Community Building at Pocket parkrun

One of the things that I am proudest of is being the founding Event Director for Pocket parkrun. Since we launched in 2018, 8000 runners, joggers & walkers have completed 41000 5k parkruns between them. Enabled by 780 wonderful volunteers.
www.huntspost.co.uk/sport/22974711.athletics-pocket-parkrun-provides-first-st-neots/

What I love most is that every week about 20 volunteers roll out of bed, to go and stand in a field to clap and cheer runners and walkers of all abilities. Those volunteers didn’t have to be press-ganged or conscripted but did it of their own volition for the simple joy of volunteering.

I’m biased, but I think that parkrun is the most welcoming and inclusive community anywhere. Which was brought home to us when we couldn’t hold parkrun for 72 weeks during Covid (although I managed to keep the community thriving by hosting “virtual parkruns”), and we lost three of our parkrun family: www.huntspost.co.uk/news/22957221.first-post-lockdown-parkrun-st-neots-held-memory-four-runners