Prison fitness instructor delighted to be part of mental health campaign

A PERTH Prison fitness instructor has spoken of his surprise and delight at launching a nationwide mental health campaign.

Alex McClintock and his colleague Adam Allison launched jogscotland’s I’m Here campaign – which encourages running group leaders to support mental health chats at their groups.

The pair set up the Jog Con running group in Perth Prison and won a Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH) award.

Alex said the I’m Here campaign launch took them both by surprise.

He said: “Being a main part of the launch was a surprise as we thought we were getting interviewed for the next magazine from jogscotland.

“We wanted to share our experiences. Getting our guys out running around the grounds of the prison had a positive impact on their mental health and for one hour a week they felt like they had ‘escaped’.”

The Jog Con group started last May when six prisoners signed up for a couch to 10k programme. The group runs laps of the football field i nside the prison every Wednesday, with prisoners and leaders reporting an improvement in physical and mental health.

As part of t he new jogscotland campaign, running group leaders will complete training, make an I’m Here pledge and wear a badge, which they can use to show they are open to chatting about mental health.

Jo Stevens, j ogscotland membership development officer, said: “We believe that mental health challenges shouldn’t stop people from participating.

“The intention is not to turn leaders into trained counsellors, but to make them feel more confident to provide a listening ear, and know how to help members find more help if they want it.”