GLL – the UK’s largest charitable leisure social enterprise – is set to assist more than three thousand athletes, through its athlete support programme, the GLL Sport Foundation. Applications are open until 20th February 2022.
GLL Sport Foundation Applications Open 20th December 2021
The GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) supports athletes across 65 areas of the UK with financial help, physiotherapy, a ‘Better’ Gym membership and more.
In the wake of a difficult two years, GLL continued with the programme in 2020 and 2021, investing into the development of local talent, aspiring to follow previous supported athletes such as Susie Rodgers, Dina Asher-Smith and Lutalo Muhammad.
In 2022, GLL is investing over £1.2 million into the development of local athletes, who aspire to follow in the footsteps of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic medallists such as, Joe Choong, Matty Lee and Tully Kearney.
GSF athlete Joseph Choong, won the Gold Medal in the Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Commenting on the support he has received from the Foundation over the years, he said:
“I have been a part of GSF since 2013 – they’ve been there to support large parts of my career and now seen me through to become an Olympic Champion.”
“The importance of the GSF can’t be overstated. I look forward to helping the programme inspire younger generations into the future.”
In 2021, 63% of the GLL Sport Foundation’s supported athletes were under 21 years old and 96% received no other funding.
The impact of the Foundation is significant and highlighted by GSF Patron Sally Gunnell OBE who remains the only athlete to hold consecutive Olympic, World and Commonwealth titles. “From my own experience starting out as a young athlete and progressing through my sport, I understand how important the recognition and support from organisations like the GLL Sport Foundation can be to young athletes. It can make the difference in achieving sporting ambitions.
“This is ever-more important today as we recover from a difficult and challenging two years, where dreams have been put on hold and sport had to stop. Athletes can now refocus having re-started competition and working towards those goals with the support of the GLL Sport Foundation.”
Over its 13 years, the GLL Sport Foundation has invested over £12.1 million supporting athletes, providing more than 16,000 awards. This support has yielded a staggering 76 Olympic and Paralympic medals for GSF athletes. Athletes can join this prestigious group by applying for support in 2022.
Applications are open until 20th February 2022 via the website portal – www.gllsportfoundation.org
Lido Relays update
Looking forward to seeing you all at the Lido Relays on Monday morning. Remember registration is from 9am at the clubhouse.
Thankyou to those that have volunteered- please ensure you are at the clubhouse for 9.30 at the latest for the marshall briefing.
Please remember that the Omicron variant is circulating widely in London at the present time. Although there is no legal requirement to do so the council have recommended the following as part of our license for the event-
- That competitors wear face coverings (outside of the race) when coming in to close contact with people they don’t know e.g. at registration or when seeking medical assistance.
- That competitors take a lateral flow test before attending.
- Where a facemask when not seated in the clubhouse
- Hand sanitiser will be made available at the clubhouse- please use it
Thankyou for supporting your club events
Lido Relays
Marshalls and helpers still needed for this fun club event on Monday 3rd Jan 2022 at 10am in order to comply with the licensing conditions set by Hillingdon Council. Please email davidalan.smith2@gmail.com if able to help. Support your club events please.
Lido Relays
The Lido relays are a long standing event held over the festive period for both adults and children. This year the relays will be held on Monday 3rd January 2022.
The course is three laps of the lido and you can configure your teams however you like. For example, one runner may do two laps and another one lap, or you may be a team of three and do a lap each. Of course if you are feeling fit you can do all three laps yourself. Each lap is 1.6 miles.
Please register at the clubhouse by 9.30 am at the latest and ideally know your team or be there earlier to team up with others. Race starts at 10 am.
Marshall’s and first aiders required- please volunteer if not running.
Xmas Day race 2021
After last year’s event had to go virtual at the insistence of the local MP, Boris Johnson, this year’s race returned in almost it’s traditional format. Although the field was the smallest since Hillingdon AC took over the organisation of the event in 1966, there were a couple of record breaking performances.
Rob Thompson not only moved to sixth on the Hillingdon AC all-time list with his best ever 15:34, but he also moved ahead of Club legends Kevin McDonald & Scott Tompsett with a record eighth win in this race, the first of which came ten years ago as a 20-year-old.
Rob Thompson (pic: Bhavna Quinn)
Meanwhile, quite a way down the field, Keith Seldon, better known as a javelin thrower and decathlete, completed his 49th consecutive appearance in the race and now just one behind the late Gerry Archer’s record 50 finishes in the event, despite his “well-used” knee causing him grief!
Keith Seldon (pic: Zoe Dobbs)
Xmas at the Clubhouse update
Tomorrow 23rd- pre Christmas drinks after training will go ahead with the clubhouse open as usual for training and after mulled wine & a barrel on offer
buffet will not go ahead if you want to bring food please bring your own to eat.
buffet will not go ahead if you want to bring food please bring your own to eat.Christmas morning- race will go ahead as usual and the clubhouse will be open before & after for drinks 
NYE- Plan TBC by 27th Dec depending on any new restrictions
If you are attending the clubhouse over Christmas it would be good to do a LFT before coming
Merry Christmas from us all and look forward to seeing you 
over the Christmas period
over the Christmas period Stuart Hobbs RIP
Stuart Hobbs, an ex long time member of HAC, passed away on Sunday after a long on going illness.
I first met Stuart in the early 70’s when I joined the club. He was one of the nicest people that you could ever meet in life. He was an ex Civil Servant, who took early retirement in his 50’s. This was towards the end of his running days. Back when he was at his best, you could only describe his running ability as very average. But, what a trier!! He would be exhausted at the end of ever race. Giving 110% every time.
Back in the 80’s Stuart asked me if I would coach him and advise him on his training for the Taunton marathon. What he did not know was that the course was two laps, with along hill near the end of each lap. This obviously affected his final time. But as a person that had never broken the three hour barrier before, it was a big challenge. So, with a 13 week plan he set off with the target of getting a PB and under three hours for the first time. I explained to him at the time that he would never reach the target unless he achieved 95% of the the planned training. But Stu being Stu he upped everything and achieved 110%. In the 13 weeks run up to the race he broke every personal best from 5 miles to 20 miles in races. So he could not fail to go sub three hours?? But as ever there is not such a thing a perfect marathon. So as ever he set off with no confidence in his own ability. But on this day the weather was good and he was ready to get a good time. He went by 5,10,15 and 20 miles in personal best times. And then came the hill the second time around. Well after all the effort in the first 20 miles, when he was on for about 2.42, he inevitably started to slow and down and ended up with 2 hours 53 minutes. A great time and a great achievement.
He never got to these great heights again, but what a Person, Athlete and Gentleman.
He will be very missed by all that knew him.
Lee Benjamin
Hillingdon Ladies Vets going from strength to strength!!
On a chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon, and whilst we were hoping for a few more, once again the performances were more than pleasing. Jen Harvey made a welcome return in a red and white vest and scored highly in the ladies A team helping them to achieve 5th place on the day, and they move up to 6th in the 12 team top division. The B team were 8th on the day with a good points total meaning they move up 2 positions to tenth having previously been bottom of the league. We still need good turnouts in the final 2 fixtures to consolidate our position in that division. The C team scored very well today and moved up to a healthy 7th out of 19 teams in division 3.
Once again the Vets teams turned up in force and with huge strength in depth did remarkably well! Very few veteran ladies finish in front of Carole Coulon and Karmen Pardoe, and ably assisted by Zoe Dobbs and the returning Debbie Brown the team finished third on the day and rise to third in vets league division one. More remarkably though our B team were the top scorers in Vets division 2 closely followed by our C team who were astonishingly second on the day in the same division, and finishing in front of many team’s A teams!!!!! Runaway leaders of this division (Victoria Park) oddly only scored a single point today and as our B team scored 57 and our C team 52, our second team are serious contenders for promotion to the top division, and the C team in a strong fourth place out of 12 teams.
There were some great performances today, too many to list, but we must congratulate EVERYONE for successfully getting round, and special mentions to first timers Sheree Kestell and Choa Cox, both scoring for our Vets teams, and Elise Delgrange, another lady wearing the HAC vest for the first time.
The next race is on January 15th at the relatively flat ,but sometimes muddy, Wormwood Scrubs.
Met League Uxbridge- Juniors report
Today we had glorious weather for cross country racing and that bought about some glorious results
from our juniors. We had our most Top 10 finishes of the season today, but I think the superstars of
the day were our U15 and U17 for braving the river crossing! I have to say watching them run
through the river made me glad to be a spectator! A few war wounds picked up along the way – but
that makes for even better photos!
Huge well done to all our runners but especially our Top Ten finishers:
Josh Hounsell – 9 th (U11)
Suheyb Daahir Awale – 5 th (U13)
Dylan Lewis – 7 th (U13)
Elise Fitzgerald 5 th (U11)
Amae Van Zyl 6 th (U13)
I am sure the great performances from all our runners today will help improve our league positions!
Full list of Provisional results can be accessed here:
Race 3 Uxbridge – Individual Results | Metropolitan Cross Country League (metleague.run)
Some of our juniors have impressed so much this season, that they have been selected to represent
their county at the South of England Intercounties next Saturday – all of HAC wish them the very
best of luck!
The next Met League is 15/01/2022 at Wormwood Scrubs – Not too late for anyone else to join us –
so please encourage any members of your group who would like to give cross country a try;
Wormwood Scrubs is a nice flat course.
Please also do not forget the Middlesex Cross Country Championships takes place in Greenford on
08/01/2022 – we already have a good little team to put forward – but it would be fab to be able to
add some of the brilliant runners from today to give us even more strength. Full details have been
sent to parents via email – closing date for entries is 20 th December 2021 – if you have not received
the email of have any further questions – please just message me – 07769673978 /
molly.hacjuniors@gmail.com
Molly
Met League Team Manager – Juniors
London Youth Games and London Champs at Parliament Hill
Well done to everyone who participated in the London Youth Games ( where junior athletes represent their Borough) and the Seniors London Championships at Parliament Hill yesterday ( Saturday 20th November). A mild day with conditions very good underfoot for Parliament Hill.
Congratulations to Nicole McGovern who finished 1st in the Under 17 female race. Well done also to Abdirahim Hamud who came 2nd in the Under 17 male race. In the London Championships Rob Thomson finished in an excellent 5th place for Hillingdon AC in the senior men’s race, with Hannah Wells coming home first senior lady in 48th place.
Other results
MU11-Edward Hobbs 141st
FU13- AmyVan Zyl 7th; Edey Kestell 112th
MU13- Dylan Lewis 8th; Charlie Reed 53rd; Barnabe Lesenne-Reed 64th; Adam Strinic 146th; Sulaiman Abdullahi 149th; Jake Neldrett 205th
FU15- Zoe Knight 40th; Isla McGovern 114th
MU15- Ryan Stoddart 107th; Arthur Hobbs 114th; Myles Conway 117th
U17M- Zachary Dickens 52nd; Samuel Knight 87th
Senior men- Aramias Zeration 15th; James Laing 32nd; Jack McVann 60th; Will Fielding 90th
Senior Women- Lynn Hyde 167th; Lesley Conway 196th; Liz Clark 199th
Hillingdon Ladies Turn Up in Force at Welwyn Garden City
After the disappointing turnout of eight at Claybury a month ago, an encouraging twenty-one ladies took to the start line at the Metropolitan fixture at WGC today, and all twenty-one, including a number of HAC debutants, successfully completed a tough and tricky five-mile course. There were many good performances today, too many to list, but resulting in some fine team results. The ladies first team scored 180 points to finish in 9th place today, and retain the same 9th place in the league after two fixtures. The team included the long-awaited debut of Heather Paterson (Catriona’s twin and good luck telling them apart!!!) who finished in 47th position. The Ladies’ B team scored a good 93 points, more than a number of teams in their league but currently sit 12th and bottom of division 2 so we do need a good turnout at Uxbridge to lift the team up the table. The C team scored a good 66 points and sit comfortably 13th of 18 teams in division 3.
In the Veterans league we again performed very well, and with great performances again by Carole Coulon and Karmen Pardoe leading the 1st team to 5th place on the day, and 4th overall in the 12 team Vets division one after two fixtures. However our huge strength in depth in the vet’s category meant that our B and C Vet’s teams moved from the basement to 2nd and 4th positions in the 12 team Veterans division 2. Following the C teams promotion last year after winning division 3 it would be fantastic to see our B team move up into the top division. Once again, a big turnout at Uxbridge could help that aspiration considerably!!
A special mention should go to our first timers today, all of who found their debuts tough, but all succeeded in conquering the challenging Stanborough Park hills. So well done to Alice Coburn, Sandra Barden, Kerry Mcintosh, Fiona Day and of course Heather Paterson. Also many thanks to the incredible Angela Duncan for finishing once again ,and also Melanie Spencer whose recently rebuilt knee was bandaged together by a combination of parcel tape and chewing gum, but who still succeeded in limping round the whole 5 miles – ladies you are an inspiration to us all!
Roll on Uxbridge in three week’s time.
Andy T
Met League 2- Juniors report
Some great running from Hillingdon Juniors at the second Met League of the season at Welwyn. It is great to see the progress made from the first race and shows that the hard work at training is paying off!
Well done to Seth Miller & Joseph McDermott for competing in their first Met Leagues of the season – look forward to seeing you at rest of the fixtures. Stand out performances by Elsie Fitzgerald, finishing 5th in the Girls U11 and to Amae Van Zyl who fought hard to the finish to come 4th in the Girls U13.
Results can be viewed here: Race 2 (2021) – Welwyn Results – 13/11/2021 | Metropolitan Cross Country League (metleague.run)
The next race on the 4th December is our home fixture and so we really hope that the comfort of the familiar ground and support from the Hillingdon friends and family will encourage a good turnout from our juniors. All juniors are welcome to compete – if you do not already have a number – just message me (07769673978) and I will bring you one to training.
Even if you do not feel cross country is for you – please do come down on the 4th to cheer you team mates on & encourage them up the ski slope and through the river!!
Well done all!
Molly
Met League Juniors Team Mgr
Old running tops required
The Karibuni Trust support children living on the streets and in the slums in areas of urban and rural poverty in Kenya; and raises money to support projects to meet their needs. https://www.karibuni.
Karibuni can make use of old running tops so if you or any one else you know do have any (please no other sportswear!) that you no longer need, please put them in the box that will be in the foyer of the clubhouse from this Sunday 14th November and we’ll pass them on.
Management Committee changes
Paul Cuddihy and Lyndsey Browne have recently stepped down from their respective roles as Club Athletics Adviser and Communication Sub Committee Chair. The Management Committee would like to thank them both for their service to the club in these roles and wish them both the best for the future and look forward to seeing them both around the club.
The Management Committee are actively seeking replacements for these roles.
The athletics adviser role has three strands to it
- Coach, official and volunteer development
- Managing the club’s relationship with GLL (the track operator at Hillingdon Stadium)
- Managing the Club’s relationship with other organisations that the club is affiliated to including England Athletics and London Borough of Hillingdon.
This is quite a significant workload for one person and the Management Committee has agreed that to make it more manageable and attractive to volunteers it would be acceptable that the role could be carried out by one or more individuals.
Therefore I am very pleased to announce that Doreen Evans has agreed to take on the liaison role with the track operator and Jim Southgate has offered to carry out the coaching, official and volunteer development aspect. For those of you who don’t know Doreen or Jim, both have been involved at the track for some time, Doreen in an administrative/ support role and Jim as a Level 2 coach. These are interim appointments until the AGM when a vote will be held, as they are for all Governing bodies of the club as set out in the Club Constitution.
We continue to require someone who will manage the clubs relationships with other organisations and a communications lead. If you feel you could take on either of these roles please email Dave Smith at davidalan.smith2@gmail.com
North London Cross Country Champs
Well done to Rob Thompson who came 1st in yesterdays race to be crowned North London Cross Country Champion. He was followed home by Ermias Zeration in 2nd place. The men’s team came home in 2nd place. Carole Coulon came 2nd in the senior women’s race with the women’s team coming third. Full results to follow.
