Sharing the load as the club grows

A club that continues to grow with its community

Harmeny Athletic Club has been part of the Edinburgh athletics scene since 1977. What began as a local opportunity for young athletes has grown into a club supporting runners of all ages and abilities, from juniors to experienced competitors.

Today, the club runs a wide range of sessions, events and programmes, bringing more people into the sport each year.

What stands out now is how manageable that growth feels. The club is able to support more members, more activity and more opportunities, without everything becoming harder to stay on top of.

A more shared and sustainable way of running the club

As the club expanded, the team moved towards a more joined-up way of working through Thrive4Grassroots.

Instead of relying on a small number of people to keep everything moving, responsibilities are now spread more evenly across the committee.

That shift has made a real difference. It’s easier for volunteers to step in, pick things up and contribute without needing to rely on one central person.

For a volunteer-led club, that creates a much more sustainable way of operating.

Clearer visibility across members and activity

With everything brought together through Thrive4, the team now has a clearer view of what’s happening across the club.

Member information, payments and communication all align more closely, making it easier to stay on top of things without needing to check multiple sources.

That visibility gives the team more confidence in their day-to-day decisions, whether that’s planning sessions, managing capacity or responding to changes.

Communication that keeps everyone on the same page

Keeping members informed is now more straightforward. Updates can be shared with the right groups quickly, without needing to build lists or rely on one person to send them.

That means communication is more consistent, and members receive the information they need at the right time.

For the team, it removes a lot of the back-and-forth that used to come with it.

More consistency in how things are managed

With Thrive4Grassroots in place, the club now runs with greater consistency.

There’s less need to double-check information, chase updates or reconcile things in batches.

Instead, everything stays up to date as the club runs, making the workload feel more predictable and easier to manage.

A better experience for the people running it

One of the biggest changes has been how the club feels to manage.

“I’d have no hesitation in recommending Thrive4Grassroots, it really has made a huge difference to the running of the club – we are all volunteers so anything that makes life easier is always very welcome.” – Lorna Broadhurst, Harmeny Athletic Club

With clearer processes and shared responsibility, there’s less pressure on individuals and more confidence across the team.