BLACK Pear Joggers have teamed up with Worcester Wolves Basketball Club to launch a free fitness programme in the city.

The jogging programme has been organised by The Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire at the University of Worcester’s Riverside building on Tuesdays at 7pm.

The aim is to help runners take their running to the next level and progress from five kilometres to 10.

Stephen Brewster, director of the sports partnership, said: “This is a free programme that is perfect for you if you are looking to boost your endurance and build up gradually to longer distances.

“Running has so many benefits, not only does it improve your physical health, it also is good for your heart and lungs.

“It can also help with weight loss and, importantly, help boost confidence and self-belief as well as acting as a great stress reliever.”

Through the partnership with Wolves, the sports partnership hopes to highlight the importance of running and how professional athletes, like at Wolves, take their running seriously.

Mick Donovan, head of the university’s institute of sport and exercise science and director at Wolves, said: “The Running with the Wolves programme is one of the most exciting projects that we have been involved in as a basketball club.

“To be able to motivate as many people as possible to engage in meaningful exercise should be a priority for all sports clubs.

“We are delighted to be associated with this initiative and hope to see as many people from Worcester involved as possible.”

Mike Lane, chairman of Worcester’s Black Pear Joggers, said: “We have an ever-growing club which has just passed 400 members and this programme gives us a great opportunity to carry on expanding our group.

“Using the Riverside building as our starting point will hopefully appeal to the city residents as it’s right on their doorstep, whereas our other starting point in Perdiswell is slightly more further afield.”

The programme is aimed at those aged 18 and over and runs every Tuesday at 7pm for eight weeks with no cost and no need to book.

For more details, visit morethansport.com/simplyrun or contact Sue Bentley on 01905-855498.