Concerns over Morpeth Harriers athletics track collapse

Jul 29 2009 by David Black, The Journal

CONCERNS were voiced yesterday over the likely collapse of plans to finally provide a proud North East athletics club with its own running track as part of a £1m, dual-sports complex.

Morpeth Harriers was formed in 1947 and went on to become the top track and field outfit in the region, despite suffering the permanent handicap of not having its own synthetic track on which to compete and train.

Home league matches have to be held almost 20 miles away at Jarrow and the club was relegated from the national league some years ago, mainly because of its lack of facilities.

A solution looked to be in sight recently, with plans to give the Harriers a six-lane, all-weather track and associated field event facilities as part of a major revamp of Morpeth’s Craik Park, which is the home ground of the town’s Northern League football club.

The project also included improved changing and playing facilities for Morpeth Town FC and the town’s junior football clubs.

But funding problems associated with the football element of the scheme now mean it is in serious danger of not going ahead.

Instead, council bosses are pursuing an alternative option of building the Harriers’ track at a school in the Morpeth area, where the club could use existing changing facilities. Council funding of £300,00 remains in place for the track project, but a promised £300,000 from Sport England could be lost if there are further delays.