TWO teenagers have set out to challenge the negative perception of freerunning by highlighting its benefits and encouraging others to give it a go.

Freerunning is a martial discipline similar to parkour where people express themselves through acrobatic techniques.

Jay Coomber, 19, and Kaylum Sapseid, 17, along with their freerunning group, are working with Fixers, a charity that supports young people aged 16 to 25, to get their message across.

Mr Sapseid said: “Our Fixers project is to tell people about freerunning and show them it’s not anti-social, and encourage young people to give it a go.

“There’s a lot of teenagers who do drugs, they smoke and are not into sports.

I know a lot of people who have got into freerunning and have completely changed as a person.

They now have a sense of discipline and positivity.”

Mr Coomber added: “I would say freerunning has now become an accepted sport. It’s got its own competitions and it takes years of practice to get good at it.

“The best part of freerunning from my point of view would be the friendship.

“It just creates a really good bond for everyone when you are training and it helps everyone to progress.”

The two teenagers are releasing a leaflet on the best way to practice freerunning safely saying that it is about building up your skills slowly.

“Do start somewhere safely such as a gym with crash mats, padded floor and foam pits.

Don’t go out straight away and jump on a wall or off something high without knowing what to do,” Mr Sapseid said.

Wiltshire Police are in support of the campaign – as long as it is safe and doesn’t cause a nuisance for local residents.

PCSO Stephanie Biggs said: “From a police perspective, we have no problem with it – that’s provided they are sensible, show respect for other people’s property and make sure they participate with proper training.”

Mayor of Salisbury Jo Broom was also supportive, saying ‘the city is for everyone’.

For more information, go to fixers.org.uk.