Andy Potts
Bio
Community focused sports fan from Northeast England. Tends to root for the little guy. Look out for Talking Northeast, my new project coming soon.
Stories (95/0)
Pints & Parkruns: Jersey
It’s on an island, but Jersey parkrun is far from insular. It’s always been popular with tourists – for a long time it was the only ‘J’ for alphabet hunters, and it can claim to be the southernmost in Britain. Plus, with the start a 20-minute walk from the airport, it could hardly be better located for a flying visit.
By Andy Potts9 months ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Crichton, Dumfries
The Parkrun family will find you, whether you look for it or not. I’d only spent a couple of days in Dumfries, and pretty much the only people I’d spoken to in that time were connected to the ice hockey tournament where I was working. The exception was one lady who I met at the Moat Brae Centre for Children’s Literature. So, knowing approximately one local, it was somehow improbable and inevitable that she was the first person I bumped into at Crichton Parkrun the next day.
By Andy Potts10 months ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Herrington Country
Running beneath Penshaw Monument is more fitting than many might expect. The mock Grecian temple that dominates views from Herrington Country Park commemorates a man nicknamed Jog-along Jack in his lifetime. True, that soubriquet stemmed not from Jack Lambton’s commitment to pounding the future pavements of Washington New Town, but from a typical throwaway comment that an English gentleman “might jog along comfortably enough on £40,000 a year”. That was in 1821; in today’s money it would be close to £4 million.
By Andy Potts11 months ago in Longevity
- Top Story - July 2023
Pints & Parkruns: Cosmeston LakesTop Story - July 2023
It doesn’t look it today, but Cosmeston Lakes is a reclaimed industrial site. Once, a series of cement quarries dominated what is now a country park. Today, though, it’s transformed. No hint of heavy industry remains and on a crisp, bright autumnal morning the birds emerge from the mist rising from the lake. It’s a scene to inspire thoughts of Celtic mysticism; Wales is the possible birthplace of King Arthur, and it’s not hard to imagine Geoffrey of Monmouth’s legends of Ladies in Lakes playing out right here.
By Andy Potts11 months ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Wynyard Woodland
Running around the northeast continually turns up routes the lead back to the region’s industrial history. Wynyard Woodland, the latest event on the list, is no exception. For all the sylvan idyll of a tree-lined course, this follows the path of a goods railway that delivered County Durham's coal to the Tees at Stockton.
By Andy Potts11 months ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Fountains Abbey
World Heritage Parkruns. Is that a thing? If not, it should be. We certainly have contenders, from Durham where views of Cathedral give runners a lift through the final kilometre, to Conwy, a North Wales route in the shadow of the historic castle Then there’s Fountains Abbey, a beautiful course around the ruins of a medieval monastery in the North Yorkshire countryside.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Hackworth, Shildon
If you’re the type of runner who likes to channel your inner locomotive as you pound the course, Hackworth Parkrun could be the one for you. After all, it’s not every route that includes a stretch of one of the world’s oldest railway lines.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Tampere
Tampere is a town of unlikely firsts. Back in 1984, it reportedly got Finland’s first ever branch of McDonald’s, some time ahead of the capital, Helsinki. Given the impact of fast food on public health, that might explain why, decades later, this lakeside university town also became home to Finland’s first Parkrun.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Tychy
I picked a good day to visit Tychy parkrun. It was the 200th edition, so there was a celebration in the air. For a first-timer, especially one who doesn’t speak Polish, that meant a reassuringly large turn-out. There was no danger of getting lost, even though the signposts around the park refer to an earlier version of the parkrun route.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Longevity
Pints & Parkruns: Durham
Durham is a fitting place to start this not particularly athletic journey. As a young child, devotedly following Olympics and World Championships on TV, I’d sneak into the university sports grounds to trot around the track or fling myself into the long jump pit. In my mind, I was Daley Thompson, and no lack of coordination or ability could shake that belief. Later, Maiden Castle formed the backdrop to school cross country runs, which ended any confidence in my sporting prowess.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Longevity
Brutal
Gala Fairydean is one of the most picturesque names in Scotland’s poetic football litany. Yet the Lowland League club’s home at Netherdale, Galashiels, is one of the most divisive structures in the game. Far from evoking the exquisite woodland glade described by Sir Walter Scott (a local lad), this work by Peter Womersley (another local resident, albeit an incomer in a very different age) confronts the visitor with stark concrete geometry. Love it or hate, the main stand at the 3G Arena is a rare and distinctive sight.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Cleats
Independence
Women’s football is increasingly dominated by teams with connections to high-level men’s clubs. The top of England’s Women’s Super League echoes the Premier League summit, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea among the perennial powerhouses. But Durham is different.
By Andy Potts2 years ago in Cleats