ALTON Runners have cemented their relationship with Chawton House with a grand gesture.

The occasion was the handing over of a £1,000 cheque to Anthony Hughes-Onslow, general manager of Chawton House, at the running club’s annual meeting last month.

It follows the recent staging of a cross-country at the East Hampshire tourist landmark.

Philip Scrase, chairman of Alton Runners, said: “We are very grateful to the trustees of Chawton House for allowing us to use their grounds so we could hold our cross-country race, which is part of the Southern Cross-Country League.

“We hope this is the start of a partnership that will allow us to put on other races over the coming years that will benefit Chawton House as well as the local community.”

This year saw the first five-mile cross-country race take place across the beautiful grounds of Chawton House and it was warmly received by more than 500 participants and volunteers, many travelling from all over Hampshire and Surrey.

n Batty runners have literally weathered the storm to prove their powers of endurance.

Ten intrepid members of Alton Runners took part in the Batty Bimble at the Hogmoor Inclosure in Bordon on March – battling not only a tough sandy course but the gales and rain brought about by Storm Freya too!

Organised by On The Whistle, this six-hour timed event saw participants completing as many laps of a 3.3-mile course as they could.

All ten Alton Runners did amazingly well.

Tracey Chance and Tracey Irwin completed two laps (6.6 miles), Jo Scawn, Beverley Lovett and Jenny French completed three laps (9.9 miles), Jeff Smart completed four laps (13.1 miles), Fran Light and Darren Morrish completed five laps (16.5 miles), and David Hayes and Philip Scrase completed eight laps (26.4 miles).

The Batty Bimble also represented Philip’s 86th marathon as he works toward his 100th later in the year.