\n Research has shown nearly three-quarters of women in the UK feel they have to change their exercise routine outdoors when it gets dark because of the risks.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just a general feeling of being threatened, really,” said Hannah Clegg, a member of the Slinn Allstars running club.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I think the majority of women feel slightly unsafe if they are out on their own, and maybe see a group of males walking towards them.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSome people get beeped at by cars when they\u2019re out running, which obviously isn\u2019t very nice.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The Swindon club, a mixed running group that meets twice a week, joined Sport England\u2019s campaign, This Girl Can, in taking part in the \u2018Let\u2019s Lift The Curfew\u2019 movement.\n<\/p>\n
\n The movement<\/a> aimed to tackle the challenges that women face when exercising outdoors in the dark, through a series of organised runs across the country.\n<\/p>\n \n Recommended reading\n<\/p>\n \n The Adver spoke to Becky McVittie, who has been a member of Slinn Allstars for 18 months.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t ever go out in the dark on my own, especially at this time of year.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI think it\u2019s good that we run together in a little group, and we all message each other to see if we are coming each time,\u201d said Becky.\n<\/p>\n \n Kyra Jenkins has been running in the club for almost three years, having started on their beginner\u2019s course.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of a community, there\u2019s a lot of us here. I don\u2019t feel safe running on my own, so when we come together, I\u2019ve got people around me. It\u2019s really safe, and everyone\u2019s lovely,\u201d said Kyra.\n<\/p>\n \n Another member of the club, Amelia Gates, told the BBC<\/a> earlier this month about her experience of running alone.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThis guy approached me on a bike, and ten minutes later I saw him again, speaking to me, and asking if I had a boyfriend. It\u2019s just not very nice.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cTo be honest, you kind of expect it. It\u2019s just what it\u2019s like to be a woman,\u201d Amelia said.\n<\/p>\n \n As well as taking part in the campaign, Slinn Allstars have their own measures in place to ensure the club is safe for all.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe have back markers for each group. So, the back markers run behind the slowest person to make sure the whole group gets back together in one piece \u2013 no one is left behind,\u201d said Hannah.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe do a planned route, so everyone has a set route, and it\u2019s only shared within our private group \u2013 no one else is aware of the route we\u2019re running.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s important to raise awareness, and to show that, as a club, we all support each other.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n The club also places an emergency phone in their meeting place, so a member of the committee can be contacted if any accidents happen.\n<\/p>\n \n As well as the running club, Slinn Allstars runs \u2018Running Safely\u2019, a course designed to promote awareness and avoidance of risks when running, as well as teaching simple self-defence techniques.\n<\/p>\n \n The marketing director for Sport England\u2019s This Girl Can campaign, Kate Dale, told the BBC<\/a> that it is important for men to step up on this issue.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIf you find yourself behind a woman who\u2019s walking or running, cross the road. Make it clear that you\u2019re not a threat, that you\u2019re not following her.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe know it\u2019s very few men who make us feel unsafe, but we don\u2019t know which ones they are.\n<\/p>\n \n “Talk to your partners, your daughters, your sisters, your mothers, your female friends and listen to their stories,\u201d said Kate.\n<\/p>\n \n To find out more about Slinn Allstars, visit their website<\/a> or their Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> pages.\n<\/p>\n