Public health news: Junior Parkrun

June 2023

Junior parkrun

It's been 5 months since South Tyneside launched its first junior parkrun and over 1200 children have already taken part!

Young runners, supporters and volunteers gather in North Marine Park, South Shields every Sunday morning at 8.45am for the junior parkrun briefing.

The whistle blows at 9am and children and families set off to complete fun few loops around the park.

We see running, walking, wheeling skipping, jumping, hopping and everyone always has a big smile on their face whilst taking part!

The word is spreading about the North Marine junior parkrun as they were named the most well attended junior parkrun event in the North East at the beginning of April.

On average, the event usually achieves the third most attended junior event in the North East.

Many parkruns in the North East have been established for a number of years so the North Marine team are pleased to see the progress the event has made in such a short space of time.

Not only does the junior parkrun entice people to come back most weeks, it has also attracted just over 200 first time junior parkrunners.

This just shows the positive impact it is having on health and wellbeing and what makes the event even more special - it's free for anyone to attend.

The North Marine junior parkrun are lucky enough to have a dedicated group of volunteers to support the event every Sunday morning; without them, South Tyneside may not have a junior parkrun as fantastic as the one the borough has now.

If runners and supporters are feeling a bit peckish after the event, there is now an environmentally friendly food van available on the green, located next to the finish line.

Not only do people reap the physical benefits of the event, they also experience the social benefits too by having the opportunity to become part of the friendly parkrun community.

The junior parkrun takes place at 9am every Sunday in North Marine Park, South Shields (next to Haven Point Leisure Centre). It's free to take part but it's advised that you register before your first event: register | parkrun UK (you only need to register once).

To find out the latest North Marine junior parkrun updates, follow their Facebook page: @northmarinejuniors

The junior parkrun team are always looking for volunteers! Find out more at parkrun volunteers.