It was great to get down to Huntingdonshire Athletics Club this week at St Ives Outdoor Centre to see their evening training sessions.
Growing up athletics was always my summer sport and it’s fantastic to see new generations of athletes coming through the ranks.
There are only three tartan tracks in the whole of Cambridgeshire (four if you include the US Air Force’s track at RAF Alconbury) and so this is a vital local resource. Huntingdonshire Athletics Club has c.300 members, from 9 to 70+ years of age, with approximately 70% of club membership made up of juniors. Athletes from the club have achieved notable success recently
The track is in dire need of repainting, with the markings needed for different events barely visible. The bed for the high jump needs replacing and the pole vault can only be used for training, not competition. As such the track currently doesn’t hold a licence for competition.
The track is due to be replaced with a new surface within the next few years and discussions are in-flight with UK Athletics, who recognise that this is a vital local resource for the sport.
I will liaise with the council to understand what their plans are to maintain and ultimately replace the track. My thanks to coach and committee member Derek for taking me round the facilities.
