King's Lynn running group numbers drop after rise in fees

Numbers have dropped for a running group in Lynn since charges to use a track have gone up, members of the club have said.

The runners, who use the track at Alive Lynnsport weekly on a Wednesday, said the fees have gone up over two years from being free with a leisure card, to £3.50 with one and £5 without.

But a spokesman for Alive Leisure said prices have been “standardised” with other activities to ensure costs are “fair and consistent”.

Charlie Pyatt, who is one of the members of the group, said: “We are losing people because of the cost of going there.”

Mr Pyatt said they usually have about 20 members, but on one occasion last month, the numbers were down to just seven.

“People can’t afford it, we are not made of money,” he added.

The group has recently had some “difficult negotiations” with the leisure company over the increased fees, Mr Pyatt said.

“The outcome is that we are paying an acceptable amount per track session on a three-month trial.

“This is obviously a big commitment on our part rather than letting individuals pay an acceptable amount when they arrive.”

So far this arrangement has been satisfactory, he said, as the group has been having a sufficient number of runners to cover costs.

“But there were a lot of unhappy athletes at the high-handed way we were treated with regard to such a big increase in fees,” Mr Pyatt added.

An Alive Leisure spokesman said: “Alive Leisure was made aware of a concern regarding the price review recently undertaken by a representative of the group.

“The prices were standardised with other activities to ensure prices are fair and consistent across the range of activities at Alive Leisure.

“We discussed solutions with the group and agreed an arrangement both parties were happy with to hopefully help the group build its numbers and move forward.”