Our History
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A very potted history of the Datchet Dashers.
If anyone has more information please email chairman@datchetdashers.com so we can add to the story.
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In 1980, a group parents waiting for their children to finish their after-school activities at Churchmead School in Datchet got a bit bored, and so they decided they’d try out this new-fangled thing called jogging. And they liked it. After a few months Pat & Terry Purser suggested that maybe they should make it official and form a club, and thus in 1981 the Datchet Dashers Running Club was officially born. Terry was the first club secretary and managed the day to day business of the club, along with Tony Humphrey as President. In 1987 Terry assumed the role of President, a role he retained until his death in 2023. The Terry Purser Cup is awarded every season to the most improved male runner in the club.
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Initially based in a shed at Churchmead School, the club quickly became active in the local running scene as the jogging boom grew, being involved in the setting up of the TVARC Summer 5k Series and the Thames Valley Cross Country League, both of which still thrive today.
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In 1991 the role of Chair was introduced, becoming very much the driving force for the club. The first club Chair was Jasmine Flatters. She stayed in this role until 1996 when another of the original Churchmead parents Tom Emmett took over. It should be noted here that by now Jasmine had started to get involved in triathlon, and we’d like to think that what she learned as Chair of The Dashers maybe played a part in her ending up as the Chair of British Triathlon, playing a massive part in the rise in popularity of the sport, and being one of the key people responsible for the success of the triathlon at the London Olympics. She was awarded an MBE for her services to triathlon in 2014. Jasmine still manages the Datchet Dashers drink station at the London Marathon each year.
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By the late nineties the club had outgrown the accommodation at Churchmead School, so the decision was made to move our base to Windsor Cricket Club on Home Park in Windsor, where we remain to this day. Since the move the club has grown to around 300 members.
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Chair timeline
1991 – 1996 Jasmine Flatters
1996 – 2001 Tom Emmett
2001 – 2006 Ian Spencer
2006 – 2009 Dave Glazier
2009 – 2015 David Priddy
2015 – 2017 Nina Smith
2017 – 2019 Bryony Trafford-Smith
2019 – present David Priddy