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parkrun is a free community sports event. There are two versions: 5km parkruns take place on Saturday mornings at 9am and are for all ages. Junior parkruns take place at 9am on Sunday and are for those aged 4-14 or with additional needs. It’s called parkrun but people are welcome to take part at whatever pace they like: running, jogging or walking. Every parkrun is entirely volunteer delivered. Working with a team of 10-20 other volunteers you will help deliver these weekly sporting events. The volunteer roles are varied and include being an on-course marshal (providing encouragement to participants and making sure they follow the correct route) or helping with timekeeping or runner registration at the end. Most regular volunteers like to try a few different roles before finding their favourite. We welcome unaccompanied volunteers from ages 11 up, with adult supervision for all volunteers aged under 18. parkruns are outdoors events and take place whatever the weather so you’ll develop your resilience by coming prepared for all conditions. You’ll also develop your self-confidence and communication skills through interacting with a wide range of people, both the other volunteers and the participants. Volunteering at parkrun is flexible: you can commit to a certain number of weeks or just sign-up week when it suits you. For regular volunteers there are options to take on additional responsibility such as training new volunteers or taking on more complicated roles. You’ll join a friendly community that enjoy working together and are interested in finding ways to adapt our volunteering roles to your interests.
Most of our roles involve interacting with people but this can vary i.e. our timekeepers work in a small team of 2 or 3 whereas our barcode scanners speak to 100+ people each week. We’re happy to discuss how volunteering can work for each individual, including those with additional needs.
Lots of social contact Time in the outdoors An understanding of the logistics of organising events. Training in the necessary volunteer roles Opportunities to pursue other interests e.g. photography, journalisms Lots of thanks from our participants
1 – 1.5 hours per week
