Hello,
‘Team LandWorks’ took on the Plymouth Half Marathon with great determination, and all 16 participants finished!
Individually, there will have been many different reasons for taking part in this incredible event. But together, it represented a huge collective effort: organising, training, encouraging one another, and finally watching the runners charge up the hill to achieve a fantastic finish.
Leo (trainee), who first sowed the seed of this idea a few months ago, flew around the course and completed it in 1 hour 36 minutes.
There were so many stories of achievement.
Watching Peter also fly around the course in 1 hour 42 minutes was hugely impressive. Especially as HMPPS had unwittingly handicapped him with extra weight in the form of a tag on each leg!
His tags, one GPS tracker and one alcohol monitoring tag, had ensured his release from prison some five weeks ago, but they are genuinely heavy, tricky to wear and obviously not designed for marathons!
In a few months’ time there are likely to be many more tags in use, potentially thousands, as the government attempts to reduce prison numbers before the Autumn. Wearing a tag may remove a third of an individual’s sentence and thus early release…. then into the community for support!
Current figures indicate that the prison population stands at approximately 88,087 against a usable operational capacity of 89,442. Government forecasts predict that the population could rise to between 95,700 and 105,200 by March 2029.
On Sunday in Plymouth there was a tremendous feeling of being together, I think around 10,000 runners. For supporters it was at times emotional, cheering on Team LandWorks and other graduates (inspiringly running for other causes and clubs) as they ran past.
Stan and his running buddy Holly made a supreme effort, completing the course and then joining the others to collect their medals. The time was irrelevant and collectively the team’s determination is the stuff of legends.
The Plymouth 2026 medal clearly demonstrates achievement, but I think particularly for our guys it also demonstrates community inclusion. Nobody was bothered about ankle bracelets; everyone joining in and simply celebrated each other’s achievement.
We are keeping the donation page running until 25th May. Remember, all donations are being match funded up to a total of £10,000.
Chris
21st May 2026