Runners in bid to raise £350k to save Hereford athletics track

Fred Tyler, Bronwen Tyler-Jones, Eva Tyler Nicola Tyler, Paul Gilbert, Andy Tyler

Runners from across Herefordshire have launched a campaign save the county's athletics track.

The 400m track at Herefordshire Leisure Centre was laid in 1988, but those who use it say it has had few repairs and has deteriorated.

Local running groups are now trying to raise £350,000 to have the track re-laid.

It is feared that without a swift repair, it will not obtain a permit from England Athletics next year.

It would mean hopes of hosting competitions would be thwarted as the state of the ground would not meet the required standards.

Campaigners fear the state of the track could mean it won't be granted a permit by from England Athletics next year

During a visit to the site, runners reported seeing cracks, holes and overflowing grass making it unsafe for training groups.

"It is really important for us, there are a lot of people in Hereford who are trying to compete as best as they can, it is a shame that it could go," Charlie Jones of the Western Tempo Running Club, told Radio Hereford and Worcester.

Eliot Taylor, from the same club added: "It doesn't bring us the training quality that we need in Hereford without having to go further afield to other locations, which is a real disappointment.

Andy Tyler, a coach at Hereford Athletics Club, said without the work Herefordshire would be one of the only counties in England without a track.

The BBC has contacted Halo Leisure, a charity and social enterprise company, which manages the track on behalf of Herefordshire Council and is responsible for its safety and repair.

Runners are trying to raise £350,000 to have the track re-laid