After a fallow year in 2020 due to the pandemic, the English Schools Athletics Championships are due to make a welcome return this year.  The dates and locations are as follows:

Membership payment is now due and will be required to continue to access the stadium and training.

The main fees for 2021/22 are as follows:-

Senior   £175

Under 18 / Over 60    £120

Family of 3 or more    10% saving on total fees payable

Other fees apply for second claim athletes, athletes living or studying away from Bedford orwho study at the University of Bedfordshire. These can be found on the full list of fees.

WHAT TO DO

1. Let us know of any details that have changed. It is crucial that we have up to date contact details as well as emergency contact details and information on any medical and health related matters.  If you don’t think we have up to date information please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with changes.

Alternatively you can complete a paper form and drop it in to the gate on training nights.

2. Make a payment by bank transfer. Please make a bank transfer for the full amount to the following account.

Account Name:  Bedford & County Athletic Club Limited

Sort code:  40 24 20

Account:  01757210

Please put the first initial and surname of the athlete as the reference.  Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

Bedford and County will be taking part in the 2021 Eastern Masters Athletics Club (EMAC) Track and field League.

The EMAC League Match dates and Venues are as follows :-

• 02 June at Sandy
• 30 June at Cambridge
• 28 July at Bedford
• 01 September at Milton Keynes

To take part in the EMAC league you need to be 35 or over, and you also need to join EMAC as a second claim member, which costs £12.  If you would like to take part, please contact the Men's Masters Team Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or the Women's Masters Team Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The South of England Athletic Association (SEAA) have published their competition prospectus for 2021.  This provides information about the Southern Championships, including the dates of the senior championships, and the various age group and combined events championships.  You can read a copy here.  The prospectus doesn't seem to tell you how to enter, but you can mark the dates in your diary, and then keep your eye on the SEAA website, which will likely provide entry information in due course.

In line with England Athletics guideance, and eased government restrictions, Stadium and Public Space Training Will both resume on Tuesday 30th March.

The club has received confirmation from Fusion that we will be able to access the stadium through the side gate from next Tuesday, 30th March. This will be under the same terms as before lockdown.  There will be bookable club sessions on Tuesday and Thursday 5.30 to 6.30 and 6.40 to 7.40, and Sunday 10.30 to 11.30 and 11.40 to 12.40.  The stadium building will not be open and therefore there will unfortunately be no access to toilets.

We are trying to arrange for Pole Vault and High Jump beds to be available from the start of step 2, or earlier if possible, but cannot confirm this yet.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to book a slot at the stadium, or click here to find out how to book public space training.

Our wheelchair racers who have all done remarkably well throughout the recent lockdown are eagerly anticipating the return to training on the track on Sunday 4th April.  We have now received one set of rollers and two more are being delivered this coming week.  This will enable all racers to have a set of purpose built rollers for their own use and will save having to use bricks and the like to prop up their chairs for indoor training.

Some other good news this week.  Varun Bandi was nominated several months ago for an Award in an initiative promoted by the Bedford Independent newspaper.  We are delighted to announce that Varun won the Young Achiever of the Year award - he has a habit of winning as he won the Disabled Sporting Star at the 2018 Sport Bedford awards and was also shortlisted in 2019.

Following England Athletics’ recent statement about the return of athletics, which you can find here, the committee have been actively planning the club’s reopening.  We are excited and optimistic about the prospects for the 2021 summer season, and would like to offer members the following update:

• We believe there will be considerable opportunity for competition this summer, including open meetings, leagues, championships, road races, and Park Runs.  We think that competitions will operate with some restrictions in place at first, but expect these to ease, and then lift as the year progresses.
• Public Space Covid Secure Training (off track training) will return from Tuesday 30th March – the public space booking system will reopen from 23rd March.
• The club are working with Fusion to reopen the stadium for training as soon as possible.  Many Fusion staff are furloughed, and they are currently working out their own plan for a return.
• Our reasonable best case scenario is that we may be able to return to training at the stadium on 30th March, initially administering access to the stadium ourselves, with Fusion staff returning at some point during April.  However, whilst we are reasonably optimistic, we do not control the timeframe.

Howard Darbon provides an update about the club's growing Wheelchair Racing Section:
It has been difficult for members of the Wheelchair Racing section to train in recent weeks because of the cold weather and the absence of proper training rollers.  However, all that has changed recently with the good news that we have qualified to receive over £2500 from a Sport England grant which will enable us to purchase 3 sets of purpose built training rollers which will enable all members to train at home.

Are you interested in volunteering for Bedford and County?  The club is looking for people to fill some key roles.

This is just to let everybody know that the Bedford and County committee is actively discussing plans for 2021, including league competition, and how to get the club up and running again once the current restrictions have been eased.  We would love to be in a position to give more information about the timescales for a return to training and competition.  However, we are, like everybody, waiting for a government announcement.  If the pattern of previous lockdowns apply, this will be followed by an England Athletics announcement, and at that point the club will be in a better position to know what it is possible for us to do, and when.  In the meantime, we hope everybody is managing to stay fit and healthy, and is doing their best to prepare for competition, whenever that may be.

Are you interested in volunteering for Bedford and County?  Michael Headley, who has been our membership secretary for some time, is stepping down, and so we are looking for somebody new to look after this side of the club.

Membership secretary is an admin, backoffice role, but it is essential for the club.  It will be particularly imporant as the club tries to encourage new members (particularly youngsters) when the current restrictions are eased.  It is a role that you can do in your own time.  It involves maintaining a database of members, updating the England Athletics portal with our members' information, keeping stakeholders such as coaches and Team Managers up-to-date about membership changes, and also complying with Data Protection legislation.  Michael also maintains the Mailchimp emailing system.  There tends to be a lot of work to do in April, when annual memberships renew, and it is a little quieter at other times.

If you would like to take the role on, please contact club chairman, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"In response to Bedfordshire being placed in Tier 4, and the rapid rise in cases locally, we have decided to suspend all training activity both at the stadium and in public spaces. Please adhere to Government  guidance when training on your own in public spaces.  We will keep this decision under review as the situation develops."