Worksop man sees Facebook site to find fitness partners turn into a major online community

Adrian Hopkinson, aged 36, initially started the group Your Training Partner to help find someone to run with his wife Amy on dark winter evenings as she didn’t want to run alone at night but felt Adrian was too fast to be her running partner.

That was back in October and since then the numbers have grown and grown to the point where there are now more than 370 people registered as part of the group.

And it’s not just for running either.

Whether people are looking for a training partner of similar ability to go to the gym, cycle, swim, walk or run with, Adrian’s group has someone you can connect with.

He said: “The emphasis of the community is on shared experiences, common goals, and the fun of training together.

“Your Training Partner was launched to help connect local people who were struggling to find someone to train with for a number of different reasons, such as fears of training alone, anxieties and a lack of confidence.

“Connecting people of a similar ability to each other, who share the same common goals, is key.

"As well as connecting people via Facebook and Instagram Your Training Partner has also facilitated local group activities such as group meetings at park run events, dog walks and group spin classes.

Adrian continued: “We’ve become a real community of people who want to train but not on their own and they come to us and stay with us.

"On park runs, for example, we do things like all wear the same coloured top and we have photos and it really brings people together.

"A lady called Helen contacted me saying she wanted to so a park run but didn’t want to do it alone so she came along to us and she loved it.

“We’ve really been blown away by the positive response we’ve had and not just locally.

"We want to help connect people nationally – it’s clear that this platform can work in different areas.

"This is only the beginning, we are so excited for the future.

"As our community grows, so do our ambitions.”