Volunteering for DW

Photo: Guy Dresser

The Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race (DW) is organised and run entirely by volunteers. Every year we face the difficulty of getting sufficient volunteers necessary to run a safe and successful DW.

Each year we require in excess of 300 volunteers to help us put on the race, and without volunteer help it makes it very hard for the race to go ahead.

There are a wide variety of jobs that volunteers carry out, both over race weekend and throughout the year. Some serve all year round on the organising team, meeting monthly to plan the race, maintain the infrastructure, and ensure DW has the permission and support of a wide variety of external stakeholders needed to run the race, such as Canal and River Trust, Environment Agency, Port of London Authority and Emergency Services, to name but a few.

Most volunteers give their time over the race weekend, the heroes who willingly give up their time down the course to help paddlers face the challenge of Easter weekend - the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. Many people regularly give their time and we think they do a fantastic job.

We are always recruiting for new volunteers and here are some of the teams you could volunteer for:

Devizes: Be part of the start of everyone’s race, with roles including kit check, marshals, time keeping and race set-up. Usually needed Maundy Thursday to Easter Saturday.

Umpires: Ensure rules are upheld for crews and support teams. This team is essential to the safe running of the race along the course.

Marshals: Instruct and guide paddlers and support crews along the course, control movement of supporters at key points along the course, also essential for a safe race.

Checkpoints: Monitor paddler welfare and ensure competitors are in good shape as they progress down the course. Particularly suited for experienced paddlers.

Camp Site Crew: Organise and run the Junior Race campsites at Newbury, Marlow and Teddington.

Race Control: Based at Dreadnought Reach, Reading, this team keeps the communications flowing all weekend, monitoring crew progress through a combination of GPS tracking devices and ongoing comms with key race personnel up and down the course.

Safety Team: Sets safety strategy for the race and provides safety cover for both the Stages and Senior (overnight) races. This role includes a combination of paddler welfare and monitoring, reactive response and quick reaction deployment to respond to an emergency situation.

Westminster: There’s many different jobs available at Westminster. We can use you for a few hours or three full days (and nights), including setting up the Finish Village in the grounds of St Thomas Hospital (showers, toilets, communications, first aid, catering etc.), as well as marshals, umpires and general race staff.

Organising Team: We also need volunteers on the organising team throughout the year - prepared to assist race planning throughout the year in areas including marketing, PR, finance, safety, communications, welfare and child protection, admin, and negotiating the necessary permissions to run the race.

Photo: Julie Raworth

Why Volunteer?

Volunteering can be as much of a challenge as undertaking the race itself. But you will also have a great deal of fun and spend a very rewarding time helping others realise their goals and achieve a significant personal challenge.

Many of our volunteers come back every year. Volunteering is a way of giving something back to the race for those who have done it in the past and also a way of familiarising yourself with it if you are thinking of doing it in the future. And quite simply, the race cannot run without you!

How to Volunteer

To volunteer some time or enquire about what is involved, please email Rachel Dennis or get in touch through the Official DW FB page. Let Rachel know how you're prepared to help, along with your contact details, and you’ll be put in touch with the most appropriate team leader.

DW Membership

The Devizes to Westminster Organisation Ltd is a limited company, but rather than having shareholders it has members. It does not distribute profits so any surplus from the running of the event is held in reserve to cover future contingencies such as race cancellations. Everyone over the age of 18 who does the race in a particular year is eligible to apply to become a member of the company for that year – there is a box to tick on the entry form for this purpose. Non-race entrants can also apply to become a member by filling in an application form and paying a £10 annual subscription. Please note that the DW Organisation reserves the right to reject any application.

Members of the company are entitled to attend and vote at general meetings and will have their names and addresses entered to the Register of Members, which is a publicly accessible document which any individual with reasonable cause and purpose may request to inspect or receive a copy or extract.

Copies of the membership forms can be found below.