Philip Slattery is our Vhi parkrun Hero winner for July

Vhi parkrun Hero award for the month of July has been awarded to Philip Slattery from Castletown parkrun.

The monthly award recognises and rewards inspirational, hardworking, and dedicated members of the parkrun community who embody the ethos of parkrun or have made an outstanding contribution – be they walkers, joggers, runners or volunteers.

What makes Philip Slattery a Vhi parkrun hero?

Philip has been a great asset to parkrun over the years. He has recently completed both his 200th run and 200th volunteer role. He is a former event director in Castletown parkrun and was part of the team that set up Dundalk parkrun. There are many people who credit Philip and his unwavering encouragement as the reason why they continue to attend parkrun.

Most weekends he will be at Castletown parkrun on Saturday and volunteering at Cherry Orchard junior parkrun on Sunday. He is also part of the team working to bring a junior parkrun to Celbridge. If parkrun needs a scanner to jump on after running, he is always willing to lend a hand. You can always find Philip helping in some way each week regardless of if he gets a credit for it or not.

To Philip, it is not about getting the acknowledgement of doing the work but knowing that by doing it he is helping people of all ages to get fitter and help them lead longer, stronger, healthier lives.

Philip has dyspraxia and helps both in the parkrun community and outside it to show that neurodiverse people, like himself, can play a part in the community in a positive way. He’s a role model to many and he always aims to break down barriers so the neurodivergent people coming after him don’t have to.

Nominate your Vhi parkrun hero

Nominate a participant or volunteer for the Vhi parkrun hero award. Alternatively, if you are a Vhi customer you can also nominate a member of the parkrun community for the award within the Vhi app. Winners will receive a €250 One4All voucher and a winner’s medal courtesy of Vhi.