Westbury Lions 10K a ‘grrrrreat’ success!

THE sixth annual Westbury Lions 10k event was another runaway success for the club this year.

Held at the White Horse Country Park on Sunday 8th October, the day started with a bright sunny morning, greeting a record attendance of 158 competitors, and topping last year’s event best of 135 participants.

Competitors had travelled from as far as Bristol, Swindon and even Barnstable in North Devon to take part. The winners in each category were: ▪ Fastest Male – Mike Rose – 35:25 ▪ Fastest Female – Carolyn Trippack – 45:45 ▪ Fastest Male Veteran – Alex Copping – 39:02 ▪ Fastest Female Veteran – Sarah Smallbone – 50:31

Lion president Angie Fawcett said, “We have been so lucky with the weather and it’s been an amazing event, made so by all the amazing people who took part! This is the first 10k I have attended and to do so as club president has made it even more special for me. It’s been lovely to see so many entrants from the local running clubs, and their support is really appreciated.

“I must pass on our thanks to the White Horse Country Park for allowing us to use the venue and also the team from Leighton Recreation Centre for supplying the water and the wonderful pre-race warm up. Thanks must also go to Andrew Hoddinott who performed our race timing for us – it must be a stressful job and he always makes it look so easy!

“I’m especially proud of our Westbury Leos who were absolutely amazing on the day. They manned the water station so well and they were cheering people through the finish line which created a lovely atmosphere for the competitors!”

Vice-president Nigel Coward also had lots of praise for the event, saying, “We’ve had some great feedback about the 10k already this year, and after speaking to competitors and some of the volunteers, we are already planning to make it even better or 2018 by adding trophies for competitors placing second and third, and to also include a full online booking process which will hopefully make it much easier for people to register in advance.”

All of the money raised from the 10k run is distributed to community causes such as schools, local charities as well as low income families or individuals in need, via the Lions club welfare committee.

If you are interested in joining Westbury Lions or know of someone who may benefit from their support, you can contact them via their website westburylions.org.uk or go to Facebook and search for Westbury Lions.