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NOTAN Launch

The North of Tyne Athletics Network (NOTAN), a partnership of athletics clubs and sporting organisations, is celebrating its official launch with an open day at Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay on Sunday 17 October.

 The launch event will be attended by former World Record Holder and World Champion for Race Walking, Marion Fawkes and will also include a mini-Olympics, family activities, sporting demonstrations from ex-international athletes and an opportunity for budding Olympians to try events first hand.

Tommy Brannon, Chairman of NOTAN says:

“NOTAN has been set up to develop athletics across the area, not just increasing the number of athletes running on our streets, but also developing coaches, officials and volunteers to help organise our 5k fun-run series, after-school academies and holiday athletics camps. We are not just about the serious runner we want to encourage people of all ages and abilities to get involved at their local community centre, church, club for young people, village hall; and GP referral centre.

“We are proud to have recently received the England Athletics Regional Club Partnership Award 2010, with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, which recognises the achievements we have already made and hopefully this official launch will now push us forward to build on or our early successes.”

The Network consists of England Athletics, the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, Tyne & Wear Sport, Newcastle and North Tyneside local authorities, Northumbria University, Newcastle University and the colleges of Newcastle and TyneMet. The cluster of clubs so far consists of Claremont Road Runners, Heaton Harriers, North Shields Polytechnic Club and Wallsend Harriers. In March 2010, NOTAN was awarded 3 years funding from McCain’s to develop athletics participation, and in doing so they appointed Ed Griss, as Network Co-ordintor to oversee its development by visiting clubs and communities to help establish new clubs and coaches in the Wards of North Tyneside and Newcastle Councils.

Jeanette Pickard, Chief Executive of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation says:

“Working in partnership with NOTAN is fantastic as we can work with a cluster of clubs to identify coaching needs. We then recruit, train and place new people back with the clubs which means the clubs then have capacity to increase their memberships and introduce new programmes such as school-club links, which increases the number of children and young people getting involved in athletics in our region.”

Adam Brougham, Assistant Director of Tyne & Wear Sport says:

“Having the four clubs working together alongside key partners has already led to significant developments in athletics across the North of Tyne area and we look forward to working together towards achieving the networks aims.”