Yes, Fairlands Valley Spartans are moving, as from the 6th of May will we be meeting at:

The Marriotts School
Telford Avenue
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG2 0AN

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Membership Information

Our usual meeting times of 7pm on a Tuesday and Thursday will remain unchanged.  Also the location of the School means that we can continue to use some of our measured courses, including our 10km course, and 5km handicap course.

How to Find Marriotts By Car

From the Town Centre

Drive up Fairlands Way passing Fairlands Valley Lakes on your right hand side, until you come to the mini-roundabout junction with Chells Way on your right.  Turn into Chells Way and then take the first turning on the right (after the Doctors' Surgery) into Brunel Road.  At the end of Brunel Road, turn right into Telford Avenue, follow the road around to the left and Marriotts is on your right hand side.

From JHN

Head along Hitchin Road towards Stevenage.  At the first roundabout, turn left into Martins Way.  Go straight over the next roundabout.  At the next roundabout (at the Oval shops), turn right into Verity Way.  At the next roundabout, turn right into Fairlands Way.  At the first mini-roundabout, turn left into Chells Way.  Take the first turning on the right (after the Doctors' Surgery) into Brunel Road.  At the end of Brunel Road, turn right into Telford Avenue, follow the road around to the left and Marriotts is on your right hand side.

From Emperors Head Pub Area

Head along Fairlands Way towards the Town Centre.  Turn left down Mobbsbury Way.  At the end of Mobbsbury Way, turn right into Chells Way and then take the 1st left into Newton Road.  At the end of Newton Road, turn left into Telford Avenue  and Marriotts is on your right hand side. 

From Chells Manor/Six Hills Way

From the roundabout linking Six Hills Way/Chells Way/Gresley Way, turn into Chells Way.  Just before the Glebe Shops, turn left into Harvey Road.  Follow this around to the left and then turn right into Telford Avenue.  Marriotts will be on your left hand side.

General

Some of the roads mentioned above have speed humps, speed cameras and restricted passing places.  Telford Avenue, Brunel Road, Newton Road and Harvey Road have lots of parked cars making progress along them slow and potentially hazardous.  Please drive carefully.

Parking At Marriotts

There is ample parking at Marriotts!  When you drive through the gates, you will see the School in front of you and slightly to the right.  Follow the drive along the left of the site and this will take you to the Sports Centre which is located behind the school.  Right in front of the Sports Centre is a car park but you might prefer (especially if this is full) to drive another 50 yards or so to a secondary set of parking bays located at the rear of the site.  Even from there, it is only a 30 second walk to the front doors of the Sports Centre.

Facilities In The Sports Centre

Once inside the Centre, turn left through the Entrance Doors to find the changing rooms and showers.  On the way, you will pass the Reception Desk who will be happy to help with any queries.  From inside each changing room, there is access to a small room where you can store your bags/clothes etc.  This will be locked while we are out.  And, hopefully, inside that room, will also be our lockable cupboard for any items that you want even more secured.  When accessing this small room from your changing room, please be aware that it will be used by both men and women - please be suitably dressed and be aware of those around you who may be getting changed near the door to the small room!

From the Changing Rooms, there is access to the outside but, first, come back into the main part of the Sports Centre for the announcements.  These will be made either in the room directly in front of you as you return from the Changing Rooms across the public Reception Area, or in that public area in front of the Reception Desk.

After the announcements, we will head out either through the main doors, or back through the Changing Rooms and out the external doors. 

Further information on the other facilities available at Marriotts will follow.

Training

After the announcements, we will congregate briefly in the Car Park to make sure we have everyone, before setting off.  We have many options when it comes to training.  During the summer months, we may head out of the back of the site onto the school field (grass track marked out), or from there into Fairlands Valley Lakes.  During the darker evenings, we will probably head out of the main gates, and follow the pavements back to Fairlands Way where we can get onto the cycle ways.  This is a distance of about three quarters of a mile so is an ideal warm up jog.  Please note that, although the pavements on this route are quite narrow, you must stay on them as the roads are similarly narrow, full of parked cars and hence difficult for cars to get along at the best of times. 

On the pavements, therefore, you will need to run no more than 2 abreast and you must give precedence to other pedestrians on the pavements.  This means move quickly to 1 side, falling into single file and, where necessary, stopping to allow pedestrians to pass easily, without them having to step into the road.