Where it all started

When good friends, Philippa Curphey and Eleanor Lestrange had young children, their focus had been almost solely on family and work. Like many women at this stage of life, they had not engaged in any regular exercise or taken time to focus on themselves for years. As a result, Eleanor was suffering from repeated episodes of anxiety and Philippa wanted to regain her sense of independence after having children.

In the Autumn of 2016, they concluded that it was time to take responsibility and improve their health and well-being, so they decided to adjust their priorities and do something about it. The pair, who are known for not doing things by half, both chose to take on huge personal challenges. Philippa, who in a previous life had enjoyed recreational running, trained for and completed The London Marathon in April 2017. Eleanor took up cycling, and similarly, within 6 weeks had signed up for The Prudential Ride London’s 100-mile cycling challenge which she completed in the summer of the same year.

Having been overwhelmed by the positive impact that exercise, encouragement and support from their local community had on both their mental health and physical well-being, they felt compelled to share what they have learned so that other women could benefit too and September 2017 Philippa and Eleanor put their newfound enthusiasm and passion for community sports to good use and created the 'girls ALIVE' initiative.