Paddyโ€™s Christmas message ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿผ๐ŸŽ„

To all our fantastic members,
 
As we reflect back on 2020 we can be rightly proud of everything we have achieved as a club…


We had our strongest menโ€™s XC position for many years when we finished 4th overall in Division 1, led by our inspirational Captain Simon Lyon.
Our women have been promoted to Division 1 and back to where they belong with Captain Emily taking the plaudits for getting our women motivated.

Some fantastic individual performances have shaped people’s seasons with a lot of PBs despite the period of lockdown. We have watched some of our own grow and fly the nest, with our trailblazer Sam Charlton setting up camp in Leeds, supported by former Olympian Helen Clitheroe.

We are having a baby boom so the future of the green and gold looks bright!
 
Sadly, we have also lost some family members of the green and gold. They are all in our thoughts and we want you all to know we are thinking of you and raising a glass to your loved ones.
 
This year has mostly been about our volunteers, you are the people who have kept the club running and we are very grateful for all your enthusiasm, help and support. Our volunteers have set up virtual events including the first ever virtual TOG 5K and virtual Toby, which helped us break the ยฃ43.3k barrier for funds raised for St. Oswaldโ€™s Hospice. Volunteers have kept all our athletes safe and motivated through our training sessions this year.

Our young athlete group โ€˜Hawksโ€™ have continued to thrive under the leadership of Richard Pearson and supported by Lynne Shaw, Nathan Dalgarno, Emily James, Ellen Williams, Katie Sullivan, Joe Collins and Rob Strettle along with the Junior group led by Barry Allsop and Steve Aird. Thanks also to our senior leaders Dave Hall, Andy Wigmore, Elaine Ashton, Julie Williams, Julie Collinson, Kevin Payne, Dave Rowe, Dave Collinson, Emma Osbourne Kerri Turner, Rob McMahon and Jackie Garnett.
 
We are lucky to have a strong team of volunteers. Jen Berry has created lots of virtual events and kept group 1 on their toes, Kerri Turner has taken on a group and introduced an extra night to support athletes, and Elaine Ashton works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep all our plans on track. Joe Colligan and Christine Stretesky have contributed so much to our club this year and itโ€™s down to Joe and Christine that we are now a registered charity.

Each year we have a Club member of the Year and Iโ€™m proud to announce that the 2020 Wallsend Harriers Club Member of the Year is the legend that is Julie Collinson!

The sheer amount of support, motivation and coaching Julie has put in this year has been amazing.

Thank you to all our volunteers, athletes and family members. We wish you a happy and safe Christmas and we look forward to taking on the challenges of 2021.

Merry Christmas
Paddy