The Club Committee has been putting into place an action plan for the return of official club runs based on the advice, guidance and requirements of England Athletics.

In the short term, club runs will be delivered in a very different way than previously. This is set out in the risk assessment and the plans are being put in place to minimise as much as possibe the risk of covid-19 transmission during official club runs Pre-booking will be required and group size will be limited to 6. Sessions will be for club members only. If you are not a member, but would like to join or re-join, please complete the membership form and email it to us (potterstrotters@yahoo.com) or contact us via our contact form. We will then send you details of current membership fees and payment instructions and invite you along to club runs.

Official runs will be offered at a range of different types on weekdays and weekends, based on the availability of individual run leaders. Official runs will be advertised via a range of different channels and members will be provided with options for signing-up / confirming attendance using SPOND. Members should not attend without pre-booking. 

Any club members attending the official sessions will be asked to adhere to a new covid-19 code of conduct, which covers guidelines for before, during and after participation in the club sessions. Club members should also read the risk assessment.

Prior to participating, members should undertake a self-assessment for any Covid-19 symptoms. No-one should attend a club session if they, or someone they live with, has any of the following: a high temperature (above 37.8°C), a new, continuous cough and/or a loss of, or change to, their sense of smell or taste. Members are responsible for taking into account their own specific health risks or the health risks of others in their household.

Whilst participating in official club sessions, members should follow instructions from the run leader and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Members are responsible for bringing own hand sanitiser etc as appropriate and adhering to basic guidance about hygiene. 

After participating, all members must notify the run leader in the event that they develop symptoms of COVID-19 (as listed above) in the 14 days after participating in club activity.

We hope this new approach will enable more of our members to get back to running regularly in as safe a way as we can manage in the short term. Please note that if there are further changes to the Government guidelines on covid-19 such as limits on mixing between households, the plans / risk assessment will be revised and any changes implemented as required. 

We might not be able to meet together as a big group at the moment, but that doesn't mean we won't still be running and supporting each to complete a new challenge this summer.
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There are 120 different localities, neighbourhoods, villages and towns within a radius of about 7 miles from our usual meeting spot at Staffordshire University. And within those localities, there are some special landmarks that mean something to us. We've picked 12 of those.

So during August, we are challenging ourselves as a club (or individually if you are feeling particularly adventurous) to complete a run in each location and also stop off for a selfie at each of the special landmarks too. You can download a checklist here

The 120 localities are listed below... any that you don't recognise? 

And here are the bonus locations as chosen by members of Potters Trotters as their favourite local landmarks:

1. Mow Cop Castle
2. The Trees in Central Forest Park
3. The Bandstand in Hanley Park
4. Stanley Matthews Statue at Bet 365 Stadium
5. The Clocktower in Tunstall
6. The Big Blue Wheel at Apedale
7. Wedgwood Memorial on Bignall Hill
8. Chatterley Whitfield
9. Onwards and Upwards Fenton Monument
10. Park Hall Country Park
11. Harecastle Tunnel / Trent and Mersey Canal
12. Arnold Bennett Statue at the Potteries Museum

Where will your runs take you this August? 

If you need some inspiration, why not pick one of these challenges:
A landmark or locality you've never visited before for a run
A route taking you to at least 6 different localities 
A route between two landmarks 
A route where you can spell out a word with the first letter of each locality
Go East to West or North to South - how many localities can you pass through in 60 minutes from your front door.
Go off road - pick a locality and find a trail run
Complete a special running session - hill reps in Heron Cross, fartlek in Festival Park, speed work in Sneyd Green or a tempo run in Trentham, progression run at Park Hall

We also have our 5k relay challenge taking place over the weekend of 8th/9th August - once you know who is in in your team, why not work out a plan to tick off as many different localities as you can. Bonus prizes will be available.
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And if you come up with a challenge of your own, don't forget to share it.

During June, join us for 9 virtual club sessions and a scavenger hunt. We want everyone to stay active and enjoy exploring their surroundings within social distancing guidelines of course. Can you find an old postbox whilst running up a very big hill? Or spell out your name with street signs whilst running your favourite route in reverse? Where's the hidden gem you have discovered during lockdown? 
Have fun and enjoy.

Some hints and tips:

1. Trees - https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/
2. Post boxes - https://www.localpostbox.co.uk/
3. Road signs - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/traffic-signs
4. Local street names - http://www.thepotteries.org/streets/
5. Sculpture trail - https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/see-and-do/stoke-on-trent-sculpture-trail-p791201

Charlotte has put together another club newsletter - this time, it's filled with lots of ideas to occupy ourselves in current circumstances - learn a new skill, read a book, try some new recipes, do some stretches, share your ideas with each other. Please do have a read. Thanks Charlotte and everyone who has contributed. Get in touch if you'd like to contribute something to our next edition. 

Our April Newsletter has been compiled by club member Charlotte to provide us with some tips, hints and ideas for managing our well-being at this challenging time. Please do have a read. Thanks Charlotte and everyone who has contributed.
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A selection of challenges, ideas and suggestions to help everyone stay motivated over the summer. Most challenges can be completed by running or walking and some don’t involve running at all. We will also be fundraising for our 3 nominated charities (Bowel Cancer UK, Chelsea Burley Trust and Cystic Fibrosis Trust) via the Potters Trotters Team Page on Virgin Money - https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/PottersTrotters1 #potterstrotterssummerchallenge2019
Here are the challenges:

1. Alphabet - Cross off the letters of the alphabet from the street names on your summer runs… can you get all 26?
2. Beach - Take off your shoes and get your feet wet!
3. Book Club - A book club on the go… get together with friends for a run&talk all about your favourite running books and blogs
4. Border - go across county or country boundaries during your run
5. Bottle Kilns - Choose a route to try and spot as many of the 47 remaining bottle kilns in Stoke-on-Trent *
6. Canal - The Trent & Mersey and Caldon are on our doorstep but there are many more to explore and not too far away **
7. Castle - Find a route that takes you to a castle, the bigger the better
8. Double - Two runs/walks in one day
9. Fancy Dress - Pick a theme and have some fun
10. Follow The Leader- Get a group of friends and take it in turns to get to the front and choose the route. Don’t plan in advance!
11. Forest - Get lost in the woods
12. Freedom - Complete a parkrun route but not on parkrunday
13. Headtorch - Wait until it’s dark and then run with your headtorch – a run best done with friends
14. Ice Lolly - Decide whether to wait until the end or stop for refreshments mid-run?
15. Island - Anglesey? Isle of Man? Isle of Wight? Isle of Arran? Holy Island? So many to choose from… you just need to cross the sea first!
16. Lake - You don’t have to be able to get all the way round
17. Mile - Complete a mile as fast as you can
18. Naked - Run without technology – no Garmin, no Strava, no Fitbit! 
19. National Park - Just like the Islands, so many choices – the Peak District is closest but there are mountains in Snowdonia!
20. Picnic - Enjoy a leisurely run then share a picnic – another challenge best done with friends and family
21. Progression - Get faster with every mile - last mile should be the fastest
22. Race - Sign up for an event and give it your best effort
23. Relay - Take part in a relay event
24. River - Swap canals for rivers… and the Trent for the Thames at Windsor? Or the Dee in Chester? Or the Ouse in York?
25. Steps - Find a route that involves a series of steps – can you complete 10 climbs before continuing?
26. Strength - Complete a strength workout every week
27. Sunrise - Get up early and watch the sun rise whilst you’re running
28. Sunset - Stay out late and run or walk whilst the sun sets 
29. Train - Go for a run then catch the train home (even if its just from Longton to Stoke) or catch the train and run home
30. Volunteer - Volunteer at a running event

* Bottle Kiln Map: https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/whats-left.html
** Canal Map: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network​

​Warming up ahead of our the launch of our challenge.... getting ready to run our fastest mile (challenge #17).