To coincide with World Mental Health Day on Monday 10th October Black Pear Joggers are pleased to be supporting #runandtalk, an England Athletics 
initiative. The event aims to improve mental wellbeing through running and break down the stigma associated with mental health by getting people talking about it.
#runandtal
k takes place during the week of 8th-14th October 2016 with people signing up to run one mile or further and have a chat either with friends, family, colleagues or other runners at a time and location of their choice or by joining one of the organised runs at an England Athletics club or RunTogether group.
The #runandtalk campaign aims to improve mental health through running in England by:
- getting people talking about mental health, sharing their experiences and removing stigma
- raising awareness of mental health problems
- supporting people experiencing mental health problems to be physically active through running whether that is to support them in starting, returning to or continuing to running
We’re often told that physical activity is good for our bodies and our minds, but having a mental health problem can make it difficult to get started, for a number of reasons, ranging from negative body image, or a lack of self-esteem through to practical reasons such as having no one to go with, or not knowing wh
ere to get started.
Black Pear Joggers are organising a run on 10th October at 6.50 from Perdiswell Leisure Centre. The run(s) will be various distances and will include options for walking, jogging and running so everyone is welcome whether you are new to running, looking to get back into it or a regular runner.
To register to join us on the run or for more information contact:
Tracy Kennish, [email protected], 07789 276970
The run(s) are supported by our volunteer England Athletics Mental Health Ambassador(s). Our friendly ambassadors Steve, James, Bex, Tracy, Alison and Neil have lived experience of mental health problems themselves or through close family or friends and are passionate about improving mental wellbeing through running.
Paul Evans, Club Chairman said:
“It’s great to see the club’s mental health ambassadors supporting the #runandtalk campaign. The club is proud to have members of all abilities and backgrounds, supporting each other from their first mile to their first marathon and beyond. Like an extended family, there is always someone to give you a much needed boost when you’re having a bad day.”
Look at all these people… we can’t all be wrong!
Sign up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1389366867746707/
Join the conversation on social media using #runandtalk.
The #runandtalk campaign is being supported by the mental health charity Mind. Hayley Jarvis, Community Programmes Manager (Sport) at Mind, said:
“Mind is delighted to support England Athletics and the #runandtalk initiative. It’s well known that regular exercise is good for our bodies – and there’s good evidence that being active improves our mental wellbeing too. Mental health problems are more common than people think with one in four people experiencing one each year. #runandtalk is a great initiative that everyone can get involved with to support their own mental health, while meeting others in their local community.”
The campaign is also partnering with GoodGym, a community of runners who use their runs for social good. Members stop off on runs to support isolated older people and undertake manual labour for community organisations. Runners have carried out thousands of runs to help older people in London and other cities across the UK. Throughout the initiative GoodGym will be hosting a series of starter sessions to get people running, talking and doing good in their local area. GoodGym founder Ivo Gormley said:
“Running makes you feel amazing, so does helping other people. Doing both at the same time is powerful way to feel great about who you are. You also meet other people at the same time. GoodGym is excited to be part of the #runandtalk campaign in support of World Mental Health Day. Running can be an amazing way to connect, whether that’s with those who you’re running with or those running to when supporting socially isolated older people.”
Liz Purbrick, National Disability Manager at England Athletics said:
“We are really pleased to be supporting World Mental Health Day with #runandtalk along with our Mental Health Ambassador Programme. We are passionate about the benefits running can bring to both physical and mental wellbeing and ensuring it is an activity that is accessible and beneficial to all. We hope that #runandtalk will help to breakdown some of the stigma attached to mental health and support people to access the social, physical and mental wellbeing benefits that running can bring.”
Running is one of the most accessible and low cost ways to be active and meet government recommendations to be moderately active for at least 150 minutes per week. Whether it’s to get fit, improve health, make friends or take on a challenge running has something to offer everyone.
For more information please contact:
Tracy Kennish, Marcomms and Social Media Liaison, Email: [email protected]. Tel: 07789276970
Worcester’s friendly running club, with groups to suit all abilities from walk/jog to faster paced running groups.
For more information on Black Pear Joggers please visit www.bpj.org.uk
England Athletics develops grass roots athletics and running in England, supporting affiliated clubs to prosper, developing more and better coaches, recruiting and supporting volunteers and officials. England Athletics provides and supports competition opportunities at an international (England representative), national, area and county level. England Athletics also delivers campaigns and products to inspire and provide 
opportunities for people in England to start running. These include This Girl Can Run (a running activation campaign from Sport England’s parent This Girl Can campaign) and Run England, a national recreational group-based running product.
England Athletics is a signatory of the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation. The Charter sets out how sport can use its collective power to tackle the stigma that surrounds mental health and help people seek support when needed, see more at www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/mental-health-charter.
For more information on England Athletics please visit www.englandathletics.org
We’re Mind, the mental health charity for England and Wales. We believe no one should have to face a mental health problem alone. We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. We have a federated network of over 140 local Minds across England and Wales. Our Get Set to Go programme aims to improve the lives of 75,000 people with mental health problems through access to sport in their communities, with support from Sport England and the National Lottery.
We work to remove the barriers that people living with mental health problems can face when wanting to take up a sport. We aim to increase and sustain their independent participation in mainstream sports as part of a healthy lifestyle.
For more information on Mind’s sport and physical activity work please visit www.mind.org.uk/sport
GoodGym
GoodGym is a growing community of runners who combine their exercise with helping their communities. Founded in 2009, its members stop off on their runs to do manual labour for community organisations and to support isolated older people. GoodGym is expanding rapidly from its roots in Tower Hamlets to other London boroughs and beyond and is active in 24 boroughs and cities. It aims to launch in every city in the UK by 2018. GoodGym is a non-profit company and is registered with the Charity Commission.
GoodGym is free to participate in though many of its members make regular donations to support the running costs of the organisation and its charitable objectives. GoodGym is supported by BT, New Balance and the Big Lottery and Nesta.
