Port Regis
Dorset Schools League, Informal Event & Night Event - 22 February 2014
The first time we used the grounds of Motcombe Park, the home of Port Regis School, was in March 2003. Whilst the event ran smoothly enough on the day, some adult runners took an unexpected route choice through the headmaster's garden, and as a result, we were not welcomed back.
Eleven years on, with a different headmaster, an updated map and with the Port Regis bursar, Nikki Miller as the planner, we got another chance to run on the area.
Nestling on the hillside below Shaftesbury, Port Regis has a spectacular setting. Unfortunately, sitting on a bed of Kimmeridge clay, its geology is against it, and the land drains only slowly if the weather is wet.
Despite the appalling winter weather, everything was looking good, if a little waterlogged. The courses were planned, controlled and sent off to the printers before half term. And then the storms hit Dorset again on Friday 14th February, a week before the event.
On inspection, we discovered that the woodland in the valley on the East side of the campus had been severely damaged. There were trees down across paths, and over two control site. The stream crossing was unsafe, and in the ravine, the narrow path alongside the stream had been totally washed away. To make matters worse, contractors working for Wessex Water arrived to connect up the school's new borehole to their water supply and their machinery chewed up the track on the other side of the stream, leaving foot deep mud interspersed with unmarked holes. The whole area was too dangerous to use until it had been made safe.
This meant that whilst the White-Orange courses were unaffected, three days before the event we had to re-plan and reprint the Light Green and Score & Night courses to avoid the damaged area. There was no time to get BML to do the job, so I had to print the maps on my laser printer. It didn't help matters when the Yellow toner began to run out and the spare cartridge proved faulty. However, we had an event even if some of the maps were a slightly odd colour.
We were lucky with superb sunny weather, and it all passed off very well. Many of the juniors who came ran more than one course as well as taking advantage of the indoor coaching activities from Debs Mays, Lynn Branford and Becca Ellis in the Sports Hall.
Our thanks are due to all the WIM members who helped on the day, to Nikki and all her staff at Port Regis for their help in making it all possible, and special thanks to Rory the head groundsman and his staff for clearing the storm debris where possible, for taping off the damaged areas and for his help in putting out the controls on Saturday morning.
Dick Keighley
The Light Green Course