A NEW mile-long running route designed to help people get active was officially opened in Bradford yesterday and is the first of its kind in the UK.

Joggers can now tackle the district's inaugural GreenLine Mile by following a series of green floor markers placed every two metres along the route.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

The mile starts and ends in City Park and takes in Thornton Road and the area around The University of Bradford.

England Athletics has invested £30,000 to develop four GreenLines across the city, working in partnership with the Bradford Athletics Network, which encompasses all the running clubs within the district, and Bradford Council.

The CEO of England Athletics Chris Jones said: "Bradford has got a number of vibrant running clubs and the sport is booming with a major events programme in the city.

"The Park Run is prominent and we know there are a lot of people with an interest in running.

"What people need are safe, accessible, well-lit routes and this is the first of four in Bradford, which we're very excited about.

"We're going to roll them out in major cities across the country, but today is a very exciting day for running, a very exciting day for Bradford and we're delighted to be here."

The GreenLines have been created to be easy-to-follow, instantly recognisable and accessible to everyone, whether runners, joggers or walkers.

The scheme aims to address the barriers people said had stopped them from taking part in exercise.

All routes are circular to allow people to join them at any point and will also eventually include direction markers on lampposts and two GreenLine information boards and maps.

The other three GreenLines in Bradford, set to open in the coming months, will take in Little Germany, Valley Parade and Lister Park, and Barkerend and Myra Shay.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, Bradford Council's executive member for sport, said: "The GreenLine Mile is a project that UK Athletics are trying to roll out and it is something Bradford has embraced whole-heartedly, which is why we've got the first one in the country.

"It's building on the success of the Park Run and the City Runs and this first GreenLine route actually takes in a lot of the City Runs course, so it will be familiar to some people.

"The route at Myra Shay will also link in with the city's new cycle route, so it is about linking things together to get people active and taking part in physical activity."

John Dennis, chairman of the Bradford Athletics Network, said the GreenLine project formed a key part of its athletics strategy with the Council.

"Many people want to be more active and do more exercise, but are unsure about where would be suitable to run," he said.

"Our aim is to make walking and running more accessible in the city, and encourage people to get involved in the sport."

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