Parkrun Backs Join In Campaign

parkrun has teamed up to work with Join In to support the Big Help Out, a nationwide campaign to inspire 10,000 new volunteers into community sport.

parkrun delivers weekly 5k timed runs (and 2k for juniors), with around 6,000 weekly helpers volunteering for the events.

According to Join In’s research, people who volunteer with their local sports group are happier and healthier with 28% more likely to feel what they do has importance and are more likely to trust others in their community. This all results in higher self-esteem, emotional wellbeing and resilience amongst volunteers.

Kerri French, event director at Woodley parkrun in Berkshire, said: “Being a volunteer at parkrun has helped me in so many ways. It has boosted my confidence, especially in public speaking, which has had a knock-on effect on my day job. For me, parkrun has always been about other people’s running and not my own, and I get a lot of enjoyment from just watching people turn-up and enjoy their run with friends.”

As part of their support, parkrun will inspire and encourage new and existing volunteers to help out each week at their local parkrun event and contribute to the on-going #BigHelpOut target of 10,000.

Tom Williams, managing director of parkrun UK, added: “Thanks to the contribution of thousands of volunteers, around 70,000 people take part in parkruns up and down the country each week.

“As well as playing an active role in your community, volunteering at parkrun provides a wonderful opportunity to boost confidence and pick up new skills, from event management to public speaking to writing reports for a local newspaper. Everybody can be involved and no experience is necessary – just come along with some enthusiasm and a smile.”

Dave Moorcroft, former 5,000m world record holder and director of sport at Join In, concluded: “parkrun is a great example of how a whole community can pull together through sport. People of all ages, abilities and backgrounds come together every Saturday morning to build a sporting community and the volunteers are very much at the centre of that community, bringing everyone together.”