Peterborough running clubs host Let’s Lift the Curfew flagship event with England Athletics and This Girl Can

Greater Peterborough Athletics Network hosted a flagship event in support of England Athletics and Sport England’s Let’s Lift the Curfew initiative at the Peterborough Athletic Track on Wednesday 29 October.

Let’s Lift the Curfew is an initiative created and spearheaded by Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign. It has been running since October 2023, highlighting women’s stories and concerns around getting active outdoors in the darker months. Alongside this, it calls on wider society to acknowledge their role in making getting active outdoors safer for women.

To mark the official end of summertime, GPAN - which is a network of 11 athletic and running clubs based both in Peterborough and nearby towns who work together to promote running and athletics to all ages and abilities - organised a number of safe short runs at different paces and distances from the athletics track for any runners who wanted to take up the sport  but were concerned about running in the dark.

Over 70 runners attended the flagship event, with many new runners joining for the first time. After the run, representatives from the clubs were available to answer any questions attendees had.

Overwhelming support

England Athletics RunTogether groups have re-branded over 350 runs to Let’s Lift the Curfew so far this week, with over 11,500 runners taking part across the country - symbolising a collective effort to defy the restrictions women feel during the darker months and demand urgent change to tackle women’s safety fears. 

Mayor of Peterborough, Judy Fox, was in attendance to show support, along with senior figures from England Athletics such as CEO Chris Jones, Board member and Chair of England Council Matthew Dalton, and Head of Participation Programmes, Tracey Francis.

CEO of England Athletics, Chris Jones, said:

“It’s great to be here at the Peterborough Athletics Arena, in partnership with the Greater Peterborough Athletics Network, with Sport England, and of course England Athletics and RunTogether at the Let’s Lift the Curfew event this evening. Running is something for everyone, of all abilities, all backgrounds.”

Chair of England Council, Matthew Dalton, said:

"It’s a really cracking initiative to get those who are afraid of running at night, into our sport, particularly women. We’re a really inclusive sport for everybody, and this initiative is really boosting that across the country.

"I’m really excited about the numbers here; we’ve got people on the track and on the road. Well done to the local network and the clubs - they're really supportive of the event here.”

Mayor of Peterborough, Judy Fox, said:

"It’s great to see so many clubs coming, especially, dear to my heart, the Werrington Joggers. I encourage people to join the clubs and make them bigger.

"One bit of advice I’d give to all runners to run safely at night is to prioritise visibility by wearing reflective clothing, also by using flashing detachable lights if possible. Plan your run by choosing familiar routes and letting someone know your plans before you start.

"Other important factors include carrying a phone for emergencies, and running with others if possible rather than alone."

Eliminating sexism and misogyny

Head of Participation Programmes at England Athletics, Tracey Francis, said:

"A combination of lots of clubs have come together as an association to support Let’s Lift the Curfew. It's very much around keeping predominantly women safe and running in the dark, but it’s about all runners.

"How do we keep all runners safe and how do we ensure that all runners can continue to run through the winter months in safe environments? We just need to rethink perhaps where our routes go, make sure you’ve got plenty of lighting, taking care of our group.

"But more importantly, the wider context of this is, how do we influence and shape future new housing developments, to create safe routes for children to walk and cycle to school, and community members to walk and run?

"We also need to teach all children from a young age about being respectful to both boys and girls, if we teach respect from an early age, then hopefully we can eliminate sexism, misogyny, and inappropriate behaviours and attitudes towards girls."

Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England and This Girl Can, said:

"Every year when the clocks go back, women everywhere see their world get smaller – not because they want to, but because they don’t feel safe going out after dark.

"Women’s safety continues to dominate headlines – an ever-present, stark reminder that this issue hasn’t gone away. And these aren’t isolated stories; they reflect a daily reality that too many of us have accepted for too long. Let’s Lift the Curfew is our response to that: a collective stand that says ‘enough’.

"Women shouldn’t have to change their behaviour to stay safe; society should change the behaviours that make them feel unsafe. We’ll keep shouting about it until we see change and we want everyone to raise their voices with us. Because the more of us that speak out, the harder it is to ignore."