Annual Report 2024
Grassroots to Greatness
Staging events in the post-Covid environment remains difficult especially against a backdrop of decline in participation and achievement in the technical and field events sections of athletics. We achieved some success in piloting a younger age-group indoor training concept held at Deeside stadium in North Wales; the ‘3-events-in-3-hours’ concept proved to be welcome for athletes and coaches while parents and supporters found the cost and travel time to be acceptable.
The full NWCE due to be staged in June 2023 was a difficult event to bring together. Support from the County organisations who understood that the opportunity to hold their own County championships within ours meant they enthusiastically took it up, officials recognised the worth of the event to the sport and supported it well, and huge sections of the sport from all age-groups up to Masters athletes enjoyed the cross-sectional nature of our staging of the events. However facilityproviders remain unmoved by athletics’ claim to require specialist equipment at the highest level of competition and unaware of the lack of funding for grassroots competition; the result was a tripling of facility costs demanded from our usual venue which made the event at a late stage of planning infeasible. We will try again in 2024.
The staging issues we face all revolve around facilities and equipment availability. We’re sure this will continue to be a major hurdle in staging future events but a challenge we accept on behalf of the athletes, coaches, parents and supporters. It does however mean we will need to address the funds we can bring to bear in developing Combined Events in the future.
A.J.Wort on behalf of the trustees
Annual Accounts 2024
Grassroots to Greatness
Income for the period was £496 Expenditure for the period was £573
Our cash holdings are £2,228
A.J.Wort on behalf of the trustees