NORTH OF ENGLAND MEMBERSHIP SCHEME

If you are a paid up member and haven't already received your membership card from Peter, please find it enclosed. Look after it, you will keep that number for life and it will become increasingly important in entering races.

A real potpourri of good and bad news this month. The big disappointment was the rejection of our application to the Millennium Festival Awards for a £5000 grant towards the purchase of a lap top computer, software, coaching and athletic equipment. The application evidently did not adequately meet the funding priorities, the club is not sufficiently `open' and members are potential beneficiaries! This in spite of the advice taken from Peter Gowland, the local project development officer. We are going to re-apply and it may be necessary to hold another Extraordinary General Meeting in the near future.

Andy Steele, a lecturer from the College of Further Education, attended our last committee meeting to put us in the picture about their plans for a greater involvement in athletics and development of a sports academy. As a result of this the club is to be sponsored to the tune of £1000 for wearing the college logo on our club vests. We have also been offered the use of their sports-hall on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening. It is getting £25,000 of new equipment. Some of the older members will recall we used to train there several years ago. There is interest in taking up the offer of Wednesday nights, we will keep you informed.

Hartlepool Council are giving us a grant of £500 towards the cost of staging the NE Counties XC Championships at Summerhill / English Martyrs on Saturday 9th December. Hartlepool Mail are sponsoring the cost of the 1000 running numbers. If you are not running we need your help with car-parking, marshalling and catering. Contact Stuart Pailor. This also applies to the NYSD Cross Country on November 12th. After the postponement of the cross country relays, the season made a belated start at Barnard Castle, Green Lane School, on Sunday 29th October.

CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS

The Christmas `night out' is to be held at The Bistro, The College of Further Education on Friday 1st December, or Wednesday 29th November, waiting for confirmation. The Christmas Party, for all, at Camerons Social Club on Saturday 16th December, details and tickets for both events later. Dave Knee will shortly be distributing tickets for our Christmas Draw, this is an important event in our financial year, make sure you are involved and sell your share, contact Dave.

SOCIAL NEWS

The new address of Karl Edwards and Pat Hanson is 5 High Road, Redworth, Co. Durham, DLS 6NU. Tel: 01388 772400. Make sure Karl gets all your race results for the Mail reports. A big welcome back to Mark Edwards, 3 children and 10 years later! Also to Ian Baxter and his son, Ian had a real turn of foot and will strengthen the ever growing senior squad. Congratulations to Steve Howe on his marriage to Angela, we wish them a long and happy marriage and a few young Burn Road Harriers!

LONDON MARATHON

You should have sent in your application by now, you should hear whether you have been successful in early December. The good new is that the club has been allocated 3 places instead of the customary 2. A draw for these places will take place in late December.

NORTH OF ENGLAND MENS TRACK & FIELD LEAGUE

With the amalgamation of the Hull clubs and Sunderland and Copeland withdrawing from the League, there has been a restructuring of Div.3 NE and Div. 4 NE. Scarborough will now avoid relegation; making Div. 3 NE a 7 team league and Div. 4 will become a 9 team league. Div. 3 NE will consist of Hartlepool, Scarborough, Shildon, New Marske, Houghton & P'Lee, Jarrow and Hebburn and Morpeth B. Should make a very interesting season.

FORTHCOMING ROAD RACES:

CROSS COUNTRY RACES:

NB

Burn Road will stage the NE Vets XC Championships at Summerhill on Saturday 10th February, 1pm.