DATES FOR THE DIARY!! đŚđââď¸đŚđââď¸
12th November 6:30pm
Hamsterley Forest Headtorch run led by club member Rachel Edmunds. 6 Miles in total.
Meeting at the main car park in Hamsterley Forest ( car park near the toilet block)
THERE IS A PARKING CHARGE SO CAR SHARE WHERE POSSIBLE!!
Refreshments back in Wolsingham at the Black Bull Pub.đťđť
26th November 6:30pm
Beamish Run – more details to follow closer to the time.
For further information speak to James Newton.
15th July 2021
Updated 15 July 2021
On Monday 12 July, the Prime Minister confirmed the timeline as England moves to Step 4 of the UK Governmentâs roadmap.
As of Monday 19 July, most restrictions in England relating to COVID-19 will be eased. This of course is very positive for the return of athletics and running across the country.
This is fantastic news for the sport but the pandemic is far from over and is it important that we encourage the continued implementation of some of the safeguarding measures that as a society we have put into place over the last 18 months.
UK Government statistics suggest people are nervous about returning to normality. Only 40% of people feel comfortable going to indoor gyms, leisure centres or swimming pools. There is a nervousness of some individuals around the return to sport. All individuals, clubs and competition providers should be aware of this and communicate effectively with all prospective participants to make them feel as comfortable as possible to take part in athletics and running activities.
Washing hands, using masks in certain situations (indoors) and maintaining social distance between one another have been proven to reduce the likelihood of spreading COVID-19. Therefore, it is important that all clubs, coaches, volunteers, and competition providers continue to carry out local risk assessments around the environment and participants to make sure they continue to provide the safest possible environment for everybody to participate and support the sport that we love.
It is also important to recognise that some measures that have been highlighted by England Athletics throughout the COVID-19 guidance issued since April 2020 should feature as standard in club risk assessments and health and safety processes i.e. maintaining safe and effective ratios of runners or athletes to leaders and coaches, and ensuring all participants are registered for training sessions with emergency contacts details available and health / fitness concerns identified.
Q: Should masks be worn?
A: Individuals might still be classed as vulnerable to COVID-19, or just feel safer wearing a mask in certain crowded environments. Through a local risk assessment, the advice might be to continue wearing face masks in certain environments. Local operators of venues may encourage or mandate this as part of their operating procedure.
Q: Do we need to keep details for test and trace and QR codes?
A: Some athletes, runners and volunteers may wish to provide their contact details for test and trace or scan a QR code to ensure they receive updates if there is a breakout around a particular venue. Local operators of venues may encourage or mandate this as part of their operating procedure.
Q: What needs to be in a local risk assessment?
A: As with all risk assessments they need to be based on the local environment and participants at the session. Therefore, you may wish to include the following (amongst other mitigations) in your risk assessments:
Q: What message should clubs, coaches and competition providers be putting out prior to sessions?
A: Clubs, coaches and competition providers should offer clear guidance to both participants and volunteers around expected behaviours prior to arriving at any sessions. It should be made clear to everybody potentially involved it is their personal responsibility not to turn up to the activity if displaying any of the COVID-19 symptoms as outlined in the UK Government guidance. It is also a personal responsibility to assess personal risk at an event and be aware that clubs and competition providers may impose local restrictions for health and safety and COVID-19 reasons.
Useful links for further information:
We are pleased to confirm that clubs, groups, coaching and competition can return outdoors from 29 March for both adults and children, in line with the UK Governmentâs roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions announced on 22 February.
We have outlined in the below âathletics and running roadmapâ infographic what this means at each stage. More detailed guidance will be provided once we 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 Governmentâs 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.
We are working with our partners, facility operators, competition providers, competition licencing bodies and event providers to aid the return to the activity safely and progressively.
For additional information specific to the return of track and field competition, please see the track and field competition section below
We are pleased to announce that the original calendar released by UK Athletics (UKA) and the other Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs) is, to a large degree, intact, within the recent roadmap announced by the UK Government.
We will be working closely with all competition providers over the next few days to confirm dates and events and will provide a more detailed calendar as soon as we can.
The roadmap timelines for competition activity we can release at this moment are detailed in the above table, with the additional following date.
We are also working with British Athletics and the other HCAFs to check officials are available and facilities are open. We will work with officialsâ groups to ensure the safe return to competition is in place and with facility providers to encourage them to open in line with UK Government guidance. One key consideration is recognising that tracks will open at different times and that athletes will need training time prior to competing. Coaches and clubs must put the preparation and welfare of athletes at the centre of their thinking when returning to competition. We, and other competition organisers, will aim to balance event planning with this return. Should this timetable change we will let people know as soon as we can.
We strongly recommend a period of training and preparation for all athletes and clubs prior to any competition being undertaken. Only when athletes, coaches, parents and clubs are confident that the training preparation is in place should athletes undertake competition.
Based on the UK Government roadmap, National Championships should be able to go ahead through the summer as well as most fixtures. We will release a more detailed calendar as quickly as we can. All fixtures will be dependent upon officials and facilities and no future change to the UK Government roadmap.
England Athletics, runbritain and the larger road race organisers are in conversation with Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) about a return to road racing. Clubs and race providers can apply for licenses now via the runbritain website https://www.runbritain.com/
There is information further information available via the COVID-19 pages on runbritain https://www.runbritain.com/covid-19-uk-road-race-guidance which will be updated as further clarification is obtained.
We are also working with the Trail, Fell and Walks Associations with regards to mapping restrictions that may apply as we go through spring. We are seeking clarity on the definition of âformally organised eventsâ and any travel restrictions that may apply and will update the community as soon as we have this information.
Again, we would like to thank everyone involved in the sport, from clubs, runners, athletes, coaches, leaders, officials, administrators, volunteers, facility providers, competition providers, parents and carers for their continued support, patience and understanding whilst adhering to the UK Governmentâs response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our members and their loved ones remains the priority throughout this challenging period so it is vital everyone adheres to the UK Governmentâs national COVID-19 restrictions thus ensuring its four-step roadmap can be achieved successfully.
Following the UK Governmentâs announcement on Monday 4 January of a new national lockdown, regrettably our guidance for athletics and running must reflect these enforced Covid-19 restrictions across England.
As a result of everyone being required to stay at home, except for specific purposes as outlined by the UK Governmentâs guidance, the impact on our sport includes the following with immediate effect and until further notice:
The UK Government has confirmed that elite sport is able to continue in line with the strict protocols and measures that are in place. Similarly, organised outdoor sport for disabled people can continue and we will provide further details on this once we have the required information from the UK Government.
Anyone taking part in any virtual activity should at all times observe the above restrictions. We are currently seeking clarity from UK Government on 1:1 coaching and will provide an update as soon as possible.
We believe athletics and running play a vital role in improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of participants of all ages and abilities and remain in constant dialogue with the UK Government to ensure a full, and safe, return to the sport as soon as possible.
To ensure athletics and running can still play an important role in the lives of many people during these challenging times, we continue to provide clubs, affiliated athletes, runners including RunTogether groups, coaches and leaders, officials and families with access to support, resources and activities through our Athletics and Running @home campaign.
We are also aware of the impact Covid-19 has had on clubs and offer a reminder that funding is available through our new Club Support Fund.
Please continue to follow all the latest news and updates for your local area as these could be subject to change at short notice, with UK Government advice superseding the above guidance relating to athletics and running.
Again, we would like to thank everyone involved in the sport, from clubs, runners, athletes, coaches, leaders, officials, administrators, volunteers, facility providers, competition providers, parents and carers for their continued support, patience and understanding whilst adhering to our guidance issued in accordance with the UK Governmentâs response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our members and their loved ones remains the priority throughout this difficult and challenging period so it is vital everyone adheres to the UK Governmentâs new national Covid-19 restrictions until further notice.
Our latest information is at www.englandathletics.org/guidanceupdateFind out more
23rd September 2020
England Athletics can confirm that guidance for OUTDOOR club and group activity as well as all types of OUTDOOR competitions for athletics and running is not affected by the recently announced restrictions on the number of people allowed to meet. The Government has now confirmed to Sport England that organised sports and activities which have been through return to play protocols will be allowed to continue as before.
The announcement means that outdoors gatherings of no more than six people remain in place except for Covid-secure venues and activities where larger groups can participate and compete.
There are updates to guidance relating to INDOOR activity. INDOOR training can take place for athletes UNDER the age of 18 in larger groups (more than 6) in Covid-secure venues, adhering to coaching ratios and/or Department for Education guidance. INDOOR training for athletes OVER the age of 18 should be restricted to groups of 6 (1 coach to 5 athletes).
England Athletics is working with indoor facilities on indoor competition guidance and will release this in due course.
We also encourage everyone to follow the latest advice from the Government, be mindful of any local restrictions which may apply, wear face coverings where necessary and ensure social distancing and good hand hygiene at all times.