Third World Run 2011 Annual Report

  THIRD WORLD RUN CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2011

The 2011Third World Run was held on Sunday 22 May at the Ozone Centre, Ormeau Park. This year’s Run was a milestone for us as it was our 25th Run and once again it was successful.

However, as we prepared the course and began our preparations around noon on the day of the Run, we were beset by fierce winds and heavy rain. Our efforts to erect the gazebo near the finish ended in disaster: it nearly blew away and several of the metal poles were bent out of shape. We had to abandon our efforts and we wrote off the gazebo.

We had asked Derek Mason to let us have the use of his portable PA system but the stand was very unstable in the wind so Derek very kindly stayed with us and we had the use of his van and the full PA system for the entire day. Derek had another venue to attend but he decided to stay and help us out all day.

Despite the atrocious weather conditions earlier in the day, there was a great improvement as people started to arrive for the event and the 10K Run, 3K Run and 3K Family Fun Walk took place under clear skies and in pleasant sunshine.

Laurence Frazer, our Vice Chairman, did a magnificent job in recruiting and organizing marshals and he was ably assisted by Kate Pollock who works with the Special Olympics. This was our best year yet for marshalling and participants commented on the efficiency of the marshals generally and on their help and encouragement along the route.

Once again first aid services were provided by Ambutran under the direction of Alastair Ferguson and I am glad to report that there were no serious medical emergencies.

Almost 400 people took part and the Committee are delighted that we are supported year after year by a devoted band of runners and that we are attracting new participants each year.

Among those who took part were teachers and pupils from St Colman’s Primary School, Derriaghy, Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock and a fantastic group from the Special Olympics. The Keag Family and Friends ran or walked to commemorate Paul Keag, who died last year. Paul had been very active in fundraising for charity and the group felt this was a very fitting way to remember him.

Unfortunately, it would appear that there are now more and more running events in the period from the middle of May to the middle of June – more than in the early years of the Third World Run – and it is becoming more difficult to obtain publicity and also to attract larger numbers.

With the Belfast Marathon just a few weeks earlier, the Belfast Telegraph sponsored RunHer the week before our Run and the Race for Life the week after, we were ‘sandwiched’ between three major events. Even though our Run is very different from the others, nevertheless they had an impact on our entries.
In view of this, the Committee have decided to bring the date of our Run forward to either the last or the second last Sunday in April. It was decided that next year’s Run would, therefore, be on Sunday 22 April 2012.

However, when we applied for our annual affiliation to Athletics NI, Jenni Robinson informed me that two other events were scheduled on that day – one being the Belfast 10K Titanic Run. As 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, we considered that there would be enormous interest in this event and that our own Run could suffer. Accordingly, we have changed the date to Sunday 29 April.

A total of £6000 was available for distribution to the four benefiting agencies. Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam Ireland and Trocaire each received £1500. Most of the money raised comes from entry fees, entrants’ sponsorship and donations, with a small amount from the sale of T-shirts.

Our attempts to obtain publicity for the Run in the months prior to the event proved to be as difficult as ever. As this was our 25th Run, we had hoped that the media would be interested in covering a unique cross-community event that began in the dark days of the Troubles and was still going strong 25 years later. We also felt (and suggested) that the media could use their archive material to remind people of the 1986 Bob Geldof-inspired Run the World event to raise
much needed money to alleviate famine in Ethiopia. We emphasised the following:

 At 11am on Sunday 25 May 1986 an absolutely fantastic and unique world-wide event took place—the world united when over 20 million men, women and children in 274 cities in 78 countries ran or walked 10 kilometres to raise much needed money to alleviate famine in Ethiopia
BELFAST WAS ONE OF THOSE CITIES
Three people who took part in this event, Dr Tom Wilson, John McGill and John Watson, were
so inspired that they decided, along with some other interested persons (including our Vice
Chairman Laurence Frazer), to organise a Belfast Third World Run the following year.
 
The Belfast Third World Run was deliberately organised so that it would attract cross-community support, with the money raised being distributed to four of the main charities engaged in relief and development work in Third World countries.

Two of these were the major aid agencies of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches – Christian Aid and Trocaire – along with two non-denominational agencies, Concern Worldwide and Oxfam Ireland.

The organising committee, which is entirely voluntary, was also drawn from different sections of the local community, along with representatives of each of the four benefiting charities

We are grateful to The Irish News, the Community Telegraph and the South Belfast News for the very welcome publicity they afforded us with excellent articles and photographs.

We asked the then Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Patrick Convery, to hold a reception in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour to launch the 25th Third World Run. The Lord Mayor was keen to support our work and he hosted an informal reception on Tuesday 22 March. As well as launching the 2011 Run, the reception also commemorated the Run the World and the inaugural Third World Run.

Present at the Reception were current and former members of the Belfast Third World Run Committee, Edel Brady (teacher) and two students from Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock, Dorothy Frazer of Frazer & Cleaver Black IFS Ltd, Karen Gallagher (Head of Concern Worldwide in Northern Ireland), Deborah Doherty (Church and Community Manager of Christian Aid) and some long-time supporters of the Third World Run.

Representatives of Oxfam Ireland, Trocaire, some of our sponsors, our Patrons Lady Anne McCollum, David Dunseith and John Daly and several people who were veterans of the 1986 Run the World event were also invited but were unable to attend.

The Lord Mayor was an excellent host. While light refreshments were being served, he circulated round the room chatting to the guests and making them feel most welcome. He was very agreeable in posing for various photographs for the media and for our own photographers. The Reception was a great success and our thanks are extended to the Lord Mayor and his team.

The Lord Mayor also acted as Official Starter for the 10K and the 3K events on the day of the Run. Once again he moved around the general area talking to participants and spectators and proved very amenable to numerous calls for photos.

For some time now, the four agencies and some of our committee members have expressed reservations about the continued use of the term ‘Third World’ suggesting that, not only was it rather outdated but was regarded as being insulting.

It was agreed to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss and vote on two proposals to change the name of the organization. This EGM was held at Concern Worldwide on 14 September 2012 and it was unanimously agreed to change the name to ‘The Belfast One World Run’ and to amend the Constitution accordingly.

At an ordinary meeting following the EGM it was decided to engage in a rebranding exercise involving the name, the logo and the layout of the various forms and publicity material to promote a new image while still retaining a link to the previous 25 years. A small subcommittee was set up to undertake this task.

In view of these impending changes, I felt that a new and fresh approach was needed and I have decided to step down as Chairman at this year’s AGM. I hope that a new Chairman with different ideas and style will complement the new image.

On behalf of the Committee, I should like to thank a number of people who have consistently supported us over the years:
• Our Patron – Lady Anne McCollum (and family)
• The Management and Staff of the Ozone Centre
• Ray Mullan, Collar and Tie Menswear, Lisburn who has provided us with T-shirts every year
• Frazer and Cleaver Black, Independent Financial Services Ltd for continuing sponsorship and undertaking much of the administration of the Run
• Patrick McCarney of Hilltop B & B for continuing sponsorship
• John McGill for providing trophies and prizes
• Derek Mason for supplying and operating the PA system for a nominal fee
• Denis Kelly and Derek Kelly for setting out the course and organizing the marshals
• Our volunteers and marshals
• Karishma and Saatchi who did tremendous work in capturing the day’s events on camera and in providing us with a great photographic record of the 25th Third World Run.
• The PSNI for the supply and delivery of marking cones and for their very visible presence and help on the day of the Run

Those who actually took part in the Run and most especially those who have done so tirelessly year after year deserve a special vote of thanks. We are also indebted to those runners who continue to raise sponsorship from friends, family and colleagues despite the economic downturn.

My personal thanks are due to the members of the Third World Run Committee for their support, help and dedication over the past few years when I acted as Chairman.

During the past year one of our patrons, John Daly, moved to the Republic for career reasons and has really been unable to continue in that role. As we all know, another one of our patrons, David Dunseith, died during the year.

Over the years both of them were untiring in their support and encouragement and often turned up on the day of the Run to demonstrate their commitment. We will miss them.

Finally, in the week before the Run, mindless vandals destroyed our two banners by spraying the word’ SCUM’ in large black letters right across the banners. For two weeks the banners had been prominently displayed at the entrance gates of the Ozone Centre at Ormeau Park in advance of the Run. Each year these banners have been displayed in the same position and this is the first time they have been vandalised. The banners are ruined and will have to be replaced at some considerable expense.

John Watson, Chairman, 18 January 2012

A little footnote: I have been informed by Tom Wilson that he and his son-in-law have managed to repair the gazebo and it should be available for the 2012 Run.