A LISKEARD running group is taking steps to make outdoor exercise safer for women after securing funding from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Power Runs Cornwall has been awarded money from the force’s Proceeds of Crime Fund to buy personal alarms for runners and body cameras for its run leaders.

The equipment will help the group support members who may feel vulnerable exercising outdoors, particularly during the darker winter months.

The initiative supports the national Let’s Lift the Curfew campaign, launched in 2023 by Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign in partnership with England Athletics.

It highlights how concerns about personal safety can prevent women from running, walking, cycling or exercising outdoors when the evenings draw in.

When the clocks go back, many women change their routes, exercise at different times, seek company or stop going out altogether because they feel unsafe.

The campaign calls for action from communities and organisations to help make outdoor exercise safer and ensure women can enjoy being active without fear.

Power Runs Cornwall – which launched at the end of 2021 – said said providing personal alarms and body cameras was a practical way to support the safety of its members and leaders.

Spokesperson Sandra Haynes said: “We know that equipment alone cannot remove every concern about personal safety, but it is one way we can help our group feel better supported while raising awareness of the need for safer outdoor spaces.”

It also thanked Devon and Cornwall Police for backing its funding application, adding it wanted to play its part in “lifting the curfew” so darkness did not have to mean staying indoors.

Power Runs Cornwall is a free social running group offering sessions for people of all abilities, catering for everyone from complete beginners to experienced marathon runners.

It offers both continuous running and “jeffing” – a technique that combines running and walking.