Butetown mile
The Butetown Mile attracts elite, fun runners and families to participate and come together as a community.
The Butetown Mile is a 1-mile run on Bute Street in Butetown, Cardiff. In the 1980’s the run was an exciting community event but with changes to Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay the event had lost momentum. In 2014 Dr Sarah Fry, Lecturer at our School re-launched the event in partnership with the community.
The Butetown Mile attracts elite, fun runners and families to participate and is an excellent opportunity to grow and maintain links with an area not traditionally engaged with the University, while providing the community with an opportunity for integration, health and well-being.
Reach
Since 2014 approximately 580 runners have taken part in the Butetown Mile and 60 people have volunteered to be marshals. The volunteers have come from members of the community, running clubs and the local Cardiff Bay Rotary club, so the event brings together both families and the wider community for a day that promotes health and well-being. We have also had our Cardiff University staff and students volunteering for the event.
Impact
The main sponsor of the event is Morganstone; a South Wales based construction company, with subsidiary funding from our School. The event is also organised in partnership with Cardiff Bay Rotary Club, Cardiff Community Housing Association, Welsh Athletics and Cardiff Council. The event has provided opportunities for cross-school working and wider experience, by offering student volunteers the chance to manage the events social media.
Dr Fry’s work has been presented to the University Graduate College, and has been displayed at local events to showcase the University’s commitment to engagement in local communities.
Feedback from the event was positive:
“What a fun event and so well organised. Looking forward to next year” Competitor 2015
“We thoroughly enjoyed the event. It was great to see registration filling up from early on in the morning and there was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the event.” Competitor 2015
This is good, what you are doing, this is good for our area
