ChigChat 167 – June/July 2009
| Editorial | Chairman’s Letter | Your New Committee | News from BOF | Lyme Disease | Summer Training | Club Kit | Diary Dates | Club Barbeque | South-East Fixtures | Other Regional/National Events |
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Editorial
Welcome to a re-invigorated CHIGCHAT. As this is your magazine I hope that you will send me articles, news and photos that you think will be of interest to other club members. I hope to produce CHIGCHAT on at least a bi-monthly basis and it will include, amongst other articles, a fixtures list and details of club social and training events. So please let me know if you have been overseas to compete, or to far-flung places in the British Isles, or just have something to say on the subject of orienteering. Photos will also be very welcome.
Chairman’s Letter
First of all, I’d like to give CHIGCHAT a very hearty welcome back. It’s a vital part of the Club, and I don’t just say that because I used to edit it, which fills in the gaps between when we meet at events and social gatherings. It takes some quality time to get the strands together and put them into a readable edition for everyone, which is why I found it too hard to combine the Chair and the editorship. So lots of thanks to Sally for picking up the pieces (now she is no longer Treasurer) and I look forward to a fresh view.
As you may glean from the paragraph above, we have had some changes in the Committee. First of all I’d like to say that CHIG is not run by a secret cabal that meets in darkened rooms (but don’t get me going on BOF) but by a group of people who put in some extra time over their day jobs to help plan where the Club is going, keep the programme of events on track and delivered, and deal with the communication and administration that arises from that and from our part in a regional and national sport. Our meetings happen once a month and anyone is welcome to come to see what goes on and join in the discussion.
We are very grateful to some past committee members for their work – Sally I’ve mentioned, Peter Cheetham who has been Secretary, Jeff Green who is taking a sabbatical from orienteering while he deals with the demands of family life. Our thanks must also go to Ros West, who has worked very hard to maintain the high standard of success that we have seen at our social events. The AGM in March put some familiar faces into new roles – Sally looking after CHIGCHAT, Tim Pribul taking over as Secretary and Alan Brett moving into the role of Treasurer. We also welcome Mike Brett as Captain. The coaching/training role has segued neatly from Colin Flint who worked jointly with Josh Jenner at the beginning of last year – Colin keeps responsibility for our equipment, and Josh is doing great things on the training side.
One of the great things about the Club is the willingness of all to help out when asked – we punch well above our weight compared to other larger clubs in terms of putting on events and having an active social and training scene, and it’s good to see new faces coming along to join the team. We do need some more formal help too – two important roles are as yet unfilled – that of Social Secretary, and someone to take charge of Development. The work of the latter role is being done – we have got a grant from Epping District Council to run a ‘Get Back to Orienteering’ course in the summer which will be part of our training effort, but it would be good to have someone who could co-ordinate our efforts to make the sport and the Club better known. If you are interested in this or co-ordinating our social calendar, do let any member of the committee know.
There’s a lot coming up in the next few months – I look forward to seeing you in a forest somewhere!
Jennifer
Your New Committee
The following club members were voted on to the CHIG committee at the AGM on Friday 27th March:
- Chairman: Jennifer Taylor
- Secretary: Tim Pribul
- Treasurer: Alan Brett
- Club Captain: Mike Brett
- Equipment: Colin Flint
- Membership: Helen Hampton
- Mapping: Tom Edelsten
- Fixtures: Ray Curtis
- Training: Josh Jenner
- Special Projects: Harold Wyber
You should have received the club’s Annual Report for 2008 and Financial Statements.
News from BOF
Regular items are added to the BO home page (www.britishorienteering.org.uk) which cover a
broad selection of news. It is worth keeping up to date by visiting the site regularly.
Lyme Disease
by Jane Hodgson 5 May 2009
Anyone working or doing activities in the countryside should be aware of Lyme disease and should check themselves, their pets and children for ticks after outdoor activities.
What is it?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria borrelia burgdorferi.
How do you get it?
Nearly always it is caused by a bite from a tick which is carrying the disease.
Who’s at risk of getting Lyme disease?
Anyone who works or does sport in the countryside. Ticks prefer to live in woods, heathland and moorland, so anyone moving through these areas could pick up a tick.
Is there a time of the year when I’m more likely to get bitten by a tick?
Ticks are more active during the summer months, but you could get a tick bite at any time of the year. Ticks transfer onto humans and other animals by sitting on plants then moving onto a new host as it pushes through the undergrowth. Ticks can’t fly or jump, so the deeper the undergrowth, for instance tall bracken in the summer compared to dead bracken in the winter, the easier it is for the tick to transfer across.
What does a tick look like?
Ticks are related to mites and spiders. The smallest ticks may just look like a spot of dirt on your skin, or a dark freckle, but one that doesn’t come off in the shower!
What’s the treatment for Lyme disease?
The old saying “prevention is better than cure” is a good one here.
The first principle is to try to prevent yourself from getting bitten by a tick – Make it more difficult for ticks to get to your skin: Wear shoes not sandals and long trousers rather than shorts.Tuck your socks into your trousers. Consider clothing impregnated by a repellent such as permethrin or DEET.
Check yourself after any activity that has taken you into an area where there may have been ticks: Don’t just check the areas of your skin that have been exposed. Once on you a tick will crawl around and often latch on in a warm spot- perhaps in the crotch, armpit, or behind the knees. Don’t assume that because you haven’t been bitten because you haven’t felt anything. Tick bites are generally painless.
Check pets as well. If your pet has picked up a tick, it can easily get passed on to you.
If you find a tick on you remove it immediately.
Help I’ve found a tick on me!
You need to remove it as quickly as possible, the longer the tick stays on you the more chance there is of it passing on any infection it is carrying.
The tick will have its mouth parts embedded in your skin, so you need to make sure you remove all parts of the tick, and not make it regurgitate its stomach contents into you whilst doing so.
The best way of removing a tick is to use a tick remover. These are available from pet shops, or on-line.
Slide the hook of the tick remover between the tick and the skin and gently pull the tick off.
If you’ve found a tick on you but don’t keep a tick remover in your first aid kit then you probably don’t want to order off the internet and wait for the post to arrive! – use a pair of tweezers instead, but be careful not to squeeze the ticks head or it may regurgitate its stomach contents into you. Then buy a tick remover for next time.
Do not cover the tick with Vaseline/ petroleum jelly
Do not attempt to burn it off
Do not squeeze it
Does that mean I’m now going to get Lyme disease
No the majority of people who are bitten by a tick won’t go on to get any symptoms. Remember the tick has to be carrying the infection itself in order to pass it on to you. You do however need to keep an eye out for any symptoms which are diverse and variable but may include:
- Bulls eye rash- a red rash that starts at the site of the tick bite and spreads outwards
- Flu like symptoms
- Joint pains
- Muscle pains or weakness
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Headache
Lyme disease is systemic, which means it can affect almost any of the body systems. The incubation period for Lyme disease can be anything from 2 to 30 days after infection following a tick bite. So bear in mind that any symptoms within a month of the tick bite may be attributable to Lyme. If you do suffer any ill health within a month of a tick bite mention it to your medical practitioner. Lyme is easier to treat if diagnosed early on.
Where can I read more about Lyme disease?
http://www.bada-uk.org/ and Lyme Disease Action are UK based charities with websites that have in depth information.