09/06/2026
Thank you all for coming along tonight to celebrate our 5 year anniversary of Fitmums & Friends Market Weighton.
Thank you The half moon for hosting us and Thank you Leigh for the food.
Our journey actually started back in February 2020 when we held our first information evening and taster sessions. We were full of excitement and ready to launch, but then along came COVID and put paid to all our plans. Like so many things at that time, everything had to be put on hold.
Thankfully, we eventually got going, and on 8th June 2021 we held our very first officialāand socially distancedāclub run.
Looking back, we started with just 17 members. Since then we've grown, at one point reaching 61 members, and what an incredible journey it's been.
I want to take a moment to thank those who were with us right from the very beginning. Our first members were Caroline, Natalie, Sallie, Sian and Faye, followed closely by Tracey, Jayne, Jo, Julie, Lisa, Christine, Leigh, Lyn, Lauren, Sarah, Helen, Claire B and Claire D.
Thank you for taking a chance on a brand-new club and for sticking with us through those early days. Without you, we wouldn't be here today.
Over the years we've run through sunshine, fog, wind and rain. Some of our members have had babies and then come back and joined us again.
Friendships have been formed, confidence has grown, and lifelong bonds have been created.
There have been trips, slips and fallsāor, as we prefer to call them, "arse over t**s" moments! There have been injuries too, although if I started listing them all we'd be here all night.
There have been personal goals smashed, weight-loss journeys achieved, races completed, first 5Ks, first 10Ks, half marathons and marathons, so many individual victories along the way.
And of course, we've tackled Hill Rise and Beadale Road approximately seventy billion times. Yet somehow, five years later, we still manage to grumble about them every single week!š¤£
None of this would be possible without our fantastic leadership team.
A huge thank you to Caroline, Catherine, Christine, Lee, Sian, Tracey, Jayne, Sarah and Vicki.
Thank you also to those who regularly step in and help us outāAlex, Darren and Lisa.
And a special thank you to my two fabulous co-ordinators, Leigh and Lyn. Between the three of us, we almost manage to coordinate the club most of the time!
I'd also like us to take a moment to remember our dear friend and leader Mike.
Mike gave so much to this club. He supported countless members on their running journeys, inspired others to become leaders, and always had time to encourage those around him. He is greatly missed, but his influence remains a part of who we are and what we do.
Most importantly, thank you to every single one of you!!
Because at the end of the day, Fitmums & Friends isn't about the miles we run, the hills we climb, or the races we enter.
It's about people.
It's about friendship, support, laughter, encouragement and belonging.
Our members are what makes this club what it is.
Tonight we celebrated
Friendships old and new.
Memories we've made.
Those whom are no longer with us but never forgotten.
And most importantly...
Fitmums & Friends. š„°
Cheers Jess š„
