Phil is the latest recipient of the Morritt Trophy….. here is Bev’s history of the trophy and her reasoning behind choosing Phil to receive it;
My husband, Gary Morritt, had been a member of QRC since 2015. Sport was his absolute passion but a football injury in his 20s put paid to running- or so he thought. When I joined QRC, he could see how happy it made me which made him decide to give it another go. Fortunately, he found he was able to run again and re-ignite his love of running, enabling him to take part in plenty of races e.g. Calderdale Way Relay, Great North Run and Manchester 10k to name a few. Anyone who knew Gary remembered his cheerful disposition, witty comments and beaming smile. He was one of those loyal club members, who always “made one in”, turned up to training and for a while was a member of the race committee – the sort of person I call an “unsung hero”.
Sadly, in 2018, he passed away suddenly leaving a massive void, not only in my life but the club as well. In order to remember him, the club commissioned an award in his memory- The Gary Morritt Memorial Trophy. I’m thankful the committee have allowed me the honour of choosing the recipient each year.
So what criteria do I use to choose a club member each year? Well, as I said, he was one of the unsung heroes and that’s the sort of person I aim to reward each year. I consider their running effort, particularly those who simply record it on Strava without any fuss. I also take into account other factors such as additional roles they take on. This year’s recipient was Phil Lickley. I based my choice on Phil’s consistent running effort, come rain, snow or blow! Phil is also a dedicated run leader and acts as resident DJ at our social events. In my opinion, Phil is the kind of chap who thoroughly deserves Gary’s award – I know Gary would definitely approve.
