On the face of it this year has been a quiet one at the VOLDAC with the facilities being closed and the fishing curtailed for a significant part of the season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, work is continuing behind the scenes to ensure that the club continues to move forward.

What’s new?

The bar has reopened

The bar reopened on Saturday 1st August. Signage, perspex screens and hand sanitizer have been made available and a one way system and social distancing measures implemented in order that the bar can reopen safely and in accordance with government guidelines.

Members are required to sign in and out of the bar and leave their contact details in the book next to the notice board at the bar entrance. The bar now accepts card payment.

Members are asked to help keep the bar open by following the guidelines at all times.

The crane has been replaced by a Manitou Telehandler

The old crane which served the club so well has been traded in for a Manitou Telehandler. Members will be aware that it would not have been possible to install the pontoons at the club without the crane. An added bonus was that members boats no longer have to be carried in and out of the water by hand. However the crane was old and it had started becoming prone to breakdown so it sadly had to be moved on for something newer and a bit more reliable.

The new Manitou will provide the capacity to perform essential maintenance on the pontoons when required and means there will be no requirement to return to the days of manually lifting boats in and out of the work sheds.

New PVC cladding, fascias, soffits, guttering and downpipes are being installed on the clubhouse

The old wooden exterior on the clubhouse is being replaced by a new PVC exterior. This is essential maintenance that will bring the added benefit of freshening the club up and making it look a bit more modern. This work is now well underway and should be complete in the coming weeks. One side of the roof has also been cleaned and a number of broken roof tiles replaced.

Following on from the replacement of the water pipe behind the work sheds and extension of running water to the drying shed and engine shed these are some areas for improvement which were identified by the committee and are now being worked through on an ongoing basis.