The Club - with grateful thanks to Ben Toomer and Matt Sharp - now has a website!

To launch the Club’s website, we asked member Dave Clarke, a UK international on the country, road and track, 12 time competitor in the World Cross-Championships (best individual finish 7th) and three-time winner of the National Cross-Country Championships, to say briefly what Lauriston Cottage meant to him.

I owe Lauriston Cottage, Arthur Whitehead, and the runners who met there a huge debt of gratitude. To be honest I am not sure that I would have achieved any of the results I did without the support of the many role models that frequented Lauriston. As an U20 wannabe athlete, to be part of a pack of 30+ runners leaving the Cottage on a Sunday morning, with the likes of Bob Holt, John Roberts, Dave Beard, John Sullivan (my coach), Charlie Dabbs, Maurice Sharp, Mick Hanahoe, Mick Fuller, Mick Kortenray, Simon Ingall, Van Gogh, Stu Graham (the Ox), Fred Pidgeon and so many more leading the way was truly inspiring. And then there were the international athletes who gravitated to Lauriston after the big summer meets at Crystal Palace – Steve Ovett, John Bicourt, Rob de Castella, Steve Moneghetti, Steve Binns to mention but a few whose training and experiences we could reflect on and dream of emulating.

Returning to the Cottage after every training run and to enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit under the watchful eye of the photos of the great Surrey teams of the early 70s inspired me to keep training and aim to be like them!

Tuesday and Thursday night sessions in the 80s were tough, especially when John Gladwin was at his best but never surely as tough as the Monday night “Ten” with large groups heading down Copse hill, along Warren Road and back to Wimbledon via Kingston and Raynes Park – and all that before the last mile burn-up!

We will never be able to really repay Arthur Whitehead for what he gave us apart from to keep the Cottage going for future generations!