Social Movement
Jogging Pals leave no runner behind
‘I PUT A POST OUT ON NEW YEAR'S EVE 2014,
saying that I’d be running some Couch to 5K courses,’ says Glyn Rose, the man behind Jogging Pals. ‘I’d noticed a lot of people wanted to get into running but didn’t know where to start. The new year was spent answering lots of messages on Facebook and in January the first programme was delivered to 31 people. Jogging Pals started as a hobby. Now it’s a business.’
Lake District-based Jogging Pals offers 10 sessions a week and has a staunch ethos of inclusivity. ‘A massive part of what we do is trying to make sure everyone’s supported,’ it says on their website, ‘but in particular the person at the back of the pack!’
‘There are running clubs in Kendal,’ says Glyn, ‘but many of our Pals are ladies from their mid 20s through to their 50s, who feel they might not fit in with the image of club runners in shorts and vests; they fear they might be too slow and hold people up. That’s something we’re very focused on; everybody's involved, Jogging Pals is totally inclusive. We’ve also had people with disabilities run with us and we’re quite proud of that. We move at people’s paces. We’re all human and we’re all different. We respect that and we support people through that journey. Nobody’s left behind.’
Three years after
Glyn’s initial Facebook post, he added friend Wayne Singleton to the staff. ‘We had so many people signed up that we looked at each other and thought, “Hmm, is there something here?” We decided to make it a business and see where it went. It’s been amazing. It’s exceeded expectations.’ Glyn estimates over 500 people have done the Jogging Pals Couch to 5K programme. The staff roster has grown too, most of them former Pals.
‘We just wanted to get people to run 5K and we assumed they would go off and start running. But they didn't want to leave!’ So Glyn started putting on 5-10K programmes, road and trail programmes, an Improvers programme focusing on form and technique, and a 10-20km programme. They’ve recently added holidays
(in the Lake District and Romania) and junior sessions, too. ‘We're getting children being active, but in a fun way, so they don't really realise they're doing it.’
In 2017, Jogging Pals won the Cumbria Sports Award for Community
Club or Group. ‘That was pretty special.’ They're also Mental Health Champions for England Athletics and organise ‘run and talk’ sessions. ‘We just encourage people to come along and run – or walk – one, two or three miles and just talk. If you want to talk in confidence to a stranger, that’s absolutely fine and if you just want to talk about the weather, that’s totally cool as well. We know how much difference running can make – just getting out and about and talking to the people alongside you.’
Running has had a big impact on Glyn’s life too. ‘I was a smoker and a drinker – I wouldn't step out for a night unless I had two packets of cigarettes in my pocket. Then I got into running. I can go out for a run and it puts things back in perspective. Running makes a big difference.’
‘WE KNOW HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE RUNNING CAN MAKE – JUST TALKING TO THE PEOPLE ALONGSIDE YOU’