Whether a new club are just finding their feet, or they have been running for over 50 years, the common theme of athletics and running clubs up and down the country is the community they create. Shared passion, enjoyment of exercising together and helping others to succeed are what unite us. For West 4 Harriers in Chiswick, they have been at the heart of their local community for a quarter of a century, created as a spin off from the popular Polytechnic Harriers in the 1980s. We were delighted to award West 4 Harriers a Club Improvement Fund grant, and we recently caught up with Club Secretary Jason Drake to see how they used the money to benefit their community.

The King's Birthday Honours celebrated the contributions of some of our sport's volunteers and administrators. We got in touch with Stuart Storey and Mandy Goth; two recipients who are involved in grassroots athletics in England - and who have made great strides in club and faciliy improvements.

Our purpose at England Athletics is to inspire more athletes and runners of all abilities and backgrounds to fulfil their potential and to have a lifelong love for the sport. We know that clubs face many financial barriers, so providing funding opportunities is an integral part of the support we offer to member clubs.

This week marks National Volunteers' Week, and what better time to celebrate your volunteer's contributions and say thank you! The Regional Volunteer Awards are your perfect opportunity, with nominations currently open across eight different categories - but don't delay as nominations close soon on 18 June.

The Mile Shy Club, based in Manchester, are a beginner focused RunTogether group aiming to get people running for the first time. We recently caught up with Founder and CEO Jane Dennison to discuss how the group creates an inclusive running environment and their impact on the community.

As this year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is “Movement: Moving more for our mental health” we asked Mental Health Champion Claire Gallagher talk about being active, another one of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing.  

Starting a new athletics or running club in your area can make a real difference to a local community, giving people the opportunity to give our sport a go. This is something which Chris Ford has poured into his running club FORDY RUNS, but he wanted to go one step further than just his locality!

The window for clubs and member bodies to reaffiliate with England Athletics will open on 2 April, with a host of benefits again on offer throughout 2024/2025.

Saturday evening saw England Athletics celebrate the winners of the 2023 National Volunteer Awards. It has been an important feature of England Athletics activity for over a decade and is the the culmination of our volunteer award programme as we recognise our national winners every 12 months after successes have been celebrated at Regional Award evenings.

Starting in 1983 as a couple of friends who wanted to run to improve their fitness to play squash, Lingfield Running Club has since grown from strength to strength. Officially launching as a club in 1985, Lingfield has become an integral part of the local community with some of the founding members still training with the club today. We caught up with long serving member and Chair Scott McDonald to find out what the secret is to creating such a fantastic club atmosphere.