In April 2016, parkrun UK was awarded a grant from the Department of Health and Social Care to undertake a three-year project to increase physical activity and social engagement at parkrun amongst people living with disabilities and long-term health conditions. We met this challenge through our PROVE project (parkrun, Running or Volunteer for Everyone). In the…
According to figures from Carers UK, 6.5 million people across the UK are carers, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill – that equates to 1 in 8 adults who care, unpaid, for family and friends. One of those is parkrunner Fiona Sefton, who is the primary carer for her…
To mark the start of endometriosis awareness month, parkrunner Kate Ramsay tells us how walking, jogging, running and volunteering at parkrun have helped her deal with this condition. One in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK have endometriosis, I am the one. I’d always assumed it was normal to have heavy painful…
It’s enough of a challenge to reach the milestone of completing 50 parkruns, but even more so when you achieve it while living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition. Dr Kathy Miller and John Wilkinson both have axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis – AS) and completed that magic number 50 together, just a few weeks ago! Here’s…
The first parkrun ‘takeover’ organised by parkrun’s Outreach Ambassadors for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Mark Taylor and Katherine Goulder, and with help from the MS Trust. Here Mark tells us how this celebration of all things parkrun unfolded on Saturday 8 December at Letchworth parkrun… It’s often said about parkrun that it’s a run…
Hello, my name is Ai Lyn Tan, and I’m a parkrunner! I was instantly hooked from my first parkrun more than six years ago. I registered on a Friday, completed my first parkrun the next day, and tweeted the following: Almost 300 parkruns later, looking back, parkrun to me has been mysterious, a…
My name is Michelle Rivett, and I have a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). My condition is progressive and can be difficult to treat, it is regarded as a rare disease. Clinicians would categorise EDS as a type of musculoskeletal (MSK) condition of which there are many different types such as osteoarthritis,…
The impact of parkrun on mental health extends far beyond physical activity and has the potential to support people outside of traditional mental health services, according to new research conducted by Staffordshire University. The research coincides with the launch of an online community aimed at encouraging more people with mental health difficulties to participate at parkrun. …
parkrun has been working hard over the past two years to reach out to people with disabilities and long term health conditions through a network of volunteer parkrun Outreach Ambassadors. Jenny Mayne, one of parkrun’s Outreach Ambassadors for autism and / or learning disabilities, tells us her own story, explaining what has inspired her…
I remember looking through a running magazine just after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2005. I cried when I saw an MS Society advert – I felt that in a moment I’d gone from being a runner to someone who people ran for. I used to love running. I had run…
