‘Running can change your life; it has changed mine’ – jog leader Arlene

Tuesday 10th June 2025

The Galavanters

By Katy Barden

As the brightness of the day begins to fade, the sea of blue runners stand out against the darkening skies.

They rise over the crest of the hill in waves of high-viz; all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes. And then in a fleeting moment they’re gone, each with their own motivation for moving forward.

It’s an impressive sight, but it’s not unusual. The Galavanters – the jogscotland group in Galashiels – are well known throughout the town. Many have heard of them; a substantial number of the townspeople are members; and countless others have benefited from the group since its inception in 2014.

‘I can still remember putting something on Facebook to say that if anyone was interested in coming along for a bit of a run that we were starting a group,’ recalls Galavanters founder and jog leader Arlene Anderson.

‘The first night 12 people turned up then it absolutely snowballed from there. Word of mouth is a huge thing – and of course people see us out there.’

Anderson’s motivation to start Galavanters was rooted in her own experience. She started running after she had her daughter in 2007 and gradually built up to running a 5k before moving through the distances.

Not long after her first marathon in 2013 she joined Gala Harriers.

‘Being part of the club really brought me on,’ she admits. ‘But I just felt like there was a missing link, something for a person who had never really run before but who could go along and gradually pick it up and progress at their own pace.’

At the same time, she was voluntarily leading exercise sessions in the park with her friends. As wintertime approached and their greenspace was plunged into darkness, one of the group jokingly suggested starting a running group.

‘And that was that’, she says. ‘I had a wee look around and I came across jogscotland and the jog leaders courses, so I took myself off to do that and it progressed from there.’

Galavanters started out as a Wednesday evening group with one jog leader but evolved quickly. A decade on there are four groups – three groups totalling 30-40 runners on a Tuesday evening ranging from beginners/Couch 2 5K through to a more advanced group, plus a smaller mixed-ability group on a Wednesday – and five jog leaders. The oldest member is 79 years old.

‘I’m so grateful to the team of leaders I have,’ says Anderson, a former winner of jogscotland’s Jog Leader of the Year.

jogscotland Awards – 2017 winners

‘Although you might see a big group of people out running, you have to remember that everyone is an individual within that group.

‘It can be hard at times, but you have to make sure you catch everybody. It’s really important to people that you take the time to speak to them, you know their name, and you know where they’re at. We couldn’t do that, or operate on the scale we do, without our team.’

There is also a social element of course, because – naturally – the Galavanters enjoy gallivanting.

Bus trips to races are always popular days out, but more recently they’ve started a Saturday morning breakfast run that takes place every 6-8 weeks.

‘There’s no pressure, you can walk or run, then we go for a coffee and a chat afterwards,’ says Anderson. ‘It’s been such a success and there’s obviously a huge mental health benefit too. It’s also nice for me to catch up with everybody!’

Photo by Bobby Gavin

The group also organises and hosts two community 5k runs in Galashiels each year, one as part of the Braw Lad’s Sports (which takes place during the annual Braw Lad’s Gathering in June) and another as part of the annual Maroon’d @ Gala rugby sevens festival in August.

The Galavanters have a special connection to Galashiels and 11 years after the small group of 12 first took to the town’s streets, the sea of blue runners is vast. Some have been there since the beginning, some come and go, some are still finding their feet.

Motivations vary and change, but for a short period of time each week they pound the same pavements.

‘People sometimes ask me how I can still be bothered, and don’t get me wrong, it isn’t always easy when it’s pouring rain or freezing, but I still get the same buzz I had at the start, and if you could bottle that feeling, you’d be onto something,’ says Anderson, who, along with her fellow jog leaders, has completed mental health awareness training with jogscotland’s partners SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health).

For me, it’s more than just about the numbers we get along, it’s about creating an inclusive environment where people feel safe.

‘Our groups are for everyone and it’s not just about running, it’s about moving, it’s about meeting people, and it’s about the friendships you make along the way.

‘If you’re thinking of trying running, jogscotland is definitely the place to go.

‘There are hundreds of fantastic groups all with the same sort of inclusive ethos that we have at Galavanters. It’s life-changing – and it’s definitely changed mine.’