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NEWS
Trust launched to help support our sport scottishathletics have launched a new charity to help safeguard the strength and vitality of the sport for years to come. The Athletics Trust Scotland has been in the planning since 2019 and will offer an avenue for those who wish to make an impact on the sport they love, by supporting it through fundraising, donation or legacy. Ian Beattie, who will stand down as Chair of Scottish Athletics in September after nine years in that role, will lead the panel of Trustees for Athletics Trust Scotland. The Board of Trustees also includes Eilidh Doyle, Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, and Paralympian Joanna Butterfield. Adding further expertise are Mark Munro, former CEO of Scottish Athletics, and entrepreneur Paddy Burns (of 4J Studios). ‘We’ve felt for some time that we need to look for other opportunities to generate funding for athletics in Scotland and we’ve discussed at board level a number of opportunities, and the idea of forming a charity came up and has had a bit of traction, over that last year,’ said Ian Beattie.
Sophie Mullins
J
ill O’Neil has joined the Board of scottishathletics as a non-executive Director – subject to approval from the AGM. The Garscube Harriers president and Masters athlete is a well-known figure across our club community and is ready to make a valuable contribution to the governance and overall strategy of our sport. Jill’s appointment will be up for agreement
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‘The idea was that we would set something up where people across all areas who have an interest in the different aspects of the sport, can give money to athletics if they want. In time, they will see their money being used to develop the sport across a wide range of areas. ‘Hopefully this can be an important part of the income generation for athletics in Scotland going forward.’ Athletics Trust Scotland has close ties with scottishathletics but it is an independent organisation, a charity registered in Scotland with its own Board and Chair. They will make decisions on the Trust’s direction and activities, in line with the national strategy for athletics in Scotland, ‘Building a Culture for Success.’ Athletics Trust Scotland aims to make a significant impact in: • Identifying, addressing and removing barriers to participation. • Supporting early access to young people and supporting them to remain active in the sport for longer.
using physical activity as the driver. • Changing lives through physical and mental health work and working with disengaged and disadvantaged communities in Scotland. • Promoting equality and diversity in sport. • Helping to enable better access and the construction of better facilities for access to athletics and running by improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities are primarily intended. • Helping those in need by reason of age, illhealth, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage to participate in the sport of athletics and running. • Creating the conditions for success in participation and sporting excellence.
• Supporting the advancement of education
https://athleticstrustscotland.org.uk/
scottishathletics hope to send teams to the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k again this year.
and Rob Turner and Kyle Greig took silver and bronze in the Men’s race.
The 2021 event has been scheduled for Saturday 21 August in Ireland – subject to travel restrictions nearer that time.
This year, there are hopes to send male and female teams to Ireland with up to five selections in each category. The event will include the British and Scottish 100k championships, as in previous years.
Scotland performed with distinction at the last edition of the ACP when it was held in Perth two years ago. Sophie Mullins won the Women’s gold in the British championships
at our AGM later in the year. Her arrival on the Board follows a decision by Sandra Frame, of Whitemoss AAC, to stand down during 2020. Sandra served the Board for six years from 2014 to 2020 as a nonexecutive Director. During that period, Sandra was very much involved in the Board decision-making and played a key role in scottishathletics on Equality and Diversity issues which led to scottishathletics being awarded Advanced Level status in the ‘Equality Standard for Sport’ late in 2019. ‘I’d like to thank Sandra for her contribution
The venue is the Mondello Park Motor Circuit Naas in County Kildare.
to the Board over a number of years and her dedicated support for the sport via that position – and indeed through other roles,’ said Chair, Ian Beattie. ‘Jill is someone with a lot of experience and knowledge of club athletics in Scotland and is keen to help us. We welcome her to the Board and look forward to her input and insight.’ Jill has also agreed to take over from Sandra as our Board Equality Champion (with that role again subject to AGM approval later in 2021).
