Potteries Orienteering Club often abbreviated to POTOC is an Orienteering club in the West Midlands

West Midlands (region)

The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...

  of the UK. It is for Orienteers in or around North Staffordshire

North Staffordshire

North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...

 and South Cheshire . The club is in the West Midlands Orienteering Association (WMOA) and is a member of the BOF

British Orienteering Federation

The British Orienteering Federation, sometimes branded British Orienteering, is the national sports governing body for the sport of orienteering in the United Kingdom. The federation was founded in June 1967, and is a member of the IOF...

. The Club has been Clubmark accredited. The Club has a Newsletter Called 'The Potter'.

Structure

POTOC is run by Committee, the committee is elected at the AGM

Annual general meeting

An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...

 in October. It is governed by a formal constitution which states the official club name and affiliations and also the voting rights at the AGM.

Events

The Club Holds three types of events with varying frequency

• Local Events, are held every month , these are suitable for beginners and often do not have the technical difficulty to host the harder courses that experienced orienteers require, but are fantastic for beginners with club coaches helping them .
• District Events , these are more formal and less frequent with courses for the more experienced as well as beginner .

• Regional Events, these are held once a year and have very technically challenging courses and take the most planning .

Logo

The Main Club logo consists of a Bottle Oven

Bottle oven

A bottle oven is a type of kiln. The word 'bottle' refers to the shape of the structure and not to the kiln's products which were pottery not glass....

with two Fir trees, this is used on Various Club items such as the Flag and Clothing. The club sells its own Sweatshirts and T-shirts these display the Official Club insignia. At Major events the Club uses its red tent and Flag.

Permanent Courses

• Apedale Country Park http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#Apedale
• Bathpool Country Park http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#Bathpool
• Brereton Heath http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#Brereton
• Brough Park and Fields http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#BroughPark
• Downs Banks http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#DownsBanks
• Ladderedge County Park http://www.potoc.dandasparks.org.uk/gif/mappedareas.html#Ladderedge

Awards and Trophies

The Club awards a series of trophies they are bestowed at the Christmas Social. There is Senior and Junior male and female trophies, a Novice trophy . There is also a Wooden spoon and bowl award for the biggest mistake of the season .