New, light weight technical club vests are now available at training from Sarah Ball or Julie Rayfield and cost £22. We also have a new online kit store that will be open for 10 days and then the order will be made and shipped.
Group training resumes 30 March
Group training is officially allowed to restart from tomorrow and the track will be open for training from Tuesday 30 March. Please check with your coach what training arrangements are and what Covid precautions are still in place.
Training expected to restart from 29 March
Following the publication of the latest Government advice, we expect group training to restart from 29 March. We still need confirmation of when the track will reopen and will let everyone know as soon as we hear. In the meantime the club will be reviewing and updating Covid procedures and athletes should check on all the latest England Athletics advice on returning to training.
Training suspended for lockdown
Guide to Mental Health Resources for Reading Athletes/parents and coaches).
With the recent Government announcement of a second lock down on Thursday 5th November 2020 until December (and potentially extended)- we hope that information regarding the following resources may help you if you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed or unable to cope for any reason.
Struggling to cope emotionally is recognised as one of the key effects of lockdown and we want to stress that you are not alone if you are going through such feelings. This is a common occurrence and asking for help is a sign of strength as it shows we care for our mental wellbeing and the wellbeing of people around us.
We hope this guide to resources you can access will be helpful:
KOOTH is a free online counselling service open to Berkshire residents aged 11 years to 19 years. You can sign up for free . Counsellors are available from 12 noon to 10 pm on Mondays to Fridays and at weekends too. Please sign up for free with this confidential service by visiting Kooth.com. You can access via tablet/lap top or mobile phone.
The NHS Every Mind Matters website also has expert advice and practical tips on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing. Link is: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
Young Minds, mental health support for young people, parents and teachers. Link: https://youngminds.org.uk
Mind UK -General Mental health advice and support. https://www.mind.org.uk
Helpline for mental health sufferers- https://www.samaritans.org
Berkshire CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services, self -referrals https://cypf.berkshirewhealthcare.nhs.uk/ourservices/children-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs/
No5 Young People’s Counselling Service -101 Oxford Road Reading.RG1 7UD.
This provides a free confidential counselling and emotional support to anyone between the ages of 11 years to 25 years. Website: No5-counselling.
Tel: 0118 901 5668-do not leave a message as no-one is in the office.
Bharti Dhir.
Welfare Officer-Reading Athletics Club
CLUB CHAMPS 2020
Entries are now open for Day 1 and 2 of club champs (subject to UKA permit being granted: https://webcollect.org.uk/rac
If you entered the previous club Champs, cancelled in April, then please get in touch about transferring your entry.
To keep the event Covid Secure there are NO late entries and only 1 guest spectator per athlete, unless guests are also helpers. We will require lots of extra help to allow this to go ahead, so please volunteer by indicting on the entry form or getting in touch.
Day 3 details will be worked out after further clarification on events we can hold.
Athlete Survey Results
Thank you to everyone who has filled in the athlete survey. It has been very useful to find out what you are all up to. I am sorry that so many don't currently have access to coaching, but this is understandable given the restrictions in group sizes, some coaches may need to shield and the lack of a proper training venue with equipment. We still have no news on the track reopening and with indoor gyms not on the list of venues allowed to open the council may decide to keep PP closed until the gym is also open.
On the competition front, most people seem keen on local or club competition when possible, which makes sense given the lack of training for some. The 1m+ social distance rule may make this easier and thank you for the many offers of extra help to allow this to happen. In the meantime, I will set up another virtual athletics competition.
Julie (Chair)
Hypnotherapist service
A mind coach to help with mental well being or peak performance:
https://www.elenakennedy.co.uk/what-can-i-treat
The latest update on Training from England Athletics
Latest update on SEAA Competitions
SEAA COMPETITION LIMITED
With restrictions by the UK Government on movement in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 still in place, and with the following guidance received from UK Athletics.
“The suspension of athletics competition within the UK has now been extended until at least 30 June. The decision has been made collectively in light of the ongoing UK Government restrictions and the need to give athletes, coaches, clubs, event organisers and officials clarity, advance notice and time to plan”.
SEAA Competition Limited is working with England Athletics to reschedule individual championships if possible. As a result, we will be postponing the U20/Senior Championships that are scheduled to be held at the end of June. The U13/15 and U17 Championships are under review and further information will be posted in due course.
The All Age Group Combined Events Championships scheduled for July and the U15/17 Inter Counties Championships scheduled for September have been cancelled.
SEAA Competition are still working on providing a full Indoor, Cross Country and Road Running season if circumstances permit.
John Gandee
SEAA Competition Chairman
1ST May 2020
Covid-19 Latest
You can keep up to date on the latest advice at : https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Keeping fit and healthy is a way to reduce the risk of serious illness, but do remember to only go out for exercise once a day, not to meet up with others and stay 2m apart from others you may see. There has just been some research released suggesting that more than 2m may be needed if someone is in the slip stream of another person, so keep further apart if you are able.
Wishing you all the best