It is not necessary to become a club member to try orienteering; however, 'Local' membership of BOF (British Orienteering Federation) is, at present, very inexpensive for new members and entitles you to a discount on entry fees to most events in this region, so it pays for itself very quickly when you come back for more events!
As you get more experienced and want to participate in events further afield, you will probably want to upgrade to 'National' membership.
For more details of the membership categories and their benefits and the corresponding fees, please click here.
You will probably find it easiest to join up when you come along to an event. Look out for the ENQUIRIES tent. Alternatively, contact the membership secretary.
All members will receive a periodical newsletter, EBORacle.
If you enjoy yourself and become a regular participant you will soon find that there is a lot of work done behind the scenes to put on the events for everyone to appreciate and none of this would happen without the other members of your local club. At each event there will be many volunteers making sure that all the things which need to happen do so. It is normal for volunteers to spend part of the morning volunteering and the rest of the morning participating in the event. You will find that event organisers will be very appreciative of willing volunteers! And there are discounts on future entry fees as a 'thank you'.