Palm and Pyranha Park Jam 2025
The Palm and Pyranha Park Jam returned in October, bringing kayakers together from across the UK over two weekends. Team paddlers from both Pyranha and Palm, along with special guests, visited whitewater courses across the UK. The Park Jam series aims to give young kayakers the opportunity to meet and paddle with team paddlers and, hopefully, leave the event feeling inspired.
The Park Jam series started with Bren Orton where it used to be called ‘Bren’s Park Jam’ until he requested it be changed because he saw it as bigger than himself. Although Bren is no longer with us, his legacy is continued through Park Jam and that is beautiful. The positive, long-lasting impact these events have on people cannot be underestimated. Many of the kids who come to Park Jam have been attending for years now, and it is incredible to see how much progress they make each year.
The events
This year, Park Jam expanded internationally with a special event in Hohenlimburg, Germany, earlier in September. I did not attend, but heard it was a real success, and have linked a post from Palm and Pyranha about it. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOq2fOnCPcX.
The two UK Park Jam weekends took place on the 11th-13th October and the 18th-19th October.
Lee Valley
Saturday, the first weekend, was an early one as we needed to pick up Palm team paddler Oli and Palm Grom Sophie before heading down for a 09:00 start at Lee Valley.
I live next to the River Trent in Nottingham, and Lee Valley was very different. Crystal clear chlorinated water AND conveyor belts to carry you back up to the top of the course – what a treat.
There are two courses at Lee Valley – the legacy course and the Olympic course. The Olympic is a tremendous white water course and totally unlike anything I’ve ever paddled. The white water was easier than I was expecting, but the eddies were very boily. Luckily, I had the lovely Sal Montgomery with me, who had forewarned me of the infamous boils and told me to just take that first lap slow! The Olympic course is an excellent section of white water – I can see why people rave about it!
I then went and paddled on the legacy course, which is a similar style but less full-on than the Olympic course. I met two lovely young paddlers, James and Joseph, who were paddling hard in their playboats.
I asked the boys at the end how determined they were with their rolls, and they told me they would practice every week at the pool and at Lee Valley. Their coach had told them it was essential to keep trying, so if they failed one roll, they had to go for another one, or he wouldn’t help them. They were so resilient with their rolls because of this, and it was great to see their commitment. If you are the coach of Joseph and James, who came to the Lee Valley Park Jam – great job, coach!
I headed to the pontoon for some launched loop attempts. Myself, Becky Green, Jamie and Kalob Grady had great fun launching kids off the pontoon! Sophie took great delight in joining the kids and being launched.
It was great to see another two young kayakers I know arrive to join the Park Jam event – brothers Logan and Mason. They are both super keen and talented young shredders who have a great attitude to paddling. They got on and stuck in straight away with some off the pontoon loop attempts before heading down for some white water fun.
Whilst I had been having fun on the pontoon and legacy course, another couple of fabulous junior paddlers, called Ottilie and George, were both ripping it up on the Olympic course. I am told that Ottilie went no paddles and smashed it, and George gave Zack Mutton a good run for his money in one of the stickier holes! Young Seb was also having a great time in his playboat!
It was time to get off at midday so we could change ahead of the talk. Kalob offered great insights into planning an expedition and stories from his own experiences. It was time to head north to the second Park Jam of the day at Northampton Active.
Northampton Active
We arrived mid-afternoon at Northampton Active. The first person I saw was lovely young Teija, accompanied by her younger sister Niamh. Eight-year-old Niamh wasn’t planning to paddle, but when I asked if she would like to come down in the duo, she said yes! We acquired a very enthusiastic Oli to lead the duo, and on we went! Niamh was a little nervous, but I said I would be at the front in my bright yellow kayak, and she just had to aim for me!
We smashed out a couple of duo laps, and Niamh grew with confidence. It really helped that her wonderful big sister was helping me as a safety boater and being very encouraging. Niamh and Oli weren’t the only pair to be having some duo fun; Em and Louise, and Elliot and Theo were also having a great time!
On one of the laps, I met young George, who was in an eddy and feeling a little nervous. We went for a course walk to see all the features before kayaking. There is one larger drop on the course, which can make people a little nervous, so we went to watch this.
The fabulous Zack was sitting just above the drop and about to go down. I told George to watch Zack, and he would demonstrate. Zack then went backwards and did a half-freewheel into a faceplant. It was entertaining, but I did have to stop myself from laughing when I saw George’s face after watching this, and I promised him we wouldn’t go down the drop in this manner!
We had a fun few laps down, and George was doing so well, conquering the nerves and pushing himself out of his comfort zone. We saw another George coming down, hand-paddling and having the best time. It was a tale of two Georges!
I then met two lovely siblings called Jessica and Alex. Alex was smashing some attempted cartwheels when I bumped into them, and Jessica was neatly working her way down the course. I asked Jessica what she wanted to work on, and she said she wanted to work on surfing, but she was a little nervous.
Jessica had enough boat control that she would go to surf but pull herself out at the last second. It wasn’t a lack of ability but rather a lack of confidence. We practised on one of the holes, and each time she got closer to going in, she suddenly was in! It was awesome to watch! She had a little surf before capsizing and swimming, but when she came up, she was grinning. Moments like this are what make Park Jam so special to me. I had met Jessica only that afternoon, but felt so proud of her in that moment. It can be hard to be brave and push yourself when you are scared, but Jessica smashed it!
We got off and changed, ready for two brilliant talks by Becky and Heidi Walsh. Becky shared her experiences of being a freestyle athlete, whilst Heidi focused on why everything starts at Park Jam.
River Dee
On Sunday, we headed to the River Dee! With a midday starting time, it meant a slightly slower morning and plenty of time to faff before getting on the water.
It was great to see Dasha there again, who had come to the Northampton Active Park Jam the day before. She was telling me all about her kayaking adventures and balancing life as a university student. George B was also there again, having attended both of the Park Jam events the day before.
We gathered as a group on the river, and the fun started! We headed down to the bottom wave and joined a group of paddlers who were all ex-students of Loughborough Uni.
Suddenly, every paddler there for Park Jam descended to the bottom wave, and it became a very chaotic party wave. There were so many wonderful moments during this, but I particularly enjoyed Kalob surfing, holding his paddle with one of the blades in both hands, and challenging people to come knock him off. I am not sure anyone did!
Budd had taken to loaning out his SUP and SUP skills, and one minute was ferrying Sal at the front of his board onto the wave. Next, Em had acquired the SUP and was sitting on the board in her playboat and surfing. There was so much fun being had.
In the eddy, I bumped into George and his dad, Ade, again. George had been at Northampton, and I was delighted to see that I seemed to have persuaded him to come for a second day of Park Jam. George wanted to practice his paddling, so we walked up to the top to run the section of rapids.
George, his dad, and I went up to the top and got onto the paddle. George had never paddled through the middle hole before. He smashed it! When we got down to the bottom wave, he was even convinced to try out surfing for the first time, which was awesome to see!
We headed upstairs for two talks from Oli and Zack. Oli was talking about his kayaking journey, and Zack was sharing his journey and leading a fascinating discussion about risk-taking and risk management. Zack showed photos of himself as a toddler learning to kayak on the Kaituna and how this river shaped his development. I, too, learned to kayak on the Kaituna! Only, I was 20 years old when I started, and 2-year-old Zack looked a lot more in control than 20-year-old me had felt!
Nottingham, as sadly none of us could take the week off. The others were staying the night in Wales before heading up to Scotland for the Pinkston Park Jam the next day, and then a week of kayaking in Scotland. It was lovely to have some chill time with everyone before we bid our goodbyes and wished them a happy week of kayaking ahead!
Tees Barrage
At 06:00, we collected Oli from his house and headed up north to the Tees Barrage. It was lovely to see everyone again and hear all about their Scottish adventures whilst setting up for the next Park Jam.
The Tees Barrage was absolutely booked out, and it was great to see George B and his dad Scott again, who had come to all three Park Jams last weekend.
Once we were geared up, we got on, and I bumped into a bunch of the older teenagers who I would describe as the mischief-makers, in the most positive way possible. Dan, Jamie, Sam, Toby, Ewan, as well as a few I’m sure I’ve missed.
I told them I was looking forward to seeing what antics they got up to today. They did not disappoint. Whenever I saw this group, they were having the best time, doing tomahawks off the side, backflips off the wall, all sorts of kayaking, and just generally having an absolute blast.
There were many other teenagers there as well – Ted, Jacob, James, Patrick, Zach and more. They were also having a lot of fun, and it was great to see them really enjoying themselves!
water, who were now without their usual paddling buddy. One such parent was Scott, whom I accompanied for some laps. I asked Scott what his goals were for the day, and he said getting to the bottom upright, so that’s what we worked on! Scott smashed some laps out with me and was really pleased.
George wanted to swap kayaks with Scott in exchange for George’s Firecracker. It took us a few attempts, but Scott did smash a whole lap from top to bottom upright in the Firecracker and was thrilled with himself. Proud of you, Scott!
I met quite a few happy paddlers in eddies over these laps and wanted to give a special shout-out to Jamie and his friends, who said they read this blog, as well as to Stuart, who was celebrating his 60th birthday by coming to Park Jam!
The kids, meanwhile, were happily getting thrown off a wall in their kayaks by team members, although none quite as spectacularly as little Jacob! He seemed to relish it! Much more so than his poor mother, who watched with a mix of awe and horror from the sidelines.
A particular favourite moment of mine was watching Palm Grom Maite Luz, unsure how to tomahawk off the wall. She kept lifting up but not committing. Her caring mentor, Heidi, came to support, and the next time Maite lifted up, Heidi gave her a supportive kick, and into the water she went! It was a spectacular moment to witness and enjoyed by all! Don’t worry, Maite smashed it, and Heidi’s supportive ‘nudge’ proved to be effective!
After paddling, there were talks from both Kalob and Adrian Mattern, which were well received, as well as prize giving and poster signing. As we were driving to Cardiff that evening, we were aiming to be on the road by 16:00, and five hours later, we were in Cardiff!
Our car stayed with Oli’s parents for the night, who are literally the coolest people I’ve ever met. Big shout-out to Alison and Ian Cooper, who not only let us crash at their house but also welcomed us with a roast dinner on arrival. You guys are amazing!
Cardiff
We arrived at the course at 08:00 and got to work on the set-up. Once the flags were up and the van unloaded, it was time for the Flow Rider. We had a team Flow Rider session before Park Jam started, and honestly, it was SO MUCH FUN!
If you’ve not been to Cardiff before, they gradually ramp up the flow throughout the day, starting at 4 cumecs, then 6, then 8. It’s really quite neat and means that there is something for everyone.
Lisette, a local Cardiff paddler, found me and asked if I would take some of their younger paddlers down the course. Lisette introduced me to Ioan, Emily, Rowan and Tom. I was delighted to join them and grabbed team paddlers Oli and Heidi along the way.
We got on for the first lap, and there were a few nerves. A few laps later, however, the nerves were beginning to disappear. We were now paddling laps, catching every eddy and surfing every feature, which was awesome!
The course was now at 6, and so we smashed some more laps and surfed. We ended the morning on the bottom wave, practising our surfing. Emily was utterly fearless in every attempt she made; Tom had an incredible roll, and I was so proud of Ioan for throwing himself into it after having had a swim on 8 earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, little Rory, who is only eight years old, was smashing out laps with Oli. Every time they came past us, Rory was grinning from ear to ear, and we’d all give him a big cheer. His dad, Mike, was following closely behind each time, and I didn’t want him to feel left out, so I gave him a big cheer as well, which he seemed to appreciate!
We stopped for lunch, and the kids did not want to get off! At Cardiff, they stop the course at lunchtime before releasing it at 8 so they can make some course changes. A family I’d met at the Nene the previous weekend had come to Cardiff, and the kids, George and Isabel, were keen to kayak but had little whitewater experience. I asked if they would like to come down in the duo, and once again I asked our best duo driver, Oli, if he would come down and off they went. They smashed their laps, and every time Isabel had the biggest smile!
The afternoon was full of fun. It was great to see Palm Grom Riley Wilford again, who was smashing his kayaking, as well as Eva, with whom I’d spent quite a bit of time this Summer.
My favourite moment, however, was Scott Barber coming down in a duo with Oli – in his passenger princess era! It was great to see, and I know his son George really enjoyed watching his dad smash some laps. I ended the day practising some eddy crossing at the bottom with Isabel, and by the time we were done, we were both very ready to get off!
I quickly changed and was ready just in time for the final introductions to the talks. Aaron gave the first talk, and Zack gave the final talk of Park Jam 2025.
Photos and poster signing happened afterwards, along with the opportunity to just chat to people, which was lovely. Kalob suggested we give a special shout-out and prize to George B, as he had attended every Park Jam event over the two weeks. The whole team had signed the shirt, and it was a very special moment.
If you would like a Park Jam t-shirt, you can purchase one @ https://store.pyranha.com/index.php/default/merchandise/palm-x-pyranha-park-jam-t-shirt.html. All profits are going towards supporting future Park Jams and the Whitewater Paddlers Memorial Trust.
Eventually, we did finish packing down and ended up accumulating in the car park. The lovely Simon Morse was there and giving out beers and heroes to everyone. If you don’t know Morsey, he is one of UK kayaking’s nicest folks. He always gives more than he takes and is super considerate.
After an incredible but hectic two weeks, it was a charming way to end Park Jam. Aaron suggested a group photo (excellent idea, Aaron!) and then we had an hour of chatting and celebrating in a car park with the whole crew.
Thank you, Cardiff, for a great day and a perfect end to the Park Jam weekends.
Thank you + shouts outs
TO PYRANHA KAYAKS & PALM EQUIPMENT
Massive thank you to Pyranha Kayaks and Palm Equipment for making Park Jam happen, and to Janice, Chips, Cheesy and Mat for their tireless work organising everything.
TO THE TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES
Behind the scenes, it was a real dream team that made the Park Jam a success. There were no egos, just great attitudes, hard work, plenty of passion and a little bit of playful banter.
A special thanks to the media team, who ensured there were plenty of photos and videos to capture the memories.
Events like this only happen through people working together. Thank you, dream team, for everything you did and for letting me be a part of that team.
Finally, thank you to all the paddlers and supporters who attended any of the Park Jam events. Each event had its own special atmosphere and community of paddlers, which was incredible to see.
Final comments
Park Jam was Bren’s dream – to bring together young paddlers on the water and help them grow. Park Jam isn’t just about showcasing incredible talent but about building confidence and inspiring passion in young people. It is about bringing our community together and celebrating everything that makes this sport so incredible. For every wave surfed, wall splatted, loop attempted and smile shared – Bren’s legacy was being carried on, and that is something special.
Thank you to every paddler, supporter, and organiser who made the Palm and Pyranha Park Jam 2025 so special. See you all next year!
