COMMITTEE REPORTS
THE VIEW THROUGH MY OLD EYES
Hi Folks, I suppose the most
obvious thing is to thank all of you who were involved in the search for a new
club HQ and the subsequent decision
to stay were we are at Carr Hill.
Did we make the right decision? Well, only time will tell and sadly one
consequence of the whole thing was the resignation of two long serving members
which I am sad to say was ultimately down to me in so far as my efforts and
actions as Chairman did not appear
to be seen by some as to be in the best interests of the club. But what will be will be and hopefully in the
future things may change enough to allow normal service to be resumed.
So what is in store over the next few weeks? Well first of all,
hopefully, you will all be or have already, enjoyed our own interclub race on
the 18th July. It is Graham Vickers’ first real taste of
organising a club race and I hope he enjoys the experience as much as I have in
the past. The next task is to sort out the Wesham
10k being held on the 26th
November and of course followed by our own Dinner Dance and Presentation Evening which this year is being
organised by the two lady captains, Kerry
and Tracy. I am sure we have
much to look forward to but, at the same time, these things do not happen without
an enormous amount of work by many of the club members who quietly go about
there business, unseen and unknown to the majority of us. Without them there
would be no club social life nor for that matter, a club as successful as some
much larger than our own.
Now on to Monday evenings,
which, if you have somehow forgotten, is when we meet at
I sometimes wonder how many of you are aware that after the Monday meet and run we are all invited
to attend the Lane Ends pub on Weeton Rd where the landlord provides
us with two large trays of butties which you are all welcome to eat some of and
all it costs is a 20p donation to
cover a little bit of the costs. You do not even had to have had a run that
night, it is just part of the social scene and you come or go as you
please. It is not compulsory to eat or
donate towards the butties. Again it is an opportunity to lay claim to the “friendly” tag and involves those who
perhaps come for the first time or for that matter at any time.
That leads nicely to the last ‘monkey on my back’ and that is at
races where, yet again, our numbers attending are diminishing. However, we are
probably still the club that is recognised easily but too often these days I
see individuals standing alone in their Wesham
vest and, at the same time, a group of Wesham
vests so involved in their own individual little trysts, that nothing
around them registers. Worse still is the occasion when, too often these days,
at finishing lines no one waits for those last few runners to finish and sadly
they are often newer members and they really do deserve better than they are
getting. I am not saying it happens at every race but I would like to be
confident that it won’t happen at any race but it’s up to you. Perhaps I’m wrong, and I hope I am, but being
unable to compete as much these days, I find myself in areas that are alive
with runners and I notice other clubs doing what we did so well and, strangely,
there are no Wesham groups like
before. So can we still consider ourselves as ‘The Friendly Club’? I would like to think so but there is a bit of
work to do from you all if I can use the phrase in all honesty.
One thing on our side is the new club kit being put together by Kerry Eccles and Dave Young. Especially the
jackets and tops which look good when seen in a group. So that’s our starter for 10. Lets work on it
boys and girls and, wherever we are or whatever we are doing, let’s not leave
anyone out.
Two things happening in the near future are the Predictor Race on the 25th July,
which, for those new to the club, is a race that you are told only the distance
you are running and you put down how long it will take you to finish it. Richard Davies will be the course
promoter so you can guess it’s not going to be a normal run. The prizes for
nearest time recorded stretch out as far as possible but it is only a success
if you are there on the night so get it in your diary now.
The second event is on the 22nd
August and is of course the Club
Birthday Race and meal, being held again at Dahlias Kitchen in the
Can I remind you that the last of the three
One snippet of information from the Committee Meetings is the decision by myself and the Secretary, Brian Wilkinson not to stand
for re-election next year. This early
notice of our intentions gives you all the chance to consider if you would like
to replace us and it would be helpful to us both if you were to let either of
us know so as to allow us to furnish you with the things we are dealing with
which would become your responsibility if you were elected to the posts.
So what about the unfortunate ones who have been laid low for some
time due to injury or illness. In the last newsletter I told you about Reg Chapman who was being treated for
cancer and the good news is that progress is good and walking with the Wrinkly’s was the first hurdle and that
has been jumped so its on to the second hurdle, the running one, so watch this
space. Peter Waywell has now had the back operation and the good news is
he is back running slowly and increasing the mileage slowly but surely. Some other unfortunate runners are Michaela Dempsey who was injured in one
of the
.
I am sure you will join me in hoping they will all be better soon
and anyone I may have missed I apologise, but we do wish all those mentioned
and any I haven’t the speediest recovery and we look forward to you joining us
again soon.
Written by: Dave
Waywell
Submitted: 25th
June 2011
LADIES CAPTAIN’S REPORT
How time flies. These reports seem to come round faster each time
just like the years, they go quicker the older you get.
St Annes 10 this year wasn’t
blessed with the best of weather for marshals as it was rather cold and damp
but, for the runners, it was ideal with little or no breeze to blow sand in
your eyes and no sun to make the temperature uncomfortable. What it was blessed
with was a great turn out for the ladies brought home by Joanna and then followed by no less than the ever smiling Emma who again smashed her previous time
- when will she ever stop!! She was closely followed by
This year as I am injured again I decided to go to a few races with
my bike to cycle round some of the routes instead of running them. The first
being Coniston after Jenny said she would take my bike up in
her car. What a great day I had. The weather was baking hot which made it hard
cycling but for the runners a nightmare. Wesham
put on a great turn-out as usual and it got rather noisy just before the finish
as we all met up to cheer the runners in. We were, naturally, stood outside a
pub; many with a pint in hand to refresh their throats from all the shouting
and, where the Waywell’s are, it
will be noisy. What a welcome the runners all got and I was so glad to be part
of it. I cycled out to the 6 mile marker and stood at the top of the hill to
watch them come through although a certain Mr
Walsh wasn’t trying hard enough as he came over to speak, give me a hug and
a kiss before trotting off to catch Helen
Jolly back up and he still looked great at the end. Mike I don’t know how you do it. The one thing I did decide was that
unless I did a lot of hard training Coniston
is too hilly for me.
By now most of you will know about our extreme/mad athlete at the
club, April Scott who, but only God
knows how, entered and completed the Marathon
de Sables back in April by
running/walking across the desert covering 152
miles in 7 days carrying her own
supplies, (minimum 2000 calories a day and issued with water ration
card...............). - (sounds more like the war times), in hot dry
conditions. I followed her progress daily as did Stacey, her best mate, seeing that she had made the various
checkpoints throughout the day and night, sending her messages via the website
to keep her going and, when I saw her come through the finish on day 5 via the webcam they had at the
finishing post of each day, was tremendous as she looked great. It gave me so
much pleasure to present her with a trophy on behalf of the club to mark the
achievement which was remarkable. Congratulations
April and I am glad to see you are now back running on a more normal level.
Caldervale - well I ran that
one last year but this time had to settle for the bike, so Tracey and I set off to cycle the route forgetting 
how steep that hill is at 7 miles. We had to walk
up the last bit to reach Lee and Tanya at the top but again we were
blessed with the weather but it was unpleasant for the runners. When Emma crossed the line with George... strange how he always manages
to do these races with a women in tow, this time Emma
last time Helen who next??? But it
was a very red Emma who
finished this time glowing from the heat but, as usual, in a rather quick time.
Due to the weather a few members of the club decided to go and play in the
river to cool off. Don’t blame them, it would have been refreshingly cool
though I’m glad to say they did remain suitably dressed otherwise we could be
getting in trouble from Mr. Porter
who seemed to spot everything and everybody and, having a microphone to hand,
didn’t bode well for any misbehaving.
There have been so many races for this report I have only written
about a few but would add that Tracey
has been running well and Sarah took
on the Three Peaks Fell Race which
is no easy task, and Bambi, (sorry Emma), just keeps springing along
smiling and making it all look effortless. So well done to all the girls and
keep up the good work. I will hopefully be back running myself by the time you
read this or I will be in the loony bin.
That’s me signing
off for this one.
Kerry Eccles
18th May
2011
MEN’S CAPTAIN’S REPORT
The beginning of the season was a disappointing chapter in the
history of the club, as we were unable to produce a team for the Northern 12 Stage relays in Catterick on 20 March 2011. Looking at
the results after the event I noticed there were only 34 complete teams so
there was a good chance that Wesham
would have qualified for the National 12
stage final. It is apparent relays
are not a priority for many members of the club, and would prefer to do their
own thing. This was a golden opportunity
to qualify for the National 12 stage
finals even if there were a couple
of “lower
quality athletes” in the team. Anyway, brighter times were ahead:
On Saturday 21 May 2011
Wesham travelled to Sutton Park,
(where they have previously been the best in the country), and competed in the Vets relays. We travelled by luxury coach to the sounds of
101 Running Songs, and shared the
bus with our good friends from Blackpool
Wyre and Fylde Athletic Club saving the club an absolute fortune in
expenses. Our main team at the relays
which may feature in the medals is the older generation of the club, the Vet 55s. They once again put up a strong performance
and finished sixth best Vet 55 team in the country.
The team and times
were:
|
Alan Hudson |
18.19m |
|
John Collier |
18.40m |
|
John Bertenshaw |
18.57m |
|
Barry Peatfield |
19.21m |
We also had a proud Vet 35
team competing and they finished 23rd
out of loads of teams, and were nowhere near the back of the field.
The team and times
were:
|
Alex Rowe |
16.36m |
|
Gary De Banke |
18.05m |
|
Alan Taylor |
21.29m |
|
Lee Barlow |
17.23m |
|
Peter Bartlett |
22.26m |
|
Christopher Moss |
21.38m |
|
Peter Cooke |
22.42m |
|
Steve Myerscough |
18.21m |
There were some great performances and we had a sole representative
in the Vet 45s – myself, and being
the first leg, ran against some of the fastest athletes. You can be assured I put in a strong
performance and brought joy to the watching crowds!
Choosing “Runner of the day”
was difficult, as I felt it should go to me, but as I have previously won it, I
do not wish to monopolise winning the award.
I therefore give it to Lee Barlow,
who wins the 40% off voucher for Ego
restaurant in Lytham, where many
local stars frequently dine including Charlie
Adam, Roy Walker, Tommy Ball, and of course Wesham Captain – Finlay McCalman.
Well done Lee!
Whilst enjoying the day and mingling with other clubs, it became
quite noticeable how poorly our club looks in the athletics fashion world. We have very few runners with jackets,
sweatshirts or t-shirts with Wesham
printed on them, and look like a pub trip out rather than an athletics
club. There are currently opportunities
to purchase jackets through Kerry Eccles
and many runners have the Wesham 10k
shirts or Sotos shirts which
display the Wesham name, so please
pull them on at the relay events.
Early May also saw the
departure of two Wesham stars to Salford Harriers. Trevor
Rayner and Gary Pendlebury have
both represented the club well over the years in many events, and competed
internationally, but obviously not nearly as many international marathons as
me! I wish them well at
The Welsh Castles relays,
which is always an event many runners look forward to, did not disappoint and
was well organised by Alan Taylor
who came up with some cracking accommodation this year with great food and real
ales. I am not going to tell you about
the event, as I know others are doing reports, but as I have previously
reported, our team didn’t look a team, and came short in the fashion
stakes. Lytham St Annes Road Runners looked awesome in their matching
outfits, as did many other teams.
The other major event in June
was Russell Mabbett’s Bob Graham
Challenge – 42 peaks, 28,500 feet of
climbing and 74 miles in 24 hours. I have completed some tough races,
It is also good to see Peter
Cooke’s work at the club being rewarded by being the club nomination for Olympic torch bearer when it comes
through
Sotos 10k – great race for a
great cause. Simon Eaton does a great job with this race with his team of
helpers, giving great value to runners with a great t shirt. Everything is great, and he still manages to
make a load of money for Sotos.
A date for your diary – Northern
Men’s 6 Stage and Women’s 4 stage relays on 24th September 2011 at Birchfield,
Yours in sport
Captain Finlay
McCalman BA BSc (Hons)
22 Marathons
Submitted: 27th
June 2011
TREASURERS REPORT
Money – bank and
cash
At present we have just under £4,200.
Deficit in the
accounts
This stands at £650 at
the time of writing this report, but obviously we are only half way through the
year and we still have both our races and various marshalling donations to take
into account. By the time of the next magazine we might be in a more realistic
state as to how 2011 is going to pan
out financially.
Rent
As has been well documented this has doubled in this year, due to
the members decision to stay at Carr
Hill. The annual rent will be £3,000+,
but as yet I have not received an invoice for April to July and
therefore this is not included in the £650
deficit.
Race Sponsorship –
ways for the club to raise funds
If anybody can come up with any ideas, please do not hesitate to
see anybody on the Committee.
Thank you for
reading this.
Peter Cooke
12th
June 2011
The
Secretary’s Summary of the past Committee Meetings
and Members’
Meetings
As could be predicted the meetings have been dominated by the
discussions relating to the Club’s Monday evening meeting venue. Carr
Hill School raised its fees very considerably, prompting a revue of our
position and the Club’s use of the
facility.
The April Committee
Meeting
- David has decided to step down as Chairman after this Club year.
- Kerry has booked North Shore Golf Club for this year’s Annual Presentation Dinner and Dance.
- Members would be notified of a meeting
specifically to finalise our position regarding Monday evening club nights. The meeting was held and it was
decided, on a vote, to remain at Carr
Hill.
The May Committee
Meeting
- The Treasurer stated that in view of
the fact we had elected to remain at Carr
Hill it was imperative that the Club’s
income remains fairly constant.
The June Committee
Meeting
- John W. was made a Life Member of the Club for his services and dedication to the
Club.
- Treasurer Peter was nominated by the Club to be put forward to carry
the Olympic Torch.
- The Secretary would not be standing
again after this current year.
Brian
Wilkinson, Secretary
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT
Currently we have 129
fully paid, First Claim Members
which includes nine new members who have joined us this year. So far, this
year, fifteen members have resigned and six members have not paid or informed
the club of their intentions.
As we had 141 fully paid
up, First Claim Members at the end
of last year and, as we have had no new members joining us over the past few
months, I am becoming a little concerned
as to our current situation as we head into the second half of the year.
I would like to ask all members to encourage anyone they come across at races,
etc, to consider joining us. They can try us for two weeks free of charge and
the subscriptions for the remainder of this year are on a sliding, reducing
scale.
|
I would like to welcome this year the following
new members: |
|
and the following who have rejoined us: |
||
|
Peter Andrew |
Gibson |
|
Anthony John |
Barlow |
|
James R K |
Hewell |
|
Andy (John) |
Begbie |
|
Darren |
Morris |
|
Louise |
Williams |
|
Mark |
Pattinson |
|
|
|
|
Sarah |
Ward |
|
|
|
|
Simon |
Wilsdon |
|
|
|
By now you should have received your Competition Licence Card from England
Athletics. Included was an Information
Pack which tells you how you can modify your details on their
website/database. From your Renewal Form,
you may remember that you agreed that I would only give them basic information
about yourself, which did not include telephone numbers and email
addresses. You might decide that you
would like to supply them with at least your email address so that you can
receive UKA information directly
from them. The Information Pack
tells you how.
Written by: Peter
Earnshaw, Membership Secretary
Submitted: 1st
July 2011