Celebrating 100 years of Port Talbot’s sporting heritage

Celebrating 100 years of Port Talbot’s sporting heritage

The book launch of 100 years of the Port Talbot Harriers

Heritage Grants

Port Talbot, South Wales
Port Talbot Harriers and Athletics Club
£9200
South Wales' Port Talbot Harriers has received a £9,200 grant to celebrate the running and multi-sport club’s 100-year history.

The club has used the money to publish a book – ‘100 years of Port Talbot Harriers 1921–2021’ – by the club’s president, John Davies. They are also setting up an online archive of images from the 1920s and onwards.

Port Talbot Harriers started life in 1921. Its early members included renowned long distance runner Ike O’Brien. He represented the British YMCA Athletics team at the 1930 YMCA World Championships in Copenhagen, and Britain at the 1932 Workers’ Olympiad in Vienna.

In February 1961, Ike O’Brien’s son, Jim, followed in his father's footsteps at the club, winning the Welsh Cross Country Championship at Seven Sisters.

We are very, very grateful for the support we received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Bernard Henderson, Chairman of the Port Talbot Harriers

Bernard Henderson, Chairman of the Port Talbot Harriers, said: “We are very grateful for the support we received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It enabled us to buy appropriate equipment and receive professional support for the online archive's website creation and design.

“We have planned to make it a website that is not static but one that will continue to grow and record activity into the future."

If you are inspired by this project, find out more about National Lottery Grants for Heritage between £3,000 and £10,000.