One of Hucclecote Harriers’ proud boasts is that they make running fun and they certainly live up to that claim.

The club were formed only four years ago – their first run was on 31st March 2015 – but since then they have given lots of people the opportunity to pull on their trainers and go out for a run.

The club are very different from a lot of other clubs in as much as although they have officers such as a chairman and treasurer, they don’t have an official membership.

“We meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm in Green Lane in Hucclecote,” said Adam Coates, one of the club’s handful of run leaders. “We go for runs of 5K to 10K and anybody can just turn up and run.

“There is no fee, as long as you’ve got a pair of trainers you can run.”

Coates says that they normally get somewhere between 30 and 50 people turn up for their evening runs and added that some 250 people have taken part in them over the past year or so.

“We try to be as inclusive as possible, anyone can come along,” continued Coates. “We think that people like the more casual arrangement and our aim is to be as supportive as possible to anyone who wants not get fit through running.”

The club are unaffiliated but their runners are easy to spot because of their bright orange vests.

“We have runners competing in events pretty much every weekend,” said Coates, who himself took part in the 102-mile ultra marathon from Chipping Campden to Bath.

That’s some achievement for someone who used to just do “a bit of jogging” before joining Hucclecote Harriers soon after they were founded.

In fact it was his wife Natalie who ran for the club first – she is still a member – and is one of many who is running for fun at the club.

A lot of their runners take part in the parkruns in Gloucester and further afield and Coates added: “Parkruns are run on very similar lines to our club.

“There’s no fee and it’s all about getting as many people as possible to take part in and enjoy running. There is quite a big crossover between parkruns and our club.”