LEISURE centres in Dorset are joining forces with a campaign that aims to keep one million pairs of running shoes out of landfill.

Weymouth Swimming Pool & Fitness Centre and Blandford Leisure Centre, run by Everyone Active in partnership with Dorset Council, have committed to the ‘JogOn’ campaign. A campaign that will see them both host a collection bin where members of the local community can drop off their unwanted running shoes.

Once collected, the shoes are then sent to JogOn, who liaise with logistics and distributions partners to ensure that reusable pairs are sent around the world to people who need them most, with the help of charities and non-governmental organisations.

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Rob Slocombe, contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “We are delighted to partner with JogOn for this hugely positive initiative, which means the local community can make a real difference.

“We would encourage people of all ages to donate their unwanted running shoes so that they can experience a second life, rather than simply going to landfill.

“It’s just a matter of dropping the shoes into collection bins at our centres and Everyone Active and JogOn will do the rest.”

JogOn estimates that every year in the UK alone, more than 30 million pairs of shoes end up in landfill, while elsewhere in the world around three million people suffer from sole diseases. It is hoped the nationwide partnership with Everyone Active will make a valuable contribution to drastically improving those statistics.

JogOn’s CEO, Tony Piedade, said: “This partnership with Everyone Active will prove a huge boost in our efforts to keep one million pairs of running shoes from going to landfill.

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“We know from trials that leisure centre users are very engaged with this type of initiative, and we full expect to see 60-70 pairs collected per centre, each month. With a push, this partnership alone could keep 100,000 pairs a year out of landfill from this one partnership alone.”

Collection bins can also be found at Dolphin Swimming Pool, Ashdown Leisure Centre and Rossmore Leisure Centre, all located in Poole. For a full list of participators, you can visit www.jogonagain.com/collectionnetwork