Volunteers are being encouraged to set up Parkruns in Carmarthenshire’s public parks, with the county council offering seed funding to those who have viable plans.
Parkrun is a growing non-profit running movement, with thousands of people regularly taking part in timed 5k runs in free weekly events around the world.
Carmarthen is set to host its first junior Parkrun in Carmarthen Park later this month. It will be the 500th Parkrun and 100th junior run in the UK and has been set up by the council’s sport and leisure team after securing £3k match funding from Sport Wales.
As well as offering seed funding to help volunteers start up local Parkruns, Carmarthenshire County Council has also committed to allowing use of county council-run park lands free of charge.
Jake Morgan, Director for Communities, said: “We are proud that Carmarthenshire is to host the 500th UK Parkrun – this is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy healthy activities in a supportive and encouraging group environment. We’re delighted that Carmarthen Town Council is supporting the event in its park.
“As a county council committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities, we will never charge Parkrun organisers for using the pathways in our parks.
“We will also be pleased to provide seed funding to get them up and running where there are willing volunteers who are good enough to give up their time for events that are such a source of public good.”
The Carmarthen junior 2k Parkrun for 4-14 year olds will be held every Sunday from 9am, starting on Sunday May 22.
To take part children need to register on the Parkrun website where they will be issued with a bar code to scan at the start and end of each event. They’ll also be able to check their progress and timings on the website’s results page.
The UK average junior running time is 12 mins 32secs with over 50k runners taking park at 86 locations.
For further info about the Carmarthen Parkrun, email Andrea Brabrook andreaparkrun@outlook.com
- For further information about seed funding for Parkrun activities in Carmarthenshire, email leisure@carmarthenshire.gov.uk
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