Crisin Backshall is the Welsh Athletics - Volunteer of the Year!

By Don Hale


*Crispin Backshall (*above), with his WA Volunteer of the Year award.

Crispin Backshall is the Welsh Athletics - Volunteer of the Year - special awards for hard working promoters.

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com


Report courtesy of Kay Hatton from NWRAC.


Congratulations to Crispin Backshall for winning Welsh Athletics Volunteer of the Year Award at the WA Annual Awards Ceremony. Crispin is a stalwart officer on the NWRAC and is also on the committee of Colwyn Bay AC. 

He works tirelessly in promoting and organising T&F events in North Wales as well as officiating at T&F, Road Running and Cross Country events. Such a well deserved award. 

Menai T&F are also to be congratulated for being awarded Welsh Athletics Development Club of the Year for the second year running, particularly in recognition of their development work with youngsters and encouraging participation in all disciplines. 

The club was also praised for involvement with the WA Junior League. And Barry Edwards has also been awarded the Welsh Athletics Meritorious Award for all the work he has done with promoting athletics and providing opportunities for youngsters in the region. 

Until recently, Barry was WA Development Officer for North Wales and, although no longer in the role, he has continued to work on a voluntary basis to encourage youngsters to participate in the sport with a regular Friday night session for juniors of all ages. Congratulations to Barry on receiving this prestigious award.

 

Don Hale is a former award winning investigative journalist and now a best-selling author who has created a very popular blog post linked to numerous social media sites. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most recent posts

North Wales Road Runner Jonathan Kettle wins the Pervolia half-marathon in Cyprus.

By Don Hale
Image
*NWRRC member Jonathan Kettle takes the top-spot on the podium following his excellent victory at the Pervolia half-marathon In  Cyprus. North Wales Road Runner Jonathan Kettle wins the Pervolia half-marathon in Cyprus. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk North Wales Road Runner Jonathan Kettle claimed an incredible victory at the Pervolia half-marathon in Cyprus last Sunday with a superb performance in a fast time of 1 hour 16 minutes and 28 seconds. This was the veteran athlete's first-ever international win, and he also won his respective VM45 age category, and topped the podium at this prestigious sun-drenched event. Afterwards, Jonathan, who is also a much respected athletics coach, was obviously thrilled by his efforts, and especially with the win, and confirmed: “I did the 27th international race – the Pervolia half-marathon in Cyprus - and won it! I finished first, and this was the only position I wanted today! This was my fi...
Read more

Football predictions for the weekend - 6-8th November 2026.

By Don Hale
Image
DON HALE'S WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS... donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026  coastandcountry.blog Friday 6 – Sunday 8 November 2026 Premier League • Championship • Scottish Premiership Welcome to the second edition of Don Hale's Football Predictions! Following a promising opening edition, with  seven correct match results from nine on Tuesday and six from six on Wednesday night , we're back with another weekend of football forecasts. I've selected matches from three competitions, added my own predicted scores and compared some of the selections with independent statistical forecasts. As always, these are my opinions. Let's see how they fare! PREMIER LEAGUE Friday 6 November Everton v Coventry City –  2–1 Saturday 7 November Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur –  1–1 Arsenal v Hull City –  3–0 Fulham v Newcastle United –  1–2 Nottingham Forest v Manchester City –  1–3 Sunday 8 November Brighton v Brentford –  2–2 Crystal Palace v Liverpool –  1–2 Ip...
Read more

Newborough Forest parkrun hosted NWRRC championship event - plus other parkrun results

By Don Hale
Image
*Some of the NWRRC team at the Newborough Forest parkrun - pictured (l-r): Hannah Griffith, Cheryl Frost, Kay Hatton, Rob Fryer and Gwen Charlton. Newborough Forest parkrun hosted NWRRC championship event - plus other North Wales parkrun results. Don Hale & Alex Irving – Coast & Country Parkrun Round-up. Rhos parkrun photos by Michael (Pat) Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog Newborough Forest parkrun welcomed 234 entrants on Saturday, including several members from North Wales Road Runners, who included this particular event within their club championships. Ed Slaughter  of Porthcawl Runners led the field home overall  in 17:12, followed by  Woody Felton  of Spectrum Striders RC in 18:18, while  Aidan Thomas  took third place in 19:07. The first female finisher was  Harriet Wingfield , sixth overall in 19:50.  Alice Horsfield  was the second female in 21:24, and  Holly Worth  was third in 22:18. North...
Read more
By Don Hale
Image
Fast finish at the popular Porth Eirias 10k race Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.bogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   There was a very good turn-out of over 400 mixed ability runners at the Porth Eirias 10k last Saturday morning on a near perfect morning and it was won by Iain Best in just 32 minutes and 32 seconds. Iain was closely tracked though by keen rival and local soccer star  Aaron Dodwell (*pictured right),  who was in fine form again in 34.56, and  Conor Davies  who third in 35.44.  The first female finisher was another well-known local athlete in  Emma Alofs  (Cybi Striders) in 37.49, who was 6th overall, with  Suzie Richards  the runner-up in 39.37, and  Zoe Jones  third in 43.23. *North Wales Road Runners  only had two entrants, but master veteran  Rob Fryer  won his M70 age cat in 191st place in 61.01, and  Len Jackson  was 228th in 63.30.  *Pictured above left - Emma Alofs, who wa...
Read more

MEET THE AUTHOR – PAUL STROUD - A British writer and a keen sports fan living in Japan.

By Don Hale
Image
MEET THE AUTHOR - PAUL STROUD - A British writer and keen sports fan living in Japan. *Author Paul Stroud pictured now lives with his family in Japan. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog An English writer and teacher sharing his knowledge and passions from Japan.. What happens when an Englishman takes his enthusiasm for language, education and football to Japan? For Paul Stroud, it has provided inspiration for a varied collection of published work. An English author who lives and teaches in Japan, Paul has developed an interesting range of books covering English-language education, teaching resources, Japanese life and the beautiful game. Helping others learn English One of Paul's areas of interest is English-language education. His  English Forum  series provides conversation-practice material for intermediate and advanced English learners. One published description highlights 25 topics and more than 300 questions designed to encourage communication and fluency...
Read more

⚽ DON HALE'S WEEKEND FOOTBALL SPECIAL!

By Don Hale
Image
⚽  DON HALE'S WEEKEND FOOTBALL SPECIAL! After a promising opening edition with  7 correct results from 9 , and on Wednesday Night 6 correct results from 6, I'm back with another weekend of football predictions! This time we're covering: 🏆 Premier League ⚽ Championship 🏴 Scottish Premiership My personal match predictions and scorelines, comparisons with independent forecasting models, and our ever-popular Golden Goal selection. Can we improve on last week's results? There are plenty of intriguing matches, including Leeds v Spurs, Forest v Man City, Wrexham v Wolves, and St Mirren v Rangers. It's all for football interest and entertainment – not betting advice. Read the full feature on Coast & Country: https://www.coastandcountry.blog/blog/categories/don-hale-s-football-predictions Predict • Compare • Enjoy! One final recommendation: before publishing, check the score predictions against your own preferred selections and let me know if you'd like any change...
Read more

Paul Stroud: An English author in Japan with a passion for Books, Football, Running and Comedy

By Don Hale
Image
Meet Paul Stroud: An Englishman in Japan with a Passion for Books, Football, Running and Comedy - a special Coast and Country author spotlight feature. From the classroom to the football terraces, from running events to the comedy stage, Paul Stroud has built a fascinating life in Japan.  His books have been published by Coast and Country online  magazine blog in association with Bookpublishing4u donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog www.bookpublishing4u.co.uk Not every author has a story quite like Paul Stroud's. An Englishman living and teaching in Japan, Paul combines a passion for education and writing with a love of sport, family life and, more recently, stand-up comedy. Paul is also a keen runner and football enthusiast, and his interests have provided inspiration for several of his books. His story is a reminder that writing can grow out of the things we love and the experiences we collect along the way. Keeping fit and enjoying the challenge Paul clearly e...
Read more

England Masters Athletics Association - ENTRY FORMS/TIMETABLE FOR INTER-AREA T&F EVENT AT CORBY 7/9/24.

By Don Hale
Image
England Masters Athletics Association Inter-Area Outdoors Track and Field Challenge 2024 Rockingham Triangle Athletics Stadium, Jimmy Kane Way, Rockingham Rd, Corby NN17 2FB Saturday 07 September 2024 EMAA invites you take part in the upcoming outdoors Inter-Area Track and Field Challenge. Age Groups: M35, M50, M60, M70, W35 W50, W60, W70 Events: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000, 2000m Race Walk, 400/300 hurdles, 4x100 relays.  High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Shot Put, Discus, Hammer, Javelin ENTRY FORM AREA CLUB: CLUB CONTACT NAME: ADDRESS: The entry fee is £175 and a bank transfer would be the preferred method of payment. Bank details: Eastern Masters AC (EMAC) Sort Code 30-96-17 Account Number 01909164 Reference: AREA CLUB INTERAREA (e.g. EMAC INTERAREA). Deadline to enter: 31 July 2024. Email entry forms and any questions to: Carey Hollick, EMAA Track & Field Secretary emacchairperson@yahoo.com EMAA...timeable: Don Hale Blog: Inter-Area Outd...
Read more

Halloween fun with the prospect of a ‘World Record’ at Rhos parkrun - plus other results round up

By Don Hale
Image
*Pictured above - the amazing ten-person fire engine at the Rhos parkrun which could record a new world record at parkun during the Halloween celebrations. Halloween fun with the prospect of a ‘World Record’ at Rhos parkrun... Report by Don Hale. Conwy photos by Michael (Pat) Finnie. donhaleblog.bogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   There was another great turnout at many North Wales parkruns last Saturday for the Halloween celebrations, and they were especially noticeable at Llandrillo yn Rhos, where numerous topical and fancy-dress costumes were on display. And well done to Rhos run director  Dougie Graham   (*pictured right) who was up early with his team of volunteers to help decorate the start and finish area with special Halloween regalia.  The celebrations also included an amazing fire engine mock-up containing ten parkrun entrants, which has now been tagged as a probable regional record, and it could even become a potential ‘world record,’ according to...
Read more

DON HALE'S MIDWEEK FOOTBALL FORECAST FOR CANCER RESEARCH CHARITIES

By Don Hale
Image
  ⚽   TONIGHT'S FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS TO HELP SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH CHARITIES.    BY DON HALE The Champions League takes centre stage tonight, with Barcelona v Aston Villa, Manchester United v Roma and Atlético Madrid v Bayern Munich among the big matches. I've picked my own results and score predictions, and we'll also compare them with the views of other football forecasting services. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog Coast and Country online magazine and blog is working hard to help fundraise for Cancer Research Charities and they have designed an innovative new fun and entertainment feature to try to predict the scores/results/goal scorers etc, from some Premier League, Championship, and or Scottish and European competition matches from midweek, and at the weekends. The prediction system is  TOTALLY FREE FOR YOU TO ENJOY  but we have added a direct donation payment link if you are able to contribute £2 or more, to help aid Cancer Resea...
Read more