Giant strides of club honoured with top award

The running club picked up the England Athletics ‘Run England Group of the Year’ award for 2013, after being nominated by the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership.

Club secretary Kev Housham and wife Emma represented the Striders at the England Athletics Hall of Fame and National Volunteer Awards last weekend, and collected the award.

A delighted Housham dedicated to everyone involved in making the Striders a success.

“I’d like to thank every volunteer, every helper and every runner in the club, especially those involved in the Couch to 5k programme,” he said.

The Striders reformed two years ago and have gone from four members to almost 250.

As well as a junior section, the club tries to cater for the childcare needs of its adult members with kids activities.

Over 200 have taken part in the club’s Couch to 5k programme, which has been set up in three locations in West Lindsey

They also run the Gainsborough 10k race, which saw over 500 runners pound the local streets last year.

And members Simon Hall and Mark Hemmings have been leading a team of young athletes to county competition in the Cross Country Leagues.

The Striders community liaison officer, Paul Dagg, said they were over the moon to win the regional award earlier in the year, so the national award was a complete shock.

“Everyone at the club is absolutely thrilled to win such a prestigious award.”

“We were genuinely surprised to receive the East Midlands title, so to go one step further and be recognised as one of the country’s best is simply unbelievable.”

“We have a fantastic team spirit at the Striders, and that has been a driving force behind our recent success, whether it’s hosting Couch to 5k sessions or one of the region’s best 10k road races.”

He highlighted the work of the club secretary in ensuring the Striders grew to a healthy membership number.

“It’s difficult to single out individuals for their contributions, but Kevin Housham has been the linchpin, bringing the club back from obscurity to a situation where we now have nearly 250 members including a promising junior section.”

If you’d like to find out more, or are interested in joining Gainsborough and Morton Striders, please visit www.gainsboroughrunningclub.co.uk.