Fiona Healy has won England Athletics' North West award for services to athletics, after more than 20 years coaching and officiating at Bury Athletic Club.
A volunteer who has spent more than 20 years at Bury Athletic Club has won the sport’s governing body award for services to athletics and running.
Fiona Healy was one of three winners in that category at the England Athletics North West Regional Volunteer Awards, held in Preston on Friday. England Athletics published the full list of winners on Sunday 20 September. It was one of four regional ceremonies that weekend.
She is the only winner on the North West list from a club in the Bury borough.
What the citation says
England Athletics wrote its own account of why she won. It says she “has devoted more than 20 years to athletics through coaching, officiating and volunteer leadership at Bury Athletic Club”, and that her work “has helped countless children gain confidence, improve performance and develop a lifelong love of sport”.
One line in it is worth pulling out, because it describes a problem every small athletics club in the country has:
Beyond coaching, Fiona stepped forward to qualify as a starter and official when these roles were urgently needed, ensuring competitions could continue successfully.
Without qualified starters, timekeepers and field judges, a track meeting cannot legally be run. Clubs routinely lose fixtures for want of them.
Services to Athletics and Running is the governing body’s long service category. England Athletics sets the bar at 15 or more years of involvement, with a significant impact on the volunteer’s community.
The North West winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Club of the Year | DH Runners (2nd Seaton Athletic Club, 3rd Helsby Running Club) |
| Unsung Hero of the Year | Ten winners, from Eden Runners, Wirral AC, Wigan Harriers, Levenshulme Runners, Ambleside AC, Hyndburn AC, Isle of Man Athletics Association, Manx Fell Runners and Nantwich Running Club |
| Unsung Project of the Year | Lostock AC wellbeing project (runner up Chester Triathlon Club, Dabbers Dash) |
| Services to Athletics and Running | Angela Pike (Leigh Harriers), Fiona Healy (Bury Athletic Club), Steve Duxbury (Rossendale Harriers) |
The club behind it
Bury Athletic Club trains at the track on Market Street, opposite Bury College. On its own website it describes itself as a registered charity, number 1193322, “run entirely by volunteers”.
It is not a small operation punching below its weight. The club was promoted into the West Premier Division of the North of England Track and Field League, and finished third in its opening fixture there against Trafford, Blackburn and Sale, by its own report of the meeting.
What it means for you
The club is short of exactly the kind of help the award was given for. Its Can You Help? page asks for field officials, track judges, timekeepers, people to supervise younger groups during training, and prospective coaches.
Two practical points from that page:
- you do not need experience. The club says that if you want to help with officiating “but feel you lack the experience”, you should enquire through the membership form
- the training is paid for. “Our volunteers can be provided places on the England Athletics officials course,” the club says
Anyone wanting to coach is asked to speak to the club’s coaching development manager, John Conroy, at the track. The club’s general address is info@buryac.co.uk.
If you are looking for other things to do locally, our guide to things to do in Bury covers what is on across the borough.
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