JogScotland has £100,000 worth of funding slashed
NORTH jogging group leaders have expressed disappointment that a support and promotion group is having its funding slashed.
JogScotland’s future could be at risk after it emerged £100,000 of Scottish government funding is to be cut.
JogScotland is run by Scottish Athletics to encourage non-club runners to ditch couch potato lifestyles. The scheme, started in 2002, involves more than 300 clubs with about 40,000 members. There are three groups in Inverness, and one in Muir of Ord, which offers three runs a week, has been going for 11 years.
Mike Dignan is leader of three Inverness groups, two based at Inverness Leisure Centre and a newer one at Inverness Royal Academy leisure centre, with all three coming under High Life Highland.
He said: “If JogScotland goes under it will affect us a wee bit in support and advertising, and you can tap into their experience, but the public liability insurance they provide for leaders and runners is quite important in case there was ever an accident or injury. If we did not have that cover I would be constantly worrying, but in Inverness we are a bit more fortunate than others because both groups are run under High Life Highland’s cover.
“It would have more impact on the independent groups like Muir of Ord, and I think it would deter new groups. JogScotland is about getting people of all ages more active. You don’t have to be a fast runner, it is more about being part of a social running community encouraging each other.”
Muir of Ord jog leader Joan Munro said: “It is very concerning if the parent organisation had to close.
“JogScotland is run by a small core of officials who support our groups.
“The leaders are all volunteers but we rely on the parent group in Edinburgh who deal with registration and insurance for the groups and give the leaders training and guidance. We pay something for the training but the actual cost is way more than we pay.
“They also keep us abreast with any new regulations and health and safety issues.”
However she added: “I think we would still manage to keep a jogging group going in Muir of Ord even if JogScotland disappeared, but I don’t think you would get new groups coming in if the support disappeared.
“It is a brilliant organisation for getting people active and fit. It is also a most amazing group for helping people with mental health problems and we regularly get referrals from GPs for people with depression or addiction problems.”
JogScotland statistics show that of those who joined the programme, 68.6 per cent were previously inactive, most were over 40 and 77 per cent were female. The organisation’s CEO Mark Munro said they were “devastated and shocked” at the funding cut.
The Scottish government said £50,000 had been provided last year to help JogScotland become more sustainable and that the funding for JogScotland was never direct. A spokesman said: “In 2016/17, Sportscotland provided Scottish Athletics with £65,000 to create a digital pilot system to demonstrate the impact which the JogScotland programme is having, and to use this to generate commercial income.
“An additional £50,000 was provided by Sportscotland to further support the transition of the JogScotland programme to a more sustainable model.
“In terms of the budget allocations for 2017
