The Running Charity
Added: 19/07/2022
Run Leeds
“We are an independent charity harnessing the power of running to support young people who are experiencing homelessness or manage complex needs.”
The Running Charity is an independent charity, that has been going for over a decade now. What started in London as a pilot scheme with twelve young people, based in Kings Cross, is now a national organisation, guiding and inspiring hundreds.
The charity currently doesn’t have a permanent base as such, but utilises available local outdoor spaces for running and coaching activities with their young people, taking a flexible approach to go wherever is easiest for them to meet. Sessions are mainly in the parks and green areas of Potternewton, Middleton, Armley, Harehills and Temple Newsam, and they currently support a wide range of young people in the Leeds District.
Many of the young people involved have experienced homelessness at some point, but the charity also supports those aged 16-25 to navigate a wider range of complex needs. Such as those facing mental health issues, or going through gender reassignment.
The support offered is a more holistic combination of physical and emotional well-being activities. They deliver running coaching and youthwork through inclusive sessions. This can include one-to-one confidence building, group runs, alongside a variety of wellbeing activities, all free of charge.
The power of running is a key focus and you will often find these young people attending local parkrun events, but the Charity also organises bigger ‘Adventures’, teaching life skills that will help with employability and future situations. The London hub has recently taken the young people they support on a residential in Snowdonia. The Manchester group will be up next and the Leeds group will be going this August. These exciting experiences in the great outdoors include camping, cooking, parkrunning, hiking, open water swimming, kayaking, to provide an adventure experience that they will never forget.
The Running Charity currently works with a number of other partner organisations in Leeds, who refer young people to be supported by Liz and the team. They are always on the lookout for new partner organisations though, so if you are aware of any, please do get in touch (contact details are provided at the end of this article).
If you would like to find out more about The Running Charity, and all fantastic things it has been doing, or you are interested in how to donate, make referrals, volunteering opportunities, or virtual runs, then go to the website link: Home — The Running Charity
For further details or enquiries regarding the Leeds hub, you can contact Liz Adams via email on: liz@therunningcharity.org
You can also follow and support The Leeds Running Charity social media:
@liztrc_leeds (Instagram) and @LizTRC_Leeds (Twitter).
The Running Charity national:
The Running Charity (Instagram) and @Running_Charity (Twitter).
This news story was taken from an article originally written by Victoria Cusack for Run Leeds.