Crispian Webb is chairman of Cheltenham and County Harriers.

The 63-year-old is also membership secretary at the athletics club, an assistant coach, a level 1 field official and team manager for the under-13 and under-15 track and field teams.

And when you consider that the club have well over 500 members who compete in track and field, cross-country and on the road, that’s quite a lot of responsibility.

Fortunately, responsibility is something that Webb, who lives in Cheltenham, thrives upon and he reckons he devotes at least 30 hours each week to club affairs.

Born in Tewkesbury, Webb first came across the Harriers when he was a student at the College of St Paul and St Mary.

He had spent his formative years in Oxford – he enjoyed athletics at school – and he recalled: “I started running again when I was in Cheltenham, joined the Harriers in 1984 and I was there for several years before I moved away for work.”

Webb was a sprinter and he continued: “I used to do the 100, 200 and 400 metres, although the 200 was my preferred event.

“It was a good time to be a sprinter at the Harriers because Steve Thomas, who got several England and GB vests in the 400 relay, was a member of the club.

“He also trained up at Birchfield with other internationals once a week and he would bring the sessions back for us. Some were very tough.

“He still holds about five individual club records, and part of four relay records. He and his brother Dave were from Longlevens and they are still doing parkruns today. They were good days.”

Ask Webb for his PBs and he admits: “I can’t really tell you. The only one that sticks in my head is 22.8 for the 200. I didn’t get below 11 seconds for the 100.”

But he did set a club record for the medley relay, part of the old league match timetable, alongside Steve Thomas, Dominic Lyes and Pete Willis, which still stands to this day and is something that he is quite proud about.

But he is even more proud about the achievements of the club’s up-and-coming young athletes who are, of course, the future of a club formed way back in the 1880s.

“Last summer’s under-15 boys’ 4x100m relay team – Caleb Green, Oscar Beattie, Red Fletcher and Aidan John – broke the club record which had stood for 39 years and they went on to win silver at the National Club Relay Championships,” said Webb.

Caleb Green enjoyed an outstanding 2024, with Webb adding: “His main event is the high jump. He won an England vest in the combined event which consists of hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot and javelin.

“He’s a pupil at Cleeve School, he’s a really outstanding athlete.”

And there are others who won England vests last year who Webb is only too happy to talk about.

“Isla Pain is an under-17 combined eventer, her strength is also the high jump,” continued Webb. “She finished 2024 ranked third in the UK.

“Charlie Mason is a javelin thrower, he got his England vest in the under-17 age group.

“Charlie’s dad Will was a double blue for rowing at Cambridge so sporting prowess runs in the family; and Charlie won gold or silver in every event he took part in last summer.

“He won the England Schools. That is a huge event and a real milestone for a young athlete and he finished the year ranked second in the UK.”

And there’s plenty of strength in all the club’s age groups.

“Jack Shingler was ranked number one in the UK for the 1,200 metres in the under-13 age group last year,” said Webb.

“He was also ranked number one for the mile, second in 600m and he won the gold at the YDL National Final for 1,200m.

“He was voted Gloucestershire and South West young athlete of the year. In one afternoon he broke three club records.”

And it’s not just on the track that Shingler shone.

“He was part of the road relay under-13 team that won the Midlands Counties at Sutton Park along with Al Spurr and Monty Wilkins,” continued Webb.

“It was a phenomenal effort. We’ve won medals before but never won it overall. All the boys ran brilliantly.”

And there’s more because in the Youth Development League the under-13s and under-15s have reached the National Final for the past three years.

The season starts with teams representing 199 clubs across England, Wales and Scotland, with only seven making it to the final.

“Hugo Bucher won the under-13 javelin in the UK Youth Development League National Final in 2023, he was voted athlete of the competition,” added Webb.”

“Sulaiman Ouiles became the first Harrier to jump over two metres, clearing 2.03 indoors.”

Webb estimates that about 70 per cent of the club’s members are under-18s and below, but the senior section still enjoys its fair share of success.

“We’ve got a very strong youth section but two of our veteran ladies, Jane Fairbairn and Clare Hawling, won England Masters vests for the half marathon last year,” said Webb.

And that is clearly one of the strengths of the club, a club that provides something for everyone.

“The men’s and women’s sections were separate up until the 1970s,” added Webb.

“We’re active at the Prince of Wales Stadium six days a week all the year round. The only day we don’t have a block booking is on a Friday, although from September to March the nine- to 12-year-olds use the indoor cricket centre at Pittville on Saturdays and Sundays.

“The Harriers are a huge part of local life, we have a big catchment area and we attract people from all over Gloucestershire. I reckon there are about 2,500 people directly affected by the club in one form or another.”

And while Webb is certainly in upbeat mood he admits not everything is as he would like it.

“We can’t host anything at the Prince of Wales Stadium which requires a UK Athletics licence because the track is not considered up to standard,” he said.

“That is a big loss to us, we can’t even host the Brewer Games at the moment. Unfortunately, it will cost a lot of money to get the track up to standard.

“Recent quotes for replacement of the track have come in at around £400,000. The track is actually owned by Cheltenham Borough Council so that is largely out of our hands but we are doing what we can.”

Rest assured, Crispian Webb is doing all he can!