They came in all shapes and sizes and varying levels of ability.

But there was one element that connected more than 60 runners at Greenhead Park on Saturday morning – they were all heroes.

Earlier this year Acre Street Runners, Lindley, launched an ambitious campaign to get people of all ages to take up running through the club’s new nine-week beginners course.

The scheme has been a godsend to people who wanted to get fit again but were unsure how to go about it and needed professional support.

Zero to 5K Hero runners at Greenhead Park.

Some of them such as Birkby teaching assistant Rashid Webb-Tunnacliffe say running has literally saved his life.

The 47-year-old joined Acre Street runners several months ago and encouraged people to join the programme.

He had suffered from severe depression and at one point tried to take his life.

Zero to 5K Hero runners at Greenhead Park - Gabrielle and Charlene Taylor, Margaret Caton, Edwina Gudgeon, Matthew Baker and Su Lodge of Acre Street Runners

Having received counselling about how to turn his life around he recalled that he had enjoyed running as a teenager and getting involved with Acre Street helped give him a new focus in life as well as making friends and living a healthier life.

On Saturday all the participants in the programme completed the Huddersfield parkrun – a 5k distance – for the first time.

Afterwards they were congratulated by Kirklees councillor Sheikh Ullah, chairman of Huddersfield District Committee.

He said: “I would like to thank Acre Street for being part of the TRY it LIKE it – Walk Jog Bike it project and using the parkrun as a tool for the zero to 5k hero sessions.

Zero to 5K Hero runners at Greenhead Park

“What is brilliant about what you have done is not just getting more people active but giving people the chance to meet others and form new friendships.”

One of those who signed up to the scheme was Edwina Gudgeon, 63, of Lindley.

She said: “My husband Robert runs with Acre Street. I came to watch him and went to a meeting afterwards to talk about volunteering and as I was listening I thought I could do that. It was quite a big thing as I had never run before and was overweight.

Zero to 5K Hero runners at Greenhead Park - 13 yr old Gabrielle Taylor and mum Chantelle

“They said if you wanted to walk that was fine and if you wanted to jog you could do that too. We were split into three groups and I started off in the middle one.

“Today has been superb, the atmosphere has been great, fantastic. My daughter, Donna, 43, told me she was amazed that I was doing something like this.”

And Matthew Baker, 45, of Rawthorpe said: “I suffered from quite severe depression and this has helped me along.

"I had never done any serious running before and this has been really helpful.

"John Lambe of Acre Street Runners said: “I’m elated. We think we have had 61 runners here today. When we first started the scheme we had about 40/50 and then 96 and as many as 115.”