Today (Tuesday 22nd October) junior parkrun announces a record year of participation following the London Marathon Foundation’s award last year of £1.19 million in funding, which was the biggest-ever investment in junior parkrun.
More than one million junior parkruns have been completed by children across the UK in the past 12 months while 51 new events have been launched in areas such as Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, Norris Green in Liverpool, and Battersea in London.
junior parkruns are free, timed 2K events where children aged four to 14 years old can walk, jog, run or wheel outdoors. This partnership has been developed to increase access, targeted to areas of deprivation and communities where inactivity is at its highest.
The London Marathon Foundation’s (the Foundation) funding is part of a three-year partnership with parkrun, with strategic support from London Marathon Events (LME), that aims to grow the event across the UK and enable more than 300,000 additional children to take part in junior parkrun events by 2026. In addition to the grant from the Foundation, LME is using its resources to help junior parkrun deliver the ambitious project.
The formation of this partnership recognised an urgent need for free to access initiatives that encourage children – especially those in areas of high deprivation – to engage in regular physical activity. The NHS Digital’s National Child Measurement Programme, England – 2021-22, found the prevalence of children living with obesity in reception and Year 6 was more than twice as high in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived areas.
Nick Bitel, London Marathon Group CEO, said:
“Providing opportunities for children and young people to be active is a core principle of the London Marathon Group and is why we were so excited to form this ambitious partnership with junior parkrun. We are delighted to see the positive and record-breaking impact the partnership is already having, with over one million junior parkruns being completed by children in the past 12 months. We look forward to growing this project even further over the next two years and helping to establish a lifetime habit of physical activity for children and young people.”
Over the past year an incredible 51 new junior parkruns have been launched, focused in areas that are most in need of support to get people active. One of these new events is in Hesketh Park, Southport. Hesketh faces the highest level of deprivation in Southport, with 37% of households being affected. This new junior parkrun has grown quickly and now regularly has more than 100 children and young people take part.
Dr Simon Tobin, Southport GP and event director at Hesketh Park junior parkrun, said:
“Working as an NHS GP for 30 years I know just how important physical activity is for the mental and physical health of our children. Seeing so many young people every Sunday getting into the habit of taking some regular, free exercise with their family in our local park is a vital part of establishing good lifestyle habits at an early age. Setting up a junior parkrun has been the most joyous and rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
One of the key aims of the partnership has been to increase engagement with primary schools. To support this, parkrun primary resources have been created to connect schools with their local junior parkrun events. The resources give schools the tools to bring junior parkrun into the school curriculum, encourage pupils to be physically active and socially active, support the wellbeing of pupils and embed school further into the local community. As a result:
- 16 schools in London engaged with aspects of outreach and testing of parkrun primary
- Three schools are currently taking part in a healthier and happier programme pilot
- School headliner events held across the UK, allowing school pupils to try out junior parkrun in target areas
Claire Mitchell, Associate Head Teacher at St Mary's RC Primary School, Wandsworth, said:
"We are delighted to be part of the junior parkrun community and the healthier and happier programme at St Mary’s. Engaging our pupils in regular physical activity not only promotes their physical well-being but also fosters a sense of community and social connection. This partnership has enabled us to help promote children being active together and developing lifelong healthy habits. Witnessing our students engage in running and take pride in their achievements has been incredibly rewarding. Additionally, it will strengthen our ties with local families, as they come together to support and cheer on their children during these events. We believe that initiatives like this are vital for nurturing a healthier generation and establishing a supportive community network."
A recent survey also found that 96% of families plan to continue going to junior parkrun and more than half of parents and caregivers report their child has walked, jogged and run outside of junior parkrun as a result.
Chrissie Wellington OBE, parkrun’s UK Head of Health and Wellbeing said, “We are thrilled to have recorded over one million instances of participation in junior parkrun over the last 12 months, thanks to the funding received from the London Marathon Foundation and the support from London Marathon Events. We have grown the number of new events, undertaken targeted outreach - especially with schools - and have undertaken in-depth research to understand the barriers people face to participating and also the wide-ranging impact of these events on children and adults. This research highlighted that an incredible 85% of parents and caregivers report a positive effect on their child’s self-esteem through junior parkrun. We’re excited to build on this work over the next two years and, with the Foundation’s support, bring the power of junior parkrun into the lives of many more children, adults and communities.”
The Foundation, LME and junior parkrun are now looking forward to continuing to grow junior parkrun over the next two years and maximise the incredible and wide-ranging impact it can have on hundreds of thousands of children, families and whole communities.