SERC Students Support Runners in Belfast Half Marathon

Eight South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services students volunteered as stewards on behalf of Air Ambulance NI at the 2024 Belfast Half Marathon.  

The Belfast Half Marathon, partnered with Air Ambulance NI, is Northern Ireland’s biggest half marathon event and has seen a massive participation growth in recent years. This year’s half marathon, which took place on Sunday 22 September, started and finished at Ormeau Embankment and took the runners through the South, East, North and West of Belfast.  

During the half marathon, the students provided directions and support to fatigued runners throughout the course. They were stationed at several cheer points throughout the course, including the finish line, where they helped raise the public profile of Air Ambulance NI. They provided a visible presence and source of support to around 6,000 runners overall, the majority of whom were raising valuable funding for local charities. 

SERC Public Services Lecturer, Irwin Pryce comments, “The first year students have begun accruing volunteering hours for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and are working alongside Volunteer Now, tracking hours through the Be Collective portal for Volunteering Impact Awards. They have definitely developed a taste for volunteering and are very keen to explore other avenues for helping out at events such as the Belfast Half Marathon in the future.”