Last night DH Runners were named England Athletics North West Club of the Year 2026! 🏆
We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud.
The award was open to all clubs across the North West, not just running clubs, so to be recognised in this way is a huge achievement for our little club.
We want to say a massive thank you to every one of our members, and to all of our committee members, past and present, who have helped DH Runners grow and develop into the club it is today. A special shout out has to go to Kev Mulvey, Andrew Graham and Steve Claringbold who founded our club. This award is yours as much as anyone’s.
The nomination really captured some of the things that make DH Runners special and here’s some of the things England Athletics Highlighted us for:
💙 Inclusion being at the heart of the club since we were founded in 2012 making running accessible to everyone, whatever their ability, pace, background or experience.
💙 Listening and responding to our members. For example When members told us they felt nervous about attending track nights, we introduced exclusive club track sessions. Attendance went from around 7 people to 34 at one session — a brilliant example of what can happen when we remove barriers and create the right environment.
💙 Our impact reaching far beyond our own membership. From supporting local sporting events and providing marshals and feed stations, to bringing clubs together through initiatives such as Lift the Curfew and Time to Talk Day, DH Runners has become an important part of the wider Carlisle community.
💙 Running really can change lives. Our work with The Well Communities and the You Can Run programme has helped people build confidence, routine, fitness and friendships.
There was also recognition of the amazing work of our volunteer committee, our achievement of the England Athletics Club Standards (special thank you to Christine), our social programme and all the little things that we do to make people feel welcome and part of something.
Last night, Julie Dodd, Niki Iveson, Kerrie Fiddler, Emma Taylor and I travelled to Preston for the awards evening. It was an amazing night. We heard about so many inspiring clubs, initiatives and unsung heroes doing fantastic things across athletics. It really was a privilege to be in the room.
Then came the announcement…
We couldn’t believe it when they announced third place.
Then second place.
And then…
DH Runners as the overall England Athletics North West Club of the Year for 2026!
And if that wasn’t special enough, England Athletics had sent a videographer to our Magic Mile event, and the film they made was shown on the big screen as we were announced.
It was a real goosebump moment.
Seeing our club, our members and our Magic Mile captured so brilliantly on film, and seeing the ethos of DH Runners represented so perfectly, was incredibly special. We have asked for a copy of the video and will hopefully premiere it at the AGM!
We might be a little club, but we really do have a big heart.
So, thank you to everyone who runs with us, volunteers, organises, marshals, bakes, encourages, welcomes new members, turns up to socials, supports our community projects, or simply helps make DH Runners the club it is.
This award belongs to all of you.
We are so proud of what DH Runners has become and even more excited about what we can continue to achieve together.
And as always if you haven’t any suggestions to improve our offer, please do reach out!
