A group facing potentially deadly illnesses say they have turned their lives around thanks to their doctor inviting them to run.

Charing Surgery recently texted patients asking if they wished to undertake its Couch to 5k Challenge in a bid to boost physical and mental health.

Now, many who initially had cold feet before beginning the project say their cardiovascular strength and wellness of mind radically improved, having completed the 10-week program.

John Shandley, 65, whose high blood pressure forced him into early retirement, hopes his hard work will increase life expectancy.

“I haven’t lost loads of weight but I’m getting on track to having a normal BMI – it’s really transformed my health,” he said.

“My cardiovascular health has improved dramatically and I think I have gained a couple of years in terms of my vascular age. I can see my heartbeat has gone right down so it has shown that this will help me to hopefully have a longer life.

“I can also breathe more easily too.”

Simon Burchett once feared his increasing body weight would lead to diabetes.

But he believes after dropping half a stone while sticking to the program his heart health has significantly increased.

“I had to do something about my life,” he said.

“I had high blood pressure to start with, it was 142/84 and my most recent measurement is 116/66.

“My heart has improved tremendously and I’ve lost half a stone.

“In the 10 weeks, how my health has improved, I feel a changed man. I do also feel that 95% of my mental health issues I had before have gone now.”

Tracy Carr is currently going through perimenopause – it is where the body starts transitioning to menopause.

Having struggled to lose weight, she took on the challenge after deciding she had “nothing to lose”.

The 10-week course has seen her shed nearly half a stone and, with those benefits in mind, hopes the scheme will be rolled out nationwide to help others.

She said: “I think it’s one of the best things that the NHS has done. It’s teaching people to be proactive instead of reactive to improve their health and general well-being.

“Encouraging people to take charge of their health before they become ill can only be a good thing because surely it will save the NHS a lot of money in the future.”

Nigel Jones, 58, gave up drinking in December 2020 and says he has never felt better following the 5k running challenge.

“It wasn’t that I was drinking a lot, but I thought I’d just stop it,” he said.

“I had so much more energy so that’s when I started walking and then I started running.

“A lot of these people who also took part are over 50, or even 60 years old – it’s an inspiration.”

Dr Noorwood from Charing Surgery says the Beginners to Runners initiative has been hugely successful and beneficial for many.

“We know that physical inactivity is a major risk factor for health conditions like high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and some cancers as well as mental health problems like anxiety and depression,” she said.

“We felt offering this course would help to prevent some of those illnesses and we had patients that we knew would benefit in order to help some of their medical conditions that they’re living with.

“I think it’s really important for patients to take responsibility for their health where they can so by them engaging in this exercise programme, it goes alongside the other treatments that we’re providing them – be that medication, counselling or other types of treatment – I think it’s complimentary.

“The aim is to prevent health problems so in the long run, we hope it will prevent illness.”

She added more courses will take place as part of the Ashford Rural Primary Care Network, which Charing Surgery is a part of.