Running out of time? Campaign launched to save Tooting Bec Athletics Track

Jade Johnson with her old coach Ivor Northey
Handout

A campaign has been launched to save a south London running track that has produced a Commonwealth medallist and a number of Olympic athletes.

Tooting Bec Athletics Track has been in existence for since the 1930s and is home to the Herne Hill Harriers running club.

But its track needs refurbishment and has been deemed unsuitable for competition.

Long jumper Jade Johnson - who won silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester - and Tokyo 2020 Team GB runners Niclas Baker and Katie Snowden are members of the club, which was established in 1899.

In February 2020, a report by Labosport report - which assesses the condition of tracks for use both for training and competition - concluded Tooting Bec could only be used for practice for further 18 months, until September 2021.

Since then, members past and present have since been campaigning to try and and secure an estimated £300,000-£400,000 needed to repair the track, which was the last refurbished in 1985.

Campaigners say the eight-lane track is an important asset to the sporting and local communities and has impacted the lives of thousands of young people over the years.

They say while Wandsworth Council has given some assurances the track will be maintained, it is yet to confirm any specific funding.

A petition calling for the council to commit to repairing the track has now been signed by more than 1,900 people.

Johnson - who is a patron of the running club - said: “When I was 12-years-old my stepdad brought me down to the track. Herne Hill Harriers is home. It’s not just a track. It is part of the community.

“The track is clearly on borrowed time. It is in need of refurbishment. We just want Wandsworth council to know how much this tack means to the community.”

Keith Newton, president of the club added: “This situation is the biggest threat [to the club] in terms of its existence. [Wandsworth council have given an] On paper commitment to retaining it as a track facility, but the key is them putting the money in to make it happen.”

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, MP for Tooting, said: “Tooting Bec Athletics Track is a much-loved and well-utilised facility, both by Tooting residents and the wider London community.

“The track is a home to schools, clubs, and aspiring athletes – to lose such a valuable asset in our community will be a devastating blow to so many of our young people.”

Wandsworth Council said the track was still “adequate for training purposes and for school sports events as we continue to monitor its condition.”

The council’s environment and community services spokesman Councillor Steffi Sutters said: “We have seen some claims on social media in recent days that the track is crumbling, unusable and unsafe and that its future is somehow at risk. Let me say now that these claims are totally untrue.

“We fully support and encourage our residents, especially our young people, to engage in sports activities, which is why we provide top quality sports facilities across Wandsworth, including running tracks at both Battersea Park and Tooting Common.

“We want our local schools and clubs to use these facilities as often as possible. The athletics track at Tooting remains perfectly adequate for training purposes and for school sports events as we continue to monitor its condition we will continue to have discussions with local groups, schools and sports clubs about how it can best serve its users in the future.”

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