Sport & Physical Activity Poverty & Inclusion
2025 Free
The Running Charity

Mission & Impact 2024/25

The Running Charity harnesses running and fitness to support young people aged 16-25 who are experiencing homelessness or living with complex needs including trauma, the care system or the criminal justice system. Its relational model pairs weekly group running with wraparound youth work, and the charity reports an independently-verified £9 social return for every £1 invested. This entry draws on the charity's own live Mission & Impact page rather than a static PDF, since that page functions as its published impact report.

View Report
Report snapshot
172 Views

About

Free, coach-led group running sessions combined with one-to-one youth work, mental health support, advocacy and access to counselling, delivered from hubs in London, Manchester and Leeds for young people aged 16-25 affected by homelessness or complex needs

Key Metrics

Key Metric 1 For every £1 invested, an independent study found the charity returns £9 to society
Key Metric 2 At least 122,000 young people are homeless in the UK today
Key Metric 3 75% of the London team and 90% of the overall team have direct lived experience of homelessness or complex needs

Key Outcomes

  • Improved mental health among participants, measured using the NHS-approved Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale
  • Participants sustained or improved their housing situation over the course of the programme
  • Participants reduced harmful behaviours and improved education, training or employment outcomes

Geography

Other

Related reports

All Sport & Physical Activity reports →
Ipswich Town Foundation

2025 Impact Report: Us & Our People

2026 Enhanced
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Delivered 11,474 sessions supporting 12,949 individuals across 40 programmes, generating 324,160 total engagements in 2025
Key Metric 2
Health & Wellbeing programmes delivered 270 sessions supporting 1,168 individuals, generating 7,315 engagements
Key Metric 3
Raised £50,714.49 net through the Foundation Fixture 2025 and £36,156.03 through the Fundraising Dinner (GBP)
Talking Tactics mentoring participant Jamie's confidence, aspirations and self-esteem grew significantly through one-to-one mentoring and mental health support
Sport & Physical Activity Sport For Good
Read report
Active Essex Foundation

Sport and Life Skills Project 2023-2024 Impact Report

2025 Enhanced
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
754 unique young people registered for Sport and Life Skills programmes (+114% vs 2022-23)
Key Metric 2
16 Locally Trusted Organisations delivered the programme, up from 9 in 2022-23
Key Metric 3
2,650 sessions held by delivery organisations in 2023-24
72% of young people reported 'getting on better at school or college' following engagement
Sport & Physical Activity Mentoring
Read report
Fulham Reach Boat Club

Fulham Reach Boat Club Impact Report 2024/25

2025 Enhanced
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Close to 2,000 participants supported in 2024/25 across youth, prison and environmental programmes
Key Metric 2
826 students from 10 state schools took part, 67% female, with 70% of partner schools in the most deprived areas (IMD 1-4)
Key Metric 3
184 serving or released prisoners engaged through the 'Boats not Bars' reducing-reoffending programme
85% of young people improved their mental wellbeing and 83% felt more confident through the youth programme
Sport & Physical Activity Mental Health
Read report
Sale Sharks Foundation

Sharks Watch Impact Report 2024/25

2026 Enhanced
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
21,212 people engaged with in 2024/25
Key Metric 2
17,708 people played some form of rugby through Foundation programmes
Key Metric 3
More than £9,000 raised through Foundation Day; 9,000+ given back to grassroots rugby clubs
88% of girls in the Girls Tackle Rugby programme reported feeling more confident, per independent research with Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport
Sport & Physical Activity Mental Health
Read report