Over the last two years, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust have been developing a range of affordable sessions for women and girls looking to get more active.

Under the Women Active umbrella, the Trust are delivering yoga, rounders, paddle-boarding, kayaking and running sessions over the summer for women in the Hounslow area.

Launched in April, the Brentford Running Club is proving a great success with a group of friendly and lively women who are improving their fitness under the guidance of running leader Neil Young.

Every Wednesday, the group gather at the Brentford Boating Arch and make their way to the scenic oasis of Kew Green where they take part in games, relays and runs. Here - all abilities are catered for, and the sessions are conducted in a relaxed yet structured fashion.

The reasons why the women joined the Club vary. Some are there to get fit, others to meet people and then there are those with a future challenge on their mind.

“I have been preparing for the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge for ‘Marie Curie’,” said Liz Gers, a regular member of the group. “The running club will be a big part of achieving the stamina needed for the 24 mile hike.”

A clear bonus of the Club for Liz is training for the Three Peak Challenge, however, she also enjoys it.

“The instructor is fantastic, very patient. I love the sessions and the way they are broken down into a warm up/stretch exercise and the circuits. I have got some great tips on running techniques and it really works for me.”

After a month of building confidence and fitness, a couple of members felt fearless enough to take part in the Brentford Challenge 5K at Syon Park in May.

“I wanted to improve my running in general and I also wanted to complete the Brentford Challenge without embarrassing myself,” said Liz Young, who has been attending the Club since the very beginning. “I would have struggled around the course in a pretty slow time and not enjoyed it nearly as much as I did having done several sessions with the Brentford Running Club beforehand.”

Anita Ralli also took part in the event: “It was a great day out for the family especially with the 1K run for the kids," she said. "I really enjoyed it – there was a great atmosphere and it is a beautiful venue. I think the Running Club is a great idea – and it is really fantastic and brilliant to have it on my doorstep.”

While the members of the club are going from strength to strength physically, the social aspect is also something that keeps them coming back.

“The Running Club is a good place to make new friends. We have a nice group of mixed ability and there is a really nice comradery within the group encouraging each other. It is great to see our fitness improve over the last six weeks,” said Anita.

Liz Young added: “I’ve met some wonderful women from all walks of life that I wouldn’t have had a chance to meet or socialise with had I not joined the Club. We’ve all got a common goal (to get fit, have fun and improve our running) and we are all very supportive of each other and laugh a lot. Meeting new people has been one the biggest benefits of joining the Club.”

Although running can be accompanied by a giggle every now and then, getting women more involved in sport is something the Brentford FC CST, Sport England and the government are taking very seriously. Research by Sport England found that 75 per cent of women wanted to participate in more sport but were often stopped by confidence issues and a lack of time.

This spurred the creation of the ‘This Girl Can’ PR campaign which culminated with a national advertising drive which featured women of all shapes and sizes taking part in different sports. Although that PR campaign was a success, and raised awareness, the real achievement would be if more women took part in programmes like the Running Club.

“I absolutely love the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign – it was really inspiring and motivating and so good to see all shapes and sizes of women doing exercise. These are positive role models for young girls and women, and talking of which, I will be watching the Women’s World Cup tonight,” said Anita.

With Sport England funding Brentford’s Women Active programme and many similar around the country, sport has finally got serious about women. Now it is time for more women to get serious about sport.

The Brentford Trust are happy to be at the forefront of this national campaign and we welcome new members to the Running Club and our other women-friendly sessions.

More information:

Brentford Running Club: £3 per session, Wednesdays 6.30pm – 8pm, Brentford Boating Arch W4 3NG.

Please contact [email protected] for more information on our women’s sessions.