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Wellness Warriors on the Run, a sober running group which forms part of a drug and alcohol research programme at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), has successfully secured £6.5k in funding from .  

Wellness Warriors on the Run is a social prescribing programme based on the Couch to 5k model, designed to support those suffering from drug and alcohol-related issues in the local community.  

The funding will support the programme’s third wave beginning this Autumn which is open and recruiting for participants. 

The programme began in early 2024 and is a collaboration between BNU’s Community Engagement team, the BNU Sports Performance Lab, Gateway Gym, BNU Drug and Alcohol Research Group, and local partner Phoenix Lifestyle Innovations.  

Two groups have now completed their ‘waves’, citing the programme as “life-changing” and “transformational”. The programme has also provided a social circle and support network for participants, with a group of five coming together to take part in the National Recovery Walk in Crystal Palace in September.  

Programme leaders Lewis Baker, Managing Director at Phoenix Lifestyle Solutions, and Charmain Clayton, Senior Community Engagement Officer at BNU, spoke on Wycombe Sound community radio station last week.  

Lewis said: “This project is about getting people together, getting them moving and talking, and surrounding them with people who understand the position they’re in. And we’re also looking at the benefits of physical movement as a way of fixing the brain. I don’t believe you can have good mental health without good physical health and vice versa. The benefits of projects like this one are endless: increasing self-esteem; self-confidence; even supporting relapse prevention. We’ve seen people in this group have their first sober birthday in years and others who have gone their longest amount of time sober while part of this running group.” 

Charmain said: “This project is about helping people to build their own building blocks. If we can make things easier for people, for anybody at all, even if it’s just a few evenings a week, then I feel like we’ve won. And BNU being such an integral part of this project means that we can provide a holistic approach to support for our participants. Having access to services like the Advice Hub at our High Wycombe Campus, or being able to put them in touch with someone who can help them with their CV, it’s all adding up to helping these people, and the community our university is part of. 

“This funding from Sport England will allow us to continue to help people and further this important research and awareness raising for social prescribing and drug and alcohol issues.” 

The funding from Sport England will keep the running group going for the next two waves.  

On their website, Sport England said: “We’re here to invest in sport and physical activity to make it a normal part of life for everyone in England, regardless of who you are. 

“We believe the impact sport and physical activity can have on mental wellbeing is every bit as important as the physical benefits. Physical activity can contribute to enjoyment and happiness, and more broadly to life satisfaction through increased social interaction. Volunteers and sports fans also have an increased sense of purpose and pride, while self-esteem and confidence are known to increase through participation or volunteering. Sport and physical activity also have the potential to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms.” 

The Wellness Warriors programme has also been supported by , who funded the training of two LIRF (Leader in Running Fitness) qualifications from England Athletics for programme leaders and a hardship fund to keep runners in the programme, totalling £900.  

Wellness Warriors on the Run is part of the Public and Civic Engagement Strategy BNU unveiled earlier this year, which outlines the ways in which the University plans to support communities to achieve better health and wellbeing and advance social inclusion, amongst other priorities linked to the .  

Professor Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor of BNU, said: “We are acutely aware of the health, social, economic and environmental challenges our campus communities face, particularly in High Wycombe, and our University proudly welcomes the responsibility to help enhance people’s lives in a targeted and impactful way. Working together with our valued stakeholders, we will continue to deliver long-lasting and positive change for our region and beyond.” 

If you or someone you know is interested in being a part of Wellness Warriors on the Run, you can get in touch with charmain.clayton@bnu.ac.uk.