A man who tried to commit suicide says running has saved his life.

Birkby teaching assistant Rashid Webb-Tunnacliffe, who was suffering from depression when he tried to end his life last March, says taking up running has turned his fortunes around.

Rashid, of Buckrose Terrace, joined Acre Street Runners in Lindley four months ago.

He spoke out about his journey to encourage other people to take up running through the club’s new nine week beginners’ course that begins next month.

Rashid, 47, said: “I was really depressed.

“There were issues I hadn’t dealt with that I kept trying to block them out.

“It led to me having no confidence and I cut off friends and family.

“On top of that, I wasn’t leading a healthy lifestyle because I was drinking too much and not doing any exercise, which didn’t help with how I was feeling.

“In the end, I did the only thing I thought was possible at the time and tried to end my life.

“I was at home but was found by a couple of colleagues who had come around because I hadn’t turned up for work.”

He was resuscitated by paramedics and rushed to hospital.

Rashid Webb-Tunnacliffe

“Luckily, I recovered and went to the Priestley Unit at Dewsbury Hospital, where I got help,” said Rashid.

“I started to realised that what I did was silly because all I needed was to talk and be open.

“But the main thing that helped me was remembering that running was something I enjoyed when I was a teenager – it made me happy.

“Once I realised that I decided to set myself little goals.

“I started with Parkrun, which helped me to run 5km, then I did a 10km race and eventually I ran the Great North Run half marathon.”

Rashid decided to join Acre Street Runners, formed in 2014 by Huddersfield Parkrun friends Richard Plunkett and Snehal Patel, to help him achieve his goals.

As well as hosting training sessions every Monday and Thursday at 6.30pm, its members enter races and often volunteer at local events, such as Huddersfield Parkrun.

“The exercise has helped me a lot and I get fresh air,” he said.

“It’s also helped me focus, start a new life and have appreciation for it that I thought I had lost and smile, even when it looks like I’m in agony when I run.

“But running with the group has helped me to meet new people too.

“It’s brought me new friends and I’ve been able to open up a lot to them.

“The people at Acre Street are amazing - everyone feeds off each other’s personal goals and achievements and the time they give up to help at Parkrun and to welcome new people to running is outstanding.

“My next goal is to hopefully complete a full marathon in the near future.

“I hope my story will inspire people who were like me to get help and give a sport like running a go.”

Meanwhile, group members Victoria Knight Phillips and Nicola Ingle have told how joining the club helped them lose weight and beat illness.

Nicola, 44, began running after contracting pneumonia.

Nicola Ingle, an Acre Street Runners member who had never run before joining the club. She is now the junior Parkrun director for Huddersfield

“Sixteen years ago I could run and was healthy and happy. I ran the Great North Run and two days later found out I was expecting my second baby,” she said.

“Sadly running stopped.

“In March 2015 I contracted pneumonia, and I decided that I never wanted to feel like that again.

“I wanted to start running again but felt self-conscious as I was by then overweight and unfit.”

Her neighbour talked her into going to a Huddersfield Parkrun in Greenhead Park, where she talked to people wearing the bright green Acre Street Runners t-shirts and arranged to go along.

She said: “The club environment is so supportive and friendly – nobody is ever left behind.

“All the runners take it in turns to tail run and encourage the slower ones.”

Since joining, Nicola has built up her distance and taken part in 12 races.

She said: “Club members have taken time out of their own busy lives to support me with extra runs. One lovely member, Caroline Thomas, gave up an entire Sunday to support me to run 13 miles.”

Victoria, 42, joined the club after taking up running to support her deaf daughter Leah.

Victoria Knight-Phillips, an Acre Street Runners member who joined to lose weight

“I've never been active,” she said.

“My daughter Leah had been running at school and wanted to go out locally one evening on her own.

“Because she is severe to profoundly deaf and doesn’t always hear traffic I protested but she said to me, ‘come with me - you’re overweight, unhealthy, unhappy and lazy’.

“I was about 2.5 stone overweight and my asthma was worse with it. On top of this, I had slipped a disc in my back.

“I had also been suffering with anxiety, depression and stress. I had no hobbies or interests to speak of either.”

They began running and started taking part in the Huddersfield Parkrun, where Victoria heard about the club.

She added: “Over the next few months members Snehal Patel and Sarah Cowdell took me under their wing. My running started to improve along with my health and remarkably, my back pain went.”

  • The new nine week zero to 5km beginners’ group will meet at the Greenhead Park cafe by the tennis courts on September 3 at 10am
  • The group also meets at 6.30pm outside the Premier Express convenience store on Acre Street, Lindley, every Monday and Thursday
  • Click here to find the group on Facebook