It started with a plea on Facebook and a run in the rain. Now Mel Bound has been awarded an OBE after turning a weekly women’s running group in Southville, Bristol, into a 250,000-member community.

Bound made the post in 2014, saying she was looking for a running buddy to help her get out of the house. She said she was astonished when 75 women turned up to her local park.

Twelve years on, This Woman Runs has become one of the largest women-only running communities, with sessions in 35 cities across the UK.

Bound said women are drawn in by more than exercise. She said running together gives them a sense of belonging.

She also praised the 250 volunteers who organise the free weekly runs, saying they “notice who needs support” and “help women believe they belong”.

Running and hockey had been a huge part of Bound’s life before an injury in 2011 led to major spinal surgery and a year of rehabilitation.

In the years after that, while recovering and raising two children, she said she felt “constantly busy and tired”.

“The thing that had always kept me sane and steady was running, and I wasn’t able to do it. So I was in a dark place actually, I was really struggling,” she said.

She recalled the first meet-up in Greville Smyth Park after her social media post.

“It was November and it was pouring with rain.

“We just started running along Coronation Road, all the cars were ziggling past and splashing us. We didn’t have a plan.”

After ten minutes of running down the road and back to the park, the group of 75 women stood outside chatting for an hour.

“That was when I realised this wasn’t just women turning up for a run. We were all looking for something more than that,” she said.

Bound said a lack of confidence, a busy family life and fears over safety are some of the barriers that keep women from running or doing any form of exercise. She said many women who joined the sessions did so because they wanted to connect with others.

Last week, she received her OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for helping tens of thousands of women overcome barriers to physical activity.

She said she cried when the letter arrived.

“Not because this work has ever been about recognition. But because recognition like this makes visible so much of what usually goes unseen,” she said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said people across the UK are quietly changing lives and strengthening their communities.

“This Honours List is a chance to recognise them.

“Their dedication shows how lasting change is built, through compassion, resilience and a commitment to others,” he said.

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