Shortly after the country went into its first coronavirus lockdown, our honoured and highly respected Athletics Coach Lindsay Dunn lost his personal battle for life.
Following a prolonged illness involving several periods of hospitalisation, Lindsay sadly passed away on 19 March 2020; with no family, he was surrounded by a few close friends, including Sarah and Neil Wilkinson, both members of Morpeth Harriers. Because of the increasing pandemic problems, only a small gathering was allowed for Lindsay’s funeral. However he himself had always hoped that more of the friends he had gained within his beloved sport could be present. So, to fulfil Lindsay’s parting wishes, Sarah, Neil, Steve Winter, and a few more close associates, began to prepare an eventual fitting farewell in his honour. That farewell took place on Friday 22 October at 'The Woodlands' in Edmondsley, County Durham, when almost 100 people from many avenues of the athletic family were present to witness a wonderful and tasteful send off, and one very much Lindsay Dunn. Several major games medallists were present, including close friend Brendan Foster, Jim Alder, Mick McLeod, Ian Stewart, and Charlie Spedding, along with many other North-East leading lights, including Kevin Forster, Nick McCormick, and Alyson Dixon, and not forgetting Lindsay’s very own talented training group, now led by former athlete Nathan Shrubb, a group that includes Carl Avery, Ross Floyd, Finn Brodie and Cameron Boyek. Colourful speeches - laced with the odd expletive of course, very much Lindsay’s trait - were made by Brendan Foster, a lifelong friend and club colleague at Gateshead Harriers; Mike Baxter, a training colleague in Leeds, where Lindsay had worked for Eagle Star Insurance; Max Coleby and Ian Barnes, club colleagues at Darlington AC, his first North East Club; and John Caine, with whom he had a very long friendship, beginning with him joining Gateshead Harriers in the early seventies. The occasion also gave the venue the opportunity of treating visitors to a super curry in Lindsay’s honour, something which he would have readily approved of, and many thanks go to the management and staff of the Woodlands at Edmondsley for their kind attention and service which also made everything so special. RIP Lindsay Dunn, a treasured and much remembered friend, from all who knew him. Comments are closed.
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