Happy 40th Anniversary Nomads!
Writing yesterday, Andy Brookfield set the scene...
"40 years of a Great Club and its beginnings.
It seems so amazing that this club, Newburgh Nomads, has been going for 40 years, and I was part of bringing it into being. It is something I'm so proud of, and has brought so much joy to my life, as I'm sure it has for many of you. The camaraderie of friends with a shared interest has been so amazing over the years - from the competitive rivalry between friends competing to see who does best in the next 10k, half marathon, or fell run in the early days, to the banding together to provide support for the next ‘Bob’ or ‘Joss’ attempt in later years that still continues to this day.
There were four founding members, myself, George Robinson, Tom Kelly, and Kev Wallbank. Me, George, and Tom, used to work together and at lunch times we would run 4 or 5 miles together. George, Tom and Kev played football together, and for them and a few others from the football club, running was training to develop their stamina for football. So, from 1983 onwards we would meet up on Tuesday nights at Newburgh Sports and Social Club to go running.
We soon got around to entering events at the weekend such as 10Ks and half marathons as well as evening events such as the Haigh Hall 5 mile. At the time unattached runners had to pay an extra 50p for each race, so we soon decided it would save us money if we joined a club. George or Tom had a friend in Denby Dale Travellers, so we joined them, and so in early ‘84 we were seen sporting their green and black vests at running events across the region.
But as we competed in more and more events and were met by questions “Where's Denby Dale?”, we decided to form our own club so people would know who we were and where we came from. After quite a process, in late November ‘84, the approval came through and the club was born, with the first club run as Newburgh Nomads taking place on Tuesday 4th of December 1984, exactly 40 years ago tomorrow.
And so as the one remaining original Newburgh Nomad who has been here right from the beginning, I'm really proud to still be here, and looking forward to seeing you tonight - and thank you for being part of a great club and everything you do for it.
Viva Newburgh Nomads!!!!"
Great to see so many of us in attendance last night on a chilly December evening, and to have support from those unable to run. A simple 6km out and back run to the top of Parbold Hill was the order of the day, just as it was 40 years ago, followed by food and a few beers at the Red Lion. Cheers! 🍻
