Taking measures into his own hands to lose weight, one Nottingham man formed a running group where ‘no one is left behind.’ No matter the weather, the running group has gone on to help dozens of people in different ways - from those with social anxiety, confidence issues and, of course, people wanting to keep fit and healthy.
At one point in his life, 46-year-old Paul Hopkins weighed 20 stone. It was last February that Paul made it his mission to not just help himself - but help others by forming the group.
He said: “I’ve been running for 10 years. Several years ago, I was 20 stone and, after seeing a photo of myself, I thought ‘I have to do something.’
After losing weight, today, Paul is 13 stone.
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Paul continued: “Since then, I’ve done marathons and half marathons. I was made redundant from The Theatre Royal during the pandemic and, when lockdown first eased, I started a walking group; the Bulwell Runners.”
The non-profit organisation meets at the Ken Martin Leisure Centre every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm. The group has even expanded into three separate groups: Walk to jog, the Couch25k and the Level 3 social runners.
Paul continued: “At the moment, we have about 20 people in a group, and getting people active makes me feel better. There’s people who join the group who were anxious when they first started and then, you just watch them grow.”
One of those people is Charlotte Brown. From Nottingham, Charlotte explained her time at the Bulwell Runners and said: “Bulwell was lacking a running group so, as soon as I had seen Paul’s, I joined.
“I suffer from social anxiety and panic attacks and coming to these groups have really helped. I first started running around five years ago to improve my mental health and I loved being a part of a group where people had no expectations of talking plus, it’s a low-cost activity.”
The mixed ability group runs all over Nottingham with their gear including headlights and Hi Vis jackets. The group has support from Get Out, Get Active and Sports England.
When running, there’s always an instructor or volunteer who ‘surrounds’ the group making them feel less alone as well as always giving those who are at the back a chance to be at the front so 'no one's left behind.'
Paul continued: “The group has two official instructors and three who are in training. Anyone’s welcome, we’ve had people bring their teenagers, we’ve had someone bring their dog, there's a mix of people".
Kay Drew has been with the Bulwell Runners for several months. She said: “I had an office job and when coronavirus >Covid hit, the weight piled on. I did ParkRun and then a few Septembers ago, I had got Covid and then my progress went downhill.
“I thought: 'you can’t get faster by running once a week', so I joined [Bulwell Runners] a couple of months ago and now, my speed isn’t brilliant, but it’s improved.”
To join the Bulwell Runners, you just simply turn up to the Ken Martin Leisure Centre. Mary Hole said: “After reading Paul’s story you think, ‘if he can do it, so can you.’
“This group is really supportive, if one person can’t make it, someone would offer them a lift. I joined to keep up with my five-year-old grandson and although it’s tiring, it’s worth it.”
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