I thought as the club has reached this milestone, it was an occasion to make all members aware.
The club is in a position whereby in the next couple of years it will need to resurface part or all of the track. We have been warned by UK athletics that we would not get a licence for the track, because of the wear in a number of areas, particularly the inside lane. (This would mean no schools meetings, no sports days, no league meetings etc).
This we became aware of in Autumn 2024. Since then, the club has been raising funds through open meetings, advertising, donations etc.
We now have an excellent £102k, but the likely cost of the complete resurface is probably 3 to 4 times that.
We currently lease the track from Swindon Borough Council and in that time, we have repaired, renewed many parts, such as throws cages, high jump beds, pole vault beds, floodlights (£100k), photo finish, defibrillator, toilet block and the clubhouse, to make the facility useable.
In order for this to continue Swindon Harriers need some help in order to keep the progress we have made in participation terms and quality terms.
We are hoping that SBC will contribute to the costs as it does offer a community facility in Foundation Park and is much needed in the centre of Swindon.
If you would like to get an advertising board, if you would like to donate, if you would like to come down and have a chat, we would love to hear from you.
Howard Moscrop
Chairman Swindon Harriers AC
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