Friends form running group in Hereford as safe space for women

(Left to right) Morgan Miles, Helen Massey and Lillian Istance set up "Girls That Run Hereford" in January

A group of friends said they formed an all-female running group to help other women feel safe while taking part.

"Girls That Run Hereford" is aimed at girls and women of all abilities and ages in Herefordshire.

About 30 people joined the group's latest run after it was formed in January and it had already attracted hundreds of followers on social media.

Founder, Lillian Istance, 22, said the sessions were a "safe space" for runners to meet up and exercise.

"Running in the dark, it's really just not safe, it's nice that we're all running together and it's a community that we're all just together running, motivating each other," fellow co-founder Helen Massey, 27, said.

About 30 people joined the group's latest run in Hereford

The third founder, Morgan Miles, 25, said she had previously never embarked on a run alone and always ran alongside her mum or her dog due to safety concerns.

"I would just never go out in the evening, especially on my own," she said.

"But now we've got this group, it is just a safe space for women to come together and feel safe at night and in the evenings."

The group's running schedule is posted on their Facebook group each week to encourage other local women to take part.

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Ms Istance said to her, some running groups could be "quite daunting" but "Girls That Run Hereford" was a "really inclusive community".

"I wanted to set up Girls That Run Hereford because I got into running for kind of the wrong reasons," she explained.

"I had quite an unhealthy mindset around exercise and I just wanted a safe space for women to meet up, encourage one another, get together, socialise and exercise for the right reasons."