Home of Highbridge Ladies Running Club

Welcome to the official website of Highbridge Ladies Running Club.

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Get to Know Us

About our group

Highbridge Ladies Running Club was started in March 2017 by Emma Wood, who had seen a post for a Run Leader advertised by Highbridge Active Communities - Simon Rumbles from Knightstone Housing Association. The initial aim was to take a group of novice ladies runners and train them to run 5k. The sessions were a huge success and it was decided to formalise the club - and so now Highbridge Ladies Running Club is now here!

With funding from Highbridge Active Communities - Simon Rumbles from Knightstone Housing Association we have 5 of the most amazing Ladies with the LIRF qualification. Amanda Smallwood, Christine Picton, Mandy Brown, Rebecca Amestoy, Tracy Venning.

The emphasis has always been on a friendly running club. Our aim is still the most important; to provide a safe and supportive structure for new and experienced runners wherever possible. No One Gets Left Behind! The club policy is based around looping, where the front runners will loop back to those runners at the back of the group, thus ensuring that the group stays together during the run.

The club meets on Wednesday evenings at 6.30pm mostly from the Apex centre in Highbridge. You do need to already be able to run 5k to join our main session. This comes with a one off £10 joining fee. The sessions are booking only with a £1 session charge for the session (all money is held in a club account and will be used to fund the club for example the next run Leaders course).

We also organise regular social evenings.

Home: About

Our journey so far

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Name: Georgina Dalla Valle
Age: 45
Role: Runner, RunTogether Highbridge Ladies Running Club

Georgina started running in April 2017 with the hope that she could improve her fitness, and support her partner and nine-year-old daughter (who both enjoy running) by entering races and parkruns as a family. Georgina saw an advert for her local RunTogether group, and it was tempted by the mention of a ‘Get Me Started’ group for all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness abilities - and she was not let down. Georgina started her running journey with thirty local people in a RunTogether group, and says they have all gone from strength to strength together, building up their confidence and running for longer distance. The group now has a strong bond that increases weekly.

The group has become like family to Georgina, meeting up for the RunTogether sessions, with members of the group also meeting up for separate runs together during the week. A Facebook group has been created where the team members can share pictures of their training and progress.

“Everybody is really supportive of each other and it spurs you on. You don’t want to let your running buddies down and quite honestly, they wouldn’t let you go down anyway! The confidence levels have shot through the roof. The support that we have received and give to each other is immense, the self-belief in ourselves is huge - the world is our oyster. Some people who started out initially as one of the Wednesday night team are now leading sessions and they are brilliant!”

As Georgina and her group improved their confidence, they began setting themselves challenges, with nine of them taking part in a half marathon in October 2017. Georgina’s favourite part of RunTogether is the support she receives from her new friends: “The running group has ensured that we have a tight close-knit group of likeminded individuals whose confidence has grown through the support and encouragement of others. No matter what is going on, we have formed bonds and friendships.” Georgina summarises her RunTogether experience as this: “I have made new friends, conquered my running demons and fears of failure and increased my fitness levels.”

Amanda

https://runtogether.co.uk/about/your-stories/2017/10/31/amanda-smallwood/

Name: Amanda Smallwood
Age: 42
Role: Run Leader, RunTogether Highbridge Ladies Running Club

Amanda Smallwood began running in April 2017. With her children now more independent teenagers, she decided it was time she allowed herself some ‘me time’. Inspired by her friends who were runners, Amanda spotted an advert for her local RunTogether beginners’ course and signed up. Amanda immediately discovered a group of new friends within the RunTogether Highbridge Ladies Running Club, and found the confidence to complete the 6-week beginners’ course which ended in a 5K run.

Amanda didn’t stop there and has since taken part in multiple 5K and 10K runs. Talking about her new group of running friends she says: “We have established a bond that is now stronger than ever. I enjoy meeting up to run with the others on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Getting together for a night out is popular too!”. Amanda was so inspired by her own Run Leader that she has now completed England Athletics’ Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) qualification to become a Run Leader herself and help support others along their running journey.

Summarising her experience, Amanda says: “Joining RunTogether Highbridge Ladies’ Running Club has had a huge positive effect on my health and life. It has helped me to lose weight and feel less tired. Having a run with friends is always something to look forward to and this makes me happier too. “After a bad day, a good run and chat fixes things – and exercise in general has just made me feel healthier and more positive in life. I feel that I have gained confidence and now believe in myself that anything is possible, you just have to give it a go!”

Emma

https://runtogether.co.uk/about/your-stories/2017/10/31/emma-wood/

Name: Emma Wood
Age: 36
Role: Run Leader, RunTogether Highbridge Ladies Running Club

Emma began running in 2014 as a way of fundraising to give back to the Air Ambulance team who had saved her father after an incident. Emma took part in the Royal Marines Commando Challenge, and managed to raise £220. 2014 continued to be a hard year for Emma when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her mother motivated her to take part in a half marathon in 2015 to raise money for the Macmillan nurses who were caring for her. While caring for her mother in her remaining few months, training for the half marathon allowed Emma to clear her head and have some ‘me time’ during a difficult period in her life.

Three months after her mother passed away in January 2015, Emma completed the half marathon and raised over £1,000 for Macmillan. Having promised her mother that she would fill her time with helping others in the absence of the time spent caring for her mother, Emma continued to take part in running events to help fundraise for worthwhile causes.Emma was running at a local running club when she found out about RunTogether and the possibility of completing the Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) qualification. The qualification, delivered by England Athletics, allows her to deliver safe and fun running sessions for others.

Having earned this qualification, Emma set up a ladies-only beginners RunTogether group in Highbridge in March 2017, with 31 ladies attending the first session. Just six months on, the group has already proven to be a great success. Adopting the ‘looping back’ policy means that no-one gets left behind and the group stays together as much as possible. Emma summarises her experience as a Run Leader, commenting: “Volunteering my time as a Run Leader gives me something completely priceless that money could never buy; the deep-down sense of pride you get from not only helping others run, but improving their health and fitness, forming friendships and watching how other people grow.”

Emma loves to watch the members of RunTogether Highbridge Ladies Running Club take on challenges that they never would have thought possible, and has no plans to stop running herself: “I absolutely love that running gives me not only the ability to gain head space and fresh air but also the ability to help others whether that’s as Run Leader, running buddy or fundraising for something important to the people that are important to me.”