Preston Parkrun welcomes special visitors to see its success

Preston parkrun has had a visit from its headquarters keen to see how much of a success it has become.

Helen Hood, Head of Event Delivery and Jaz Bangerh, Head of HR and Volunteer Management visited Preston on Saturday, November 24 and saw for themselves the run which has increased by over 300 people since it began in 2012.

Andrew Whaley, Event Director at Preston said both Helen who is based in Leeds, and Jaz who is based in London, were very impressed with the run and the warm welcome they received in the city.

He says: “The staff at Head Quarters sometimes go on tour and visit the various park runs and this year they chose to visit Preston.

“They were very complimentary about Preston.

“They liked the warm welcome, the atmosphere and the park.”

The pair visited both the adult 5k which is at 9am on Saturday at Avenham Park and the junior 2k, called Avenham Park Juniors, which is on Sunday at 9am.

Andrew says the run, which is free to do, attracted less than 100 people when he joined in 2012 but now has more than 400 people running.

And he says he believes it is being so inclusive that has helped it to grow in popularity.

The run, which is followed each week with a post parkrun coffee, is open to everyone of various levels of fitness.

He says: “Preston parkrun is very inclusive.

“You don’t have to be a fit and active runner to join.

“You can even jog or walk round.

“The average time a person can complete a park run has increased as there is more diversity across realms of fitness.

“It is open to anyone who wants to have a go and get a bit more fit.”