Annual Awards at AGM 2023
As usual in the Serpentine RC Annual General Meeting, which was held last Wednesday, three members were chosen by the committee to be awarded for their outstanding effort in the past year. Congratulations to Lindsey Chiswick, Kim Pflaum, and Andrea Sanders-Reece for winning the 2023 awards!
John Stonham Farewell Cup
The trophy is awarded annually to the runner who, in the judgement of the Committee, inspires others by being 1) a new runner who shows significant "improvement, but not necessarily victories" 2) an experienced runner returning from injury or illness or 3) a member showing enthusiasm in the sport even without victory.
This year we are awarding the cup to Kim Pflaum, who shows a lot of enthusiasm in sport. She joined the club during Covid as a near-beginner runner. Since then, she has entered several half-marathons. She is generous in her runs supporting beginners and those running more slowly than her where needed, she comes to every session with a smile. She branched out into triathlon – after a couple of years competing in sprint and Olympic distance events, she completed her first half-ironman in the Outlaw Half Holkham weekend in Norfolk in July 2023. Well done, Kim!
David Simpson Memorial Trophy
David Simpson, who was a long-standing Serpentine member, passed away in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. He was kind enough to leave the club a legacy, a part of which was used to inaugurate the David Simpson Memorial Trophy, which is awarded on an annual basis for achievement in hill and off road running, both of which were close to David's heart.
This year we award this trophy to Andrea Sanders-Reece, an accomplished runner and triathlete who is also an experienced coach. Recognising the gap in our training plan for a Central London hill session, she started the Primrose Hill Thursday session a few years ago. Over the years this has adapted to meet the needs of those attending, and it is well-attended to the point of needing additional groups. Now that she lives a bit further away from Primrose Hill, she has arranged for additional run leaders (amongst all Avril Riddell, whom Andrea has said we must mention – thanks Avril!) to run sessions and provide a resilient approach to coaching. Many congratulations and a massive thank you, Andrea!
Secretary's Shield
This trophy is awarded annually to the club member (or members) who, in the personal judgement of the Honorary Secretary, has greatly contributed to the club, above and beyond what might be expected from an ordinary member. With no secretary in place, the Committee collectively agreed a member who deserves this honour.
The award this year goes to Lindsey Chiswick, another member who joined during Covid. After the pandemic, she took up the management of the monthly trail runs, continuing the Club’s great tradition of taking to the trails whether it is summer or winter. She keeps these running, month in, month out, in turn encouraging our members to run outside of London. Her organisation is meticulous – not only would she check the run route beforehand, and most of the time at the exact route shortly before the runs take place, but also it always ends up in a pub and allows our runners to rehydrate and hang out socially afterwards! (For those who want to experience what the Serpie trail runs are like, please come to the next one in the Chilterns on Sunday 24th Sept - details are here.)
Congratulations and thank you, Lindsey!
Unfortunately Kim, Andrea, and Lindsey could not make the AGM, but as a Committee we will make sure the trophies are given to them, hopefully in a club event in the near future.
Submitted: 14 September 2023