Wellington gears up for 2026 historic Bayley Mile
The streets of Wellington are set to come alive once again as the historic Bayley Mile returns for its 28th annual event on Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
This year the tradition, which dates back to the 1930’s and is organised by Wellington Town Council, continues to grow blending educational roots with community-wide competition.
The Bayley Mile was originally the brainchild of Sir John Bayley, founder of Wrekin College, and was revived in 1996 by Jim Mostyn and former Mayor Gary Davies. Today, it remains a cornerstone of the Wellington sporting calendar typically seeing over 120 runners from local schools competing in various age-group categories. This year, for the first time, schools across the whole of Telford have been invited to take part.
The event also now includes the Armstrong Mile Open Race. This one-mile circuit is open to all residents and local businesses, inviting everyone from teachers and parents to shop owners to prove they have what it takes to bring home the winner’s trophy.
The 2026 race sees the generous sponsorship of Pave Aways Ltd, with all competitors treated to a free ice cream from King Cone to celebrate their finish.
"The event has been opened up to retailers in the last couple of years and we are really pleased to see some great community spirit and friendly competition amongst local businesses" said Adrienne Taylor of Wellington Town Council. “We’re always very grateful to Wellington Rotary for support with stewarding on the day and to Pave Aways Ltd for their ice cream treat.”
“We’re delighted to see so many young people from all of the Wellington schools, and now Telford-wide schools, taking part” said Jim Mostyn “and as ever there are records to be broken in all age groups; last year we had several new records set and we are looking forward to seeing the sporting endeavours of competitors this year.”
To enter email Adrienne Taylor at Adrienne.taylor@wellington-shropshire.gov.uk before Friday, 27 March 2026.
