Richard Jefferies Museum opens its doors as base for running group

Members of Swindon Shin Splints running group have a new home at the Richard Jefferies Museum.

From now on, the group’s Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon runs will start and end at the museum.

Shin Splints organiser, Stephen Goulding, said: “We have been running from the Sun next door for six years, and they have done us proud, but we always felt we were imposing on the customers, leaving our stuff there and coming back hot and sweaty.

“The museum gives us a place which we can think of more as our home. When we tried it out, the runners were unanimous, with all of them saying how much they loved the place.”

As a community-run organisation, Shin Splints is not an official club, just a group of local people who offer a warm welcome to anyone who wants to run, from absolute beginners to Swindon Half-marathon winners, and there are no fees to pay.

Mike Pringle, Manager of the Richard Jefferies Museum said: “ The ‘Splinters’ are all voluntary, just like us, so to have them at the museum at times when the place would otherwise be closed is a fantastic win-win situation. And it’s another group of people who will start finding out more about Richard Jefferies and Swindon’s amazing history.”

Shin Splints runs from the museum, at Coate Water, on Saturdays at 9am and Wednesday evenings at 6.30pm. To join in, simply turn up half an hour earlier than those times.

For more information contact Shin Splints Organiser Stephen Goulding on 07534997795 or Richard Jefferies Museum Manager Mike Pringle on 07768 917466.

The Richard Jefferies Museum is situated on the edge of Coate Water Country Park. It was originally a farm house where Victorian author and naturalist Richard Jefferies was born and raised. The Museum is now a centre for local community engagement and the arts, and has three floors containing memorabilia, displays, children’s activities, archive material and the works of Richard Jefferies.

The Museum is set in beautiful gardens and old farm-buildings that are in the process of being restored. The Museum is owned by Swindon Borough Council and run by volunteers from the Richard Jefferies Museum Trust.