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The Arthur Dagger
Memorial Fund
The Arthur Dagger Memorial Fund has been set up in memory
of Arthur Dagger who died in 2008.
He was one of the longest standing members of Great Western Runners, a
stalwart who had been on the club’s committee for many years and who worked
tirelessly for more than a quarter of a century on behalf of the running
community in the Bristol area. He especially had a track record in
supporting young people in their running.
The Fund’s Mission is to support young people in Avon to develop their
talents and improve their competitive running. Our aims:
- We want to build on young people’s participation and enjoyment of running
- We want to ensure young people receive the best teaching, coaching and
resources possible and have the chance to progress if they show talent
- We want to help young people to live healthy and active lives and to be
the best they can be in their chosen event
- We want to support young people whose financial disadvantages may restrict
their potential to fulfil their talents
Spring 2010 Update
Small grants have now been made to nine
young athletes as follows: Scott Bajere (B&W), Matthew Deacon (B&W), Alex
Fields (UWE), Daniel Studley (WH), Jacob Fisher (NSAC), Ashley Pierson (NSAC)
, Lewis Nightingale (B&W), Anicia Skeates (NSAC) and Ben Coghlan (Bath
University) - all have been asked to let us know how their 2010 season goes.
Congratulations to all on their successful applications and we look forward
to hearing about their progress at the end of the season.
Further information regarding 2011 grants
will be posted at the end of the year.
A letter from Lewis
My name is Lewis Nightingale and I am 13
years old. I am writing to you because my dad (Paul) has already written to
you and I thought it would be better if you heard from me myself. I started
off playing team sports like football and rugby. When I was younger it was
ok because at that age it wasn’t really about skill. But as I got older, I
started to notice that I wasn’t very skilful, but could run, and run, and
run! And as I got even older, it became too serious, like professional
football, dads and coaches swearing and stuff like that. I enjoyed rugby,
but I am very small for my age, and it was just too physical for me, one
example being that on my first ever match, I broke my collar bone. But when
I saw the 2008, Beijing Olympics, it really speared me on to join an
athletic club, so I started to look for local athletic clubs in Bristol.
Fortunately, during this time, I had my first ever secondary school sports
day. Now, in school, my favourite subject is P.E and I also would like to be
involved in sport when I’m older (P.E teacher, physiotherapist) so I tend to
excel in sport. So I was picked to captain my whole house for sports day,
and really very fortunately, have been picked to do so every year so far. So
I had the job of choosing people for certain events, getting reserves for
these events etc. Well I did the 800 metres and one it by a very long way.
But later on that day, it turned out that our 400 metre person had not come
into school, and our reserve had forgotten his P.E kit. So everyone was
panicking, so I said I would do it (after doing the 800!). It turned out
that I broke the SCHOOL RECORD for year 7 and year 8 (when I was in year
7!). So this really made me think about joining an athletic club. All these
things made me think, hey hey, I could have something here. So I joined
Bristol and West Athletic Club.
Now I’m a twin, and totally different from her. We are fraternal twins. And
I’m very lucky to be able to be very confident in everything that I do. I
can join a new club and just start talking to people, and in this case, I
immediately made friends. But even better that that, in just a few weeks, I
immediately excelled and was boosted up to the higher group. This was
exactly the same. I excelled again and was boosted up to the top group where
I am now, training with older lads, and I am the youngest in the group.
Since then, I have had a fabulous track season, competing nearly every
weekend, and have also had a great cross country season. I am also very
lucky to have the nicest and best coaches, Dave Bedwell and Alison Hurford.
Now the odds have been against me at the minute, not only because I am very
small, but I am in the u15 age group, a very mixed age group, with two
different age groups in it. I am the youngest. But this coming track season
and next cross country season I will be the oldest. Now I am hoping, because
I have just had a huge growth spurt, that I am going to grow during the
track season, and by next cross country season, I will have caught the other
lads up. Now about the money you very kindly donated to me (by the way, I
haven’t actually said, THANK YOU!!!!!) I will use for this track season. I
plan to buy some new track spikes, then I shall donate them back to the club
when I am done with them, so someone else can benefit from them like I have.
Thank you ever so much
Lewis Nightingale |
