Local exercise and activity groups for the College membership
A new initiative for members with shared interests
In collaboration with the Sports and Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group (SEPSIG), the College is delighted to be launching a new initiative to bring members together with shared interests in their local areas.
- Do you attend a local parkrun?
- Are you a keen walker?
- Are you part of a cycling group?
- Do you attend climbing meet-ups?
- Are you part of a sports club?
If you want to be a rep for your area and link up with other psychiatrists locally, whether it be your local parkrun, a walk, a cycle, or anything else, please complete this form and we'll be in touch.
From our side we will:
- Advertise local groups in emails and on the website.
- Provide a directory with a list of groups and the local rep.
- Set up and manage Strava Groups for local areas for members to join.
- Highlight activity from the groups on social media/in newsletters.
- Link up with the Congress run and other College-wide activities.
Read about what running means to Dr Julie Anderson, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland
"For some reason, still largely unknown to me, being in my mid 40s and having never ran before, I decided to do Couch to 5k in July 2024 when I returned home to sunny Northern Ireland after Congress in Edinburgh. For another largely unknown reason, I decided to tell a runner psychiatrist about this decision, which meant despite hating every millisecond of those ‘runs’ over 9 weeks, I was accountable and in too deep. Bizarrely at some point, I began to realise that my head felt more settled after a run. I started going to some local parkruns, and I gradually started adding a km (I will always be a km girl) to my runs. Fast forward nearly two years, and running is now just part of life, three to four times a week.
For me, it’s mostly about getting headspace on my own away from the mayhem that can be life, personally and professionally. After a run, usually my head has shifted from a space of chaos and overwhelm, to one that is more settled and clearer.
Running now touches most areas of my working life, frequently talking to resident doctors and trainees about the importance of exercise in wellbeing with my deanery professional support hat and running from time to time with my perinatal team colleagues (raising money, the profile of perinatal services, and good old fashioned team building). I've even been able to enhance a few media and political connections through running!
With RCPsych colleagues, in Northern Ireland, we have a running WhatsApp group. It isn’t the most active, but the occasional beautiful picture, words of encouragement and supporting each other with new achievements or charity giving, all make my heart happy. There is also a wee growing community of psychiatry connections on Strava giving kudos to each other regularly.
My highlight of Congress 2025 in Wales was ‘leading’ the Congress Run (look at the pure joy on those faces). So come and join in at this year's Congress Run And locally, in your trust, health board, deanery, faculty, SIG, see if there are a few other running psychiatrists you can connect with. Running is just always a good idea. Simples. And if you don’t believe me, our President elect also thinks this too!"
