Joe's Leaving Meal

As per the email newsletter sent out on the 11th of August, our club chair and owner Joe Wenman will be stepping down from the position at the end of August. Join us for food and drinks to celebrate a fantastic three years, and toast the future of our wonderful club. We will meet at Steam in Clifton at 7pm on the 31st of August. 

Dear members of Bristol Trail Runners,

The past three years, since I started Bristol Trail Runners, have been some of the most fulfillung, exciting and rewarding years of my life. What started as a small Facebook group, became a unique and special community that I am extremely proud of. 

At the end of August, I will be moving away from Bristol to take on a new business venture, and as a result, the time has come for me to step down as the clubs chair and owner. A familiar face, Ash Tuck, will be taking ownership of the club and will step in as the new club chair. I trust that I am leaving you in good hands and I am excited to see what Ash has planned for the club. 

I started Bristol Trail Runners in 2019. It was a bid to find some trail running buddies and it worked wonders. The first club run was in Leigh Woods. 6 people said they would come along, but only one, Ryan Jones, turned up. I was thrilled that someone had decided to join me for a jaunt around the woods on that autumn evening. My brother drew the logo, we figured out how to put a website together and we soon became a large running club with over 200 members. Since opening our doors, 650 people have passed through the club as a member for a short or long period of time. Over 100 have been members since the first 6 months of operating. When I lead you all on runs, you may not see it, but up at the front I sometimes find myself smiling away, happy and proud of our creation. 

Stepping down as the club chair is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but as I am otherwise occupied, it is the best thing to do for the sake of the club and for myself. I want to say a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped out at BTR over the years. My brother Matt, Tom Suddaby, Ash Tuck, Ben Hunt, Dan Oconnor, Hannah Large and Rob Umphray. I want to extend an extra thank you to Jason Dickson who has been in it since day 1, leading the Frome Valley runs, weekend long runs and just helping me sort things out. I also want to thank the members who have made all of this possible. I have made some amazing friends during the last three years.

BTR will always have a special place in my heart, and you certainly haven't seen the last of me yet. I will be sure to return for occasional club runs, socials and to see you all! For now though, it is goodbye. I would love it if as many of you as possible could join me for burgers and drinks at Steam Bristol on the 31st of August at 19:00. It would be fantastic to share memories with you all, catch up, and toast the end of an era and start of a new one. 

Thank you for everything and see you on the trails, 

Joe