The 19th Annual General Meeting of The Saxons was held at the Saxmundham Sports and Recreational Club, The Sports Ground, Carlton Park on Tuesday 15th April 2025 at 7.45pm
Chair’s Report by John Axtell
I am delighted to report that The Saxmundham Running and Fitness Club continues to grow from strength to strength. In 2025 the club celebrated its 20th year of existence. Lifetime President, Gordon Merfield’s commitment and vision led to the establishment of The Saxons in 2005, and since then countless individuals have him, and many others who have been instrumental in keeping the club flourishing, to thank for providing a safe and welcoming place to improve and maintain their fitness and running. The annual membership fee has been held at £32, which is certainly excellent value for money in these times of rising costs.
Coaches
The club now has over 80 members and it is not unusual to see an incredible 50% turn out on Tuesday evening’s running sessions. The Thursday evening strength training sessions have grown to be so popular that the coaches now provide an additional mid-week circuit training sessions on Wednesdays. I personally can attest to the fact that the highly supportive, fully inclusive and non-judgmental ethos of the club encourages runners of all abilities and ages to feel welcome, and this undoubtedly is one reason why membership continues to grow. The coaches deserve thanks from us all, as it is they who make the sessions so much fun whilst being challenging and supportive in equal measure. I am pleased to report that Tina, Keelan and Mike Knee have all successfully undertaken coaching courses this year, which strengthens the coaching team even further. I would encourage other members to consider developing their skills, and to aspire to coaching roles in the future.
Events
Members of our club participate in a huge range of running events: locally, nationally and even internationally. Some members are aspiring to run their first parkrun, whilst others compete in ultra-marathons. Many members have been supported in meeting their own personal challenges by the dedicated volunteer coaching team. It is inspirational to see members participate in a huge range of events. Parkruns remain popular among many members, and the introduction of our monthly ‘Saxons on Tour’ events at local parkruns has been a successful addition to our social events calendar. Every year we have great support for our cross-country team (alongside the Woodbridge Shufflers). Other hotly anticipated events include the Friday 5 series and the annual Ekiden race. Another relatively new opportunity for members to try something different are the track sessions in Ipswich which some members are really enjoying. Huge thanks are due to all those who organise and coordinate these events particularly Tina, Gary Lowe and Chris Lucas. We also enjoy various social runs and other social events throughout the year, including summer rounders and Christmas quizzes which bring us together for informal fun (thanks to James for leading these).
Records
The club recognises members’ successes through our results and records reports which are compiled monthly, thanks to James and Gary Lowe. The stand out result of the year is Head Coach James’ race representing Suffolk at the UK Athletics Cross Country Challenge Final. Well done to James and all our runners. The coaches also recognise member’s efforts through the ‘Saxon of the Month’ awards.
Beginners
We continue to offer a very popular Beginner’s Course which will start again on 6th May. Every year new members join The Saxons following their graduation from this introduction to running. It is a real strength of the club that we can provide non-runners an accessible and enjoyable entry route into our sport in this way. Special thanks to James for his excellent leadership of this successful course.
Five Mile Race
Our biggest event of the year is always the Saxons Five Mile Race held annually in October. This is a well attended and popular fixture for many local and regional runners. In 2025 the race will be part of the Suffolk County Athletics Association’s Grand Prix Series, so we expect it to be a sellout event. Alongside the main event we are delighted to welcome junior runners for their own events. All members get heavily involved in the successful organisation and on-the-day running of this major event – thank you to you all. Special thanks to Sarah Vick who so ably led as Race Director in 2024, and to the race committee who were all so instrumental in making sure that the event was the success that it was.
Thanks
I would like to thank all of the club coaches (and Head Coach, James), our club Secretary (Tina), our Treasurer (Sarah Vick), Publicity Officer (Karen), Carlton Sports Club Representatives (Jo and Richard) and Vice Chair (Ann) for all of their considerable efforts throughout the year. It is only through your combined efforts that the club continues to thrive. During the past year we have seen the launch of our new website thanks to Karen and the upgrading of our strength training equipment thanks to James. I would also like to thank all members who contribute to making the Saxons such a vibrant community which provides mutual support, inspiration and encouragement to us all.
John Axtell (Chair)