RUNNERS who took part in an epic relay race to deliver a message from the region to the Queen in Buckingham Palace are being sought for a reunion.

Members of Tudhoe Parish Boys’ Club ran from Spennymoor Town Hall, County Durham, to London on June 3, 1963, with a message congratulating the Queen on the tenth anniversary of her coronation.

Now former youth l e a d e r , B r i a n Lowes, is hoping to r e - u n i t e the team, who will now be in their early 60s, along with other former members of the club.

Mr Lowes, 69, said: “It took about eight months to set up, and it was basically just a challenge.

Somebody said it couldn’t be done, and it was to raise money for Oxfam.

“It was at a time when relays weren’t the thing and as for long distance running, there was no such thing in those days, or at least not for fun, so we were ahead of our time in a way.

“What you’ve got to remember is there were no bypasses and things back then so I had to write to every county, every city, every shire and every police constabulary asking for permission to run through and collect money.

“Even if we didn’t get permission we still ran through – we just didn’t collect any money and ran a bit faster.”

The journey took 37 hours with each boy running three miles at a time carrying the message in a baton as support vehicles followed.

The feat received attention in the regional and national press.

Speaking in The Northern Echo at the time, Councillor Thomas W Chatterton, then chairman of Spennymoor Urban District Council, said: “I understand there are still some parts of the world where messages are carried by runners, and not so very many years ago it was a common practice in this country.

“However, I believe that in the history of Spennymoor at least, I am the first chairman to start off a runner bearing a message to be handed in at its destination 250 miles away.”

Mr Lowes, who moved to Canada in 1965, but is back in the region visiting family, said the team missed out on some press coverage by arriving several hours ahead of schedule, which also meant they had to hand their message to a police officer rather than a palace official.

He said: “We thought the kids would slow down, but they actually got faster when they started seeing the signs for London and then they all ran down The Mall together.

“I actually got a letter back from the Queen. I don’t know what happened to it, but I think I gave copies to all.”

The reunion is taking place at Tudhoe Cricket Club, Spennymoor, on Friday, September 17. Email sewolb@shaw.ca

Pictured are: Among the group are Mike Hudson, Chris Cann, David Wilson, Thomas Douglas, Anthony Doyle, Allen Wright, Alister Franks, Brian Henderson, Brian Brown, Billy Dillen, David Carling, Joe Wilkes, Cliff Marshall, Douglas Brass, Arthur Soar, George White, John Nichols, Colin Gregg, Nancy Stapleton, Arnie Stapleton and Bruce Crawford with Brian Lowes, front centre.