Don Hale Blog

Destination Conwy – have a look this unique special promotional video promoted by Conwy Council in 2010 to encourage people to visit this unique part of North Wales. This is now available to view and for our current generation to examine and compare. Promoted by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Visit Conwy in North Wales: Now available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ue91Ra4ic9o?si=6vh07oqmx-4lVA9V via @YouTube   Flashback to about 15 years ago when Conwy Council produced a short promotional video  highlighting the many benefits of visiting this popular holiday destination... Take a fresh look at North Wales, could you pack all this into your last holiday destination? The all-new Destination Conwy , promotional video.  Visit us at http://www.visitconwy.org.uk

*Pictured above - Practice nurse Emily Carr and Practice manager Sarah  Corkish-Brown are shown at the end of their charity trek. Surgery pair Emily and Sarah complete their amazing 100k Sahara Desert Trek for St David’s Hospice. Exclusive  report by Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Two determined members of the hard-working Bodreinallt doctors' surgery team at Conwy have just completed their extraordinary 100k Sahara Desert Trek and helped to raise  over £42,000 so far for St David’s Hospice. Practice manager  Sarah Corkish-Brown and Practice Nurse Emily Carr  signed up for this huge undertaking some time ago and finally celebrated their success over the past couple of days, and were part of a group that fundraised for this essential local organisation. The trek organisers claimed that entrants would ‘r ediscover true adventure in the awe-inspiring Sahara Desert.’ Their five-day trek covered 100km passing through Morocco’s forbidding landscape...

*Pictured above - Harry Driscoll (Meirionnydd) finished third at the Conwy parkrun. Fast pace and good weather for a change at most NW parkruns - full results round-up  ... Report by Don Hale. Photos courtesy of Pat Finnie. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 A total of 242 finishers enjoyed the unusually bright sunshine and moderate weather conditions last Saturday morning at the picturesque Conwy 5k course, which again attracted a large number of mixed ability athletes and visitors. The pace from the leading pack was fast and furious right from the start on Conwy Cob with the first eleven finishers all dipping well under twenty-minutes, and just ten seconds separated the first two men home. Visitor  Robert Foster  eventually confirmed his top placing with a fine debut run in just 17 minutes and 22 seconds, and he finished narrowly ahead of  Cai Curtis-Roberts , who was second in 17.32, with  Harry Driscoll  (Meirionnydd RC) third with a new course PB in 17.41....

*Harry Driscoll (*pictured above) from Meirionnydd RC was second at Conwy. Some fast times and good attendances at many North Wales parkruns - full results round-up... Report by Don Hale.  donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Sam Griffiths  was the runaway first finisher at the  Conwy parkrun  last Saturday where they welcomed 209 club and social athletes, including many visitors from around the UK. Sam had an outstanding run in just 16 minutes and 42 seconds, with  Harry Driscoll  (Meirionnydd RC) second with a great new PB of 17.51, and visitor  John Brogan  (RC Warriors) took the third spot on his debut in 18.06. *Vicky Cole  (GOG Triathlon) was the first female finisher (16th overall), and she ran the course with her husband  Simon Cole , and claimed a new PB in 20.38, with  Ellie Evans  (Cybi Striders) second (34th) with a PB in 22.10, and  Katherine Gregson  finished third (38th) in 22.26. *Pictured above - Husb...

*Pictured and below - runners at the start of a previous Conwy parkrun with the start at the RSPB Nature Trail before the new track upgrades.   https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com  * John Earlston captures all the live action below from a previous Conwy parkrun.

Dear Conwy parkrun community, We wanted to update you on the work going on behind the scenes to get Conwy parkrun back up and running.  It has been fantastic to see, from our Facebook page, the Conwy parkrun community enjoying their Saturday mornings at other parkruns, far and wide – but it would be even better to have everyone back in Conwy. We wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the progress we are making. As you know, the work on the path between the RSPB nature reserve and the railway bridge forced us to pause our parkrun while the path was resurfaced. It’s great to see that this work has been completed on time, and it does look fantastic. Unfortunately, at the same time that this work began, we were made aware of concerns from parkrun HQ regarding the adequacy and safety of our car parking. This has meant we must address these concerns before we are allowed to restart. The RSPB car park has been identified as being too small for an event that continues to grow in ...

*Pictured above - Steve Mason - who was the first NWRRC member home. Hot pace despite a bitterly cold morning at Conwy parkrun. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com It was a very cold start for the first Conwy parkrun of 2025 as 247 mixed ability athletes tackled the puddle-filled, but picturesque 5k course, from the RSPB Nature Reserve last Saturday morning. Despite the freezing temperatures,  Iain Burgess  set a very hot pace as the 1st finisher in just 18 minutes and 36 seconds to win his VM35 age cat, and he was some 36-seconds ahead of his nearest rival, VM40  Richard Wilyman (GOG Triathlon), in 19.08, with SM25  Aaron Jones  3rd in 19.49. Llio Owen  was the 1st female finisher with a new PB of 21.23, and she won her SW20 age cat (13th overall), with VW40 athlete  Vicky Cole  (GOG Triathlon), 2nd (19th overall) with a fine run in 22.05, and VW35  Emma Stanley  claimed the 3rd place, (21st overall) in 22.15. North Wal...

*Pictured above - a splashing start for the leaders at last Saturday's Conwy parkrun. Keen competition at Conwy parkrun despite the challenging conditions... Report by Don Hale. Photos by John Hatton. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Numbers were down at Conwy parkrun last Saturday morning due to the Christmas shopping rush, combined with some very challenging weather conditions. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the riverside course was flooded again and resembled a cross between a swamp and a tough 5k cross-country course, yet it still created a great festive atmosphere, with many of the near two-hundred mixed ability entrants wearing their traditional fancy dress outfits. Despite a strong blustery wind and drizzly rain there were still some good times recorded and the first athlete back was  Morgan Kendall  (Meirionnydd RC), dressed in his famous Banana-man kit once more, and he faced a keen battle with rival  Cai ...