Participants celebrate completing Wellness Warriors on the Run social prescribing programme
Buckinghamshire New University welcomes Social Prescribing Day 2024, celebrating people and communities who make social prescribing happen, raising awareness of what it is and how it changes lives.
It comes following the final run of the Wellness Warriors on the Run running group, who celebrated the end of their nine-week programme with a 5K fun run in Walton-On-Thames on Sunday 10 March.
At the end of 2023, the community engagement team developed a social prescribing programme designed to support those suffering from drug and alcohol-related issues in the local community.
Working with the BNU Sports Performance Lab, Gateway GYM, BNU Drug and Alcohol Research Group, and Phoenix Lifestyle Innovations, the community engagement team developed a project aimed at sharing information on nutrition, the importance of exercise and how they support physical and mental health.
A large part of the programme was the creation of community running group, Wellness Warriors on the Run. The group consisted of 13 runners and was led by Community Engagement Officer, Charmain Clayton, Fitness Supervisor, Charlie Britton and Managing Director of Phoenix Lifestyle Innovations, Lewis Baker, and employed the ‘Couch to 5K’ running model.
The participants were evaluated at different stages of the programme to measure the physiological and psychological benefits of running, and the collected data will be used to help design future groups that will support those in the community that need it the most.
The findings of the research will be published later this year by Associate Professor Dr Ben Clayton and Senior Lecturer and Drug and Alcohol Research Group member, Dr Nicola Mallowan, in the School of Human and Social Sciences, and Charmain Clayton.
Despite the end of the programme, the Wellness Warriors have submitted an application to England Athletics to become a recognised and nationally registered running club, enabling the current cohort to continue their weekly group runs, as well as plans for two more cohorts to start later this year.
Addressing the impact of the group, Wellness Warrior’s Chair, Ema Wilton, said: “Wellness Warriors has completely changed not only my life, but also my mindset and future in such a short space of time.
“I had no idea when I joined this Couch to 5k running club of how much it would mean to me and how passionate I am about our future. The Wellness Warriors have fast become the single most important thing in my life that I am so proud to be a part of.”
Community Engagement Officer and co-founder of the group, Charmain Clayton, added: “Lewis Baker and I met six years ago, and we bonded over our first-hand experience of the heartache that addiction can bring.
“At the heart of our conversations was our passion for sport, being outside, and our desire to help those in recovery.
“We talked about completing a Couch to 5k program and starting a running community, and six years later Wellness Warriors on the Run was born.
“Before long we were out running, all of us with the same two goals; recovery and reclaiming our self-worth. Johan Hari's famous words came true: the opposite of addiction isn't sobriety, it's connection!”
BNU’s Gateway GYM Fitness Supervisor Charlie Britton was also heavily involved in leading the group on the weekly runs.
Speaking about the impact exercise had on participants, he said: “The Wellness Warriors group have gone from being quiet, shy and unsure whether running was for them, to a group of people who look forward to each week.
“It took running with a buddy and a little persuasion, but they have taken each run as it comes, pushing themselves further every week. Over the weeks, each of them has shown an inspiring amount of growth and are more confident in overcoming their problems.”
Speaking after the 5K, team member Paul Harold said: “This has been brilliant, it’s not something I would normally have done. It’s been amazing for me and for the whole team of people who have spurred me on and I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”
BNU is hosting a Drug and Alcohol Conference on 9 May 2024. Featuring keynote speakers, student poster presentations, and networking opportunities, the conference will present the latest research and developments in the field of drug and alcohol addiction.
Wellness Warriors Chair, Ema Wilton, will be presenting at the conference with two team members to speak about the transformational impact that running has had on their lifestyle.
The research arm of the University's Substance Misuse Working Party, BNU’s Drug and Alcohol Research Group, is committed to working with the local community, engaging with partners on the Buckinghamshire Council Drug and Alcohol Strategy, and with listening to the unheard voices of all those affected by substance use and misuse.