WITNEY Roadrunners have paid tribute to a man who “inspired a whole generation” of new athletes.

The club’s life president Vernon Blowfield, 97, died of natural causes at his home in Witney on Sunday, February 26.

In his heyday, Blowfield competed for England at the National Cross Country Championships, finishing second in 1948 having led until the last couple of hundred yards.

He also represented Great Britain in a number of events while serving in the RAF.

Committee member Steve Hopkins said: “He was an excellent runner and he will be sorely missed in the running community.

“He was the life president of Witney Roadrunners and when the club was formed in 1985 he was in from the start and provided inspiration to a lot of fledgling runners.

“I joined in 1988 and to see him there, all the stuff he has done, he has inspired a whole generation of runners.

“He was a lovely man, a really, really nice man.”

Blowfield moved to Witney in 1952 with his wife Elsie and worked for Smiths Industries, a former manufacturer of aeronautical and automotive instruments.

He attended Witney RR’s inaugural meeting in 1985 and went on to be made the club’s first and only life president.

Blowfield, who only stopped running ten years ago, is also life vice president of the Oxfordshire Athletic Association.

He leaves behind his wife, daughters Dawn and Christine, and son Kevin, plus an extensive family.