Latest News

Local Businesses Support Team TBSF for the 2012 Great North Run

With just over four weeks to go until the Great North Run, The Tony Blair Sports Foundation is delighted to introduce two North East businesses supporting Team TBSF 2012.

Our dedicated team of runners will not only benefit from the support of these two companies but will also be joined by them on the start line as individuals from both companies will be taking part in the Great North Run too, showing real commitment to the Foundation.

Nonlinear Dynamics is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, and employs TBSF member and recent London 2012 Games Maker John Renney (pictured above with Ian Hargreaves and Martin Wells). John explained why he and a team of colleagues decided to take part in the Great North Run and to fundraise with Team TBSF:

“I’m an Athletics Coach who was partly funded by The Tony Blair Sports Foundation to support me in gaining my Athletics Coach Award and my Children’s Athletics Coach Award. I got introduced to the Foundation through my athletics club where they came to visit and talk about their service and what it strives to achieve. The Foundation’s support and their interest in what I do makes them an excellent team to work with.

My boss at Nonlinear Dynamics, Duncan Barrie, approached me asking if I would like to get a team together and take part in the Great North Run to raise some money for the Foundation. Duncan and Nonlinear Dynamics are very supportive of the voluntary athletics coaching I do in local first schools so it was easy for me to say yes. I got straight on the phone to Jeanette at The Tony Blair Sports Foundation and here we are training hard for the event and hoping to raise in excess of £2,000. This money will help the Foundation to support another 10 sports coaches, like me, who will help to get more young people in the North East playing sport. Duncan and I are joined by Ian Hargreaves and Martin Wells for this year’s run.”

The second supporter of Team TBSF 2012 is Teescraft Engineering, from Bishop Auckland. Managing Director Rob Yorke will be joined on the start line by his colleagues Angelina Maddison, Alan Boddy and Nial Aberdeen. Rob and Teescraft Engineering are long time supporters of The Tony Blair Sports Foundation and have taken part in previous TBSF Teams in the Great North Run. We are delighted that Teescraft Engineering has decided to continue with their support in 2012, and look forward to cheering on all Team TBSF runners on the big day. Jeanette Pickard, Chief Executive of the Foundation says:

“I would like to thank Nonlinear Dynamics and Teescraft Engineering for their support and fundraising efforts for Team TBSF in the 2012 Great North Run. Their fundraising will help us to continue our work in training and placing more sports coaches and officials across the North East so that more young people can play sport – through their support we might even be able to train the coach of a future Great North Run champion. We are very grateful to them, and wish them well in the Great North Run.”

If you would like more information about the work of the Foundation, or would like to get involved, then please contact us by emailing info@tonyblairsportsfoundation.org

To keep up to date with our latest news, make sure you follow us on twitter and on facebook