Young runners flock to launch of Padiham's junior parkrun

Entrants in the Padiham Greenway junior parkrun set off on the first run

Twenty nine runners took part in the first run after the getting their starting orders from the Mayor of Padiham Coun. Howard Hudson.

The idea to set up the parkrun came from husband and wife Alun and Sarah Lewis with support from a band of volunteers, Padiham Town Council, Burnley Council, the Friends of Padiham Greenway, the Padiham Commuity Fund and private donors.

Parkrun is a collection of five kilometre running events that take place every Saturday morning at over 1,400 locations in twenty-three countries across five continents.

Some of the young runners limber up ready to tackle the first ever Padiham Greenway junior parkrun

Junior parkrun is a spin-off event that provides a two kilometres run for children aged four to 14 on a Sunday morning.

Alun said: " Parkrun aims to give children something fun to do on a Sunday morning which is free.

"It helps them to get more active and hopefully improve the physical and mental health of the children in our community.

"On top of that it is also a great social event for participants and volunteers alike."

The runs set off every Sunday at 9am on the Greenway behind Padiham Leisure Centre.

If anyone is interested in taking part or volunteering they can visit the website www.parkrun.org.uk/padihamgreenway-juniors or email [email protected]