Chairman's Welcome
Hello and welcome to the BKFA Website!
I am taking over as Chairman at a time when kiting might be seen as going through something of a crisis.
A number of well established kite festivals have disappeared from the calendar and others are being scaled back. We also see falling memberships amongst kite clubs and the only growth area seems to be at the adrenaline end of the power kite scene.
However …..
I’ve been in kiting enough years to have seen this situation before – in fact, I firmly believe that it runs in a 7 year cycle! We will eventually see our sport pick up again in the future. In the meantime we need to promote kiting as much as we can to provide a good base for the recovery.
Perhaps the era of large regional kite festivals is over - travelling long distances to events is becoming ever more costly. But could this be a blessing in disguise? Perhaps more localised, less formal events could attract new interest? Kite flying can be an ideal family pastime and need not be too expensive – two key factors in the current financial climate.
So if you’re a club, or a club member, how about organising a local event? If you’re not a club member, then how about joining one and getting involved?
Above all we need to encourage young people into the sport, so let’s see what we can do to re-vitalise kiting from the bottom up! Remember, it’s hard to be miserable when you’re flying and impossible to be angry, so let’s spread some enthusiasm and put some colour into the sky!
We hope that the site will provide a valuable reference and resource for all kiteflyers and clubs. We have tried to organise the site in a way that will allow you to get to the information you need quickly and easily. The navigation menu on the left will direct you to the basic categories of information. Note that some of the content for these items is still under development so you will just see the title heading. In due course we will populate all theses sections with useful information.
If you want information about the Association itself, follow the entries under "About the BKFA". Here you will find things such as our History, Constitution, etc. Other useful information about the operation of the BKFA can be found under "Meetings and Minutes", "News Centre" and "Newsletters". The "Resources" section contains other materials which will be of use to Kite Clubs and organisations. These include guidance documents such as our Risk Assessments and Kiteflying Code of Conduct. Please note that these resources are available for anyone who wishes to make use of them. Please feel free to use these as they are, or use them as a base for your own requirements. On the "Kiting Links" tab, you will find links to other useful kiting resources.
We have other features on the site:
- you can arrange to get site updates via an RSS feeds system. You can click the "receive updates" icon on relevant pages and be notified of any changes.
- we have provided a handy feedback/suggestions form. We want the relationship between BKFA and kiters to be a two-way thing - we need your feedback and input in order to keep our finger on the pulse of what's actually happening around the country. If you hear of anything that we, or other kiteflyers, should be aware of, then please fill in the form and we will endeavour to follow it up.
Fair winds and good flying!
Jon Caton
