Run with Lucy
Driving inclusion through action: building CGI’s first partnership with England Athletics to train guide runners for the visually impaired
Who is Lucy?
Run with Lucy is an employee-led inclusion initiative I founded and led at CG, the first of its kind to see a company partner with England Athletics to train staff as qualified guide runners for the visually impaired.
I met Lucy, a visually impaired runner seeking a guide for her local parkrun. When her request for help was dismissed by my local running club, I recognised a wider opportunity: to challenge exclusion at scale. With Lucy’s blessing, and sponsorship from CGI, I launched Run with Lucy, creating a clear, accessible pathway for CGI’s 10,000+ UK members to become qualified guide runners.
Leadership & Strategy
Strategic Framing: Positioned the initiative as a Return on Human Investment, aligning with CGI’s inclusion, wellbeing, and community engagement values
Sponsorship & Stakeholder Alignment: Developed the business case and secured executive sponsorship from Donna Kelly (Senior Vice President)
External Collaboration: Formed CGI’s first official partnership with England Athletics, aligning internal inclusion goals with national accessibility standards
Cross-Functional Engagement: Coordinated with CGI’s accessibility group to ensure inclusive language, training delivery, and lasting cultural impact
Communication & Engagement
Storytelling & Awareness: Used personal storytelling to build empathy and engagement across CGI’s network of runners and accessibility champions
Targeted Recruitment: Designed and delivered a multi-channel recruitment campaign via internal communications, posters, newsletters, and events
Inclusive Co-Design: Maintained ongoing collaboration with Lucy, ensuring the initiative remained grounded in lived experience
Delivery & Impact
Workshop Delivery: Partnered with England Athletics to deliver in-house training workshops at CGI’s Leatherhead campus
Operational Excellence: Managed all logistics, risk assessment, and coordination alongside a full-time client engagement (Ofsted), demonstrating planning and leadership under pressure
Digital Coordination: Used Microsoft Planner for task management and ChatGPT for comms and campaign drafting to streamline delivery
Outcomes
25 CGI members trained and certified as qualified guide runners
Created a reliable network enabling more visually impaired runners to participate in running events safely and confidently
Raised visibility of accessibility and inclusion across the South & Midlands Business Unit
Established a repeatable model for future employee-led inclusion initiatives at CGI
Marked the first-ever company partnership with England Athletics to deliver such a programme