THE man known to many as the face of Royston Runners has stepped down as chairman.

Maurice Hill, the driving force behind the Runners, has called it a day after six years.

Having been involved with the club for the last 25 years, he will remain a committee member.

Incoming chairman Pete Worsey said Mr Hill would be a hard act to follow.

He said: “For many people Maurice is simply the face of Royston Runners because he has always gone the extra mile, organising a wide range of running and charity events. His enthusiasm and commitment has made Royston Runners a hugely successful club. I am delighted that he is staying on as a committee member so we can continue to draw on his experience and knowledge.”

Mr Hill’s last event as chairman was the annual “long short relay”, starting and finishing on Therfield Heath.

This sees teams undertake a challenging relay through Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire villages, with distances varying from six miles to 10 miles and completing a total of 39 miles.

The race is run in memory of Clive Long, one of the founding members of Royston Runners, and raised �400 which has been donated to the Lupus Charity.

“We have run the race for six years now, and originally we ran from Clive’s first club in Pinner North London back to Royston,” said Mr Hill.

“But due to health and safety issues and the cost of road permits, the event had to be changed, so we decided to host the whole event from Royston.”

For more information, visit www.roystonrunners.com.