Words: Jean Hollings, of Bramley parkrun
Photos: Simon Cullingworth
What a journey.
Who would have thought on June 13, 2015 – when Bramley parkrun had its very first event with 230 participants and 26 volunteers – they’d be going strong and would celebrate their 250th in 2022 (delayed due to asbestos works in the changing rooms and a global pandemic)
We would like thank the initial event set-up team, local parkrun ambassadors and the local councillors for their guidance and support – without them we wouldn’t be here today.
Councillor Kevin Ritchie (Lab, Bramley & Stanningley) was part of the set-up team and supported us yesterday (Saturday, 8 January). Cllr Ritchie said:
“Congratulations and thank you to the many volunteers and participants of Bramley Parkrun as the 250th run milestone is reached.
“The investment from the Inner West Community Wellbeing fund to get things going has without doubt led to the greatest public health initiative Bramley has ever had.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic volunteers who have worked so hard, overcome the many challenges Covid has presented and continued to deliver what is known as the “friendliest parkrun” in the country.
“The continuing enthusiasm, themed days and the addition of the children’s Parkrun all auger well for the future, of Bramley Parkrun, well done everybody involved.”
Thank you to our continued parkrun donators/supporters. An amazing 5,200 people call Bramley their home parkrun.
Since our inaugural event 6,929 participants have covered a total distance of 202,520km – phenomenal. Many of whom are now in receipt of their milestone T-shirts and can proudly boast they’ve gone on to other events including formal 5km, 10km half marathon and a full marathon, plus more.
We feel that we have the best volunteers at a parkrun event as we regularly receive lovely feedback and compliments.
We’ve had 890 volunteers – outstanding.
We have had (and still have) volunteers completing their Duke of Edinburgh award and their Queen’s Award, as well as medical students gaining community experience.
We’ve supported new parkruns in their set up and maintenance to grow the parkrun family. We love having takeovers from our local running clubs and local GP surgeries.
Some stats to aim for – but please enjoy our event:
- Female record – Hannah Oldroyd completing the Bramley Park course in 18.48 minutes on 11th July 2015 (event number 6)
- Male record – Tom Adams completing it in 15.46 minutes on 29th June 2019 (event number 192)
- Age grade course record held by Angela Oldham, who recorded 88.12% (23 minutes) on 22nd July 2017 (event number 109)
- Record attendance was at the 100th event 20th May 2017, with 301 participants
- Volunteer record was on the 96th event 22nd April 2017, with 55 volunteers.
We support our local community by weekly picking litter around the park and collecting for our local food bank.
What will the next 250 events bring?
