Meet Sunbury’s new “Running Mayor” Marc Leyshon, who is tasked with promoting running in the local area. The concept of Running Mayors was born out of the RunSome campaign to advocate running as a way of undertaking local journeys to help reduce traffic and pollution but also to advocate the physical and mental benefits of hitting the local streets and parks.
The campaign has been launched across the UK with volunteer Running Mayors having been appointed as ambassadors for their local area. Marc is a Sunbury resident and has been a runner for years but is keen to emphasise this is a grassroots initiative to encourage everyone to use running as a means of getting around, whether it is popping to the shops to grab something, heading to see friends or running home from work or the station. The key message is to help make running a form of active travel.
He says “we have seen how popular local running campaigns have been with Parkrun as a great example and it would be amazing to capture some of the same spirit on an everyday basis”.
The role is just getting going and will see him and a network of other Running Mayors looking for ways to encourage running in all its forms, from putting local people in touch to arrange to meet up, finding ways to make running more accessible, to the use of sporting facilities and local infrastructure. The key message of the RunSome campaign is to use running for those everyday journeys, to help cut traffic and pollution and at the same time help get all the benefits that running brings.
The campaign is hoping to gain momentum as the summer gets going “it doesn’t matter what level you are or what you want to get out of it, the idea is to promote running in the community and all the good things that come with it. I would encourage anyone who is interested to contact me with thoughts and ideas and keep an eye on news about the campaign”.