She attends the free community athletics sessions that Athletics Trust Scotland delivers in partnership with Scottish Athletics and the charity Scottish Sport Futures, walking along to the Emirates Arena each week to take part in athletics with 50-60 other local children and young people.

Here, Zara tells us about her enjoyment of the sessions and the impact they have had on her life:

“I’d tried some athletics in school but didn’t get into it properly until Scottish Athletics and Athletics Trust Scotland started coming along to our Monday night session.

One of the things I like most about the sessions is the social aspect. I’ve made lots of friends here and I’ve become a lot more confident, so much so that I decided to join my local club. I’ve been going down to club training for a while now and I’m determined to keep improving. Sometimes I’ll even come into the Emirates outside of scheduled training to practice on my own or with friends I’ve made at the club.

I enjoy chatting away to the staff and volunteers as well. They’re all very helpful and approachable. I get on well with (Local Community Impact Leader) Kebba – we have a laugh and a joke and sometimes if I see him out and about I’ll stop him for a chat.

Competing makes me happy, even though I can get nervous! I’ve been to competitions like the Scottish Cross Country Championships in Falkirk, the Young Athletes Road Race Championships in Greenock and school races. My favourite events have been the javelin and any of the jumps. The cross country was hard but it has made me more confident to try new things though and show myself I can do more than I sometimes think.

I’ve noticed that lots of girls at school don’t do any sport and I think that’s a shame. My advice to other girls my age would be ‘just be yourself, be brave and get involved – you won’t regret it!”

Zara’s story is a brilliant example of how collaborative working between Athletics Trust Scotland, Scottish Athletics, local delivery partners and athletics clubs can help encourage more children and young people from underrepresented communities to get into the sport. The families we support through our free community athletics sessions face a multitude of barriers to being active – including the cost, lack of confidence and language barriers – and are therefore unlikely to join a club without specific and targeted support in their own community.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Zara!

*a pseudonym

Photos: Bobby Gavin

The post Free Community Athletics Sessions Making an Impact appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

• Location: Online
• Date: Wednesday 27 May
• Time: 6.30pm-8pm
• Price: £7

Purchase your tickets HERE.

Eilish McColgan is one of Scotland’s best ever distance athletes. While she is perhaps best known for her iconic gold medal in the 10,000m at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she is also a 4-time Olympian, 4-time European medallist and multiple British record holder. She recently finished first Brit at the London Marathon for the second year and now plans to tackle the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games when it returns to Glasgow this summer.

Eilish winning gold at Birmingham 2022. Photo: Bobby Gavin.

Michael Rimmer is a 3-time Olympian, 7-time British Champion and European medallist over 800m. His 800m pb stands at an astonishing 1.43.89, despite being set in the days before super shoes and super spikes! He has retired from athletics and now plays a key role in Eilish’s coaching team.

Michael representing Team GB at London 2012.

Topics discussed on the night will include:

• Eilish’s recent performance at the London Marathon
• Her hopes for Glasgow 2026
• The positives and negatives of social media as athletes
• Their progression in the sport as young athletes
• The importance of grassroots athletics
• Their Giving Back to Track initiative

There will also be the chance for the audience to ask questions of their own at the end of the Q&A.

Eilish and Michael’s Q&A is generously sponsored by Sound Wealth Planning and supported by ProTay.

Sound Wealth Planning is a Scotland-based financial advice firm supporting clients and their families across the UK. The team specialises in retirement planning, savings and investment strategies, protection for loved ones, and tailored mortgage solutions designed to meet individual needs.

Founded by Graeme Oudney, a former Scotland and Great Britain 800m athlete, the business is built on principles of discipline, performance, and long-term success. Graeme also serves on the Board of Scottish Athletics, reflecting a continued commitment to excellence both on and off the track.

The event follows the successful Commonwealth Games-themed Q&A with Eilidh Doyle, Melanie Woods and Megan Keith at Scotstoun in February.

All funds raised will go to Athletics Trust Scotland’s work to make athletics more accessible and enjoyable for all.

The post Eilish McColgan & Michael Rimmer Q&A appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

As well giving children and young people the opportunity to try athletics for the first time, the sessions aim to increase wellbeing, boost confidence, create social cohesion and offer positive activities for them to channel their energy into. Delivered in partnership with Scottish Athletics and Scottish Sport Futures, they play an important part in Athletics Trust Scotland’s mission to transform lives through the power of athletics and running.

Here, Kebba tells us about the impact sport has had on his own life and why he thinks opportunities like these are needed for communities like his own.

“Sport has shaped my own life – it’s made me more confident, I’ve made friends with lots of people I never would have met otherwise, it makes me happy. It’s had such a positive impact on my day to day life that I was excited to help other young people get the same enjoyment out of it.”

“The sessions are so important for children and young people round here. They get them out of the house doing something active, something sociable, something outdoors in the fresh air. Nobody ever gets their phones out – they’re so engaged for the full two hours that they don’t even think to look at them.

I’ve noticed a big change in lots of the young people since they started coming along to sessions. Some of them who were quieter are more willing to speak up now. Others who were causing trouble and getting into fights have calmed down. We’ve created a culture of taking part, so now everyone just spends the full two hours having fun throwing themselves into activities without getting bored or distracted.”

“It’s important that someone like me leads the sessions – I’ve grown up in the area, I’ve gone to the same school, and I understand the challenges lots of the children and young people around here face. When they see me, they see someone who is just like them. They can relate to me, which means that roles like these are something that they can realistically aspire to.”

Photo credit: Alex Thomson

The post Inspirational Teen Making an Impact in his Local Community appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

Athletics Trust Scotland’s annual week-long celebration of athletics and running returns this summer and this year the theme is community. We’re encouraging running clubs and jog groups around the country to join us in celebrating the sport we love and fundraising to help us make it more accessible for all. 

Clubs, groups and individuals can organise their own fundraising activities or take inspiration from our ideas. Whatever you choose to do, you will be helping to transform lives through the power of athletics and running!

Last year saw clubs up and down the country take part in a range of fun activities, from parkrun mob matches to trail races to ‘come and try’ weeks.

Pictured: ATS Chair Graeme Jack with Inverclyde AC, who raised a fantastic £1,000 through their Loch Thom Trail Race in 2025.

Everything you need to know about Scottish Running Week – including fundraising ideas, examples of what clubs have done in previous years, and how to register your event – can be found in our handy fundraising guide.

The post Scottish Running Week returns in 2026! appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

The Glasgow 2026 Festival will be a celebration of sport, culture and community taking place between 23 May and 9 August 2026, in the lead up to and during the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The funding will enable us to host a Commonwealth Games-themed celebration event at Crownpoint in the lead up to Glasgow 2026 for the children who attend our free athletics sessions across North East Glasgow. The weekly sessions currently take place in a variety of community spaces – from football cages to sports halls – so this event will give the children the opportunity to come together to experience athletics on an outdoor 400m track for the first time.

Jenny Selman, Head of Fundraising and Development at Athletics Trust Scotland, said:

‘It’s going to be a super Scottish summer of sport and we’re thrilled to be part of it. The funding will enable us to engage children from some of Glasgow’s most deprived communities with a home city Commonwealth Games and hopefully leave them feeling excited and inspired. Events like these are vital for ensuring that the impact of Glasgow 2026 extends beyond the walls of the athletics track or velodrome into the local communities that will help bring the Commonwealth Games to life.”

A huge thank you to the Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund for its support!

The post ATS Ready for a Super Scottish Summer of Sport appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

The funding will enable children and young people who attend our free athletics sessions in Dalmarnock to access the athletics track at the Emirates Arena.

The sessions are a safe and supportive space for local children and young people affected by poverty to get active in their own community with role models they trust.

The delivery model has been designed to enable coaches to take athletics into the community and teach the fundamentals of run, jump, push, throw in any setting – whether that’s a sports hall, football pitch or playing field. However, the opportunity to experience athletics on the track each week could have life-changing benefits for the children and young people who attend, especially in a year where the Commonwealth Games will bring some of the world’s best athletes to their home city of Glasgow.

A huge THANK YOU to the Get Active Glasgow partnership of the London Marathon Foundation, sportscotland and Glasgow Life for backing grassroots athletics and enabling us to transform lives through sport.

Photos by Alex Thomson

The post Get Active Glasgow Provides Funding Boost appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

Scottish Government visitors had the opportunity to see the impact that our free athletics sessions are having on local children and young people when they joined our Dalmarnock group for the second of their Mini Commonwealth Games events.

Kebba Sanneh, our award-winning Local Community Impact Leader, put Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Sport, Maree Todd, and around 50 young people through their paces at the Emirates Arena.

The project is a partnership between Athletics Trust Scotland, scottishathletics and Scottish Sports Futures, with support from local clubs Shettleston Harriers and Red Star AC. Each week, the Dalmarnock session attracts around 50-60 children and young people who take part in athletics-based activity around run, jump, push, or throw movements.

Participants are all from the local area, where over 35% of children are growing up in poverty compared to 21% of children nationally. The project is part of our drive to make athletics and running more accessible for communities who face barriers to taking part in physical activity.

Representatives from all three partners took the opportunity to discuss with the Minister the need for community projects like this across Scotland to create sustainable and accessible opportunities for people to take part in athletics and reap the physical, mental and social benefits of a more active life.

Athletics Trust Scotland’s Head of Fundraising and Development, Jenny Selman, said: “The sessions are a safe and supportive space for local children and young people to get active in their own community with people they trust. Many of them previously didn’t think of athletics as an option for them, so it has been wonderful to see how much they have thrived in the sessions.

We’re creating pathways into clubs for those who want to try athletics out but might not have the confidence or knowledge of opportunities to go along themselves. We’ve seen several young people start attending training at local clubs and, more recently, take part in events like the Scottish XC Championships and schools competitions.”

Minister for Sport, Maree Todd, said: “I’ve had a wonderful evening with young people taking part in a mini-Commonwealth Games in Dalmarnock.

The programme demonstrates how sport can be so much more than physical activity — it can be a powerful driver of social change, helping to open-up opportunities for communities who often face barriers to being active.

‘Ensuring that people can easily access a wide range of sport and physical activity programmes is central to our aim of improving both mental and physical wellbeing. It also supports our wider government priorities to tackle health inequalities, strengthen community resilience, and ensure every young person — regardless of background, disability, or cultural identity — has the chance to thrive.

I look forward to seeing this programme continue to grow and reach even more communities across Scotland.”

Photos by Alex Thomson

The post Minister for Sport visits ATS-backed project appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

We were delighted to hold our first panel event of the year: a celebration of Glasgow 2026 at Scotstoun Stadium, where the Commonwealth Games athletics will take place this summer.

The audience had the opportunity to hear from a star-studded panel of Eilidh Doyle, Melanie Woods and Megan Keith, who discussed their own athletics journeys, reminisced about Team Scotland’s successes at Glasgow 2014 and looked ahead to the Commonwealth Games returning to Scotland.

It was also a brilliant opportunity for young athletes to hear from three exceptional role models in our sport, with both Megan and Eilidh highlighting how keeping sport varied, sociable and fun in their youth helped them to progress through the age groups and go on to have successful and fulfilling senior careers.

There were also lessons in resilience, determination and mental toughness from Mel, whose inspirational journey into wheelchair racing after a life-changing cycling accident in her early twenties moved everyone in the room. Mel made her Team Scotland debut at Birmingham 2022, just a few short years after her accident, and hopes to be selected for this year’s Commonwealth Games in her hometown of Glasgow.

It was brilliant to see people from across the athletics and running community joining the event, with members of clubs including Central AC, East Kilbride AC, Cambuslang Harriers, Fife AC, Lothian Running Club, Pitreavie AAC, Red Star AC and West End Road Runners in attendance.

All funds raised through ticket sales, sponsorship and the Commonwealth Games tickets raffle go towards our mission to make athletics and running more accessible for all.

The event was supported by Stride Athletics, who led a 5k social run and captured content on the night, and Glasgow 2026.

Finally, a huge thank you to the event’s generous sponsors, ProTay, an events and timing company owned by Sharon Taylor and Jamie Provan. 

Photos by Alex Thomson

The post Commonwealth Games Panel Event appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

Location: Scotstoun Stadium

Date: Wednesday 4 February

Time: 6pm for optional social run led by Stride Athletics, 7pm for Q&A start

Tickets: £10 pp and can be purchased here 

The Panel:

Megan Keith: Fresh off a superb silver medal at the European Cross Country Championships, Megan comes into 2026 as one of three athletes pre-selected for the Commonwealth Games after her top 10 placing in the 10,000m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Photo: James Rhodes

Eilidh Doyle: Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, with World, Olympic and Commonwealth medals to her name. Eilidh secured a spectacular silver medal in the 400mh at Hampden during Glasgow 2014, inspiring a whole generation of young Scots to take up the sport.

Photo: Bobby Gavin

Melanie Woods: Two time Paralympian and double bronze medallist in the T54 800m and 1500m at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships. Mel hopes to make her second Commonwealth Games team in her hometown of Glasgow this year.

Purchase your tickets here before it’s too late!

The event is generously sponsored by our friends at ProTay and all funds raised will go towards transforming lives through the power of athletics and running. 

The post Tickets Now Live for Panel Event appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.

For the second year in a row, the club held a week’s worth of activities, starting on the Monday and ending on Sunday, bringing together people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Organised by club member Alan O’Rourke, this started with the Port Pack Run, which saw a fantastic turnout of 34 runners and included three enthusiastic newcomers. Day 2 was Track Night at the Ravenscraig Stadium, featuring a Come and Try session. Juniors and seniors covered warm-ups, drills, running form, and even plyometrics. The atmosphere was welcoming and inclusive, with track newbies especially encouraged to give it a go.

To mark Global Running Day, they hosted a 3km run along the Esplanade on Wednesday. This wasn’t just for club members it was open to partners, parents, grannies, kids, neighbours, schoolmates, work colleagues, and even the local lollipop man. The message was clear: running is for everyone.

Day 4 offered two brilliant options. The first of these was the Coastal Pack Run – which headed out from Gourock Pool for a gentle jog along the coast, giving people a chance to enjoy the scenery, while connecting with others. The second was another Come and Try session at the Ravenscraig Stadium.

Friday’s focus was on beginners, with a Couch to 5K session at Battery Park. A supportive introduction to running has since blossomed into the club’s Absolute Beginners programme, making Scottish Running Week an inspiration to do more within clubs.

Saturday saw Glenpark Harriers flock to the Greenock parkrun to either run, volunteer, or cheer from the sidelines. Approximately 40 of their runners took on the 5km distance, celebrating the event’s key principles of inclusivity and wellbeing.

Concluding a busy week of activities, the club held a trail run on Sunday around the scenic Greenock Cut, which was home to the Loch Thom Trail Race earlier in the week, hosted by neighbours Inverclyde Athletic Club. Runners could go the full loop or opt for an out-and-back tailoring the distance to suit their own pace and goals.

“From seasoned athletes to first-time runners, Scottish Running Week reminded us that running is more than a sport it’s a way to connect, uplift, and empower,” said Alison King, Greenock Glenpark Harriers President.

“Thanks to everyone who took part, supported, and cheered us on and supported Athletics Trust Scotland. Here’s to many more miles together at GGH.”

The post Greenock Glenpark Harriers’ Week Worth of Events for 2025 Scottish Running Week appeared first on Athletics Trust Scotland.