Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity marks anniversary of first national lockdown with special parkrun

After two incredibly difficult years for the NHS, healthcare staff are giving back by supporting the communities that showed support throughout the pandemic.

NHS staff tackled the five kilometre course on the Stray, while others provided a helping hand to regular volunteers in setting up the track, recording participants’ times and helping to manage the event.

Parkruns are a collection of free, weekly, 5km runs in locations across the world that are accessible to all and are manned by volunteers.

The NHS and parkrun already have close ties, with many members of staff taking part weekly as volunteers or runners, with some GP practices prescribing attendance to parkrun events for its health and social benefits.

Yvonne Campbell, head of Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity said: “It was great to work alongside other parkrun volunteers who create such a welcoming and supportive environment every Saturday morning.

“The impact of parkrun on community wellbeing cannot be understated, as this incredible weekly event brings together so many members of the local community to run, socialise and provide support for each other.

"On Saturday, we had the chance to give back and support our local community while remembering what we have been through over the past two years.

“Physical activity is import for maintaining people’s health and during national lockdowns, events such as parkrun were unable to take place and we are pleased that these have now resumed as they play an important role for our communities.”

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William Greenwood, HDFT Adult Community Service Manager and parkrun volunteer, added: “Parkrun is an event that is open to absolutely everyone.

“Every week you will likely see people walking or running with their dogs, pushing prams or supporting visually impaired people.

“Some will complete the run in under 20 minutes and others will finish in over an hour, but thanks to the tail walker, no one ever finishes last and the volunteers stay to cheer everyone on to the end.”

A total of 323 runners attended Saturday’s parkrun, with at least 43 runners achieving a personal best.

The Harrogate parkrun takes place at 9am every Saturday morning on The Stray alongside Oatlands Drive, encouraging people to walk, jog, run or cheer on others to create a positive and inclusive experience for everyone.

If you would like to attend any of the Harrogate parkrun events, you can register for free on the parkrun website by visiting https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

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