Kids Run Redditch

Kids Run Redditch are a community running club based in Redditch, Worcestershire. They offer free weekly opportunities for children and young people and aim to make running as accessible and enjoyable as possible. Every Saturday morning, around 75 participants gather at the Abbey Stadium athletics track, where children of all ages take part in a 20-minute running session.

The club launched in 2023 and, like many community organisations, rely heavily on a dedicated team of volunteers, who work tirelessly to run the club, deliver their activities and offer a welcoming inclusive environment. Club founder Jason Furness shares his thoughts and outlines steps they take to provide a positive volunteering experience.

The role of volunteers

The club has a volunteer workforce of 11 adults and 16 ‘mini’ volunteers aged between two and 13, who support and help out with both committee and non-committee roles. Committee roles include the chair, club secretary and treasurer, while non-committee roles vary from meet-and-greet volunteers, event support, setting out activities to the design of sustainable medals.

As a not-for-profit club, they rely heavily on fundraising, another role which all volunteers are tasked with. To do this they’ve participated in local quiz nights, organised and took part in a 24-hour relay and joined local carnivals and fetes.

Jason credits much of the club’s success to the team of volunteers who make everything possible. “Without the regular commitment of volunteers, the club would not have been as successful,” he says.

A young girl running on an outdoor football pitch.

Positive volunteer experience

The club pride themselves on creating a strong, positive volunteer culture where each volunteer has a fulfilling, enjoyable experience. To help achieve this, they offer debriefing chats after each session to check in with volunteers, hold frequent meetings where volunteers can express any challenges and put forward ideas and offer regular social events.

When recruiting new volunteers, they actively encourage them to try out and experience different roles, identify which one they enjoyed most and match them to this role where possible.

A core value of the club is to involve young volunteers to teach them new skills and to help them develop a sense of responsibility. Tasks given to young volunteers include setting up flags, managing the welcome desk, giving out lap stickers, as well as ensuring other children feel welcomed and supported.

Onboarding new volunteers

To ensure a smooth onboarding experience, new volunteers go through an induction process and receive an induction pack. The induction process provides more information about the club, their values, session details and the completion of paperwork, whilst the induction packs include details of key individuals, more information on their role and responsibilities and codes of conduct.

As part of the induction all volunteers undergo a DBS check and complete the required safeguarding training before starting their role.

Once in place new volunteers are paired with experienced volunteers, to help them learn about the club and their role to help them feel more comfortable and supported.

Recognition and achievements

The club recognise the efforts of their volunteers through simple thank-you shout-outs on social media and during the weekly sessions, and some volunteers receive specially made medals.

The club were named as a runner-up on the 2024 West Midlands Community Project of the Year Award, an achievement which Jason puts down to the support, hard work and dedication shown by their volunteers.

A girl laughs on an outdoor football pitch.

Facing challenges

Whilst the club has experienced success, there have been been challenges along the way. One challenge has been managing volunteers, especially during the summer months when many families go on holiday. Jason reflects that engaging volunteers during this period can be tricky, but careful planning and clear communication help to ensure the club is always well-supported.

Another challenge has been maintaining the smooth running of committee meetings. Jason has found guidance from our Effective meetings resources useful in improving how meetings are structured and ensuring they’re productive.

Top tips

Jason shared some top tips for other organisations looking to deliver a positive volunteer experience:

Learn from others

Look at how other organisations manage their volunteers as they may have ideas that you can adapt to fit your own needs.

Make it meaningful

Volunteers need to feel valued and that they’re making a difference. Find simple easy ways to reward and acknowledge their contributions.

Recruit from within

Often the best volunteers come from your immediate community. Parents of children attending the sessions can be a great starting point, as they already have a connection to the cause.

Use volunteers’ strengths

Your volunteers may have specific strengths; find out what roles they particularly enjoy and make the most of these.

Find out more

You can get more information on Kids Run Redditch by visiting their website or through social media: