Hi all, I am delighted to announce that we have succeeded in removing the DfE guidance suggesting running as a punishment in schools. Huge credit must be given to the Run Group who have been quietly, but smartly, campaigning on this issue. And BIG thanks to the new Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan who has backed our call and made the change. Nicky is an active member of the running community. She has run the London Marathon, is a trained run group leader and has helped to establish Loughborough parkrun. She gets why running is a good thing and how it can help the Government to achieve a fitter, healthier and more prosperous nation. It is now clear that once Nicky became aware of the depth of feeling about the guidance, she was determined to do something about it. Today, she responded to a private letter from David Moorcroft on the issue saying, “I share your view that it threatens to have a negative impact on the sport and on the view young people take of it. One of my priorities as Secretary of State is to encourage schools to do what they can to build the resilience and character of our young people, and I see sport as playing a crucial role in this.” She added “I have therefore asked officials to revise the guidance immediately and to remove any suggestion that running might be used as a form of punishment. A new version of the document – minus the offending clause – will be issued on the Department’s website by the end of the week.” For the full story, and letter from Nicky Morgan, please visit www.runhabit.com Many thanks for your support. Gavin