ONE of the faces of the 'This Girl Can' movement, Sam Mollaghan, set up a women’s only running group to encourage women to get active.

Sam Mollaghan’s Lace Up and Get Running Group is a space for women to meet up, get active and enjoy themselves.

The group is specifically for women because Sam comments that it can be slightly more competitive and intimidating for some women to train alongside men.

From personal experience and from speaking with other women, Sam decided that it was something she felt strongly about, and wanted to provide a focused group to the women of BCP.

She wanted to create a safe space for women to improve their fitness and health, without worrying about other elements.

She stated: “It’s quite a social event and it’s about supporting each other, encouraging each other and being active all at the same time."

In 2015, Sam was chosen to be a face of Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign.

Talking about auditioning for the campaign, she said: “I spoke about my own journey, about having my daughter and how important it was to set her an example.

“About being active and not being hung up on body shape, your size and how you look, all those things that stop people from exercising."

Sam was invited to the Houses of Parliament to speak about the topic.  

She said: “I spoke to MP’s about why women aren’t active and all the barriers that are there."

Sam explains why she created a running group following this: “Off the back of that I trained to be a run leader, because I had so much support and encouragement that I just wanted to create a place where women could be active."

She reflects that she’s sure most people know about the mental health benefits of exercising and being outside.

Sam has recently started running Couch to 5k sessions as part of her group, which started on November 11 of this year.

The group meets on Mondays at 6:15pm in the car park above SOBO Beach in Southbourne.

However, if you’re after more intense training and exercise, Sam leads an interval session on Wednesdays.

Sam said women with all abilities are welcome.

She said: “I didn’t want anyone to feel like they can’t come along.

“I want them to feel safe and feel okay to do their thing whether they’re fast or slow”.

When asked how she wants people to feel after leaving, she said: “I just want them to feel proud of themselves, proud that they’ve made the time for themselves.

“I hope that they’ve enjoyed it, and they’ve had fun, but I also hope that they feel good for getting active."