Don Hale Blog

Special Coast and Country book review coastandcountry.blog donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 BUILDING THE IRON - ENGINEERING ADVENTURE REBUILDING SWANSEA WITH RUSTON BUCYRUS DIGGERS                                         BY AUTHOR GEOFF LEWIS ENGINEERING ADVENTURE REBUILDING SWANSEA WITH RUSTON BUCYRUS DIGGERS - By Geoff Lewis. Price £19.64 Per Copy Plus UK shipping in protective wallet £4.85. **Orders can be made online via the link on the website shown below: TEL: 029 20867364     MOB: 07944 692695. https://www.diggerynook.com Hello and Greetings from my long ago days of boyhood; days of yore when machinery mechanics roamed the land fixing diggers, bulldozers, tipper trucks and anything else wot' needed fixin'. I have a story to tell of a different way of life; born into the war torn town of Swansea in 1943 and one of the most exciting periods in our countries exis...

Official 2026 Red Nose: Design-Yer Nose- on behalf of Comic Relief: Now available on Amazon: Just £2.50. *This is the link to your Amazon order:   https://amzn.to/4rIOrgv Visit the Comic Relief Store 4.5  4.5 out of 5 stars       (257)   |  Search this page   Amazon's Choice  60K+ bought in past month £2.50  £ 2. 50    Price history   Pay  £2.50  £0.00 for this order.  Get a £50 Amazon Gift Card upon approval  for the Amazon Business Amex Card.  Representative 37.6% APR Variable.  Amazon is a credit broker.   Tomorrow FREE Returns  Save 5%  on any 4  Qualifying items  |   Terms Size Name: One Size *This is the link to your Amazon order:   https://amzn.to/4rIOrgv   Style Name: Design-Yer Nose.  Sold on behalf of Comic Relief.  ·         100% of all profits go to Comic Rel...

*Rhos run director Dougie Graham at the front with some of the volunteers Fast runners dazzled in the sun at Llandrillo yn Rhos..plus some other NW parkrun results. Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Michael Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026   The bright sunny weather and a fast course attracted plenty of top club athletes to the Llandrillo yn Rhos 5k parkrun last Saturday with five out of the first six finishers all recording times of under 18 minutes! James Yarwood  (Wrexham AAC) was the first finisher overall with a new course PB of 16 minutes and 29 seconds, with visitor  Armon Williams  second in 17.17,  Gareth Griffith  third in 17.27, and veteran  Martin Green  (Meirionnydd RC) a narrow fourth in 17.36. It was a similar story for the ladies with  Beatrice Cordingley  (Sale Harriers) taking the first female spot with an excellent run, and a new course PB in 20.00 (18th overall), with visitor  Lizzie Slater  (South Che...

*Pictured above - Ben and Sarah Hudson after their wet and windy race Tough Trimpell 20-mile challenge for Ben and Sarah...Plus Liverpool half marathon results Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   North Wales endurance couple Ben and Sarah Hudson travelled to Lancaster last Sunday to compete in the tough Trimpell 20-mile race through the spectacular Lune Valley in cold, wet, and blustery conditions. Ben was in good form despite the challenge, and he was 153rd overall out of 346 finishers with an excellent time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 44 seconds. Sarah however said she was a bit off colour on the day, but she still rallied well to finish in 220th place in 3.05.21. After the race, Sarah confirmed:  “Did the Trimpell 20 miler today… great race! Ben was awesome on 2:46, and I did 3:05. It’s not chipped timed. Bit of a crazy, wet, and windy one, but it brightened up before the end.  I have had a stinking cold so was not even sure about doin...

*Steve Gardner (*above left) on the podium with Tim Parfitt and Steven Gee. Track champion Steve finished second at the Welsh Duathlon championships. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog International track champion Steve Gardner finished as the runner-up on the podium in the prestigious Welsh Sprint Duathlon Championships at Pembroke last Sunday. The NWRRC member, and GB track athlete, who was representing his second claim club GOG Triathlon, competed in a 5k run, a 21k cycle race, followed by a final 2.5k dash, and he finished second overall with an excellent combined time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 31 seconds. After his event, Steve confirmed:  “Just a note to let you know I competed for GOG Triathlon Club today, finishing in 2nd place; 1st place went to  Tim Parfitt  in a time 1 hour 12 mins and 31 seconds, and the 3rd spot went to  Steven Gee  in 1 hour 13 mins and 17 seconds.  “There was only 46 seconds between the three of us, so it was a...

*Pictured above - Vicky Taylor with Mandy Owen and Kelly Alford at Chester. Road Runners galloped home at the Chester 10k races Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog Five North Wales Road Runners completed  amongst a very large field of some 7,315 entrants at the Chester 10k race last Sunday, and they all performed well and recorded some noteworthy finishing times. Veteran  Jon Evans  was in top form, and he finished strong in a good chip time of 47 minutes and 44 seconds, and he led the team home with  Molly Evans  next in 49.32.   *Jon Evans (*above left) with  master vet Rob Fryer. And it was good to see  Kelly Alford  back in action again, and she also enjoyed her run in 49.38; with master vet  Rob Fryer  continuing his purple patch in 54.59; and  Vicky Taylor  ran home in 77.12.  *And there were plaudits too for  Mandy Owen  who finished in 66.17.

*Some of the many hard working volunteers at the Llandrillo  yn Rhos parkrun Hot pace at Rhos after a frosty start for plenty of visitors. Report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2026 coastandcountry.blog   It was bright and sunny following a heavy early morning frost at the Llandrillo yn Rhos parkrun last Saturday, which also commemorated International Women’s Day. And there was another bumper turn-out by club and local athletes, plus plenty of visitors, who this week enjoyed an almost sand-free 5k promenade course. Nicolas Seguin  was the first finisher from 386 entrants, with a new PB in 17.41, and his talented JW15-17 daughter  Tamsin Seguin  (Menai T&F) made it a family double as the first female finisher (16th overall), with an excellent run in 19.45.  Harry Driscoll   (Meirionnydd RC) was the second male finisher in 17.55, with visitor  John Myers  (Helsby RC) third on his debut in 17.58. For the ladies, with  Tamsin ...