A new bursary, created in memory of Grasmere Sports’ Peter Bland, aims to help a young fell runner excel in their sport.
Mr Bland was the fell race manager at the popular August show and died during the coronavirus pandemic.
He had a passion for helping young fell runners pursue their ambitions within the sport, so the £500 bursary is a fitting memorial, said show organisers.
Applications for the Bursary close on June 30 and will be judged by both the Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show directors and members of Mr Bland’s family.
This year, his wife Ann and his son, Matt, stepped into his shoes to run the fell racing programme.
The chosen recipient of the Pete Bland Bursary must be aged under 18 and come from Cumbria.
John Hibbert, the show’s chairman, said: “With athletic clubs across the north heading to Grasmere Sports’ fell racing events – for many the pinnacle of the fell racing year – it is important that the bursary recipient be someone who wants to be a local flag-bearer and talisman or woman for the sport.
“However, what we will also be ideally looking for, is an applicant for whom the £500 will make a real difference and be the financial catalyst that perhaps enables them to step up a level in their fell running career.
“It could, for instance, perhaps provide the opportunity for them to compete further afield, gaining more experience, or to enjoy a different and more advanced training regime.”
Mr Bland was a successful racer and a champion at many famous fell events, from Ambleside Sports to the elite KIMM (now OMM), where he and Ann, a 2:50 marathon runner in her own right, also won the mixed team event.
For 40 years, he organised the Kentmere Horseshoe race and for a decade he was the manager of the England Mountain Running team. He was also a member of the FRA committee and, through his own business, sponsor of the British Fell Running Championships and various other events.
The announcement of who has won the Pete Bland Bursary is anticipated to be made around the end of July, by Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show.
For more information, visit www.grasmeresports.com
