It is again my pleasure to address you again as Chairman of your Club. Again we have in many ways had a very successful year.

Following our last AGM the Committee agreed to purchase a new professional built website. The main driver of this was Paul Strutt. Paul spent many long hours researching and after consultations with Committee Members we contracted a former member Dave Allworthy who now lives in Lincolnshire to build the website to our specifications. Paul was instrumental in most of the design in consultation with Dave. We now have a modern website and in the near future Coaches will have direct access. Paul will oversee this as a safeguard to all.

We also decided that to assist Chris Jeggo our membership Secretary and Treasurer Caroline Sutton, we applied to our Bank for online banking. This was successful and Chris, Caroline and I have online access to our accounts. This together with our new online membership assists us all to keep a check on our finances.

Chris and Caroline like all Coaches, Officials, and Team Managers and their helpers, not forgetting Rob who stands by the gate on Tuesdays and Thursdays collecting track fees in Caroline’s absence are volunteers. Without them a Club as successful and large as ours could and would not exist. I thank them all.

This past year we have had a smaller working Committee, meeting about every six weeks following training. It has been very successful because we all confer regularly and we are able to agree small matters without the need of specific meetings. We have a very open Club without disputes and long may it continue.

I would also like to thank the friendliness of all our parents without you and your children we wouldn’t have a Club. You make it what it is; Coaches and Officials will do everything in their power to make this a successful, happy, vibrant and continued successful Club. I believe Colchester is very proud of you all.

Our young and not so young athletes produced some fantastic results throughout the year in all their leagues; we all congratulate our junior and senior cross country runners, junior and senior track runners, especially their brilliant results in the Southern League. As a has-been road runner I mustn’t forget our senior and super senior runners who consistently irritate our rivals in almost every event they enter. I love that and long may it continue. What has been most pleasing for me is the dedication of all our athletes whether in competition or training. I haven’t been able to attend many track events this year for a variety of reasons but I’m always following Facebook and other media sites to see what you have all been up to.

I’ve been told to keep this short I have deliberately not mentioned too many names as I shall forget someone but it has been a pleasure and an honour to be Chairman of this Club and I have served it with pride for many years.

I am prepared to stand again tonight for another year but really we need a younger person to volunteer and take over from me before my advanced years finally catch up. I’m still working on your behalf to the best of my ability. At this moment in time I have been working with others on three races over the winter months, two cross country races on Abbey Fields and the Essex20 mile road Championships at Langham next March. We need volunteers to assist at all three races.

Lastly I mustn’t forget one special lifelong Club athlete. Our very own Dominic King, very recently he qualified for the Rio Olympics in the 50k race-walk. His time is the third fastest 50k time for a UK racewalker. He deserves reward for all his efforts. I know we all hope that twin brother Daniel succeeds in his efforts to also qualify. They both train very hard in difficult circumstances with very little support. My dream is to see them both at the Olympics racing side by side.

Lance.   Chairman

Updated club constitution