WCAC Newsletter #310, 29-01-20

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Many happy returns to the following Club members who celebrate their birthdays this week:

Eddie Gore, Jill Gore, Tiahna Cliff, Cath McGrath, Milo Halliday, Jon Clarke, Jack Gannon, Henry Robinson, Ava Redmond, Florence Hart.

And Next Week: Daisy Johnson, Mary Radford, Liam Davoren, Megan Ithell, Tabitha Kantenga, Nick Duffy, Leo Evans, Olivia Stockton, Louis Tegg, Joanne Cartwright, Isabelle Falkingham, Oliver Edwards, Trevor Holmes.

EPSV TRACK CLOSED DURING LOCKDOWN

With Lockdown restrictions now in place, Brio Leisure who operate Ellesmere Port Sports Village have closed the facilities until further notice.

The EPSV Facility Manager has told the Club not to train at the site, so all scheduled training sessions have been cancelled.

We hope you and your family all stay safe and well during this difficult period. 

Once we know when we can use the athletics track again, we will be back in touch with the new arrangements.

CLUB FINISHES RUNNER-UP

West Cheshire AC finished runner-up in the England Athletics Club of the Year category at the England Athletics National Volunteer Awards. The winners were Blackheath and Bromley AC. 

PROVISIONAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY…

Subject to Covid-19 rules, West Cheshire AC’s first scheduled league match is planned for Saturday, April 24, at Preston, which is the first of five rounds in the Under 13/Under 15 Youth Development League Merseyside Division, with other matches taking place on Saturday, May 15 (at Bebington Oval), Saturday, June 5, (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), Saturday, July 17, (at Bebington Oval), and Saturday, September 4 (at Wavertree, Liverpool).

West Cheshire AC’s Under 17/Under 20 Youth Development League Merseyside Division five-round campaign gets under starters orders at Preston on Sunday, May 2, with other fixtures scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 30 (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), Sunday, June 27, (at Bebington Oval), Sunday, July 25 (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), and Sunday, September 5, (at Wavertree, Liverpool).

West Cheshire AC’s North Premier West League squad will open their season on Saturday, May 22, at Blackburn, before heading to Preston on Saturday, June 19, then hosting round three at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday, July 11, and concluding the campaign at Trafford, on Sunday, August 1.

West Cheshire AC’s Cheshire League season is scheduled to start at Wrexham’s Queensway Stadium, on Sunday, May 23, before heading to Stockport on Sunday, June 20; East Cheshire on Sunday, July 4, and hosting the final round at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday, August 29. 

2021 CHESHIRE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Cheshire AA committee has agreed to hold the Cheshire Cross-country Championships subject to Covid-19 rules on Saturday, April 17, at Betley Farm in Staffordshire. The original scheduled date of Saturday, February 20, is no longer possible. Another County Meeting will be held on Monday, March 15, to confirm arrangements and open entries or to cancel the event completely.

2021 CHESHIRE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

West Cheshire AC has agreed to host the Cheshire Track and Field Championships on Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9, subject to Covid-19 rules and Ellesmere Port Sports Village being available. 

2021 CHESHIRE AND NORTH WEST ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cheshire has been asked by Greater Manchester to host the North West Road Relay Championships on Sunday, September 12, at Birchwood, Warrington, subject to the availability of the venue and Covid-19 rules.

HAVE YOUR SAY ABOUT EQUAL ACCESS TO CROSS COUNTRY RACE DISTANCES

The English Cross-country Association along with the 3 Areas is urging everyone to complete a consultation survey. ECCA say you should put 0 (zero) in question 6 re: distance that events should be equalised at, you can then proceed to the later questions and add your comments if status quo is to be maintained or otherwise.

The survey can be found here.

Alternatively, you could email to voice your concerns at: [email protected]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

From January 1st 2021, there will be a change to the way in which club members are asked to pay for attending training sessions at Ellesmere Port Sports Village. Rather than paying by cash, members will be asked to top up their accounts online, via a link to our club membership system.

As members attend each session, their accounts will be debited by the cost of each session.
You should by now have received an email from West Cheshire AC, containing a link to the top-up system. From there, you will be able to top-up by between Β£10 and Β£100, and set both regular top-up amounts and warnings to prompt you when your account is low.

The cashless payment system will be provided by Nifty Entries, who maintain our current online club membership system. They also provide similar cashless training payments systems to other clubs, on the same basis of only paying for the sessions that you attend, from your own account.

Please let us know if you have any questions, by replying Dennis at: [email protected]

REVISED ENGLAND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE

Following the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions and the publication of bespoke instructions from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), England Athletics revised the current guidance for athletics and running on January 5th.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S PHYSIO OFFER

Heather McLintock has been in touch to say she is still able to offer physiotherapy if anyone is injured over this lockdown…Heather knows how important it is to exercise in this time so if she can keep people exercising that would be great. Heather’s email address is: [email protected]

WHY NOT BECOME ONE OF OUR QUALIFIED OFFICIALS?

Places are being booked very quickly for the Level 1 Field Officials online courses. The dates available are Wed 13 Jan, Thu 28 Jan, Sat 30 Jan and Sun 21 Feb and the course costs Β£20.

Take your first step on the pathway to becoming a qualified athletics official.  Book via Athletics Hub .

Please get in touch with Dennis if you do book on the course at: [email protected]


SUPPORT WITH TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

Funded training is currently available for employed people who live or work in Cheshire or Warrington. 

Fully covered for those who work for a company with under 250 employees (inc. self-employed), 40% funded for larger employers.

This really is a chance for people to access quality training and boost qualifications without the associated cost.

If anyone is interested contact Mark Shepherd on 07494 869 282.

RUN LEADER DEVELOPMENT DAYS

England Athletics Run Leader Development Days is a series of informative and engaging workshops aimed at leaders and coaches from affiliated clubs and RunTogether groups. They are designed to bring leaders and coaches together in an environment where they can network and learn from each other by sharing skills and challenges, plus expand their knowledge of managing and growing groups, and enhance their understanding of technical skills in running.

Run Leader Development Days are going virtual for 2021, featuring five interactive (taking place Mon Feb 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd, and March 1st). Sessions will discuss a mix of topics, tasks, group discussion, Q&As, and the final webinar is based around a virtual practical session. Each webinar will have a lead theme – enabling Run Leaders to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. All five webinars cost Β£30.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

A revised list of England Athletics webinars can be found here.

PLEASE HELP OUR CLUB WHEN YOU SHOP…

West Cheshire Athletic Club has registered with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites will now donate to the Club for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long – here.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, passes on best wishes to everyone at the club. Dan said he would welcome members to ring him and have a chat. His number is: 07594 464287.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES

All the latest athletics news can be found on the Athletics Weekly website here.

LOOKING BACK

Kip Keino, Evelyn Ashford, and John Regis. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_9AAy7yZTc

www.youtube.com/watch?v=86h0iLXu9eo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd4F_O5NuZ0

IT’S GOOD TO TALK

Members and parents are reminded to look at the following links for updates about the club:

WEBSITE: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/westcheshireac

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/westcheshireac/

Press Report: WCAC Prepare for Eventual Restart

PREPARATIONS are being made in the hope that track and field athletics can take place this year.

West Cheshire Athletic Club is poised to press the re-start button when lockdown restrictions are relaxed and permission is granted to stage fixtures.

League administrators have been working hard behind the scenes to put in place provisional dates and venues for fixtures.

And West Cheshire AC is hoping it can host the two-day Cheshire Track and Field Championships scheduled to be held at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9.

West Cheshire AC’s first scheduled league match is planned for Saturday, April 24, at Preston, which is the first of five rounds in the Under 13/Under 15 Youth Development League Merseyside Division, with other matches taking place on Saturday, May 15 (at Bebington Oval), Saturday, June 5, (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), Saturday, July 17, (at Bebington Oval), and Saturday, September 4 (at Wavertree, Liverpool).

West Cheshire AC’s Under 17/Under 20 Youth Development League Merseyside Division five-round campaign gets under starters orders at Preston on Sunday, May 2, with other fixtures scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 30 (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), Sunday, June 27, (at Bebington Oval), Sunday, July 25 (at Ellesmere Port Sports Village), and Sunday, September 5, (at Wavertree, Liverpool).

West Cheshire AC’s North Premier West League squad will open their season on Saturday, May 22, at Blackburn, before heading to Preston on Saturday, June 19, then hosting round three at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday, July 11, and concluding the campaign at Trafford, on Sunday, August 1.

West Cheshire AC’s Cheshire League season is scheduled to start at Wrexham’s Queensway Stadium, on Sunday, May 23, before heading to Stockport on Sunday, June 20; East Cheshire on Sunday, July 4, and hosting the final round at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday, August 29. 

WCAC Newsletter #309, 22-01-21

DIAL INTO THE ENGLAND ATHLETICS AWARDS NIGHT…

West Cheshire AC has been short-listed for the England Athletics Club of the Year at the England Athletics National Volunteer Awards being broadcast this Saturday evening at 7.30pm. Links to the broadcast will be provided via EA’s volunteer website page and further information on the awards programme can be found should you wish to view this event.

Across the nine awards the North West has FOUR finalists in the top two places, so please take the time if you can to watch and support the North West.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Many happy returns to the following Club members who celebrate their birthdays this week:

Ethan Greenland, Tom Yates, Joe Foy, Joe Tabberer, William Rawson, Daniel Tabberer, William Wright, Sophie Madden.

And Next Week: Eddie Gore, Jill Gore, Tiahna Cliff, Cath McGrath, Milo Halliday, Jon Clarke, Jack Gannon, Henry Robinson, Ava Redmond, Florence Hart.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KEELY AND MICHAEL!

Keely Smith and Michael Young have topped the 2020 Cheshire road running charts.

The pair are the fastest runners in the county over two distances with Keely heading the Cheshire female half marathon list after achieving a time of 1:26:47 at Capesthorne, near Knutsford, on September 20, and then posting the fastest county female marathon time of 3:01.24 at the Run Oulton Park Grand Prix on December 6.

Michael also celebrated a double celebration after clocking the fastest county men’s 10 miles time of 55:32 at Preston on August 9, and posting 2:34:54 at the Flat Runway Marathon, York, on October 4. 

He was also second fastest for the half marathon with 1:11:41 at Capesthorne on September 20; 10th fastest man over 10km with 33:00 at Run Through Tatton Park on December 5, and 12th fastest for the 5km with 15:41 at Kingsley’s Mid Cheshire Race on August 28.

Other club members who achieved top 20 positions were Cathryn Whalley, Eloise Eccles, and Rob Little.

Cathryn was 10th fastest female over 10 miles with 1:28:18 at Rhyl on February 22, while Eloise was 10th for the half marathon with 1:35:13 at Run Oulton Park Grand Prix on March 1, and Rob was 20th for the men’s five miles with 29:54 at Alsager on February 2.

EPSV TRACK CLOSED DURING LOCKDOWN

With Lockdown restrictions now in place, Brio Leisure who operate Ellesmere Port Sports Village have closed the facilities until further notice.

The EPSV Facility Manager has told the Club not to train at the site, so all scheduled training sessions have been cancelled.

We hope you and your family all stay safe and well during this difficult period. 

Once we know when we can use the athletics track again we will be back in touch with the new arrangements.


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

From January 1st 2021, there will be a change to the way in which club members are asked to pay for attending training sessions at Ellesmere Port Sports Village. Rather than paying by cash, members will be asked to top up their accounts online, via a link to our club membership system.

As members attend each session, their accounts will be debited by the cost of each session.
You should by now have received an email from West Cheshire AC, containing a link to the top-up system. From there, you will be able to top-up by between Β£10 and Β£100, and set both regular top-up amounts and warnings to prompt you when your account is low.

The cashless payment system will be provided by Nifty Entries, who maintain our current online club membership system. They also provide similar cashless training payments systems to other clubs, on the same basis of only paying for the sessions that you attend, from your own account.

Please let us know if you have any questions, by replying Dennis at: [email protected]

REVISED ENGLAND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE

Following the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions and the publication of bespoke instructions from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), England Athletics revised the current guidance for athletics and running on January 5th.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S PHYSIO OFFER

Heather McLintock has been in touch to say she is still able to offer physiotherapy if anyone is injured over this lockdown…Heather knows how important it is to exercise in this time so if she can keep people exercising that would be great. Heather’s email address is: [email protected]

WHY NOT BECOME ONE OF OUR QUALIFIED OFFICIALS?

Places are being booked very quickly for the Level 1 Field Officials online courses. The dates available are Wed 13 Jan, Thu 28 Jan, Sat 30 Jan and Sun 21 Feb and the course costs Β£20.

Take your first step on the pathway to becoming a qualified athletics official.  Book via Athletics Hub .

Please get in touch with Dennis if you do book on the course at: [email protected]


SUPPORT WITH TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

Funded training is currently available for employed people who live or work in Cheshire or Warrington. 

Fully covered for those who work for a company with under 250 employees (inc. self-employed), 40% funded for larger employers.

This really is a chance for people to access quality training and boost qualifications without the associated cost.

If anyone is interested contact Mark Shepherd on 07494 869 282.

RUN LEADER DEVELOPMENT DAYS

England Athletics Run Leader Development Days is a series of informative and engaging workshops aimed at leaders and coaches from affiliated clubs and RunTogether groups. They are designed to bring leaders and coaches together in an environment where they can network and learn from each other by sharing skills and challenges, plus expand their knowledge of managing and growing groups, and enhance their understanding of technical skills in running.

Run Leader Development Days are going virtual for 2021, featuring five interactive (taking place Mon Feb 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd, and March 1st). Sessions will discuss a mix of topics, tasks, group discussion, Q&As, and the final webinar is based around a virtual practical session. Each webinar will have a lead theme – enabling Run Leaders to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. All five webinars cost Β£30.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

A revised list of England Athletics webinars can be found here.

PLEASE HELP OUR CLUB WHEN YOU SHOP…

West Cheshire Athletic Club has registered with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites will now donate to the Club for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long – here.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, passes on best wishes to everyone at the club. Dan said he would welcome members to ring him and have a chat. His number is: 07594 464287.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES

All the latest athletics news can be found on the Athletics Weekly website here.

LOOKING BACK…

Dave Lewis, Shireen Bailey, and Steve Jones. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYxiDUwRtOo&t=12s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm-4-0YoZwo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hen0HM49Buc

IT’S GOOD TO TALK

Members and parents are reminded to look at the following links for updates about the club:

WEBSITE: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/westcheshireac

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/westcheshireac/

Press Report: WCAC place highly in county

KEELY SMITH and Michael Young have topped the 2020 Cheshire road running charts.

The West Cheshire Athletic Club pair are the fastest runners in the county over two distances.

Smith headed the Cheshire female half marathon list after achieving a time of 1:26:47 at Capesthorne, near Knutsford, on September 20, and then posted the fastest county female marathon time of 3:01.24 at the Run Oulton Park Grand Prix on December 6.

Young also celebrated a double celebration after clocking the fastest county men’s 10 miles time of 55:32 at Preston on August 9, and posting 2:34:54 at the Flat Runway Marathon, York, on October 4. 

Young was also second fastest for the half marathon with 1:11:41 at Capesthorne on September 20; 10th fastest man over 10km with 33:00 at Run Through Tatton Park on December 5, and 12th fastest for the 5km with 15:41 at Kingsley’s Mid Cheshire Race on August 28.

Other West Cheshire AC members who achieved top 20 positions were Cathryn Whalley, Eloise Eccles, and Rob Little.

Whalley was 10th fastest female over 10 miles with 1:28:18 at Rhyl on February 22, while Eccles was 10th for the half marathon with 1:35:13 at Run Oulton Park Grand Prix on March 1, and Little was 20th for the men’s five miles with 29:54 at Alsager on February 2.

The scheduled English Schools Cross Country Championships in March at Hop Farm, Kent, has been cancelled.

Kent Schools AA has offered to host the championships in 2022 and the proposed date is Saturday 12th March, hopefully at Hop Farm.

A β€˜Virtual English Schools Cross Country Championships’ will be held this year. Further details will be announced soon, requiring athletes to run a 2k or 5k course (depending on age group) at a venue that has a measured course already. Parkrun courses are ideal for this and this will be suggested as part of the rules. A simple google form will allow the athlete to send their times in, along with a verification from a coach or teacher. New Balance will support this event with prizes and merchandise for athletes. This will also be a county team event.

WCAC Newsletter #308, 15-01-21

ROY ORFORD R.I.P.

Roy Orford died on 19th December 2019 aged 89, and his funeral was held on 11th January 2021.

Roy was a Vice-President of West Cheshire AC and formerly a member of Chester & Ellesmere Port AC (CEPAC) who he became involved with when his son Mark became interested in athletics. Roy became heavily involved in helping at the club and also took up distance running until a number of years ago.

Everyone at West Cheshire AC would like to pass on their condolences to his family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Many happy returns to the following Club members who celebrate their birthdays this week:

Brian Beattie, Zofia Roberts, Freddie Rotherham, Keely Smith, Megan White, Mia Jones, Alex Rutherford, Pam Ackroyd, Isaac Holmes, Ingrid Tait, Jack Collier, Danielle Erskine, Ilika Jose Maria, Anna Woolgar.

And Next Week: Ethan Greenland, Tom Yates, Joe Foy, Joe Tabberer, William Rawson, Daniel Tabberer, William Wright, Sophie Madden.

EPSV TRACK CLOSED DURING LOCKDOWN

With Lockdown restrictions now in place, Brio Leisure who operate Ellesmere Port Sports Village have closed the facilities until further notice.

The EPSV Facility Manager has told the Club not to train at the site, so all scheduled training sessions have been cancelled.

We hope you and your family all stay safe and well during this difficult period. 

Once we know when we can use the athletics track again we will be back in touch with the new arrangements.

2021 ENGLISH SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELLED

The scheduled English Schools Cross Country Championships in March at Hop Farm, Kent, has been cancelled.

Kent Schools AA has offered to host the championships in 2022 which makes complete sense with the amount of planning that they put into the 2021 event. The proposed date is Saturday 12th March 2022, hopefully at Hop Farm.

A β€˜Virtual English Schools Cross Country Championships’ will be held this year. Further details will be announced soon, requiring athletes to run a 2k or 5k course (depending on age group) at a venue that has a measured course already. Park run courses are ideal for this and this will be suggested as part of the rules. A simple google form will allow the athlete to send their times in, along with a verification from a coach or teacher. New Balance will support this event with prizes and merchandise for athletes. This will also be a county team event.


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

From January 1st 2021, there will be a change to the way in which club members are asked to pay for attending training sessions at Ellesmere Port Sports Village. Rather than paying by cash, members will be asked to top up their accounts online, via a link to our club membership system.

As members attend each session, their accounts will be debited by the cost of each session.
You should by now have received an email from West Cheshire AC, containing a link to the top-up system. From there, you will be able to top-up by between Β£10 and Β£100, and set both regular top-up amounts and warnings to prompt you when your account is low.

The cashless payment system will be provided by Nifty Entries, who maintain our current online club membership system. They also provide similar cashless training payments systems to other clubs, on the same basis of only paying for the sessions that you attend, from your own account.

Please let us know if you have any questions, by replying Dennis at: [email protected]

REVISED ENGLAND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE

Following the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions and the publication of bespoke instructions from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), England Athletics revised the current guidance for athletics and running on January 5th.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S PHYSIO OFFER

Heather McLintock has been in touch to say she is still able to offer physiotherapy if anyone is injured over this lockdown…Heather knows how important it is to exercise in this time so if she can keep people exercising that would be great. Heather’s email address is: [email protected]

WHY NOT BECOME ONE OF OUR QUALIFIED OFFICIALS?

Places are being booked very quickly for the Level 1 Field Officials online courses. The dates available are Wed 13 Jan, Thu 28 Jan, Sat 30 Jan and Sun 21 Feb and the course costs Β£20.

Take your first step on the pathway to becoming a qualified athletics Official.  Book via Athletics Hub .

Please get in touch with Dennis if you do book on the course at: [email protected]


SUPPORT WITH TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

Funded training is currently available for employed people who live or work in Cheshire or Warrington. 

Fully covered for those who work for a company with under 250 employees (inc. self-employed), 40% funded for larger employers.

This really is a chance for people to access quality training and boost qualifications without the associated cost.

If anyone is interested contact Mark Shepherd on 07494 869 282.

RUN LEADER DEVELOPMENT DAYS

England Athletics Run Leader Development Days is a series of informative and engaging workshops aimed at leaders and coaches from affiliated clubs and RunTogether groups. They are designed to bring leaders and coaches together in an environment where they can network and learn from each other by sharing skills and challenges, plus expand their knowledge of managing and growing groups, and enhance their understanding of technical skills in running.

Run Leader Development Days are going virtual for 2021, featuring five interactive (taking place Mon Feb 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd, and March 1st). Sessions will discuss a mix of topics, tasks, group discussion, Q&As, and the final webinar is based around a virtual practical session. Each webinar will have a lead theme – enabling Run Leaders to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. All five webinars cost Β£30.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

A revised list of England Athletics webinars can be found here.

PLEASE HELP OUR CLUB WHEN YOU SHOP…

West Cheshire Athletic Club has registered with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites will now donate to the Club for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long – here.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, passes on best wishes to everyone at the club. Dan said he would welcome members to ring him and have a chat. His number is: 07594 464287.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES

All the latest athletics news can be found on the Athletics Weekly website here.

LOOKING BACK

Dai Greene, Hannah England, and Steve Cram, and Seb Coe. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hur8ve5cHs8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prhi4FyDRr8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHgc2oi49X4

IT’S GOOD TO TALK

Members and parents are reminded to look at the following links for updates about the club:

WEBSITE: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/westcheshireac

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/westcheshireac/

Press Report: 2021 Pencilled In

WEST CHESHIRE Athletic Club is hoping to host a busy schedule of track and field fixtures in 2021.

The purple and gold-vested organisation, newly crowned England Athletics North West Athletics and Running Club of the Year, has pencilled in a number of competitions to organise at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track after lockdown.

West Cheshire AC, who are short-listed for the England Athletics Club of the Year event to be held on Saturday, January 23, plan to host the opening round of the Under 17 and Under 20 Youth Development League’s North Premier West Division on Sunday, May 2.

The club then hopes it can host the second round of the Under 13 and Under 15 Youth Development League’s North Premier West Division on Saturday, May 15.

And West Cheshire AC, after being denied the opportunity to host the two-day Cheshire Track and Field Championships last year due to the pandemic, hope they can play host in May this year.

West Cheshire AC’s seniors are scheduled to play host for the final round of a newly restructured North West Premier League campaign on Sunday, July 11.

And the Club will be looking forward to helping to organise the County Round of the English Schools Track and Field Cup on Tuesday, May 18, and the Regional B Final South on Wednesday, June 9.

WCAC Endurance League – Standings at end of 2020

John Driscoll has compiled endurance league standings as at the end of December 2020.

Congratulations to Michael and Alex followed, respectively, by Andrew and Andy in the men’s table, and Ellie, Clare and Deb in the women’s.

As mentioned in November, a proposal from John: in view of the problems since mid-March which continue, roll over the 2020 results into 2021 in the hope by combining two years we might get a “year” of competition. What do members think?

See near the bottom of the road race page for further details.

WCAC Online Quiz

The WCAC Online Quiz, this Friday January 15th at 6pm, is filling up fast! Please email [email protected] ASAP if you want to join in (where else would you be going, really??). Details below.

CLUB QUIZ INVITATION
In a bid to lift all the gloom of Covid-19 and help lighten the mood, the club is looking to organise an Online New Year Quiz on Friday January 15th.

Teams of 4 will be invited to enter at a cost of Β£10 per team with prizes for the top 3 teams and the rest of the money being put into club funds for an event later in the year.

There will be various topics in the 6-round quiz.

WCAC Newsletter #307, 08-01-21

EPSV TRACK CLOSED DURING LOCKDOWN

With lockdown restrictions now in place, Brio Leisure who operate Ellesmere Port Sports Village have closed the facilities until further notice.

The EPSV Facility Manager has told the Club not to train at the site, so all scheduled training sessions have been cancelled.

We hope you and your family all stay safe and well during this difficult period. 

Once we know when we can use the athletics track again, we will be back in touch with the new arrangements.

Meanwhile, West Cheshire AC would like to wish you and your family a healthy and Happy New Year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Many happy returns to the following Club members who celebrate their birthdays this week:

Issy Clarke, Ben Kelly, Ian Gloyne-Phillips, Lauren Williams, Rory Davis, Isobel Holbrook, Steve King, Abigail Cartwright, Luke Messham, Luke Parker, Kay Hayes, Michael Parry.

And Next Week: Brian Beattie, Zofia Roberts, Freddie Rotherham, Keely Smith, Megan White, Mia Jones, Alex Rutherford, Pam Ackroyd, Isaac Holmes, Ingrid Tait, Jack Collier, Danielle Erskine, Ilika Jose Maria, Anna Woolgar.

ONLINE CLUB QUIZ 

Anyone who wants to take part in the West Cheshire AC Online Quiz on Friday, January 15th, should email Mark Duffey before this Saturday, January 9th.

In a bid to lift all the gloom of Covid-19 and help lighten the mood, the club is looking to organise an Online New Year Quiz on Friday January 15th.

Teams of 4 will be invited to enter at a cost of Β£10 per team with prizes for the top 3 teams and the rest of the money being put into club funds for an event later in the year. There will be various topics in the 6 round quiz.

If you are wanting to take part, please email Mark Duffey at: [email protected]


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

From January 1st 2021, there will be a change to the way in which club members are asked to pay for attending training sessions at Ellesmere Port Sports Village. Rather than paying by cash, members will be asked to top up their accounts online, via a link to our club membership system.

As members attend each session, their accounts will be debited by the cost of each session.
You will receive an email from West Cheshire AC, containing a link to the top-up system. From there, you will be able to top-up by between Β£10 and Β£100, and set both regular top-up amounts and warnings to prompt you when your account is low.

The cashless payment system will be provided by Nifty Entries, who maintain our current online club membership system. They also provide similar cashless training payments systems to other clubs, on the same basis of only paying for the sessions that you attend, from your own account.

Please let us know if you have any questions, by replying Dennis at: [email protected]

REVISED ENGLAND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE

Following the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions and the publication of bespoke instructions from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), England Athletics revised the current guidance for athletics and running on January 5th.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S PHYSIO OFFER

Heather McLintock has been in touch to say she is still able to offer physiotherapy if anyone is injured over this lockdown…Heather knows how important it is to exercise in this time so if she can keep people exercising that would be great. Heather’s email address is: [email protected]

WHY NOT BECOME ONE OF OUR QUALIFIED OFFICIALS?

Places are being booked very quickly for the Level 1 Field Officials online courses. The dates available are Wed 13 Jan, Thu 28 Jan, Sat 30 Jan and Sun 21 Feb and the course costs Β£20.

Take your first step on the pathway to becoming a qualified athletics Official.  Book via Athletics Hub .

Please get in touch with Dennis if you do book on the course at: [email protected]


SUPPORT WITH TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

Funded training is currently available for employed people who live or work in Cheshire or Warrington. 

Fully covered for those who work for a company with under 250 employees (inc. self-employed), 40% funded for larger employers.

This really is a chance for people to access quality training and boost qualifications without the associated cost.

If anyone is interested contact Mark Shepherd on 07494 869 282.

RUN LEADER DEVELOPMENT DAYS

England Athletics Run Leader Development Days is a series of informative and engaging workshops aimed at leaders and coaches from affiliated clubs and RunTogether groups. They are designed to bring leaders and coaches together in an environment where they can network and learn from each other by sharing skills and challenges, plus expand their knowledge of managing and growing groups, and enhance their understanding of technical skills in running.

Run Leader Development Days are going virtual for 2021, featuring five interactive (taking place Mon Feb 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd, and March 1st). Sessions will discuss a mix of topics, tasks, group discussion, Q&As, and the final webinar is based around a virtual practical session. Each webinar will have a lead theme – enabling Run Leaders to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. All five webinars cost Β£30.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

A revised list of England Athletics webinars can be found here.

PLEASE HELP OUR CLUB WHEN YOU SHOP…

West Cheshire Athletic Club has registered with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites will now donate to the Club for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long – here.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, passes on best wishes to everyone at the club. Dan said he would welcome members to ring him and have a chat. His number is: 07594 464287.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES

All the latest athletics news can be found on the Athletics Weekly website here.

LOOKING BACK

Michael Johnson at the 1996 Olympic Games, 1996 Olympic Men’s 4x400m Relay, and 2017 World Championship Women’s 3,000m steeplechase Final. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K41ZryHFdXU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibuxljRIkl4&t=251s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4dCk4UYZEU


IT’S GOOD TO TALK

Members and parents are reminded to look at the following links for updates about the Club:

WEBSITE: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/westcheshireac

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/westcheshireac/

Press Report: 2020 Recap Part Two

WEST CHESHIRE Athletic Club ended a difficult and challenging 2020 on a winning note after lockdown was announced in March.

The purple and gold-vested organisation was named England Athletics North West Athletics and Running Club of the Year, and Dennis Wall won the Services to Athletics Award.

It is the fourth time in five years that the club has won this award. An outstanding achievement considering there are over 250 clubs in the north west.

West Cheshire AC has since been named as a finalist for the England Athletics National Volunteer Awards Evening scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 23, via social media with Olympian Katharine Merry compering the event.

Despite many challenges during the last 12 months, the club managed to supervise and deliver regular Covid-19 secure training sessions at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track with support from Brio Leisure following two well supported track tidy days attended by club members to ensure the facilities were ready to re-open.

And the club contributed towards Upton High School’s work in helping key National Health Service workers by making a donation to the school following the cancellation of April’s scheduled Chester Spring Five Miles Road Race.

The Club was delighted that a large proportion of entrants declined the refund and the Club was able to offer a donation to Upton High School whose design and technology department bought material from the donation to make much-needed face visors for key NHS workers.

George Hyde medalled for England in Vienna, at the British Universities Championships, and at the British Track and Field Championships where the under 20 men’s shot putter hit a new personal best of 16.55 metres to secure a bronze medal at Manchester.

Hyde, a student at Loughborough University, was joined at Manchester by club mates Emma Howe and Joseph Morrison.

Howe, who attends Leeds Beckett University and is ranked fourth in the under 20 women’s javelin UK ranking list, launched the javelin 43.99m, and Chester University student, Morrison, 19th in the UK under 23 men’s 800m rankings, posted 1:55.23 in his first round heat.

Morrison also headed West Cheshire AC’s charge at the Virtual English National 12 Stage Road Relay Championships, one of 14 members to complete a 5km run, backed up by Michael Young, Tom Booth, Andrew Cooper, Steve Fernyhough, Danny Paddock, Andy Carter, Rob Little, Steve King, Richard Hayes, Phil Woodley, Dave Irving, Kerry Riley, and Kay Hayes.

Michael Young finished runner-up in the Ultrarace Romania Lockdown event, completing a 70km distance in four hours three minutes and 49 seconds, just weeks after raising Β£2,000 for the NHS on his 33rd birthday, completing 69 miles in just under 12 hours on a treadmill at his home.

Young also broke his club’s senior men’s Marathon record at York with 2:34:54 to finish second in his age group, and posted 1:12:01 in the Virtual Chester Half Marathon, as well as celebrating success in the City of Preston 10 Miles Road Race, clocking 55 minutes 33 seconds for victory and achieving a male age 18-35 club record ahead of Brian Wright (1:16:25), who beat his own male vet 65 club record.

Jon Park has raised more than Β£3,000 for NHS charities after covering 85 miles in 24 hours at the Old Hall Country Club, Huntington, Chester.

Jean Claude Randon posted a massive personal best of 15 minutes 50 seconds in his home country of Malta, finishing fifth in the race and first in his under 23 age group.

Steve Fernyhough completed the GB Ultras Virtual Jogle (John O Groats to Land’s End), covering 825 miles in six weeks to finish 10th male overall and averaging a marathon a day, and celebrated success in the Ultra Everest 100km Race in a time of 12 hours 25 minutes.

Joseph Morrison and Harriet Wheeler claimed new club records – Morrison sliced 10 seconds off his own club 1500m record and became his club’s first sub-four minute 1500m member after clocking 3:51:37 at a British Milers Club fixture held at Nuneaton, and Wheeler powered her way to a new under 13 girls javelin club record with a throw of 33.77m at the Trafford Open Meeting.

Michael Young, Keely Smith and Carys Roberts also celebrated record-breaking performances.

Young posted a new senior men’s club record time of 71 minutes 28 seconds at the Cheshire Half Marathon held at Capesthorne Hall where Smith clocked a new over-35 ladies club record time of 86 minutes 47 seconds, while Roberts broke her own under 15 girls 1500m club record by posting 4:46.54 at a Trafford Open Meeting.

Ellie Eccles produced a memorable victory and personal best time of 18 hours 38 minutes four seconds at the Gloucester Invitational 100 miles race to win the women’s title, and finished third woman with a time of 21 hours in the Robin Hood 100 Miles Race through Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

Tom Booth (sixth in 25:59) and Alex Duffey (seventh over-40 lady in 49:24), completed the 60th Anniversary Cilcain 5km Mountain Race.

Michael Young posted 15:41 in the Mid Cheshire 5k Road Race, ahead of club mates Chris Shaw (16:44), and Sammy Hollins (17:15).

Over-65 veteran Brian Wright secured second place in his age group at the Cheshire 10k Road Race held at Arley Hall, near Northwich alongside club mate, Sarah Hibbert.

Ruby Phillips posted a new under 13 girls 1000m club record time of 3:14.03 at a Trafford AC Open Meeting.

Keely Smith, Chris Shaw, Michael Young, and Tom Booth all posted impressive displays at the Oulton Park Running Grand Prix.

Smith sliced nearly 20 minutes off the club’s female marathon record to post a new personal best time of 3:01:24, while Shaw finished fourth in the 26.2 miles event with a new pb and over-45 men’s club record time of 2:48:39, and Young clocked a new M21-35 personal best and 10k club record of 33:00, while Booth won the 20 miles race in a new club record time of 2:04:06.

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