A big thank you to Dave and Denise Mullins who, against the odds delivered a magnificent orienteering event at Hamptworth – now called Franchises Wood – last Sunday; which attracted over 300 runners – a 100 of which turned up on the day! Dave had found an ideal assembly and parking area in the middle of the wood which we used for the first time and which had a peace and tranquility about it.
The new tent facilitated communication between the registration and computer teams and was admired by many.
We are most grateful to Nick Tomlin and the RSPB for allowing us to continue our relationship with Hamptworth. Dave had been to Hamptworth and planned all his courses by the end of June – only to be told at the end of September that Natural England had embargoed the best area of the wood, which all his courses went through, because of Stag Beetles and Lichen. All Dave’s courses had to be replanned although Natural England agreed he could keep his White, Yellow and Orange in the SSSi area as they were all on paths. This involved more trips to the wood for Dave and we are very grateful to him for his persistence.
The day dawned warmer than had been forecast and the rain held off for the most part – which may have contributed to the high numbers on the day. Although a lot of people were away on holiday, Denise managed to get a viable team to run the event. Thank you to everyone who helped with such good humour.
Many runners commented on how much they had enjoyed their courses. See the results here – https://sarumo.org.uk/results/swoa-galoppen-scoa-league/
Well done Dave, Denise and their team!