Over 90 guests attended Bury AC’s annual presentation evening held at Bury’s Masonic Hall on Saturday 13th December. Chair of Trustees, Mark Granby, outlined the club’s many significant achievements over 2025 and thanked club’s volunteer coaches, officials and helpers. The club’s Honorary President Jean Simpson MBE and Dino Moutsopoulos from Place North West, who sponsored the trophies, presented the awards.
The coaches athlete of the year awards went to Luke Harreld and Alia Braithwaite (Masters), Martin Clerk and Sinead Taylor (Seniors), Luke Drinnan and Jemima Miles (under 20s), Ben Clarke and Carraghan Spence (under 17s), Solomon Evans and Lucy Dent (under 15s), Caden Blundell and Isla Taylor (under 13s), Findley McCallum and Maya Akram (under 11s) and Toby Adkins and Hafsah Ahmed (under 9s).
The Team Managers awards went to Matthew Wheatley and Matilda Nott (Mid Lancs League), Matthew Wheatley and Esme Davies-Fernyhough (Northern League Junior) and Jack Griffiths and Lizzi Cheshire (Northern League Senior).
The Bury AC representative medals, for athletes selected for county representation, went to Jasmine Brisbane, Ben Clarke, Oliver Cooper, Evie Elliott, Peter Gardner, Dexter Mesce, Jemima Miles, Niamh Murray, Matilda Nott, Violette Overlunde, Jakub Purzycki, Ethan Statham, James Tallentire, Heidi Wilkinson and Agatha Wragg.
The Trustee’s annual awards went to Fran Garraoch, Dave Grundy, Roger Morley and Declan Tattersall (Ground staff as support team of the year), Jay Cook (President’s Award for U23 achievement), Ben Clarke (the Sandra Newton Memorial Award for the highest ranked field event athlete), Ethan Statham (the JT Ratcliffe Memorial Award for the most competitive club member), Matthew Lowe (for the most improved club member), Laura Armstrong and Alison McDonald (the club volunteers of the year) and Callum Gaunt (the club member of the year).
On Saturday afternoon, the club hosted its Christmas races, staged over a distance of one mile on the cinder track at Market Street. The first event was the seniors race with Natalie Joseph claiming the win and receiving the Woodward Memorial Tankard from newly appointed women’s captain Bev McAuley. Sarah Lindop placed second and Bertrand Bassiere third in the field of ten competitors. The junior race was next with twenty seven youngsters competing. Violette Overlunde took the victory with Sammy Akka in second and Finlay Thompson third.
Battling Bury take third in opening Premier Division Fixture and Caitlyn takes a BMC victory
Temporary Closure of Market Street Entrance to the Track
Medals galore for Bury athletes at the Greater Manchester Championships
Ben and Sophie on county duty at the Inter-Counties Mountain Races and Isla wins at Clowbridge
Ethan has a great run in the Mini Marathon whilst Bev raises much needed funds