After a 2 year break we were finally able to have a proper night out at the Croft Ambrey Winter Social to celebrate all our successes!
A new venue for this year – the Lakeside Bar and Bisto at Pearl Lake caravan park turned out to be a good choice with a perfectly sized function room and lots of fabulous food in the hot buffet, not to mention the all important bar.
Unfortunately Mike B wasn’t well enough to join us but he had come up with the perfect picture quiz – 30 pictures around the room of Croft runners legs – a fun way to start the evening – it turns out people are very good at spotting their own legs, but not so good at working out whose the others belong to! Kelly guessed the most and won a box of chocolates for her efforts. Big thanks to Mike for organising this.
It was initially a bit daunting to think of awards to hand out – no handicap or club championship series or statistics had taken place so not so many trophies, but just looking though the year, there was plenty to celebrate.
Awards and prizes given out to:
Dave Blenkharn most supportive and encouraging runner – Suzanne Field.
Most improved Fell Runner – Flora Gunner
Mick Ligema cup for Leinthall Starkes 5m – Male Mark Lamonby, Female Katie Ayres.
Most improved Leinthal Starkes 2019-2021 – Male Neil Taylor (8min01), Female Theresa Jones 3min 38)
Most improved at Ludlow parkrun since restarting in July 2021- most recent – Male – Stuart Austin (6min 48), Alison Apperley (7min.09)
Thanked for help for all their hard work: Greg Jones for becoming the Covid officer during lockdown. For Narrative Trail run – Mike and Jayne Hayward. For Shobdon Wood Hash run – Huw. For winter Time Trials – Guy, Theresa, Tom D, Mike B.
Prizes for races:
Uphill Time Trial – Eric (10m.40), Naomi Perkins (12m.56) – most improved over 2 events Suzanne Field (2min 18).
Best improved virutal 5k – Clare Preece.
Winter time trial prizes – Richards Castle (33.04), Kelly (36.28). Kinsham – Eric (26.47), Liza (35.21). Most improved Lisa (9min 42). Shobdon Eric (30.19), Jo T (38.18).
Most improved runner Tophy (committee vote) – The Preece Family – Roland, Clare, Thea, Bronwyn.
Chairmans Trophy – Awarded to Kelly Bowen for all her hard work as Ladies Captain, Coach, membership secretary, Race route planner, Croft representative on Herefordshire league committee.
Club Runners of the year – as voted for by all members Kelly Bowen, Eric Apperley.
Special award in recognition of Croft Ambrey Running Club 40th anniversary year:
To the founding members – Bryan Markham, Tom Davies, Brian Davies, Peter Faulkner and Brian Faulkner and Guy and Mike B for all they have done in establishing the club and all the hard work to keep the club going and making it as strong as it is today lifetime membership of Croft Ambrey Running Club.
Bryan then did a short speech explaining the routes of the club and was able to do a ‘who’s who’ on some vintage club photographs – which can be found in the photo section of the website.
The evening then concluded with a disco.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the evening – especially Wendy for her work on the certificates and for taking photos and Mike for his quiz – such a shame he wasn’t there to join in.
