Council tells mum to take out £5m insurance to go running

Sam Ward, 31, who gave birth to baby Ruby last December, set up Run Harrogate to offer an easier option for people who could not manage the longer distances offered by more formal groups.

But when Harrogate Borough Council heard about the group, which meets every Thursday evening, it contacted Miss Ward to ask for proof of her public liability insurance and details of the qualifications held by any “staff” running the group.

She said: “It was a bit of a shock because, to me, it’s not a club, it’s a support group.

“I don’t ever say that I teach people and I don’t charge. I send an email every week to say ‘You run at your own risk’.”

Miss Ward set up the group to find others who wanted to run about 3km together, to improve their motivation. Around 20 runners joined her every week, with others taking part less frequently.

Miss Ward said she was already planning to take a leadership in running course, but had no idea of the potential cost of the necessary insurance. She hoped to cover it herself so she would not have to charge Run Harrogate members.

After she announced the news on social networking site Twitter, Miss Ward said she was inundated with messages of sympathy – as well as offers to stage a “protest run” on the Stray.

She said she did not want to fall out with the council and would do her best to follow the rules, but questioned the authority’s approach to the group, especially so soon after the Olympics when she said more people were feeling motivated to get fit.

“There seem to be more barriers to it than support,” she added.

A council spokesman said it required every organised group to follow certain procedures when using council land, in order to avoid claims against the council if there was an accident or somebody was injured.

She said: “This does not appear to be just a group of friends having a weekly run on the Stray. This appears to be an organised event and if it were being held in, say, a village hall, the organiser would have to do something similar in regard to risk assessments and holding public liability insurance and possibly having suitably qualified staff.

“The recently launched Park Run is being successfully run and they have all the necessary procedures in place with the council.”

The council said if it was a different kind of club, such as archery or windsurfing, Harrogate residents would want it to be properly managed, and the same applied to Run Harrogate. It was also important for the council to have contact details for the organisers, the spokesman said.

She added: ”It is not about prevention, it is about making sure all users, whether they be individuals or groups, are protected and that the land that is being used is not damaged which would affect the enjoyment of others.”

Until the situation is resolved, Miss Ward plans to continue running on the Stray every week and said it was likely she would see other members of Run Harrogate there.

Public access to the Stray was established after the 1770 Enclosures Act and has been fiercely maintained by the Stray Defence Association since 1933.

Earlier this year, the council found itself at the centre of another controversy when it awarded a contract for fitness classes on the Stray to one group, meaning others were unable to meet there.

It later reversed the decision, admitting that the move had been unlawful under the Stray Act bylaws. A spokesman said officers had believed they had the power to charge for the letting of franchises for commercial activities on the Stray, but had later concluded the decision was incorrect.