CREDITON-BASED runner Tony Gale was celebrating at last Saturday’s England Athletics Volunteer Awards event in Birmingham.

Tony, chair of the InStep Devon Running Network, accompanied Matt Evans of Active Devon on stage to receive the award for Participation Project of the Year.

Said Tony: “It was great to learn that one of InStep’s projects – setting up a beginner running group for the FORCE cancer charity in Exeter – had featured in Active Devon’s citation for the award.

“I was pleased to hear that this had reached the national shortlist, and absolutely delighted to find that we’d won.

“It was a real buzz to spend time after the ceremony chatting to running legends like Roger Black, Basil Heatley, Ron Hill and David Moorcroft – and for them to be congratulating me.

“InStep has worked hard to set up and support a range of initiatives for recreational running – creating more opportunities for beginner runners and occasional joggers to run together and get more out of the sport.

“We currently support something in excess of 25 Run England groups in and around Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter – including the group offered by Crediton Running Network.

“The FORCE group is a trail-blazer for us – we have plans to work with more healthcare professionals and charities to signpost or create suitable running opportunities for their clients.

“And, of course, we will continue to encourage everyone else to start or continue running – it’s one of the most accessible ways to improve your health and fitness.

“InStep’s mantra is, ‘‘If you’re new to running, we’ll help you to get started. If you’re already a runner, we’ll help you to get more out of the sport’.”