N is for Newbury and for nuclear history
The second Saturday in March came at the end of quite a week of weather in the UK. The beast from the east never quite materialised in the royal county of Berkshire, although we did have one day of snow on Wednesday. Everything cleared within 24 hours, meaning there was no risk to the Newbury Parkrun on the Saturday.
It was still chilly enough for a sharp overnight frost as we made the 40 minute drive one junction west down the M4 towards Newbury. The parkrun location is at the iconic location of Greenham Common, which for the last 30 years has no longer been a military base and returned to being common land.
Last summer as part of a TVT cycle group we had ridden out this way and stopped at the Airfield Control Tower cafe for a mid-ride coffee, noticing a few park runners also sitting outside enjoying a post run drink. I was intrigued by the history of the location, and a quick bit of googling revealed that this venue has legendary status. Greenham Common is a name that is synonymous with the role of nuclear deterrence and the protest movement it gave rise to.
By way of a history lesson, RAF Greenham Common opened as a military air base during WW2. It was a major location during the Cold War with USAF Strategic Air Command station for B-47s bombers and, during the 1980s, as a controversial location for 96 nuclear cruise missiles.
The site hit the headlines when in 1981 a group of women, angered by the decision to site nuclear missiles in the UK, organised a protest march where they set up the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. The following year more than 30,000 women gathered to join hands around the base at the ‘Embrace the Base’ event.
Given that it was International Womens Day earlier this week, it’s poignant to remember that many women protesters faced court cases, fines and even imprisonment for their actions. They were using their identity as mothers to legitimise the protest against nuclear weapons, highlighting the safety of their children and of future generations.
But the nuclear deterrent did however work when in 1987, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty which paved the way for the end of the Cold war. By 1991 all the missiles sited at Greenham had been removed, and the following year the airbase was closed. The Peace Camp remained as a continuing protest against the risk of nuclear weapons and the last of the Greenham women left the base in September 2000, 19 years after they’d first arrived.
Back to today, and we arrived at the car park at Greenham Business park, which even had it’s own hi-viz hero car parking marshals who directed us onto the parkland for a brisk 10 minute walk to the start. The central point is the one remaining piece of airport runway, where a change of coloured surface marks the start of the run.
We were briefed on the route, which is the first one lap course in the alphabet challenge that I have done. It was on gravel paths, and apart from dodging a couple of icy puddles, was a great running surface throughout. There were several parents pushing buggies — it looked an ideal surface for them.
The paths followed the perimeter of the common, and it’s amazing to think how 30,000 women will have linked hands on that day 40 years ago, I’m guessing pretty much on the same course as our 5km park run.
And my time today was quick. I finished in position 71 out of a field of 369 runners, third in age group, in a time of 23 and a half minutes. After the recent injury scare, from a skeletal perspective I am now fully aligned, having had a second chiropractor appointment earlier in the week to confirm everything is sorted. I’m very grateful to Freya at Active Health Clinics who fully deserved her five star review.
Having completed the run, I walked back to the corner approaching the finish line to await Louise completing the course. I chatted to a delightful hi-viz hero marshal, who had the perfect way to get people to smile — and that was she took their photo. It worked brilliantly, and is (yet another) example of why park run works so positively as a community.
And finally for today’s roll call, of those runners whose name starts with N.
- Gold medal goes to the four Nick / Nik
- Silver medal to the three ladies Nicola / Niki / Nikki
- And a honourable mention to one each of the Nathan, Nga, Neil and Noah — well done all.
If you enjoyed reading this blog, and the history lesson that today’s run included, then I should just let know that my alphabet challenge is also raining money for charity — British Heart Foundation — and any donations would be welcomed.
