Don Hale Blog

MENTAL ELF – Festive Fun Run. Sunday 30th November at 11am for Conwy Mind at Eirias Events Centre. Put on your Elf hat and join our Festive Fun Run. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   There are two choices to choose from: - A 5k Mental Elf, or a 2k Mini Elf.   Join us on Sunday 30th November 11am at Eirias Events Centre, Colwyn   Bay  for a day of fun and fundraising.  Walk, jog, skip or run while soaking up the festive spirit and supporting Conwy and Vale of Clwyd Minds. Together, we can go the extra mile for mental health! Mini Elf 2k Fun Run: A new event this year! Mini elves can join in the fun too with a 2km fun run packed full of all the jingling fun. A Free National Trust pass for every participant*   This year, Mind is partnering with the National Trust. If you take part or volunteer in a local  Mental Elf event, you’ll receive a free family access pass to National Trust sites! It’s our way of thanking   you for supporting mental health ...

*Pictured above - Conwy Castle illuminated to highlight Ty Gobaith and Hope House and their Dark Run last Saturday night. Over £9k raised for Hope House and Ty Gobaith at the Conwy Dark  Run on a very  wet night... Introduction by Don Hale. Photographs by Caitlin Faye Photography. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Despite the very challenging weather conditions last Saturday night with heavy rain and strong winds, over £9k was raised at the Conwy Dark Run for Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices. This popular event followed on from a very similar success – in better conditions – the previous Saturday at Penrhyn Castle Dark Run which raised about £10k for the same worthy organisation. John Hatton  (*pictured right), who was the MC at both fundraising events and was one of the event organisers confirmed: “ Conwy Dark Run. It was a very wet night, but it made £9k for Ty Gobaith. It was a very busy day, with the Penrhyn parkrun , rush home for lunch, then over to C...

*Pictured above - Sharon Hutchings (*second from the left) with her Welsh team colleagues. Competing in Masters athletics by an extraordinary Welsh field athlete Sharon Hutchings... Special  report by WMAL webmaster Juliet Sidney with Sharon Hutchings. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk I have been competing abroad since 2022 at the European Indoor champs, Braga. Restarting after having my left knee replaced in 2021 due to osteoarthritis.  During this time of recovery, I had a lot of thinking time, and I’d always regretted giving up athletics aged 25 as good shot putter, discus thrower whose pb’s were 12.24m and 33.50m with a highest British ranking of 6 for shot put aged 16. I started collecting all my old newspaper cuttings, British ranking books, memories and reminiscing about how much I enjoyed throwing in those days. During this time a good friend Ann Thatcher who was my friend and colleague at Newbury AC years ago mentioned masters athletics th...