MILESHYCLUB x GREAT MANCHESTER RUN 2022

Our most recent 5k to 10k group recently completed their eight week training plan and went on to complete the Great Manchester 10k Run on 22nd May! We were so excited to see a wave of yellow (and the odd blue!) tees out on the course on what turned out to be a rather warm day!

Coaches Ian, Dennis and Jane were out on the course supporting our 10k first timers get round, and coaches Samina, Kath, Emily, Clare and Pam cheered everyone on from the sidelines! We were inundated with support on the day! Thank you so much to our members that came out as cheer squad and everybody else that came out to support.

Great Run offered us two free places in the event which we raffled off between everybody that had signed up for our eight week 10K training programme. The lucky winners were Silke and Michelle who both went on to absolutely smash their 10ks! Well done to both of you!

We all celebrated at All Bar One on King Street afterwards with our friends and families. We are sure there were some sore heads (and legs) in the morning!

MILESHYCLUB x MENTAL HEALTH WEEK 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week was 9th to 15th May this year. As this year’s theme was “Loneliness” throughout the whole week we encouraged all our runners and walkers to bring along a friend to their session for free so that they could experience the mental health benefits of getting outside to run or walk with other people. 

We also put on a special #RunAndTalk event to support the annual England Athletics initiative with all proceeds going to Bluesci, a local mental health charity.  We raised £24 from session fees which are being used to support refreshments and activities at Bluesci Partington centre for their Wellbeing Wednesday group. On the night, we went for a walk and/or jog down by the Bridgewater Canal and then had a MileShy social at the Slug and Lettuce afterwards.  It was lovely to see some new faces at this event.

Coach Jane said of the event “We had a lovely session at our latest #RunAndTalk event. We brought together brand new and current members of the MileShyClub.  Participants either ran, jogged or walked along the beautiful Bridgewater canal in Sale and were treated to sights of lots of lovely baby ducklings on the water!  Before the run/walk our coaches led a fun warm up which included a forfeit of hugging Mike, one of the bouncers at the Slug and Lettuce! He was up for the fun though, and we think our hugging paid off as he allowed us back into the bar after our exercise wearing sporting gear! It was great to connect with everyone in the group and take time out of the day to reflect on the friendship, peaceful surroundings and overall feeling of belonging, here at the MileShyClub”.

MILESHYCLUB'S INAUGRAL DOG RUN!

On 15th May MileShyClub hosted its first Dog Run and what a great start to a Sunday it was! In total we had 12 runners and a similar number of dogs that arrived at TreeTops café for introductions before heading down to the waterpark for our warm up. The warm up was led by Jane Dennison which, of course, was dog themed with warm ups including ‘Chase your Tail’, ‘Open the Puppy Coop’ and ‘Scoop up the p*o’. Once all humans and dogs were warmed up we ran around Sale Water Park with runners running at a pace that suited them and their four legged friends. Some decided to run one lap others decided to run two and some took the opportunity to walk but everyone finished the run feeling better than when they started.

After the run all runners and dogs gathered at the café for a well-deserved coffee catch up (and sausages).

Feedback from Coby a 2 year old Cockapoo:

‘It was a wonderful morning, I loved running because I get lots of treats on the way round. My owner looked tired after a lap so I thought I would be nice and go for a swim so he could catch his breath, I then cooled him down by shaking myself dry beside him to ensure he got extra wet. I enjoyed the run, but my highlight of the morning was definitely the sausage I got afterwards!! I can’t wait to do another one and make new friends‘

We will be having our second dog run in August, keep an eye out on the Facebook group for more information or email hello@mileshyclub.com.

MileShyClub steps up after lockdown with walking group launch

Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, local Trafford charity, the #MileShyClub, a beginner running club, branched out into walking groups last week. 

With running clubs located in Sale, Urmston, Partington, Old Trafford and Stretford, the volunteer coaches at the club voted last year to further expand into beginner walking groups, to help those most impacted by the covid pandemic. 

With Trafford Housing Trust funding the majority of the 18-month project, Trafford Council and Greater Sport have also provided financial support.

Teaming up with Blu Sci, Voice of BME Trafford, Age UK Trafford and the Pakistani Resource Centre, the new beginner walking groups are aimed at those rebuilding confidence, trying to get active whilst living with a long-term health condition or long covid, or coming back into the community. 

#MileShyClub CEO Jane Dennison is leading on the project and said, "We have a really supportive bunch of people working in Trafford to help people come back after lockdown, and it has been really great to see such a positive response to these walking groups. This collaborative response means we can provide a much-needed tailored approach to getting active in each of the areas. Our existing relationships with other organisations means we can signpost our walkers to other ways to get active and social too!"

Sessions take place in Sale, Partington, Stretford and two in Old Trafford. Sessions include a mobility and stretching warm up working on balance and coordination, a gentle walk of up to a mile depending on ability, and cool down stretches. Walks are followed with optional tea and coffee afterwards and are priced at £2 to ensure longevity of the offer.

To find out more, visit: https://www.mileshyclub.com/referralformwalking

Our most successful Couch to 5k Graduate turn out to date!

We’ve never seen ParkRun volunteers run out of tokens, but at the lovely Alexandra Parkrun on Saturday, marshals had to write out the numbers on pieces of paper to accommodate the bumper turn out!

Well over 100 of you turned up on the day and we actually ran out of goody bags (sorry about that) so we’re currently arranging for those who missed out to receive them in the post! We thought 70 would be enough!

Huge well done to everyone who got through their first 5k. We’re doing it all again in May so get yourself signed up to become a member here if you want in! https://www.mileshyclub.com/par-q

Step Into Our Beginner Walking Club!

***MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!***

Has the pandemic left you feeling fed up and unhealthy?

Are you struggling to go back outside into the community to meet people?

Do you have long covid or another long-term health condition and want to regain fitness levels?

We are delighted to announce our new pilot project... OUR BEGINNER WALKING CLUB... starting next month!

We've teamed up with mental health and wellbeing service Blu Sci, Voice of BME Trafford, Friends of Victoria Park, the Pakistani Resource Centre and Age UK to introduce not one, not two, but FIVE beginner walking groups into Trafford. The groups will complement our beginner running groups, with full details on the attached flyer.

This all wouldn't have been possible without the Trafford Housing Trust who are our major funder for this project, but we also extend our thanks to Trafford Council who have also part funded this project.

If you would like to join us as a beginner walker, please complete our referral form here: https://www.mileshyclub.com/referralformwalking

One last thing. Please do share this announcement far and wide with as many people as you can. We really want to reach out to those who need us most following the pandemic because at the #MileShyClub, no one gets left behind.

#covidrecovery #gmmovinginaction #noonegetsleftbehind #walkinggroups #beginnerwalking

New Trustee Appointments

We are delighted to announce the recruitment of two trustees to our Trustee Board!

Parveen Earl attended the #MileShyClub at our very first session 5 years ago, and has regularly stayed in contact with us and watched us grow. Parveen brings a wealth of senior management level experience and knowledge to the team, which will help develop our plans for the coming years.

We’re also really excited to introduce Razia Shaikh-Patel to our Board. Razia is a director of a Community Interest Company called WETA (Women’s Empowerment Through Arts) and is heavily involved in her current roles in developing, engaging and empowering the community in Trafford, and beyond in Longsight and Cheetham Hill. Razia is a native Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati speaker and works intensively with the BAME community.

We’d like to extend a huge welcome to both ladies – it’s a real pleasure to have you on the team!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - New #MileShyClub coming to Stretford in 2022!

The #MileShyClub is absolutely MADE UP to announce that our new club at STRETFORD launches on Monday 10th January 2022!

If you:

:-) want to learn how to run

:-) want to get more active

:-) want to make some friends

Then check out this page for all the details and get yourself down to see us! https://www.mileshyclub.com/2022-couch-to-5k-sessions

Come join our super friendly and supportive club in the great outdoors and let's get happy and healthy - together!

#noonegetsleftbehind #igetlockeddownbutigetupagain #c25k #2022resolutions #newchallenge #inittogether #gethappy #stretford #mileshynomore #everyonerememberstheirfirstrun

CEO Appointment

Exciting news!

#MileShyClub founder Jane Dennison is stepping down as Chair of Trustees and into the role of Chief Executive Officer in January 2022.

This change has happened so that Jane can dedicate more time to delivering the strategic objectives of the #MileShyClub, with a particular focus on helping those in the community recover their health and wellbeing following the covid pandemic.

Bram Appleton, who will be taking on the role of Trustee Chair said that the appointment was long overdue; “Since Day 1, Jane has been the driving force to propel the #MileShyClub forward, and it was only a matter of time before we saw this change happen. That, coupled with some imminent new trustee hires to further strengthen our Board will give our club the solid foundation it needs to further grow and reach those who need us most.”

Jane says, “I am incredibly proud of the work the #MileShyClub team do, and it is an honour to continue promoting everything that’s great about our club!  It really is amazing what we have achieved in such a short space of time, and I’m really excited to see where we’ll be in another 5 years!”

#noonegetsleftbehind #mileshyclub #mileshyforever #running #runningcharity #runningclub #newjob #excitingtimes #covidrecovery

Trustees Week 2021 - We Need YOU!

It’s Trustees Week this week and we need YOU!

We have some very exciting plans for expansion over the coming months and we are looking to expand our Trustee Board to help support our ambitions for the future with the recruitment of up to three new trustees.  We are looking in particular for people with the following experience:

·        Executive or senior management experience in the public sector and/or VCSE sector

·        Equality, diversity and inclusion

·        Internal controls, audit and assurance

·        Legal and regulatory compliance including Consumer related standards/regulation

·        Health and social care

·        Social enterprise, social investment and social impact assessment

You can apply here: https://trustees-unlimited.co.uk/roles/mileshyclub-trustee/

To find out more about Trustees Week and what it means to be a Trustee, check out all the info on the dedicated Trustees Week page here! https://trusteesweek.org/

#trusteesweek #trusteerecruitment #recruitment #biggerandbetter #ambiitous #inspiration #trustee #runningclub #runningcharity #noonegetsleftbehind #letsgo #justdoit @TrusteesWeek