We’ve Won the Paddle UK Quality Experience Award (Delivery Partner Awards)
We’re so honoured to be recognised in this year’s Paddle UK / Paddle Cymru Delivery Partner Awards. We can also share some brilliant news: Sea Kayaking Wales has jointly won (alongside EM Paddlesports in Scotland) the Quality Experience Award at the 2025 Delivery Partner Awards. Thank you to everyone who voted for SKW and shared your feedback — it genuinely means a lot.
A quick intro to Sea Kayaking Wales (SKW)
Sea Kayaking Wales is based at our Kayak Centre in Holyhead on Anglesey. We deliver sea kayaking coaching and education from beginner sessions right through to advanced/dynamic water training, plus British Canoeing leadership and award pathways. At the heart of it, our aim is simple: help paddlers grow — whether that’s building confidence on the sea, improving technique, or developing as sea kayak leaders and coaches within their clubs and communities.
This award is really about community
While the award has our name on it, it reflects something much bigger: the SKW community. The paddlers just discovering sea kayaking, the established kayakers progressing their skills on SKW courses and expeditions, our partner clubs and providers, and the manufacturers and retailers we collaborate with — and, of course, the brilliant team of SKW coaches who work hard to create consistently high-quality experiences.
We also place a huge value on collaboration — locally and internationally. Sea kayaking is a small world in the best possible way, and we learn a lot by sharing ideas, standards and good practice with other providers, coaches, clubs and partners. That cross-pollination makes what we offer better, and it strengthens the wider paddlesport community too.
What “quality experience” means to us
For us, a quality experience isn’t accidental. It’s something you build into the day — from the first email to the final debrief:
Participant-centred coaching: understanding goals, experience and confidence, then adapting sessions so people feel supported and appropriately challenged
A strong safety culture: clear briefings, active risk management, and an environment where anyone can call a pause and speak up
Consistent delivery across the team: shared standards across our freelance coaching team, from pre-course comms to end-of-day learning and feedback
Clear structure and progression: practical takeaways you can use afterwards, plus clear next steps
A welcoming, inclusive atmosphere: people feeling comfortable, listened to, and part of the group from day one
Through sea kayaking together, we benefit so much from connection to wilderness, mental wellbeing, physical challenge, and the social side of being on the water with good people. That community brings it to life every day for us.
Thanks to everyone who’s part of this journey. Here’s to more adventures in 2026.
Ready to join us?
Explore our range of sea kayaking courses and coaching, from beginner sessions to advanced leadership training. Whether you're looking to build confidence on the water, progress your skills, or develop as a sea kayak leader, we'd love to help.
