STAY SAFE AND FOLLOW THE LOCKDOWN GUIDELINES

All West Cheshire AC members should be following National Lockdown Guidelines and only exercising within the restrictions, so please abide by the rules and don’t bring the Club into disrepute.

Following the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 lockdown 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 8^th.

PLEASE also remember that 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 and the EPSV site remains closed.

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.

PLEASE HELP TO STAY IN TOUCH

During this lockdown period when all competitions are suspended, I will do my upmost in keeping the Club Newsletter information and other content going.

I would welcome any contributions from yourselves, any impending marriages, or additions to the family, any running or competing incidents, also anything to help everyone stay entertained. Currently the response has been excellent, but if you have anything that could make it into next week’s Newsletter – please email me at: [email protected]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

And next week: Laura Turley, Millie Cooper, Gabriel Mikoleizik, Chloe Poole, Scott Wells, Archie Jackson, Ted Williams, Ellie Robinson, Dennis Wall, Karen Waugh, Sheila Whitta, Audra Goodall, Richard Smith, Matthew Stanley.

WOMEN IN COACHING PROGRAMME

The Women in Coaching Programme is a collaboration between England Athletics and British Athletics. The programme will focus on providing development opportunities to help upskill female coaches, officials, volunteers and other support staff whilst also addressing the issues of gender inequality in specific areas of the sport and providing a network and support system for women in athletics and running. Further details can be found here.

COACHING COURSE UPDATE

England Athletics has started to publicise Virtual Coaching Courses on their website. Follow this link to find a list of virtual courses.

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

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS FOR SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COURSE

UK Coaching is organising a course to gain the confidence to be able to support people experiencing mental health problems, and help them to thrive inside and outside of your sessions. The link is here. 

WEEKLY QUADRATHLON @HOME

Are you missing the buzz of track and field competition while we’re all at home in lockdown? If so, then sign-up for England Athletics new fun weekly track and field Quadrathlon competition – open to anyone aged 9 or over and perfect for setting up at home! Details are here.

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.

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 £10 and £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]

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]

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 1^st, 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd, and March 1^st). 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 £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

2004 Olympic Men’s 4x100m Final, Ann Packer, and Sonia Lannaman. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DATSz4mjqtw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0VFxZpDQY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXgSlgxSmXY

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/

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 £10 and £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 £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 1^st, 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd, and March 1^st). 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 £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/

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 ‘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 £10 and £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 £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 1^st, 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd, and March 1^st). 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 £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/

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 £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 £10 and £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 £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 1^st, 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd, and March 1^st). 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 £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/

A Healthy and Happy New Year to you all

EPSV TRACK CLOSED

With Tier 4 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 next week, so all scheduled training sessions have been cancelled.

We are sorry that this has had to happen and 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:

Ella Harvey, Lewis Parsons, Thomas Rimmer, Isabel Robertson, Demi Coleman, Satine Wearden, Richard Batterham, Faith Barlow-Gambles, Andrew Cooper, Oliver Mallon, Evan Pritchard, Hannah Edwards.

And next 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.

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 £10 and £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]

FESTIVE TRACK TRAINING ARRANGEMENTS

The EPSV Athletics Track will be open as normal until Wednesday 23rd December, open between 9am-7pm on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th December. EPSV will re-open as normal on Saturday 2nd January, but there will be no group training sessions on that day.

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 20th December.

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 £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]

2021 CHESHIRE CROSS-COUNTRY RACES

Cheshire County AA has announced that the 2021 County Cross-country Races are planned to go ahead on February 20th, at Betley Court Farm, subject to the current COVID restrictions continuing or being eased.

It has been agreed that on-line entries would open as late as possible to minimise any unexpected COVID rule changes. This will be Saturday 30th January, allowing a three-week window for Clubs to enter their athletes.

The County Committee also agreed that all entry fees would be returned if the event had to be cancelled and was unable to be staged on that date.

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.

For 2021, England Athletics will be able to offer virtual Run Leader Development Days online (working around the restrictions in place due to Covid-19). You can book your place now. More details here,

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

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINAR

Sunday 3 January (2-6pm) –Throws Masterclass webinar with Ashley Kovacs
Book now for a special masterclass webinar as Ashley Kovacs, coach to World Champion shot putter Joe Kovacs, joins from Stateside for live presentations and Q&A sessions.

More webinars can be found here.

DISABILITY INCLUSION COURSE

The @BritAthletics  Disability Inclusion training modules are still available to book! The interactive eLearning course is suitable for anyone wishing to better engage & support disabled people in athletics & running. Find out more .  

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.

LOOKING BACK

Born To Run, Linford Christie, and Super Saturday. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLS6maM1h6k

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxWfL0RfTpQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=89TC_QItvW8&t=281s

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/

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

Lara Battersby, Holly Bosworth, Fergal Hickey, Abigail Meyer, Claire Williams, Lottie Blake, Connor Davies Jones, Matthew Douglass, Grace Graham, Ceris Gaffney, Murphy Smyth, Ella Wylie, Neil Field, Jon Moorhouse.

And Next Week: Ella Harvey, Lewis Parsons, Thomas Rimmer, Isabel Robertson, Demi Coleman, Satine Wearden, Richard Batterham, Faith Barlow-Gambles, Andrew Cooper, Oliver Mallon, Evan Pritchard, Hannah Edwards.

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 £10 and £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]

FESTIVE TRACK TRAINING ARRANGEMENTS

The EPSV Athletics Track will be open as normal until Wednesday 23rd December, open between 9am-7pm on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th December. EPSV will re-open as normal on Saturday 2nd January, but there will be no group training sessions on that day.

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 20th December: www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-27-november-2020/

2021 CHESHIRE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cheshire County AA has announced that the 2021 County Cross Country Championships are planned to go ahead on the 20th February, at Betley Court Farm, subject to the current COVID restrictions continuing or being eased.

It has been agreed that on-line entries would open as late as possible to minimise any unexpected COVID rule changes. This will be Saturday 30th January, allowing a three week window for Clubs to enter their athletes.

The County Committee also agreed that all entry fees would be returned if the event had to be cancelled and was unable to be staged on that date.

2021 NORTHERN CROSS-COUNTRY AND INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELLED 

Northern Athletics has released a statement confirming that the annual cross country championships and indoor championships will not be taking place.

Northern Athletics Board Chairman, Tony Wood, said: “Given the current Covid-19 situation and the likelihood that an improvement in the situation is likely to take months to occur we wish to formalise the indications given at our AGM in November by announcing that: The Northern Cross Country Championships will not take place on theJanuary 24, 2021; and The Northern Indoor Championships, both senior and junior, will not, understandably, be able to take place and are cancelled for 2021.

“We are still hopeful the planned 12 and 6 stage Road Relay Championships will take place later in March at Redcar with New Marske Harriers the host club but again it will be subject to restrictions and guidelines, both local and nationally, at the time.

“We will be releasing a further detailed statement on a number of issues soon.”

2021 INTER-COUNTIES CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELLED

The Inter Counties Cross Country Championships scheduled to have been held on February 20, 2021, at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough, have also been cancelled.

2021 BRITISH INTER-COUNTIES FELL RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Plans are being made to stage the Senior and Junior British Inter-Counties Fell Running Championships.

The Senior British Inter-Counties Mountain Race is scheduled to be held on Saturday,May 8, at Llanberis – Eilio Ridge, (12.6km/760m 7.8miles/2500ft), with a 12 noon start outside Snowdon (Plas Garnedd) care home.

And the Junior British Inter-Counties Mountain Race is scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 29, as part of the West Nab Fell Race, also forming part of the English Junior Challenge and Championship series, with a 1.45pm start for U15s (3.8k/150m), followed by a 2.20pm start for the U17s (5.6k/250m), and a 3.15pm start for the U19s (9k/450m).

Further details can be found at: https://britishintercountiesfellrunningchampionships.wordpress.com

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.

For 2021, England Athletics will be able to offer virtual Run Leader Development Days online (working around the restrictions in place due to Covid-19). You can book your place now. More details here,

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

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINAR

Sunday 3 January (2-6pm) –Throws Masterclass webinar with Ashley Kovacs
Book now for a special masterclass webinar as Ashley Kovacs, coach to World Champion shot putter Joe Kovacs, joins from Stateside for live presentations and Q&A sessions.

More webinars can be found here.

DISABILITY INCLUSION COURSE

The @BritAthletics  Disability Inclusion training modules are still available to book! The interactive eLearning course is suitable for anyone wishing to better engage & support disabled people in athletics & running. Find out more .  

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.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

A bit of fun. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_huf9U7YO8&t=3s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFD1ADG_JM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmI2sUwXMhE

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/

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.

What do I need to do?: Nothing as yet. You will shortly 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 £10 and £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.

Why are we doing this?: Cash payments require club volunteers to make regular deposits at the bank, with practical and security implications. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has brought the added risk of disease transmission in handling cash, which fewer members have readily available as card and online payments become more popular.

What other differences will I see?
None – except you will not need to carry cash to track and field sessions! Once your account is topped up, just turn up at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village track and register as usual. There are no hidden fees payable by members, so the amount you currently pay for each training session will remain the same; if there are any longer-term fee increases, members will be notified well in advance.

We are aware that it will take time for everyone to get used to this system, so we will do our best to ensure that it is implemented with the best interests of club members at heart.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

Fatoumatta Bojang, Conrad Payne, Andy Payne, Reece Munro, Steve Watkin, Brian Wright, Amber Millard-Smith, Scarlett Jones, Tim Palmer, James Haslam.

And Next Week: Lara Battersby, Holly Bosworth, Fergal Hickey, Abigail Meyer, Claire Williams, Lottie Blake, Connor Davies Jones, Matthew Douglass, Grace Graham, Ceris Gaffney, Murphy Smyth, Ella Wylie, Neil Field, Jon Moorhouse.

FESTIVE TRACK TRAINING ARRANGEMENTS 

SATURDAY 19th DECEMBER – Junior Multi-events group (and restarting again on Saturday 9th January).

MONDAY 21st DECEMBER – Plyometrics group (and restarting again on 4th January); Middle Distance Group; Hurdles Group (and returning Monday 4th January).

TUESDAY 22nd DECEMBER – Under 11s Group (and restarting 5th January); Sprints Groups (and restarting 5th January).

Please visit Social Media platforms for all other club training group arrangements.

The EPSV Athletics Track will be open as normal until Wednesday 23rd December, open between 9am-7pm on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th December, and open as normal on Saturday 2nd January.

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 December 9^th.

2021 CHESHIRE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cheshire County AA has announced that the 2021 County Cross Country Championships are planned to go ahead on the 20th February, at Betley Court Farm, subject to the current COVID restrictions continuing or being eased.

It has been agreed that on-line entries would open as late as possible to minimise any unexpected COVID rule changes. This will be Saturday 30th January, allowing a three-week window for Clubs to enter their athletes.

The County Committee also agreed that all entry fees would be returned if the event had to be cancelled and was unable to be staged on that date.

CROSS COUNTRY: INTER-COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NORTH WALES LEAGUE CANCELLED

The Inter Counties Cross Country Championships scheduled to have been held on February 20, 2021, at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough, have been cancelled, as have the 2020-21 North Wales Cross Country League and Championships.

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.

For 2021, England Athletics will be able to offer virtual Run Leader Development Days online (working around the restrictions in place due to Covid-19). You can book your place now. More details here.

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

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINAR

Sunday 3 January (2-6pm) –Throws Masterclass webinar with Ashley Kovacs
Book now for a special masterclass webinar as Ashley Kovacs, coach to World Champion shot putter Joe Kovacs, joins from Stateside for live presentations and Q&A sessions.

MORE GREAT MEMORIES…

This week it’s Joaquim Cruz, Paula Ratcliffe, and Sanya Richards-Ross. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMo4s0SaIYk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6IkUp1CJis

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW7BTHm5O58

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/

NATIONAL FINALISTS!

West Cheshire AC has been named as a finalist for the England Athletics National Volunteer Awards Evening being held on Saturday 23rd January from 7.30pm via social media with Katharine Merry compering the whole event.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

Theo Shepherd, Libby Wheldon, Emmanuel Isaiah, Chris Beckerleg, Alex Kearns, James Pascoe, Kate Simpson, Chris Wright, Nathan Broomfield, Luke Haslam, Sophie Haslam.

And Next Week: Fatoumatta Bojang, Conrad Payne, Andy Payne, Reece Munro, Steve Watkin, Brian Wright, Amber Millard-Smith, Scarlett Jones, Tim Palmer, James Haslam.

EPSV TRACK TRAINING IS BACK! 

The Club has resumed EPSV track training under Tier 2 England Athletics guidelines. The Club has received permission from site operators, Brio Leisure, to re-start training.

Please look at the link to further information here.

MANY CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Keely Smith for knocking nearly 20 minutes off the club’s female marathon record;

Chris Shaw and Michael Young for knocking slightly lesser-sized chunks off the MV45 marathon and M21-35 10k records respectively, and Tom Booth for setting the fastest known time for the club over 20 miles.

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 December 9^th.

HELP URGENTLY NEEDED FOR 2021 CHESHIRE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cheshire County AA has announced that the 2021 County Cross Country Championships are planned to go ahead on the 20th February, at Betley Court Farm, subject to the current COVID restrictions continuing or being eased.

A Zoom meeting to discuss the event is scheduled for Monday 14th December at 7pm. If you are interested in the state of the planning, and maybe wish to offer volunteers for set up, marshalling or dismantling, please contact the CCAA Chairman, Andy Garnett, for login details at [email protected]

Unfortunately, because of the venue, the event has no host club and the event can only go ahead with the direct support and help of Cheshire Clubs. Last year, in a similar situation, most clubs provided volunteers.

Help is needed to set up, marshal and dismantle the course:

Set up will be mainly the day before, Friday 19th February, with final touches from 08:30 on race day, ready for the first race at 10.45. At least 12 helpers are needed to support 4 team leaders on the Friday and a similar number on Saturday morning.

Marshalling needs to be in place for the first race at 10.45. 7 marshals minimum are needed to support 3 key marshals for the shorter lap races through until about 12:45.

9 marshals are needed from 12:45 through until about 15:00. These will be in place throughout the under 20 and senior races. All these races are using the full, large lap. Those marshalling earlier could stay for these races. but there is an opportunity to change and relieve earlier marshals, if we get the support.

Finally, we need 16 people to help 4 key individuals to dismantle the course. This should only take 30 minutes from the end of the last event, about 15:00.

As many clubs as possible are needed with named helpers and an indication of the role they would like to help with or time they are available.

If you want to nominate volunteers, or seek further information about helping, please respond directly to Andy Garnett, or the volunteer coordinator, Nick Bishop at [email protected]

All roles need to be filled by the mid-January to be comfortable holding the event – so please respond promptly.

WIRRAL AC OPEN CROSS-COUNTRY FIXTURE

Wirral AC are planning to host an open cross-country fixture at Claremont Farm, Clatterbridge, on Saturday, 9th January. The event will start at 9am, Further details here.

2021 ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS POSTPONED

The English Cross-country Association has reluctantly decided it is not going to be possible to promote the annual English ‘National’ Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill, London, on March 6th 2021 as originally planned.

Whilst there may be some degree of relaxation of COVID-19 conditions by then, it is not realistic to start planning and incur costs – both for clubs and their competitors and the ECCA – when the risk of limitations on travel and the size of gatherings continue to exist.

ECCA are well aware how disappointed Clubs and Athletes will be with this decision and we know how they enjoy the trip to London every three years but under the circumstances the ECCA had very little choice.

At this stage this decision is a postponement rather than a cancellation and ECCA are considering the possibility of staging the Championships once national lockdown regulations are removed.

To this extent ECCA are exploring the possibility of still holding the event at Parliament Hill on a date in the future and will keep Clubs and Athletes informed of progress when plans are confirmed.

The ECCA Championship Committee is also reviewing the practicality of promoting the annual Relay Championships which were planned for October 2020. Further information will be published if this review returns a positive conclusion.

 NEW 2021 ROAD RACE FIXTURES DATES

Active Leisure Events Ltd as published the dates of their Chester Triple Fixtures for 2021:

ALDI Chester 10k – 18th July; Essar Chester Half Marathon – 19th September; and MBNA Chester Marathon and Metric Marathon – 3rd October 2021. 

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.

For 2021, England Athletics will be able to offer virtual Run Leader Development Days online (working around the restrictions in place due to Covid-19). You can book your place now. More details here.

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

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

Friday 11 December 2020 7.30pm – Pole Vault Coaching Q&A webinar (topics includecoaching journey, coaching philosophy, approach to coaching pole vault)

With Steven Taeleman (Belgian coach to Ben Broeders), Steve Rippon (Technical pole vault advisor to the Finnish Athletics Federation), Gustaf Hultgren (Swedish coach). Hosted by British Athletics National Performance Institute Senior Coach, Scott Simpson.

Saturday 12 December 2020 10am –Endurance – Let’s start with A Question of Performance. Considerations of athletic development. Hosted by Mark Brace

Monday 14 December 6pm –Youth Development Networking Group

Thursday 17 December 8pm –Throws –Mastering the fundamentals: Hammer throwing in clubs. Hosted by Gary Herrington

Sunday 3 January 2-6pm –Throws Masterclass webinar with Ashley Kovacs
Book now for a special masterclass webinar as Ashley Kovacs, coach to World Champion shot putter Joe Kovacs, joins us from Stateside for live presentations and Q&A sessions. Book your place on this exclusive webinar – with early bird discounts for anyone booking by 30 Nov plus discounts for registered members.

MENTAL HEALTH WEBINAR

Mental Health is important. Join a free informal Zoom webinar on Monday 14 December (7PM) with some of England Athletics’ Mental Health Ambassadors to look at how clubs & RunTogether groups can support mental health during the pandemic & beyond. Sign up .

DISABILITY INCLUSION COURSE

The @BritAthletics  Disability Inclusion training modules are still available to book! The interactive eLearning course is suitable for anyone wishing to better engage & support disabled people in athletics & running. Find out more .

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 via this link.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, rang Dennis Wall on Thursday to pass 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.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S REHAB EXERCISES…

Club member and physio Heather McLintock has provided a webpage developed for athletes to access over the COVID period. The link contains video exercises which can be used to rehabilitate whilst you can’t visit her at the practice.

HOME PENTATHLON UPDATE…

If you haven’t completed the Home Pentathlon yet, please give it a go and let me know how you get on.

VIRTUAL MULTI-EVENT@HOME COMPETITION

England Athletics has linked up with Sportshall Athletics to offer clubs a free to create their own Virtual Multi-Event @ home competition! Clubs can now use the Sportshall scoring system, and online OpenTrack virtual competitions platform, to create their own fun ‘at home’ challenges and competitions featuring up to 13 events.

With athletics training and competition currently limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, Virtual Multi-Event @ home provides a fantastic opportunity for athletes to compete against others from their own club or against other clubs, within their home or close-to-home environment and in line with government guidelines.

CATHRYN WOODALL’S WORK-OUT INVITATION…

Club member and Farndon physio Cathryn Woodall has posted crab walk and squat video exercises on her Farndon physio Facebook page.

Cathryn is also thinking of doing a Facebook live/Zoom video of a 20-30 minute exercise routine, if anyone is interested. 

JASON OSWELL’S LOCKDOWN PHYSIOTHERAPY 

Jason Oswell has been in touch to say he is doing Physiotherapy video consultations during lockdown. If anybody has any issues, he is prepared to provide a consultation to anybody from the club for £10. His email address is [email protected]

HELP AND SUPPORT

Anyone requiring help and support while self-isolating can contact the local council hotline number of 0300 123 7031.

This is a dedicated hotline number for those self-isolating and who don’t have anyone to help. A call to this number will provide help organising food or medicine deliveries, or some sort of social contact. The number for the most in need is 0300 123 7031. It is open Monday to Sunday (8am-7pm).

ALSO – Please feel free to ring me (Dennis) if you want a chat or need any help or support. My numbers are: 0151 201 1254 and 07968 643038.

UPDATED ONLINE ATHLETICS WEBINARS

In these unprecedented times, I wanted to draw the club’s attention to some of the great resources available online. England Athletics is expanding its campaign to support Athletics and Running for everyone @home, with a focus on ‘Running @home’ support and advice. The homepage can be accessed here.

There are many webinars, interviews and tips from top coaches and athletes on how to stay conditioned and focused.

In addition, there are some fantastic videos for 4-11 year olds on the Funetics webpage put together in conjunction with England Athletics. The videos demonstrate parents and children (aged 4-11) taking part in FUN activities based on fundamental core movement skills: running, jumping and throwing. Funetics is a programme that has been designed to reflect the requirements of the National Curriculum Key Stage 1 and 2. At this time when our children are currently schooling at home, we hope that these video activities will support the need for education to continue at home.  You can access the videos here.

The link to other updated webinars can be found here, here and here.

STAYING FIT AND HEALTHY

The links below offer a range of advice on exercises we can all do while confined indoors.

MIND provides a series of workouts here.

Joe Wicks has become a household name with his daily online morning workouts which can be found here.

Sport England is offering tips, advice and guidance on how to stay active around the home on this link.

Youth Sport Trust is providing healthy tips including a series of 60-second Challenges on this link.

Realbuzz has provided strength and conditioning exercises to help avoid injury.

MORE GREAT MEMORIES…

This week it’s the Katharina Johnson-Thompson, Steve Cram, and Jenny Meadows. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DUDHgievv8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6pHdqp_EiU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBooSE0YqfI

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/

DOUBLE CELEBRATION!

West Cheshire AC has been named England Athletics North West Athletics and Running Club of the Year, and Dennis Wall has won the Services to Athletics Award.

Jon Clarke hosted Thursday night’s EA North West Regional Awards on Zoom and YouTube.

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

A full list of the 9 winners of the 9 award categories can be found on the EA website, and the whole award ceremony was recorded and can be watched on YouTube.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

Ellis Hancock, Jacob Jones, Emma Powell, Rhiannon Robson, Jessica Brown, Sofia Lawton, Tom Pryor, Lola Byrne, Thomas Duret, Beth McMahon, Joseph Morrison, Cosette Wearden, Luca Brocklehurst, Grace Henderson, Issy Read, Harriet Wheeler, Lilly O’Gorman, Louise Moore.

And Next Week: Theo Shepherd, Libby Wheldon, Emmanuel Isaiah, Chris Beckerleg, Alex Kearns, James Pascoe, Kate Simpson, Chris Wright, Nathan Broomfield, Luke Haslam, Sophie Haslam.

EPSV TRACK TRAINING IS BACK! 

The Club resumed EPSV track training on Thursday this week under Tier 2 England Athletics guidelines. The Club has received permission from site operators, Brio Leisure, to re-start training.

The link to further information can be found here.

CLUB AGM NEWS

Mike Lamb was appointed club president at West Cheshire AC’s virtual online AGM on Monday night, with Jon Clarke (chairman), Dennis Wall (vice-chairman), Clare Mallon (secretary until January 2021 when replaced by Julian Tegg), and Darren Shillington (treasurer) all being re-elected as club officers.

Other appointments were: Jane Pughe (Membership Secretary), Eddie Gore (Facilities Officer), Mark Duffey (Marketing and Sponsorship Officer), Dave Alexander (Cross Country Secretary), John Parlevliet (Road Running Secretary), Dennis Wall (Track and Field Secretary).

Dan Gilroy was elected Vice-President alongside Justin Madders MP, Chris Mathieson MP, Roy Orford, Mike Gledhill, John Ashton, Alan Morris, Jason Gill, John Driscoll.

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 has revised the current guidance for athletics and running.

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.

STEP INTO COACHING.

There is an Assistant Club Coaching Course scheduled to be held at Deeside College on December 12 and 13, and the deadline for bookings is December 10. Further details at Athletics Hub on the England Athletics website.

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

GLASGOW TO HOST 2021 BRITISH INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The British Athletics Indoor Championships will be held across the 20-21 February 2021 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow is a prestigious venue for world-class athletics, recently hosting the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, as well as the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships and Müller Indoor Grand Prix earlier in 2020. The choice of venue was carefully considered to ensure that a Covid-19 safe event could be delivered in conjunction with an environment for optimum athlete performance.

The Championships will also act as the official Trial event for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun (POL) and World Athletics Indoor Championship in Nanjing (CHN) which are currently scheduled to take place during the following month.

2021 OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIAL

UK Athletics has announced that the Olympic Games Marathon Trial Event will take place on a multi-lap course at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on Friday 26 March 2021, and entry is by invitation only, with the entry standard set at 2:19.00 for men and 2:42.00 for women.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS WEBINARS

Saturday 5 December 2-4pm – Regional Online Coach Networks workshop: Long Jump – acceleration and take-off. Hosted by England Athletics Regional Coach Lead (North), Jamie French. 

Saturday 5 December 2-4pm –Regional Online Coach Networks workshop: High Jump – full approach run work and scissor jumps (inc. take-off drills). Hosted by England Athletics Regional Coach Lead (South West), Denis Doyle.

Saturday 5 December 2-4pm –Regional Online Coach Networks workshop: Pole Vault – approach run: run-up structure. Hosted by England Athletics Regional Coach Lead (Midlands), Kate Rooney.

Saturday 5 December 2.30-4.30pm –Regional Online Coach Networks workshop: Triple Jump – Acceleration and short approach Jumps/combination bounds. Hosted by England Athletics Regional Coach Lead (South East), Guy Spencer.

Friday 11 December 2020 7.30pm –Pole Vault Coaching Q&A webinar (topics include coaching journey, coaching philosophy, approach to coaching pole vault)
With Steven Taeleman (Belgian coach to Ben Broeders), Steve Rippon (Technical pole vault advisor to the Finnish Athletics Federation), Gustaf Hultgren (Swedish coach). Hosted by British Athletics National Performance Institute Senior Coach, Scott Simpson.

Saturday 12 December 2020 10am –Endurance – Let’s start with A Question of Performance. Considerations of athletic development. Hosted by Mark Brace

Monday 14 December 6pm –Youth Development Networking Group

Thursday 17 December 8pm –Throws –Mastering the fundamentals: Hammer throwing in clubs. Hosted by Gary Herrington

Sunday 3 January 2-6pm –Throws Masterclass webinar with Ashley Kovacs
Book now for a special masterclass webinar as Ashley Kovacs, coach to World Champion shot putter Joe Kovacs, joins us from Stateside for live presentations and Q&A sessions. Book your place on this exclusive webinar – with early bird discounts for anyone booking by 30 Nov plus discounts for registered members.

VIRTUAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

*Calling U18 Coaches* Check out our 2- day International Virtual Youth Development Conference to help maximise your young athletes’ potential! The conference will be hosted via Zoom on 5/6 December featuring a fantastic speaker line-up. Find out more .

MENTAL HEALTH WEBINAR

Mental Health is important. Join a free informal Zoom webinar on Monday 14 December (7PM) with some of England Athletics’ Mental Health Ambassadors to look at how clubs & RunTogether groups can support mental health during the pandemic & beyond. Sign up .

DISABILITY INCLUSION COURSE

The @BritAthletics  Disability Inclusion training modules are still available to book! The interactive eLearning course is suitable for anyone wishing to better engage & support disabled people in athletics & running. Find out more .

COACH IN RUNNING FITNESS COURSE

Are you a qualified Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF) and looking to step up to a Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF)? If so, check out the new dates for England Athletics’ LiRF-CiRF online workshops The dates are: Sunday 22 November (3-5PM), Tuesday 1 December (6-8PM) & Tuesday 8 December (6-8PM). 2hr/£20. To find out more and book online please click .

The workshop is designed to give participants an opportunity to learn the detail of the pathway towards becoming a coach before they enrol on the full Coach in Running Fitness qualification.

Please get in touch with Club Coaching Co-Ordinator, Dennis, if you do book on the course at: [email protected]

 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 via this link.

STAYING IN TOUCH WITH DAN GILROY

Our Club President, Dan Gilroy, rang Dennis Wall on Thursday to pass 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.

HEATHER McLINTOCK’S REHAB EXERCISES…

Club member and physio Heather McLintock has provided a webpage developed for athletes to access over the COVID period. The link contains video exercises which can be used to rehabilitate whilst you can’t visit her at the practice.

HOME PENTATHLON UPDATE…

If you haven’t completed the Home Pentathlon yet, please give it a go and let me know how you get on.

VIRTUAL MULTI-EVENT@HOME COMPETITION

England Athletics has linked up with Sportshall Athletics to offer clubs a free to create their own Virtual Multi-Event @ home competition! Clubs can now use the Sportshall scoring system, and online OpenTrack virtual competitions platform, to create their own fun ‘at home’ challenges and competitions featuring up to 13 events.

With athletics training and competition currently limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, Virtual Multi-Event @ home provides a fantastic opportunity for athletes to compete against others from their own club or against other clubs, within their home or close-to-home environment and in line with government guidelines.

CATHRYN WOODALL’S WORK-OUT INVITATION…

Club member and Farndon physio Cathryn Woodall has posted crab walk and squat video exercises on her Farndon physio Facebook page.

Cathryn is also thinking of doing a Facebook live/Zoom video of a 20-30 minute exercise routine, if anyone is interested. 

JASON OSWELL’S LOCKDOWN PHYSIOTHERAPY 

Jason Oswell has been in touch to say he is doing Physiotherapy video consultations during lockdown. If anybody has any issues, he is prepared to provide a consultation to anybody from the club for £10. His email address is [email protected]

HELP AND SUPPORT

Anyone requiring help and support while self-isolating can contact the local council hotline number of 0300 123 7031.

This is a dedicated hotline number for those self-isolating and who don’t have anyone to help. A call to this number will provide help organising food or medicine deliveries, or some sort of social contact. The number for the most in need is 0300 123 7031. It is open Monday to Sunday (8am-7pm).

ALSO – Please feel free to ring me (Dennis) if you want a chat or need any help or support. My numbers are: 0151 201 1254 and 07968 643038.

UPDATED ONLINE ATHLETICS WEBINARS

In these unprecedented times, I wanted to draw the club’s attention to some of the great resources available online. England Athletics is expanding its campaign to support Athletics and Running for everyone @home, with a focus on ‘Running @home’ support and advice. The homepage can be accessed here.

There are many webinars, interviews and tips from top coaches and athletes on how to stay conditioned and focused.

In addition, there are some fantastic videos for 4-11 year olds on the Funetics webpage put together in conjunction with England Athletics. The videos demonstrate parents and children (aged 4-11) taking part in FUN activities based on fundamental core movement skills: running, jumping and throwing. Funetics is a programme that has been designed to reflect the requirements of the National Curriculum Key Stage 1 and 2. At this time when our children are currently schooling at home, we hope that these video activities will support the need for education to continue at home.  You can access the videos here.

The link to other updated webinars can be found here, here and here.

STAYING FIT AND HEALTHY

The links below offer a range of advice on exercises we can all do while confined indoors.

MIND provides a series of workouts here.

Joe Wicks has become a household name with his daily online morning workouts which can be found here.

Sport England is offering tips, advice and guidance on how to stay active around the home on this link.

Youth Sport Trust is providing healthy tips including a series of 60-second Challenges on this link.

Realbuzz has provided strength and conditioning exercises to help avoid injury.

MORE GREAT MEMORIES…

This week it’s the 1984 men’s 800m Olympic Final, 1982 women’s 200m Commonwealth Games Final, and 1994 women’s 4x400m Relay Final. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LHid-nC45k&t=51s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRFEFGP3WeI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=llsy4_LaEGE

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/