A HYDE councillor has launched a crowdfunding appeal for a statue of legendary runner Dr Ron Hill.
Betty Affleck, who represents Godley ward, believes there ought to be a permanent memorial to mark the achievements of the long-distance runner who put the Hyde on the world map.
And Cllr Affleck has set up a crowdfunding page to raise £15,000 to fund the statue.
It would be located on a triangle of land at the junction of Market Street and Union Street with Tameside Council giving permission for it to be placed on their land.
Cllr Affleck said: “It is the perfect place as it is almost opposite the running shop Ron had on Market Street.
“And runners on the Tour of Tameside, which Ron founded, would have to run past the statue on the Ron Hill 7 which is part of the Tour.
“As they run past the statue, they will be able to see the man who started the Tour.”
Cllr Affleck, who is hoping to involve local running groups, has the support of Ron’s widow May who is pleased that her husband will hopefully be honoured with a statue.
She said: “When I was recently watching the European Championships on television, Ron was mentioned as one of his record times still stood.
“When you look at what Ron did for the town, getting it known al over the world, I think it is only right that we should honour him with a statue.”
Cllr Affleck also revealed she had looked at a possible mural of Ron at the same site but the gable end of the buildings were not suitable.
Ron, died in 2021 aged 82, won marathon gold at the 1969 European Championships in Athens and the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games.
In 1971 he took bronze at the Helsinki European Championships and finished sixth at the 1972 Munich Olympics behind such legendary athletes as Frank Shorter of the USA and Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia.
He also laid claim to the longest streak of consecutive running – every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017.
Ron held a host of world records and won several overseas marathons including Boston in 1970 when he shattered the course record by three minutes. He had raced in 100 countries before his 70th birthday.
He came to national prominence when he represented Britain in the 10,000 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and went on to become one of distance running’s all-time greats.
Using his doctorate in textile chemistry, he founded Ron Hill Sports in 1970, pioneering revolutionary lightweight kit. The brand was so successful that it became synonymous with running.
In 1981, Ron launched the Tour of Tameside, which has been billed as the toughest challenge in British athletics.
After lapsing, it was revived in 2015 by North West health and wellbeing charity, The Running Bee Foundation.
The iconic event incorporates four consecutive days of running, X-Trail 10K, Hell on the Fell, Hero Half Marathon and Dr Ron Hill 7.
You can contribute to the statue fund on the following link www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ron-hill-memorial-statue