26th February 2021, Number 314

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

George Dewhirst, Luca Biagetti, Niamh Memmory, Graham Patterson, Eleanor Williams, Tom Price, Hayden Howell, Ben Sache, Jessica Owen, Jill Van Schie, Cathryn Whalley, Dave Brierley, Ellis Williams, George Davis.

And Next Week: Danny Paddock, Ellie Fernyhough, Anest Muller, Fabian Veal, Georgina Duffey, Ian Ackroyd, Claire Forshaw, Emma Morrison, William Saunders, Jodi Bemand.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

The Government has announced a roadmap out of the Covid-19 pandemic and England Athletics has released guidance for athletics training and competition effective from March 29.

West Cheshire AC has told Brio Leisure who manage the EPSV site that members would like to return to track training from March 29, and Brio will let the club know if this is possible before EPSV leisure centre is scheduled to re-open on April 12.

West Cheshire AC has a Coaches Meeting on Monday, March 1, to discuss whether training can be supervised safely when sessions are scheduled to return, and a Monthly Club Committee Meeting is being held on Tuesday, March 9.

Club members will be updated when more news can be relayed in terms of preparations for EPSV track training.

Meanwhile, a decision about whether the Cheshire AA Cross Country Championships can be held on April 17 is expected to be made on March 8, and Cheshire AA has it’s AGM on March 15.

Also, can you please renew your West Cheshire AC Membership when you receive a renewal email, and be aware of the new Cashless system being implemented for EPSV Track Training Sessions (further details below under the headline: “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT…”

CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE

All West Cheshire AC athletes are being requested to complete a quick questionnaire about training and their goals. Please take part by following this link.

CLUB WELFARE TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

UK Athletics recommends that all Clubs have a Welfare Team and West Cheshire AC recognises the importance of Welfare and Safeguarding. Volunteers are needed to form a Club Welfare Team. If you are interested and would like to learn more details then please email our Club Secretary, Julian Tegg, at: [email protected]

ENGLAND ATHLETICS RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT’S ROADMAP

England Athletics have outlined in an ‘athletics and running roadmap’ infographic what everything means at each stage. More detailed guidance will be provided they have received further information from Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Please note, all these dates are subject to the UK Government’s four-step roadmap to ease restrictions across England and the conditions which must be met before the country is able to move from one step to the next. More details here.

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.

GETTING BEHIND ELLIS’ BIG CHALLENGE

Club member Ellis Williams is on target to complete a big fundraising challenge.

To keep himself fit, Ellis is currently taking on the virtual Lands End to John O’Groats Challenge run by Conqueror Events. He has decided to raise money for Young Minds Trust who are the UK’s leading charity fighting for children & young people’s mental health.

To date he has completed 284 miles and is wants to hit his his own target of 300 miles by the end of February. Only another 783.12 to go! 

To help Ellis reach his fundraising target please follow this link.

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]

ITEMS NEEDED FOR CHARITY AUCTION FOR CLUB FUNDS

Club coach, Paul Fairweather, and his wife Karen, are planning to organise a charity auction in the next 3-6 months to help raise money for Club funds.

They can host the auction and provide access to a worldwide market of buyers of vinyl and music memorabilia in addition to Sports, TV and Film memorabilia.

In May 2020 Paul and Karen raised £179k for the NHS & Feeding America through a charity auction of items donated by musicians associated with Island Records. There were some amazing lots that were donated and it shows the potential with the right sort of push.

In the North West we obviously have a good pool of musicians, big sporting clubs, and sports/TV stars that people may know who could donate something. 

If you can help or would like to get involved please email Dennis at: [email protected]

More information can be found at Paul and Karen’s website.

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]

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 4, 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 Saturday, July 31, and hosting the final round at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday, August 29.

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]

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 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…

Kris Akabusi, Sonia O’Sullivan, and Joan Benoit. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxS9fNcZs4E

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbmbnqFRaao

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dFgH_vDh6E&t=46s

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:

Alice McMahon, Amelia McLintock, Christine Symms, Graham Wells, Oliver Wells, Patrick Kantenga, William Mallon, Ella Proudlove, Grace Andrews, Thomas Roberts, Lewis Farrell, Igor Karchut, John Manning, Sion Roberts, Chris Shaw.

And Next Week: George Dewhirst, Luca Biagetti, Niamh Memmory, Graham Patterson, Eleanor Williams, Tom Price, Hayden Howell, Ben Sache, Jessica Owen, Jill Van Schie, Cathryn Whalley, Dave Brierley, Ellis Williams, George Davis.

BEST WISHES EDDIE…

Everybody at West Cheshire AC would like to pass on their best wishes to club coach Eddie Fulton who is in hospital undergoing tests.

Eddie is on a non-Covid-19 ward and is unable to receive any visitors, but he has told Karl Fenney on the phone: “The nurses are lovely,” so not everything is so bad!

Get well soon Eddie!

CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE

All West Cheshire AC athletes are being requested to complete a quick questionnaire about training and their goals. Please take part by following this link.

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.

WELL DONE LEANNE!

Many congratulations to Leanne Wheeler who has raised £1,065 for Maggie’s Centres from her 50 Miles challenge alongside husband Nick, and daughters Eleanor and Harriet who pounded the pavements with her, mainly in the dark.

Maggie’s offers the best possible support for free to anyone with cancer. Anyone can visit a centre or join the online community. They help people take back control when cancer turns life upside down, by helping to provide professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS CLUB SUPPORT FUND

West Cheshire AC has received a £500 England Athletics Club Support Grant to help the sport deal with the challenges of COVID-19 and the additional financial burden it has placed on athletics.

2021 FIXTURE CHANGES 

Due to a knock-on effect over the English Schools Track & Field Championships the scheduled Cheshire Track & Field League fixture on 4^th July will have to be moved to 31^st July.

ESAA have decided to hold a three-day championships which includes Sunday, July 11^th

The new Cheshire Track & Field League date will be Saturday, July 31^st which is the day before a Northern League match.

CLUB WELFARE TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

UK Athletics recommends that all Clubs have a Welfare Team and West Cheshire AC recognises the importance of Welfare and Safeguarding. Volunteers are needed to form a Club Welfare Team. If you are interested and would like to learn more details then please email our Club Secretary, Julian Tegg, at: [email protected]

ENGLAND ATHLETICS COMPETITION SUPPORT UPDATE

England Athletics’ Martin Rush, Head of Coaching & Athlete Development, and Nichola Skedgel, Competition Partnerships & Innovation Manager, outline the approach to help support competition providers to return to competition in 2021 in a video link that can be found here.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR CHARITY AUCTION FOR CLUB FUNDS

Club coach, Paul Fairweather, and his wife Karen, are planning to organise a charity auction in the next 3-6 months to help raise money for Club funds.

They can host the auction and provide access to a worldwide market of buyers of vinyl and music memorabilia in addition to Sports, TV and Film memorabilia.

In May 2020 Paul and Karen raised £179k for the NHS & Feeding America through a charity auction of items donated by musicians associated with Island Records. There were some amazing lots that were donated and it shows the potential with the right sort of push.

In the North West we obviously have a good pool of musicians, big sporting clubs, and sports/TV stars that people may know who could donate something. 

If you can help or would like to get involved please email Dennis at: [email protected]

More information can be found at Paul and Karen’s website.

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]

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…

1970 Commonwealth Games, David Moorcroft at the 1982 Bislett Games, and Sally Gunnell. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaxuTomjkmo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOvhTQM4TqA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMoZ8OlBPp0

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/

CLUB QUESTIONNAIRE

All West Cheshire AC athletes are being requested to complete a quick questionnaire about training and their goals. Please take part by following this link.

CLUB WELFARE TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

UK Athletics recommends that all Clubs have a Welfare Team and West Cheshire AC recognises the importance of Welfare and Safeguarding. Volunteers are needed to form a Club Welfare Team. If you are interested and would like to learn more details then please email our Club Secretary, Julian Tegg, at: [email protected]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

And Next Week: Alice McMahon, Amelia McLintock, Christine Symms, Graham Wells, Oliver Wells, Patrick Kantenga, William Mallon, Ella Proudlove, Grace Andrews, Thomas Roberts, Lewis Farrell, Igor Karchut, John Manning, Sion Roberts, Chris Shaw.

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.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS FINALIST

West Cheshire AC was a finalist at this year’s England Athletics Club of the Year Event hosted by former Great Britain international Katharine Merry.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR CHARITY AUCTION FOR CLUB FUNDS

Club coach, Paul Fairweather, and his wife Karen, are planning to organise a charity auction in the next 3-6 months to help raise money for Club funds.

They can host the auction and provide access to a worldwide market of buyers of vinyl and music memorabilia in addition to Sports, TV and Film memorabilia.

In May 2020 Paul and Karen raised £179k for the NHS & Feeding America through a charity auction of items donated by musicians associated with Island Records. There were some amazing lots that were donated and it shows the potential with the right sort of push.

In the North West we obviously have a good pool of musicians, big sporting clubs, and sports/TV stars that people may know who could donate something. 

If you can help or would like to get involved please email Dennis at: [email protected]

More information can be found at Paul and Karen’s website.

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]

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…

1981 England v USA men’s 800m race, Iwan Thomas, and Liz McColgan. Enjoy…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5zTzMciyxw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AZoECiWgDw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SssyebbOR5I&t

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/

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/