Unfortunately the prime-minister's latest announcement has put a temporary stop to training as a club, even for the juniors. The club will not be meeting on a Tuesday or Thursday for training sessions until further notice. If you have paid your weekly fees already, this can be held over for future dates - if you would prefer a refund, please contact me on birtleyribbons@gmail.com and I will sort one out for you.
​Remember you can still exercise outdoors with one other person from outside of your own household, so pair up if you can and keep running! 

​The following sessions are available over the 2 weeks holiday period. They will be mainly speed/endurance based, although anyone who comes along will be able to join in, so therefore everyone welcome.
Due to current restrictions and the athlete/ coach ratio, it would be great if any available coaches/assistants could also offer to come along.
2020 has been a really frustrating time for athletes and coaches of all disciplines. The reason you train, or coach, is to compete, improve and strive to meet your potential or help others toward those goals.
There has been some limited races and events available, and those that have managed some competition have done themselves proud, although with staggered starts, arenas closed to coaches, parents and spectators, it’s just not the same.
The start of 2021 looks like being much of same as the end of 2020, who would have thought back in March 2020 that they’d still be looking for a competition probably a year later. Although, despite all the restrictions, don’t keep looking on it as being a negative thing, look on it as a chance to get some further quality training done and become more hungry for competition. If you’ve been struggling with an injury or niggle it’s been, and still is, an ideal opportunity to look at the reasons, and maybe to look at your training, and to get “put right”.
All sports have had a tough year and especially grassroots clubs, with lockdowns and training venues unavailable, however, Team Birtley are now back together, all be it in a car park, and what a great turnout there is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so, all things considered, as a Club we’re still in a good strong place.
So let’s look forward to a more “productive” 2021 and get ready, with no excuses, for some competition.
These are the sessions, have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

• Monday 28th December - Derwenthaugh Country Park, Winlaton Mill at 10am (meet in the car park off the main road). There’s lots of footpaths to use, some gravel and some tarmac.
• Thursday 31st December - Beach session South Shields. Meet in the car park next to the Marsden Rattler pub 10:00am. Bring a towel and change of clothes & shoes, you’ll be getting wet. Final session of 2020 so let’s get the year out of the way by kicking some sand in it’s face.
• Saturday 2nd January 2021 - Herrington Park 10am car park next to the lake. Trail shoes advised.
• Tuesday 5th January - Birtley Baths car park 6:30pm

Keep positive and looking forward.

• ​Tuesday the 29th -  Watergate park 10:00am. Meet in car park Next to the entrance to it (not the car park)
• Thursday 31st 10:00- training at South Shields beach (see Tommy’s post) hopefully will see most of my athletes there !

If parents could let me know who is going to be coming please, so I can see for numbers

• 31st 10am Cong burn wood (very wet)
• 2nd 10am beamish wood (hilly)

Please feel free to take part in  the other sessions available.

The athlete of the month for Emily's group is Terri Bouma (she forgot to take photo). "Terri is a role model for our younger athletes, she is my mini helper. She always tries her best every single session. She has improved a lot and is doing well in competitions, well done Terri !!"
Athlete of the month for Fiona’s group is Lennox Scot
Well done to the both of you ! Certificates will be here on Thursday.
We are missing Fiona’s trophy to give to her athletes. Emily  thinks the last person to have it was Louie - could bring this back as soon as possible please.
Excellent session on Tuesday, games night on Thursday for both of our groups. Gary is putting on a session on Saturday if any of you want to go ! I’m at rugby training so won’t be there.

Thursday 17th December is the last club session of this year - we'll return after Christmas and New Year (Tuesday 5th January) - hopefully you'll all be raring to go after a fortnight off! You might not get too much rest as the coaches will undoubtedly have some special extra curricular sessions planned to keep you on your toes - watch this space for details! 
We wish everyone at the club a Merry Christmas and a Happy (and healthy) New Year - it might not be the same as other years' celebrations have been, but we'll all do the best we can in the circumstances! 

So, another busy weekend for Birtley athletes. Saturday saw the return of XC, albeit in a small, Covid secure fashion, with Birtley youngsters showing us how it's done, getting out teams in almost every age group of the NECAA XC Relay Championships. These tough youngsters braved some pretty wet and miserable conditions to plough through the mud and hills of Thornley, with a well deserved second place finish for the U17 women (Katie Francis, Abi Thwaites and Tess Graham, and a third for the U17 lads (Robbie Mumford, Chris Perkins and George Beevers) - huge congrats to all who got themselves out there, well done to all! 

There are some brilliant pics taken by Stuart Whitman on the following links if you haven't seen them (or aren't on) FB 
https://bit.ly/NECAA_XC_Relays_2020_U13_Girls  
https://bit.ly/NECAA_XC_Relays_U15_Girls 
https://bit.ly/NECAA_XC_Relays_2020_U13_Boys
https://bit.ly/NECAA_XC_Relays_U15_Boys  
https://bit.ly/NECAA_XC_Relays_U17s 

Sunday saw some competition further afield at Kirkharle and Slaley Hall. Birtley did the double with newcomer David Young coming first in the 10k trail race at Kirkharle, whilst the youngsters braved the cold December weather to take part in the Kirkharle 2km Race, resulting in a 1,2,3 for Birtley AC, and 4th was a potential Birtley star of the future. They all got a nice mug and some hot chocolate to warm them up afterwards. Well done Noah, Poppy, Izzy and Donny - race report courtesy of Jason Williamson. Our Couch to 5k graduate Claire took part in the Slaley Hall trail race, and she must really be getting into her running these days because she bought trail shoes specially for the event! See, running is sneaky like that...one day you hate every second of it, the next you're flashing your credit card in Start Fitness and that's it - hooked for life! 

Saturday saw Tommy Millmore hold his regular 5k time trial at Rainton Meadows, with a number of athletes achieving new PBs. 
Sunday there were some organised races at Dalton Park, and Chris Perkins cruised home in first place in the 5k,  with Katie Francis finishing shortly after him as first female over the linen (at 19:03 an astonishing 4 minutes clear of the next female finisher!), and Noah Williamson placing second in his 2k race, just behind an U15! They were joined by quite a few others from the club, both juniors and seniors, and despite the abysmal weather today, they all have smiles on their faces, so they have obviously had a good run! 
Results from the 5k can be seen HERE whilst the 2k results are HERE.
The couch to 5k group were led out on an almost 7 mile trail run today by Lee, who showed no mercy by making them run up to Penshaw Monument at the end of 6 miles! Smiles all around from them too, which just goes to show how running is great for your mental as well as physical health - please get yourself out there even if you can't make it to club sessions! 

 Why not test yourself and see how your lockdown training has gone with another 5k time trial Saturday morning 5th December at Rainton Meadows.
The course is on a mainly footpath route over 3 laps and is flat.
This month it will be done as a handicap, and, if you did the last one, your handicap will be based on that time, or if you are a first timer then let me know your target time, based on current fitness.
It’s a good chance to have a good run out and see where you are due to no current racing opportunities.
Meet 9:30am for an intended start around 10:00 to 10:15. See attached map for the start and finish.
Everyone welcome, current guidelines for organised training sessions will be followed.
No prizes, no medals, no t-shirts just a pat on the back (virtually of course) for the most improved and 1st runners and the chance to let the god of Strava (hail Strava!) what you’ve achieved.
If possible let me know in advance if you’re running.
Post code DH4 5NL
Message me if you want any further information - Tommy Millmore

From the Roy Castle Foundation:- 

We have recently launched a brand-new event called The Snowman Sketch in which participants walk, run or cycle a Snowman shaped route via a GPS app such as Strava or Map My Run.

We have had a great response and have already seen some weird and wonderful designs submitted. There are two ways people can create their artwork, either plotting a route using local roads or going to a large space such as a local park.
https://www.roycastle.org/events/snowman-sketch-challenge/#register

We’d love for you to be involved in this year’s Snowman Sketch challenge and think people at your club would welcome our Christmas Challenge!
A prize will be given to the club who completes the best Snowman – So Good luck!

So, despite being in tier 3 from next Wednesday, the good news is that we are allowed to resume training (outdoors, and with the usual measures to remain Covid secure, i.e. small groups, social distancing, etc.). For the next few weeks, we will be meeting outside Birtley Baths at 6.30pm as we have no access to the school grounds.

Message from Tommy below.

You've probably already seen on the news that the co-founder of Hays travel, John Hays, died last week, whilst at work doing the job he loved. John and his wife Irene had hit the headlines last year when they stepped in to save hundreds of Thomas Cook jobs by taking on the workers and some of the premises themselves. What you may not have realised is that Hays Travel has been a club sponsor for years, funding several awards and medals, and donating towards certain events hosted by Birtley. 
As a club, we'd like to offer our condolences to his wife Irene, and we'd like to draw your attention to a fundraiser that has been set up to raise funds for a charity that was set up by Hays, the Hays Travel Foundation, which was one of John's proudest achievements. If you'd like to donate, below is the link to the Gofundme page.

We're sure it will come as no surprise to you, but training will not be taking place at Lord Lawson on Thursday (5th Nov), and will not recommence until the government announces it is safe to do so (currently December 3rd but that is subject to review). Anyone who has prepaid their weekly fees can be assured that the missing weeks will be carried forward, so you will not lose out.
​
Please keep an eye on both our FB page and website for updates in the coming weeks, and we hope that you will all continue to train and stay safe over this lockdown period. Also, remember you are allowed to exercise outdoors with one other person who isn't a household member, so you can always find someone to have a run with if you don't fancy doing it on your own. 

Fiona's athlete of the month is Louie McTaggart. Louie and his mum Laurie joined Birtley earlier in the year, and both seem to be going from strength to strength with their running! Well done Louie :)

...to please pay your membership fees and subs!

​This is a request for those members who have still to renew their memberships, which were due at the beginning of August, to please visit our website and use the links at the top of the home page for membership renewal (still available at a substantially reduced rate) and weekly subs payment. We realise that there is not much opportunity yet for competition, and you may feel that if your training sessions don't take place at the club then you don't need to pay subs. However, your fees pay not only for EA membership but also for our club's insurance, as well as each individual coach's insurance cover through their coaching licence.

We are facing increasing costs for venue hire, and without each member paying their weekly subs and renewing their memberships, this will eventually put the club in a difficult financial position as we still have to meet ongoing obligations. I'd like to thank those of you who make the effort to pay their weekly fees online, and to those who have renewed their memberships (or joined for the first time), it's much appreciated!

I should also add that we are aware that some of our members may be in difficult financial circumstances due to lockdown etc. Any member who is struggling with finances can contact myself, or any member of the committee in confidence, and we will consider your situation sympathetically and try to come to some mutual arrangement, for example, paying membership in instalments - we also have a hardship fund if appropriate.