Christine, centre, at a ‘Come and Try’ day in Old Kilpatrick

with Brian Potts and Ian Murphy to the right

A superb athlete for over three decades, her running career, like everyone else’s, had to come to an end.   When did she stop and why did she do so after, as we saw above, she was running well in the 2010’s?   She tells us that after 33 years she stopped running because she was trying to stay race fit, rather than running for fun.   She is quoted in “Voices” as saying “My competitive participation had been declining for a few years, but then in 2017 I decided to compete in the Scottish Championships, aiming to win the Female V60 category.   I did compete, and I did win my category but it took its toll and I decided to stop competitive running for good after that.   Last year (2022) my left knee gave up completely and I’m now waiting for a new one.”

Three real pillars of the sport: Christine, Robin Morris and Bill Gauld 

After she stopped running, or rather racing, Christine put a lot back into the sport.   She spent time on the Scottish Hill Running Association committee encouraging greater participation by women.   She did this by influencing prize values and race organisers support for women participants in general and, in the process, devising a set of guidelines for hill race organisers.   And of course she did her share of officiating and organising club and national races – eg in 2016 when the 28th British Fell and Hill Running Relay Championships were held in the Luss Hills, Christine was listed as Lead Hill Marshal.   There were vast changes in the organisation of the sport in the 1990’s when several different Associations (SAAA, SWAAA, SCCU, SWCCU, SSAA, SHRA) were brought together for administrative and financial reasons.   Christine was also operating at national level when interim vice-convener of the Scottish Athletics Federation Hill Running Commission. 

She knew what she was talking about in Committee too – Christine had been a pioneer in women’s participation and acceptance in hill running.   She had her share of changing in “In a sheepfold, behind that wall, in the car”, there were at first no showers for women either.   Even well organised events like the Mamore Hill Race at Kinlochleven Highland Games and after the race being given a certificate of participation which said that it had been “Presented to Christine Taylor of Bellahouston Harriers and certifies that ‘he’ took part in the Mamore Hill Race of 1985″ .   This work was also carried on at Westerlands AAC when she was Lady Captain trying to make sure that slower Mums were included in relays, trying to make sure a Mums team with childcare provided.   

Then there were the individual initiatives such as the Come and Try days that she organised with Haddington member and good friend Denis Bell.   These were held in the Kilpatrick Hills for which she actively encouraged women to come along.   The courses were staffed by such as talented hill runners Brian Potts and Ian Murphy, and Brian Edridge who was a genuine lover of the hills and an experienced runner.   She also helped “my fell running buddy, Lesley Kirkwood, in the making of her college project video, “Friends in High Places” in which we filmed women taking part in a snow Carnethy Hill Race and interviewed women as to why they ran in the hills and what it meant to them.”

Where is Christine now?  Well, to start with she is living in Kilcreggan with her partner David Robertson.   Eight years ago they purchased an ex-charter yacht, below, which they still in 2024 run as a business from Oban.   They have their website at cloudninecharters.co.uk.   The picture above is of Christine and David with her running friend Marjorie Small and her husband Russell.   She tells us that they were their most stoic and supportive crew on what was often a stormy passage.   They departed at Nice for 10 days for family business and rejoined Christine and David in Portugal.  That was a wee while ago but they still have the charter business – see their website at the above address.

 

Professionally Christine is a fully qualified Landscape Architect. (BA Honours, Oxford) in Agricultural and Forestry Sciences followed by Batchelor of Landscape Design (Manchester) post graduate qualification.  She retired in 2019.   After retiring she came out of retirement to do a full-time Community Development job for the villages where she lives. “but only until the end of March 2025!”   After the appointment, she was introduced to the Cove & Kilcreggan Council with the following remarks taken from the Committee Minutes.

“She started her career as a professional Landscape Architect working on both public and private realm projects, mainly in and around Glasgow, with a wide range of community groups and clients.   After seventeen years as a Landscape Architect, she was asked by her then-employer, the Wise group, to join their Development Section where she helped the organisation to source new clients, new projects and new methods of funding.”

She herself adds : I started out with Glasgow Parks Dept, then about 8 years(  I think) in private practice, then The Wise Group for – errrrrr – lots of years, then moved across into Community Regeneration work – mainly with Community Links Scotland – 14 years before retirement but now – this job!!! 

There is much more but that is quoted to indicate the levels of responsibility that she had while she was doing the quality running on the hills.   She is currently employed full time in her community as a Development Officer until March 2025.     There is success there too.   See this :

Cove and Kilcreggan :  The Green Group from the Our Community Project in Cove & Kilcreggan have been successful in receiving funding from ABCAN (Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network hub) to help set up trial beds for growing a variety of produce (food, flowers, herbs etc).   Many thanks to the Community Development Officer, Christine Menhennet, for working with the Green Group towards the application!”

The saying “All work and no play” does not apply to Christine however.   Where does she find the time is maybe an appropriate question.   To finish the saying as a question: “does it make her a dull girl?”   Far from it – Christine is a lively, popular person whose 50th Birthday party in the Old Kilpatrick Bowling Club is still spoken of and she is currently involved in activities such as line dancing!  See the picture above for that.   As a member of Westerlands CCC, she takes part in their presentations, dinners and indeed has replied at their Burns Supper to the toast to the ‘Lassies’.    Her introduction to the Cove & Kilcreggan Council in 2024 included the following: She moved to Kilcreggan in 2021 with her partner. Since then, she joined the line dance class and the Peninsula Choir – for whom she has already procured some funding!

She always finds time to meet up and keep up with old friends such as Shelagh King and Marjorie Small with whom she ran back in 1990.   The picture is of Christine with her running friend Shelagh King and her twins.

One of her hill running friends described her as follows (his words):   

“a great ‘rounded person’ of real intellect, a professional who truly cares about ‘what she and others are doing’ and ‘the results achieved’ (for the better… nothing else would do).   Thus her slight frame and athletic build were backed by a real savviness and love of outdoors, that combined to a super person and braw athlete, so very highly regarded and respected… certainly loved by her peer group of lasses and lads….    A trusted person, fun, so hard working, and ….sassy, and easy company. “

What a wonderful compliment.   And what wonderful advertisement for our sport she is.