Active Humber and North Yorkshire Sport are working with Fitmums to encourage local women to get involved in running.
Fitmums and Friends launched in Hull (Humber area) and grew organically at first, with guidance and funding from Active Humber. In the first two years of running the club went from five to 200 hundred members. Through their shared Marketing team North Yorkshire Sport and Active Humber worked with Fitmums to look at the replicability of the programme and commissioned Fitmums to establish 2 new clubs in North Yorkshire.
Working with North Yorkshire Sport, Fitmums identified York as a priority area and found a suitable location in one of the priority health wards of Acomb. The Fitmums and Friends team were supported to train female Run Leaders through accessing a subsidy through NYS and on 21st September launched the new group attracting 50 runners, many of whom were completing the walk or the 1 or 2 mile running routes aimed at beginners. The group will continue to receive support through NYS with the production of a promotional video as well as further support on targeting the inactive participants and growing a thriving running community. Fitmums will continue to provide support to the group leader as well as focusing on a new club to launch in Skipton and the potential for a 3rd club to launch in Harrogate.
Fit Mums have been going for seven years and have more than 800 members through their other clubs across the region. These sessions started as just running but now include buggy push, 10 to Teens (junior athletics), walking group, cycle squad and an inter-generational choir.