Cumbria’s army of talented female coaches are being celebrated this week in a campaign that is set to tour every area of the county.

The Pass on your Passion tour began in Cumbria on Sunday as a giant inflatable baton passed over the border with Northumberland at the iconic Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall.

Female coaches across the county will symbolically pass the baton onto other volunteers and enthusiasts in an effort to promote the need for women to participate in and co-ordinate physical activity.

The baton will be passed over at several locations throughout Cumbria during the week, highlighting the breadth of opportunities available for getting active in Cumbria.

Vanessa Strickland, founder of RunMums and run director of the Junior Parkrun in Carlisle, was on hand to receive the baton from runners from Northumberland Sport as it came into Cumbria.

“I do see there is a need for me to pass on my passion to other women, which is why I set up RunMums,” she said.

“It’s really rewarding to see the outcome with other runners and see what they achieve, going from actually not believing they could even run five seconds to running 10km.”

On Monday, Richard Metcalf, coach development officer at Active Cumbria, took the baton on a tour of Eden district.

This included a stop off at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School so coach Anne Cradock, from Kirkby Stephen, could pass on the baton to Linda Bowman, 74, from Brough.

He also passed the baton to Helen Paul, head of PE at the school and head coach for Cumbria Netball and Westmorland Wanderers netball club.

A former PE teacher Anne, 73, from Kirkby Stephen, is now heavily involved in coaching and organising sport for people with disabilities across Cumbria.

She is also keenly involved in helping out at the Better Balance sessions, which Linda helps organise in the area and which encourage older people to do gentle exercises to correct their balance and maintain their mobility.

“People don’t always think that activity is something they can do but they find that once they are having fun they are active without realising it,” said Anne.

“For the young disabled people it gives them a sense of independence and confidence in their daily living. For older people it can be as simple still being able to stand on one leg while you dress or put on your trousers. And for everyone it’s that sense of fun of getting out and being sociable and having fun and getting out and doing things.”

The #PassOnYourPassion campaign is being delivered in the county by Cumbria County Council’s Active Cumbria Team. The campaign involves 13 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) across the North of England and aims to raise the profile of women coaches, as well as inspiring more female participants into coaching.