Fareham Running Club puts members’ mental health front and centre

Pioneering club culture work with the Energise Me Sport Welfare Officer, Sue Forber

The club has been partnering with Energise Me, the Active Partnership for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, whose Sport Welfare Officer, Sue Forber, has been guiding Fareham Running Club through the pilot of a new Club Culture Reflection Tool — a structured way for clubs to look honestly at how welcoming, inclusive and supportive their environment really feels for members.

Pilot identifies gap for returning runners.

The pilot has already helped Fareham Running Club identify what is working well, where to focus next, and how to translate good intentions into the lived experience of every runner who shows up — including a new offer for members returning to running after time away.

The tool helped the club see that, while new starters and beginners were well supported, there was no clear offer for members returning after injury, illness, or time away.

In response, the club has introduced a ‘Return to Running’ session at 18:50 on selected Tuesdays, running in parallel with the main club night, for people who need to rebuild confidence and fitness gradually.

Free, practical support for local sports clubs

Sue Forber and Sarah Goddard are the two SWOs covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. They offer free, friendly and practical support to local clubs — including welfare guidance, safeguarding advice and tools such as the Club Culture Reflection Tool, currently being piloted with Fareham Running Club.

Sue brings senior leadership experience in mental health, including her previous role as Director of Services at Solent Mind; Sarah’s background spans learning disabilities nursing and parent support, and she is also South Region Welfare Officer for Basketball England.

The SWO service is free for clubs in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Clubs interested in working with Sue or Sarah can get in touch with Sue Forber, sue.forber@energiseme.org, or Sarah Goddard, sarah.goddard@energiseme.org

Running for Body and Mind

Fareham Running Club’s well-being focus extends well beyond Mental Health Awareness Week. The club has invested in:

• #runandtalk nights — Fareham Running Club is a #runandtalk club, part of the England Athletics initiative supported by Mind that uses running to spark conversations about mental health. The club holds #runandtalk nights regularly throughout the year. This is where everyone runs as one group, encouraging everyone to chat to other club members that they may not have spoken to before. Over the course of the hour, each runner meets up to 5 new teammates.
• The FRC Support and Mental Well-being Team — Mental Health Ambassador Trevor Kettle, Mental Health Champions Chris Holliday and Vicki Thorn (last year’s club captains), and Club Community & Safeguarding Officers Sarah Donaghy and Ginette Emmonds, supporting members alongside trained run leaders.
• Signposting to local mental health support services for anyone who needs more than a club can offer.

How to get involved

Anyone interested in joining a session can find details at farehamrunningclub.com

New runners are warmly welcomed.

If you’d like your sports club to benefit from the Energise Me Sport Welfare Officers’ free, friendly, and practical services for your club, please get in touch with Sue Forber, sue.forber@energiseme.org or Sarah Goddard, sarah.goddard@energiseme.org