25/ NIOA Prize-giving and AGM will follow the Score event at 4pm in Kilmeggan Centre, Castlewellan.

Running Wild is taking on the mountains! Join us on Sunday 23 February, 11am-12.30pm for an epic orienteering session on the slopes of Meelmore! Get ready to dash through mud, leap off rocks, and bounce through marshes—it’s going to be wild! Don’t forget spare clothes, kids… because getting mucky is guaranteed! Who’s in? Full details can be found here or via the QR Code: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/running-wild-feb-25/ And sign-up directly here: https://forms.office.com/r/Mb2pmEgqPB

It’s hard to comprehend the damage that Storm Éowyn has wrecked on Northern Irish forests until you see them for yourselves. To get a sense of what we are dealing with, Stephen Reid has produced an incredibly sad but unfortunately truthful video from Tardree Forest. As we are slowly allowed back into our woodlands, we are coming to terms with the fact that we will not be able to orienteer in some areas for the foreseeable future. We are currently undertaking an audit of our forest maps so that we have a full picture, but stories like 10,000 trees down Read More …