Roy Wilks RIP

It is with sadness that we have to report the passing of another former member of the St. Bede’s club, Roy Wilks, who died suddenly on 19th Dec. Roy was a stalwart of the club in the 90’s and into the 2000’s. For several years Roy organised the popular Beckfield 10k from the nursing home where he worked on Bolton Lane.

Along with his wife Jackie, Roy worked hard on the social front of the club organising club weekends to Center Parcs and trips abroad. Longer standing members of the club will remember quiz nights at Esholt on the evenings after Calderdale Way relays. Roy also produced the club magazine Bede-e-eye and Eye Balls out in the days before the internet.

On the running front Roy was a decent performer, 1990 being a particularly good year running 35:43 for 10k at the O&K Escalators race in Keighley and 60:21 for the tough Burnsall 10 miles. Later Roy turned to fell running and ran the first Yorkshireman marathon with Mike Moss (which turned out to be 28+ miles) he also completed “the beast” – the Wadsworth Trog a couple of times.

Roy was an active member of the club committee and a founder member of the Bradford Millennium Way organising committee and lead marshall at the Laycock handover.

His funeral will take place at 14:40 at Nab Wood crematorium on Monday 20th January.