World record-holder and Commonwealth Games gold medallist visits Coventry retirement village

Retirees discussed the world of athletics and Coventry history last week when they were visited by a world record holding athlete.

David Moorcroft OBE, former middle-distance runner for Great Britain and England visited Earlsdon Park Village last week to talk about his amazing athletics career.

David who was born in Coventry shared stories of his life as a young athlete in the city. The athlete drew a full house. Residents of the men’s support group at the ExtraCare village were entertained by his recollections of battles on and off the track.

David’s prolific athletic career spanned the late-1970s and 1980s. He then served as the Chief Executive of UK Athletics from 1997 to 2007. David was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1983 and was then promoted to an Officer (OBE) in 1999 for services to athletics.

David was delighted to join the residents commenting: “The session at Earlsdon Park was really enjoyable. We all had a huge amount in common talking about our shared memories of sport and life in Coventry.”

Lads Utd is a Men’s Support Group that meets every Tuesday at the village.