A running club in Pontypool is removing one of the biggest barriers to exercise for new parents – childcare.
Free Wheelers invites mums and dads to bring their babies and toddlers along for the ride in specialist running buggies, creating a safe space where family life meets fitness.
Thanks to National Lottery funding through Sport Wales, the club has been able to provide the equipment and training to get mams running with prams.
Every week in Pontypool Park, parents meet instructor Alex Jones to be put through their paces with an interval session or a 5k run. Babies and toddlers aren’t left at home with other family members – they're safely strapped in as mini-members of the club.
And once the hour’s up that week, it’s back to the leisure centre for a coffee and a chat. It’s a community of like-minded people who completely understand what you’re going through – the sleepless nights, teething troubles and feeding worries. They even entertain each other’s little ones during interval sessions.
Thanks to £1,500 of The National Lottery funding distributed by Sport Wales, Free Wheelers has been able to:
In the past, we’ve had to turn people away because we didn’t have enough running buggies. But thanks to the National Lottery, we’ve been able to buy six more so that more people can get involved. It’s a chance in the week for us to spend a bit of time looking after ourselves.
The project set up by Pontypool and District Runners club gives mums (and dads) the chance to take part in exercise, without having to worry about childcare.
Free Wheelers has become a lifeline to many parents. Carving out some time in their week to think about themselves, they can invest in their own health and wellbeing, while showing their children first-hand that being active is fun and important.
From crash diets to negative body image, Nicola Needs, 32, had a bad relationship with exercise. That is, until she joined Free Wheelers. When Nicola became a mam to two daughters, she made a big decision: to be a fit and healthy role model.
She hopes that making running just a normal part of the week will mean that her girls will grow up knowing that fitness is good for their health.
Free Wheelers has massively impacted my life. It helps me to be the best version of me, a healthy, strong role model to my daughters. I would have been a bit intimidated to give it a go a few years ago – but if I can do it, so can you.
Free Wheelers has also helped Helen Griffiths rediscover fitness and wellbeing after childbirth.
After an emergency C-section, Helen Griffiths, 31, felt her fitness had taken a hit. But now she is stronger than ever.
As soon as her son was six months old, Helen joined the Free Wheelers. From feeling out of breath after just 1km when she first started, she is now running 10km.
I felt like my physical fitness took a big setback after my emergency C-section. But Free Wheelers has really helped me move forward, and I’m now fitter and stronger than ever.
Free Wheelers shows that it’s possible to find ways to get parents active. By removing practical barriers, like childcare and equipment costs, mums and dads can stay active, recover from childbirth and set positive examples for their little ones.
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