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Students, staff and alumni to get active at this year’s Great Bristol 10k

Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Hugh Brady, joins staff and students to launch the University's involvement in this year's Great Bristol 10k University of Bristol

Press release issued: 29 January 2020

Students, staff and alumni from the University of Bristol are being invited to lace up their trainers and take part in this year’s Great Bristol 10k on Sunday 3 May.

Last year over 700 runners from the University ran the 6.2 miles around Bristol city centre and more than 300 participants from the University have already signed up to the annual event.

This year the University is delighted to announce that alumna Briony Williams from The Great British Bake Off and Food Unwrapped (Channel 4) is their 10k ambassador. 

When not creating new baking combinations in the kitchen, Briony can be found outdoors or in the gym as she loves running and after completing several 10k runs, she escalated to two half marathons and is currently training for her third! 

This year Briony will be running in the gigantic university wave, teaming up with Children of the 90s health study to help encourage everyone on campus, runners and non-runners alike, to get active to support more positive physical and mental health and wellbeing at the same time as raising awareness and funds for the University’s B: Active Healthy Minds initiative.

In addition, alumni who live outside Bristol or indeed the country, are encouraged to take part ‘remotely’ and post their efforts on social media using #TeamUoBristol.

Professor Hugh Brady, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said: “After a fantastic level of participation from our community in last year’s Bristol 10K, we are delighted to partner again with the Great Run Company for the 2020 Great Bristol 10K.  

“With a renewed focus this year on raising funds for our Healthy Minds programme, we are seeing even greater numbers of our students and staff sign up to run together.  

“Running has so many recognised health benefits, both physical and mental, and we are looking forward to bringing a diverse and enthusiastic group of students, staff and alumni to the harbourside on Sunday 3 May to take part with our city in this fantastic event.”

David Hart, Partnerships Director, for the Great Run Company, added: “The link up was a huge success last year and the sight of nearly a thousand staff and students, of all athletic abilities, forming a sea of red streaming over the start line was brilliant.

“The Great Run Company is proud to support an initiative promoting physical and mental well-being.”

Professor Nic Timpson, Principal Investigator of Children of the 90s, said: “Here at Children of the 90s, the Bristol community is integral to everything we do, so we’re thrilled to be part of the Great Bristol 10k which brings people together from across our city to run alongside each other. 

“Children of the 90s has been following the health and development of local parents and their children since the study started in 1991, and we believe that by better understanding what is affecting our health now, we can help prevent serious illnesses later.

“What better way to help promote healthy hearts and healthy minds across Bristol than by taking part in the 10K?

“We’re looking for people to join our team – whether participants, family or members of our community, you’ll be running alongside researchers and staff from the University and our study, helping to make our city a better place for generations to come.”

Kirsty Tomlinson, Events Manager for University of Bristol Sport, added: “The Great Bristol 10k is a huge event for Bristol and everyone who took part last year had a fantastic experience.

“Community and belonging are key contributors to positive mental health and is a key outcome of this year’s event. By joining our University team, runners get the chance to feel part of something bigger. Many of our runners will be new to running this year, and we hope that the support of the wider #WeAreBristol community will be a huge motivation for them.” 

Amy Brook, Sport and Student Development Officer for Bristol Students’ Union said: “It's fantastic that hundreds of students are already signing up to the Great Bristol 10k. The run is an amazing way for our students and their supporters to come out and show our love for the city.

“Getting active is such a big part of looking after your wellbeing, so having this chance to join in the day at a student-friendly price is brilliant. I'm very pleased the SU is involved and wish all our members well in their training.”

This year’s 10K, which is expected to see over 12,000 people take to the streets of the city, passes some of Bristol's most famous landmarks as it sets off from the historic harbour taking in Avon Gorge, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and St Mary Redcliffe Church before finishing back on Anchor Road. To sign up to the Great Bristol 10k visit the website

Further information

Great Run Company  

The Great Run Series is the world’s favourite run with over 230,000 participants a year taking part. The events programme stretches across the UK from Aberdeen to Portsmouth offering a full range of distances from 5k through to the half marathon. A full range of online training services are available from Great Run Training. Great Run Local is a series of weekly events staged in our key cities. All designed to provide the support and advice for participants of all abilities to achieve their personal goal.  To find out more about the events and services provided by Great Run and its partners: www.greatrun.org  “Great Run, the world’s favourite run.” 


About Children of the 90s
Based at the University of Bristol, Children of the 90s, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), is a long-term health study that enrolled more than 14,000 pregnant women in the Bristol area in 1991 and 1992.  It has been following the health and development of the parents, their children and now their grandchildren in detail ever since.  It receives core funding from the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol.  

University of Bristol’s Healthy Minds programme 

Physical activity is a powerful tool to help improve wellbeing. The University of Bristol’s B:Active Healthy Minds aims to help students suffering from Mental Health difficulties through a varied and socially engaging physical activity programme including, accessible, social and inclusive classes, gym and sports opportunities based on their circumstances and needs. Students can develop new skills, interests and find ways to help themselves to feel better and stay well in the future. Previous participants reported a wellbeing improvement of 49 percent after completing the programme and many have gone on to maintain their physical activity behaviours, with some completing the Bristol 10k and London Marathon in support of the Healthy Minds programme. 

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