It’s now six years years since we became a charity, and as part of that we publish an annual report and accounts, for submission to the Scottish Charity Regulator, OSCR. You can read our recently submitted report, for the year 2021-22, on our website. We’ve again used the opportunity to reflect on and highlight the achievements of the club and its amazing members, pick a few of our favourite photographs, and cherish some memories. We hope you enjoy reading it! We’re grateful for everybody who helped contribute to the report, particular our Board of Trustees. We’d also like to once again express our gratitude to Julia McDonald for the independent examination of our accounts. You can find all our previous annual reports on our Charitable Status page.
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We’re delighted to today be sharing our Annual Report, for 2020-21. It highlights the achievements, performances and awards from right across the club, a few of our favourite photos, as well as the statements and details our charitable status requires us to make. We hope it helps show what a positive impact being a member can have, both to other members, but also the communities we are a part of. Club President, and Chair of the Board, Richard Leyton, said the following in his introduction: I am delighted to share the Bellahouston Road Runners Trustees’ annual report, covering the period from August 2020 to July 2021. Our previous reporting period was a story of two halves, pre-lockdown normality, followed by the club and its membership coming together over the first Coronavirus Lockdown. All in our 20th anniversary year. This reporting period picks up the story – and challenge we set ourselves – for the club to build forward. It has been a remarkable year. We were honoured and delighted to receive Scottish Athletics’ Impact and Innovation Club of the year award, Glasgow Sports Council’s Club of the year award, as well as many individual nominations and awards for the club and its amazing membership. We think these awards are a reflection on the huge contributions, achievements and innovations from, and inspired by, our members. We continued to innovate. Our Coronavirus plan, built on the Scottish Athletics framework, was widely shared and referenced. Directly because of our plan, our group training setup could respond quickly to rule changes as they impacted group sizes, travel restrictions and social distancing regulations. We were able to organise club-internal training events, enabling members to experience something close to a normal race experience in a club setting. We could also, when rules allowed, work collaboratively with other clubs to organise small scale track events. Looking to the future period, we are mindful of strategic challenges. There are significant changes to our local sports facilities, as well as changes in support from local authorities impacting them, and us. There will be additional risks and costs for event organisation which may have an impact on our finances. I am confident that the club and its membership will respond and adapt to these, and other, challenges. I’m continually reminded that the club has a real appetite to grow, build and innovate. At every training session or event I attend, our members are fostering a friendly, welcoming and supportive environment that embraces everybody. The feedback I regularly hear from members is that the club, and the friendships they’ve made through it, are important parts of their lives, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing. I’ve always felt that if we get these foundations right, everything else flows from that. I think this report reflects that, and I’m confident and optimistic we’ll continue to do so into the next reporting period. Richard Leyton, Chair of the Board of Trustees 20th February, 2022 NB: You can find full details about our charitable status, […]
What a great morning that was at our Festive Fun Run at Pollok parkrun! Well done to everyone who wore festive outfits, ran the parkrun, and came back to the Cricket Club for the afterparty The brilliant costumes worn by Lucy Mackay and Colin Hughes won them the prizes for the best dressed. Congratulations you two! The parkrun was won by our very own Alan Moss, who ran round in his Christmas jumper!! A fantastic £220 was raised in the charity draw, with Stuart Douglas’s name being pulled out from the hat. Stuart’s charity of choice is the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity The club will match the £220 and donate it to Elizabeth Hughes’s Beatson appeal Merry Christmas everyone!!
What a fantastic day out we all had at the weekend. We’re were there for the West District Cross Country Championships at Balloch Castle . It was terrific to see 42 Bellas racing together again at the first West Champs since 2019! There were wonderful performances across the board and it was especially good to see some club members getting their first taste of cross country racing. To top the day off, our cross country Queen, Cat MacDonald ran a magnificent race to finish a superb 2nd place in the ladies race. Awesome running Cat!! #ProudToBeABella
We were back at the Emirates indoor arena today for another club track event. We’d previously been there in January 2020 for our 20th Birthday event. We had a fantastic time, with a series of mile and 800m races with brilliant performances from all members! Fab club spirit throughout the whole morning Well done everyone
The club recently got together for one of its biggest, and certainly most anticipated, awards night! Every year we celebrate the performances, achievements and accomplishments of our memberships over the preceding twelve months. Last year we held it virtually, but we were delighted to be able to hold a traditional evening at Sloan’s again for the first time since 2019. Full details on our members forum, and over on our Facebook members group you can catch a copy of the premier of the celebratory video of the last year, as well as a collection of photographs from the evening. A huge part of our club year is the Club championship, so a huge well done to everybody who completed the criteria, and – of course – to the many winners of the categories! A particular shout out to the banner award winners! Member of the Year: Kevin Queenan Most Improved Female 2021: Siobhann Dunn Most Improved Male 2021: Alan Moss Ladies Club Champion 2021: Rebekah Russell Gents Club Champion 2021: Tony Connelly Many thanks to everybody who helped made the event possible! Particular shout out to Kevin for his epic organisation, Susan for handing out the awards, Richard for hosting, and Craig for the photos!
Our website news page has been a touch quiet over the last wee while, we’ve been busy at the club! Do check out our social media feeds (facebook.com/bellaroadrunner, twitter.com/bellaroadrunner) for the latest. A couple of big highlights from the last month! 2021 President’s Cup The President’s cup is a big part of the club year: It’s run as a handicap, with members setting off in time stagger relative to their estimated time. Theoretically, everybody should finish at the same time, and has a chance of winning, but there’s always a mix of circumstances to add a huge amount of fun. Last year it was run virtually, but with the easing of restrictions and group size limits for organised activities, we were able to stage it ‘for real’ on the 13th June. Organised in a couple of heats, and members who weren’t running or volunteering, were able to support everybody out on the course. Over 90 runners, spectators and volunteers stayed within Covid rules and had a fantastic time. And of course we can’t have a Bella occasion without plenty of cake afterwards!! Congratulations to our winners Joni Lindsay and Nick Windley , who collected their trophies from our President Richard Leyton 2021 AGM Tuesday 15th saw us hold our 2021 AGM, virtually on Zoom. Much as the President’s cup is a big part of the participation, the AGM is a big part of our governance. Member’s can access a recording of the AGM, the video featuring Leanne, Kevin and Richard, reflecting on the last 12 months, on the members’ forum. Our annual report is available on our public website. Key outcomes from the AGM, all of which allowed members an opportunity to question and discuss elements: Finances and Treasurers report were accepted Club annual report from the President was accepted COVID Coordinator, Emer provided an update on our Coronavirus plan Membership secretary Susan updated members on our membership A motion to formalise virtual meetings and voting (per OSCR recommendations) was passed unanimously. Membership fees were retained at present rate. Our Trustees were approved for another year. We held an open discussion about local sports facilities at Nethercraigs, and associated issues. Full details on the members forum
Delighted to report that we featured as ‘Club of the Month’ in the June issue of Women’s Running. It features a super picture of member’s Rhoda, Elizabeth and Roz at the 2019 edition of our President’s cup 5k handicap race, a huge part of our club year (credit: Kevin Queenan), and a brief interview with club secretary, Susan.
We’re delighted to today be publishing our latest annual report, for 2019-20, following completion of our submission to the Scottish Charity regulator, OSCR. You can find it, and all our previous annual reports, on our website’s charitable status page. Club President, and Chair of the Board said the following in his introduction: I’ve great pleasure in sharing Bellahouston Road Runners Trustees’ annual report, covering the period from August 2019 to July 2020. It is only the third such report we’ve produced since we became a charity. But in the full 20 years since the club was first founded, I think it’s fair to say it is probably the most significant 12 month period we’ve experienced. It’s a story in two parts. The first half reflects a forward-looking ambitious running club, celebrating what it’s always done well: supporting members with their personal goals and targets, working well as a team, training and organising events – athletic and social – in the parks, roads and venues of Glasgow, growing our sport. This period culminated in a fantastic 20th anniversary celebration at the amazing indoor track facility at the Emirates arena, and embarking on a potential next chapter with a new training base. The second half was dominated by the fact that almost out of nowhere we found we could no longer meet or train together, no longer race together. Coronavirus meant we were at risk of losing the very thing many of us joined a club for in the first place: support and camaraderie in training and racing. The club’s response was inspirational. Innovative member-led efforts brought the club together, even whilst we couldn’t meet in person. Members supported members to keep training and pushing themselves. The club motivated us, supporting our mental well being as the crisis unfolded. We made waves online, receiving positive coverage and attention, with the club – and its members – going on to win national awards. The challenge for the next twelve months then is how to sustain that positivity, and tackle the uncertainty we face with a changing situation. The club is in a strong position, with a solid coronavirus plan enabling a resumption of training as soon as rules allow, a growing membership, solid financials and brilliant coaches, trustees and volunteers. Most importantly, we have kept that strong sense of community and shared purpose, passion for the sport of running, the benefits being a member of a club brings, both for ourselves, each other and the community in which we all live. Thank you to each and every member over the last twelve months. I hope you enjoy reading the report, and look forward to working together over the next year taking our club forward. Richard Leyton 13th February, 2020 Questions or queries about the annual report, or the club in general, should be directed to the club secretary, via info@bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk
💜 Bellahouston Mob Match 2021 💙 💜 Road Runners Champs again!! 💜 We’re delighted to announce that we have won the Bellahouston Harriers v Bellahouston Road Runners Mob Match for the 5th time in a row. 132 members of both clubs ran a virtual 5k at the weekend. 77 competed for us while our friendly local rivals had a commendable 55 members taking part, along with the fastest male and female placings. There were some fantastic performances from both clubs and it’s great to see so many getting involved. Hopefully we can race for real in Mob Match 2022!! *photo from the 2020 mob match 💜💙 THE MOB MATCH 2021 BELLAHOUSTON ROAD RUNNERS V BELLAHOUSTON HARRIERS This was the 5th annual mob match between the two clubs. An idea proposed by Richard Leyton, President of Bellahouston Road Runners and warmly embraced by members of both clubs. It was traditionally run at the Pollok parkrun, with tea and coffee afterwards at the Harriers’ base at Cartha Rugby club. It was agreed between the clubs that we would run it a bit later in the year and it took place over the weekend of the 20th and 21st of March 2021. The clubs roughly followed the guidance supplied by Scottish Athletics for virtual runs. The planning teams led by Kevin Queenan and Mark Matheson made it possible for the event to take place. Members gathered and ran in pairs, singly and small groups all over the South side of Glasgow in Parks, roads, railway tracks and lochs. Members who reside out with Glasgow were encouraged to run. Some members who are currently residing in Spain, USA stepped up to the plate and ran. It was an unexpected bonus that members in far flung places could compete. Bellahouston Road Runners have embraced virtual running this winter and have consistently been the largest club by participation in Scottish Athletics virtual running events. Bellahouston Harriers have had significantly fewer competitors who have embraced virtual running. A key task of the clubs was to encourage members to participate within Government guidelines and regulations through promoting the event on Facebook pages, forums and videos. The number of participants speaks for itself with 77 Bellahouston Road Runners and 55 Bellahouston Harriers making a total of 132. The competition was won by Bellahouston Road Runners for the 5th year in a row. The first male finisher was Miguel Delgado (BH) in a time of 15.41. The first female was Kristina Greig (BH) in a time of 19.25. Of the first six males, 3 were from BRR and 3 from BH. For females, 4 were from BRR and 2 from BH. Richard Leyton, Chair of Bellahouston Road Runners and Tom Keenan, President of Bellahouston Harriers said that the numbers who participated demonstrated the commitment and desire of members to support the mob run. It posed challenges for the planning team which they overcome. If other Scottish clubs wish to participate in this type of event both clubs would be happy […]
This month is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, and club member Andy has been asking club members to wear green and #GoGreen4CP to help raise awareness, as well as highlight some inspirational stories. Scottish Athletics have put together a super video and website article showcasing the words of the many talented Scottish Athletics with cerebral palsy and their coaches.
We’re excited that with the Covid restrictions having been amended this week, we’re now able to resume group training from next week (15th March). We’ve written to members, but we’re also making our plan available on our website for others to reference. Here’s the letter to members from our Coronavirus coordinator Emer, and club President Richard. Our full club coronavirus plan (v10) is available too. If in doubt, our club Coronavirus plan page at bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk/coronavirus always has the latest version, as well as links to many of the activities and initiatives we’ve been running to keep members motivated! Members can find details for how to sign up for training on the members forum. Thanks to everybody involved in making this possible, at Scottish Athletics, sport Scotland and – of course – at the club.
Have a listen 📻 to Bella member Anne Campbell being interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime on Friday, marking the recent changes and updated Scottish Athletics framework which means our groups, including our (early!) Friday morning group can meet in a larger group sizes for the first time in months! Anne does a great job highlighting physical and mental health benefits of running, particularly in a group, and club membership! 💜 Thanks Anne! Full interview over on BBC Radio Scotland!! You can always find our latest Coronavirus plan on our website at bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk/coronavirus
A bumper audience of members tuned in to a virtual session from Bella head coach Robert Hawkins on Wednesday evening. He was joined by his two Olympian sons Callum and Derek which added extra excitement to the occasion 🥳 Robert explained the science behind our training schedule followed by a question and answer session. It was lapped up by our members who asked a mix of interesting and funny questions of our hosts. There was one controversial exchange near the end of the call, when a question came in asking who would win a final sprint between Callum and Derek at the end of a marathon. Let’s just say we didn’t get a definitive answer to that one! 😜 Thanks again for your time Robert, Callum and Derek! Club members who missed the session, can access a recording of the session via our members’ forum (for the next month or two)
A fantastic 72 Bellas ran their socks off in the Scottish Athletics’ 5 Mile Challenge held at the weekend, which also formed part of our club championship 🏆 The full results are on the Scottish Athletics website, but we’re pleased to see we’ve held on to our crown of being the largest participating club again!. Well done Bellas!! Of course, we never let these weekends go without taking part in an activity! This time we asked members to post their treasured running photos, we put them together and came up with this little video – Our favourite memories