THE 2018 Burley Summer Festival wound up on a fine autumn morning with the now traditional moor run. Around 200 runners took part in the challenging course taking runners from the start at Scalebor Park playing fields, up onto the moors via Stead Lane. A climb of nearly 300 metres took runners across the moor past the shooting box and down to Burley Woodhead before returning to Scalebor Park.

This year saw the first two runners home breaking the course record. Jack Cummings from Ilkley Harriers smashed the old record held by Wharfedale Harrier’s Sam Watson by a minute and a half with a time of 43mins and 25 seconds. Second home was Will Simmons, again beating the old record with a time of 45mins 6sec. In third place was Oscar Stapleton with a time of 46mins 46secs. Again, both second and third runners were from Ilkley Harriers. The first female home was Ailish Graham from Wharfedale Harriers with a time of 50.38. Second was Helen Thurston (Ilkley Harriers 51.31) and third was Monica Padilla (Wharfedale Harriers 53.03).

The run is mainly promoted as a fun run for anyone to come along and have a go, and Lynn McIntyre came all the way from Shrewsbury to take part. She is a member of the Shropshire Shufflers Running Club and this was her first ever fell run. She was delighted to finish it in 165 place with a very respectable time of 1hr 19mins 30secs. Afterwards Lynn said: “It was brilliant to get my first official fell run under my belt and on such a lovely course in Yorkshire, I hope to be back to do it next year to improve my time.”

Chris Hill, who organises the run said: “We’ve had yet another fantastic turnout for this, our ninth running of the event. I’d like to thank all the many people who have volunteered to help organise and support this year’s event. Whilst the main object is to promote the run as an event anyone can take part in, I’d like to congratulate Jack and Ailish for their excellent performances in this year’s run.”

Following the race the Festival finally wound up for another successful year with a ceilidh in the Queen’s Hall, where Northern Comfort provided music and in some cases much needed guidance to a sell-out crowd who not only had a great time dancing the night away, but also enjoyed a pie, pea and samosa supper.

If anyone would like to get involved with next year’s Burley Summer Festival or has some ideas of what they’d like to see in the Festival week next year then please come along to the Annual General Meeting which will be held in the Red Lion, Main Street Burley on November 28t at 7:30pm. For more details on the run, festival or AGM visit www.burleysummerfestival.org