At England Athletics gala evening last Saturday, our own Ben Pochee received the National Volunteer Award for Contribution to Athletics and Running. I was lucky enough to join the celebration, along with Dominic Hall, Ben's old school chum and ex-Harrier. Ben received his award from Lorna Boothe, former 100m hurdler who won gold in the 1978 Commonwealth Games, and was interviewed by Katharine Merry: former sprinter normally heard commentating on athletics for radio 5, she was a superb host. You can read more about it on the England Athletics website.
This year's England Athletics Hall of Fame also recognised the contributions of the volunteers who make the sport happen.
This capped a busy day for Ben. He was up at 4am driving from Cornwall to Mansfield to team manage our wonderful Senior Men in the National Cross Country Relays, in which our three fantastic teams came 6th, 13th and 25th.
In addition to recognising volunteers, a number of current and former athletes were presented with EA awards. These included the likes of Phoebe Gill and Molly Caudery. Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter received coaching awards, but were upstaged by their 3-year old Arabella. I was seated next to Paralympians Marcus Pirrineau Daley and Kadeena Cox - both great company. There were dapper DJs, glamourous gowns and sequins everywhere! Normally found wearing lycra or a hi viz, it was great to see everyone scrub up so well!
