Good Morning to all members of Nidd Valley Road Runners,
At 68 years young, I have experienced being a part of many companies, clubs, institutions, groups etc, etc. Through my lifetime I have enjoyed some more than others as I am sure would have been the same for you. And when I look back, the most enjoyable were always down to the positivity, involvement, and forward thinking of the people. People always made the difference !
I can safely say that being a part of Nidd Valley Road Runners since March 2019 has enhanced my quality of life, not just in improved fitness levels, but more importantly meeting people like Alan Harby who has been a wonderful foundation for so many years, right through to the young newbie that has just joined their first running club.
My thanks go to everyone that has continued to make this club a place to enjoy whether it be club nights, race days, or social gatherings.
We look forward to continuing supporting each other and working hard to enhance every persons life who chooses to join Nidd Valley Road Runners. It is all of our responsibility to achieve that.
Super Star Awards🌟🌟🌟
We’ve another bumper crop of Club Superstars this month.
Firstly we would like to thank Yvonne Skelton and Martin Weeks 🏅 who kindly used their camper van to make available additional water for those members running Fountains 10k on what was a very hot day in July and especially for taking good care of one of our members who did indeed overheat.
Next up we have Nigel Scaife 🏅 who ran 190 very hilly miles in 7 days across Coast to Coast, whilst raising money for charity. Our true thanks go to Nigel for his inspiration to fell runners generally and the team he supported on this adventure specifically, well done Nigel.
Next is a big thank you to Janet Jarvis 🏅 who week in week out supports one of our fellow members to achieve his running objectives, thank you Janet. ( see below under Welfare )
Our thanks are also extended to Jeremy Scott 🏅for his well thought out routes, preparation and care taken with his popular Track and Trail runs, well done Jeremy.
And finally we have Nadene Wilkinson, 🏅who anyone who was at the recent fish and chip run will have noticed she did as much running to Drakes and back with everyone’s orders as she did on the actual run! Nadene is also hard at work researching venues etc. for our Awards Night in January, thank you Nadene for services to catering!
Sylvia will be organising your £20 Up and Running vouchers shortly.
Our final thanks go to Jeff Walker who has exempted himself, along with the Committee, from Superstar awards but nevertheless deserves our thanks for providing much of the equipment used at our recent highly successful sports afternoon social event, thanks Jeff.
Unofficial Club Runs
You may have noticed that for quite a while individuals have taken it upon themselves to organise club runs on routes they have personally enjoyed and wish to share with others. We would encourage members to search them out and participate as they create great camaraderie, and are run at a pace most can enjoy. They are more of a very even stop start pace, and no one would ever get left behind.
However, these runs can normally be found on Facebook, however we would also ask organisers to let the club know by e.mail. However as they are unofficial club runs this is not something we can enforce.
Therefore please be proactive if you wish to know about these runs, as we have been informed that some people miss them. Ask people in the club to keep you informed.
Welfare
New for Thursday nights!
From September 23rd
We are delighted to announce that as part of Thursday club nights we will be offering a walking/recovery group. This ‘Walk and Talk’ group will be headed up by Janet Jarvis, she is regularly joined by Arron Simpson and Alan Harby so look out for them on a Thursday for a 5km loop from and to club. As always the bar is open on a Thursday night for the opportunity to sit and talk afterwards!
For those wanting a buddy to walk and talk with on Tuesdays, please send a club wide email, post on Facebook to see who else will be walking or ask around when you get to club.
Any questions email beccarman3@gmail.com
Guy Fawkes 10
This is a timely reminder as we approach our wonderful event The Guy Fawkes 10 on the 7th of November. A reminder that Sam Fugill, Race Director and his team have once again put this together after many struggles following the pandemic rules and regulations. A BIG THANK YOU to Sam and everyone who has been involved to date.
Sam has asked me to mention to keep the morning of the 6th free for goody bag packing. And the 7th free for race day.
Marshals are being organised by Debbie Dilasser and will be sending out next week the Marshal Plan. Thanks Debbie !
Also put in the diary that there will be a free Pizza Sunday evening after the race. A great opportunity to congratulate ourselves on another great Community effort !
Soon Emma David and our Captains Sarah Staiano and Kevin Dalton will be communicating recce dates of which there should be two.
#RunAndTalk week
We are planning an inclusive social run on the 23rd September to support England Athletics #RunAndTalk week.
We will set a route for all abilities and all paced groups. If you feel like you have lost a little confidence , have struggled with mental health or simply haven’t been able to get to the club for a while, please do use this as a great opportunity to reconnect and come and join your friends at Nidd Valley Road Runners for a run and talk.
We will also be supporting an additional social element after the run so you have more chance to chat – everyone is welcome to join us for a drink in the hockey club bar.
( Remember you can do this every Thursday evening)
Also following Debbie Jarvis’s success last week, any cake bakers who might be raising funds for MIND or other charities close to their hearts would be welcome on the night as well to sell in the car park.
Please let Sarah Staiano know beforehand though so we do not have too many sarahstaiano@outlook.com
Everyone taking part will be encouraged to share their activity on social media if they want to, using the hashtag #RunAnd Talk
Further information from EA on #RunAndTalk week is below.
This year’s #RunAndTalk Week will take place from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 September – to coincide with World Gratitude Day on Tuesday 21 September. After the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, it only seems right that we take a moment to consider and talk about the positives in our lives and the things we’re all grateful for.
Statistics show that one in five adults have recently experienced depressive symptoms compared to one in ten before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Mind’s latest research suggests two thirds of adults (65%) and more than two thirds of young people (68%) with mental health problems say that mental health has got worse since the first national lockdown.
Nidd Valley Road Runners Juniors
After an 18 month break due to the pandemic, our wonderful Nidd Junior section are due to resume training from the 13th of September.
Liam Marwood is our head coach, having recently completed his coaching qualification. Many congratulations Liam ! Each Monday from 6.30pm to 7.30pm we will have up to 50 young athletes, split between over and under 11 age groups. They meet at King James school Knaresborough.
The Juniors are always looking for more people to get involved, either in committee roles or to join the rota of helpers for training nights. If you are interested in giving something back to the club, and want to know more you can attend a meeting in the main hall at King Jame’s this coming Monday 6th September 6.30pm. Alternatively if you wish to know more you can speak to junior committee member :Lynsey Barraclough, Michelle Beaumont or Martin Lofthouse.
In the meantime let us thank every person that is currently involved in the Juniors for their time and making this happen.
Inclusivity
You may remember in my communication of the 20th July that I said “inclusivity is a subject close to my heart” As Chair I regard it as important we keep raising our awareness to ensure we do our best to help all members feel included. We will achieve that with every member ? Well that would be nice eh, however we do not live in a perfect world and would be a very difficult task. However that should not stop us trying.
As the club grows, and we have had many new members this year, we need to work to understand what is in peoples minds, and model the future on what the majority of members want for the club and not individuals, small groups, committee or me.
To that end it was decided at a committee meeting we should design a club survey that gave everyone the opportunity to give us their opinions anonymously.
A working party was set up to design the survey who were Graham Hyde, Bec Carman, and Chris Morris. May I add here that I believe they have done a wonderful job!
The survey was discussed at this weeks committee meeting, agreed, and the link in order for you to complete can be found below.
Please take the time to complete this survey as we feel every persons opinion is important. It will help us to understand how we can best spend our time in the future to ensure we can get as many members as possible feeling included.
https://forms.office.com/r/uX27pz2tVx
We ask you to complete this by the 3rd of October, giving nearly 4 weeks.
Finally may I wish you all good speed in your running whatever you choose that to be. Good health and spirts to you and your families, and look forward to meeting everyone at some point over the coming weeks.
Rob