Track Reopening + Health & Wellbeing.

As I mentioned last week, the enthusiasm of many of the junior endurance group remains undimmed despite there being no club organised training on the Welcombe Hills on Sundays. Above and below are the athletes who finished 1st and 2nd in their respective races at the recent 1 mile time trials pairing up. L to R : Ellie Deaner and Olivia Robinson & Alex Adams and Taylor Stubbins Choosing to do their training on a Saturday are Abbi Cooper and Martha Peters. View this email in your browser This week we have some important information from the SUAAC Welfare Officer Nikki Hillard on Health & Wellbeing - Mental Health. Apart from that there is a message from Jack Sumners in the US of A and we also have our kit item of the week. Take Care Best Wishes. David Jones Return to training at the track Paul Bearman As the lockdown finishes on 2nd December the good news is that Stratford School are reopening their facilities and SUAAC can resume training from Thursday 3rd December. Although this is good news, it will unfortunately be short-lived as the school will be closed over the Christmas holidays. On our return, the days, timings Covid protocols that we introduced in the summer will again be the way we do things. I need to stress that Stratford School are allowing use of their facilities for all clubs on the basis that protocols meet their approval to try to curtail the spread of the virus. They are already aware that some other clubs have been less than vigilant, however, we will continue to ensure that we stay vigilant and work to the rules. Health & Wellbeing Mental Health Nikki Hillard - SUAAC Welfare Officer. As a club, SUAAC considers the wellbeing of our members to be a cornerstone of the way we do things. We also pride ourselves on the level of support we give each other especially when things get difficult and can appear to be overwhelming. During 2020, with the restrictions that have been introduced to try to keep Coronavirus at bay, the need for this support has become even more evident. Beyond what we do within SUAAC to support one another, England Athletics have recently published what amounts to a helpline of support entitled ‘Coronavirus and you or your family’s wellbeing’. If you're worried about anyone, including a child, or you need advice and support for coping with anything affecting mental health or wellbeing there are many different ways to seek help. The NHS website contains a lot of valuable information: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/, which includes advice about talking to children about feelings and spotting signs of depression in adults, children and teenagers. England Athletics have also recently published what amounts to a helpline of support entitled Coronavirus and you or your family’s wellbeing and that is outlined below. Hopefully we are seeing the “light at the end of the tunnel” but the impact of Coronavirus and all the implications that go with it…