A safety initiative to alert people walking and running in the countryside about the danger of ticks has been launched by a Kendal-based running organisation.
The Jogging Pals team, led by Wayne Singleton, teamed up with the charity Caudwell Lyme to provide alerts about the tick bites and Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is an infection spread by tick bites that attacks the nerves, brain, heart, joints, and eyes, and can also cause skin rashes. It’s thought that at least 8000 new cases occur each year in the UK, and in a third of cases, people never fully recover.
Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures that live in woods and areas with long grass and bracken. They are found all over the UK.
Ticks don’t jump or fly, but attach themselves to the skin of animals or humans that brush past them.
Once the tick bites into the skin, it feeds on blood for a few days before dropping off.
Wayne, a UK Athletics coach who has inspired many runners to progress from couch to 5k and beyond, and whose team organises races and running events, has been bitten by ticks almost two dozen times this year.
“We are aware of the dangers if ticks are not removed quickly, so we enlisted the help of the team at Caudwell,” he said.
“We decided the best way to educate and inform was with a Zoom session which we now have made available on YouTube to help runners and walkers everywhere.
“Anyone who walks or runs in the countryside, especially where there’s long grass or bracken, needs to be aware.”
For further information about the services provided by Jogging Pals see https://www.joggingpals.co.uk/
For more information about Lyme disease see https://caudwelllyme.com/about-caudwell-lymeco-charity/
