A survey is set to launch to uncover the experiences of harassment and abuse faced by runners in Worcestershire.

The Running Free, Running Safe survey, conducted by the University of Worcester, began on Monday (November 25), coinciding with the annual 16 Days of Action Against Gender-based Violence.

The study aims to identify the scale of the problem and work with authorities to find interventions to help runners feel safer.

Dr Claire McLoone-Richards, who is leading the research, said: "The harassment of particularly women and girls whilst running has been identified as a national issue and concern.

"While this research will initially focus on the running community, we hope it will help to contribute to a culture shift that will benefit all road users, be they cyclists, horse riders, or pedestrians.

"This is about everyone feeling safer on our roads and streets."

The study aims to adopt the Jog On Initiative, introduced by West Yorkshire Police in early 2024, to educate people on how they can play a role in ending harassment and to encourage anyone who witnesses it to call it out.

Dr McLoone-Richards added: "We want to see how big a problem this is in Worcestershire, which will then allow us to make recommendations to the countywide community safety partnerships and local police to promote measures to ensure greater safety and freedom for all runners.

"It’s also about raising public awareness and we would like to introduce some bystander training to encourage the wider public to feel confident in safely intervening whenever they witness any incidents.

"We would also like to produce a map of safer running routes across Worcestershire to be accessible for all runners."

The researchers are interested in hearing about any experiences which have made runners, regardless of gender, feel uncomfortable or unsafe, whether being whistled at, verbally harassed, or even physically attacked.

If you would like to share your experiences anonymously, you can complete the survey by following this link.

The findings from the research will be used to make recommendations to the countywide community safety partnerships and police to promote measures to ensure greater safety and freedom for all runners.