‘parkrun for the NHS’
The NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is delighted to have teamed up with parkrun UK to celebrate the NHS’s 75th birthday with ‘parkrun for the NHS’.
Backed by the tennis star Sir Andy Murray, people across the UK are invited to ‘parkrun for the NHS’ at parkrun events on Saturday 8 July and junior parkrun events on Sunday 9 July.
Anyone can get involved with people invited to walk, jog or run 5K at their local parkrun to celebrate this major milestone in the NHS’s history and acknowledge all the staff and volunteers, past and present, who have made the NHS what it is.
Alternatively, you can lend a hand as a volunteer or just come along to spectate and soak up the atmosphere.
Everyone is being encouraged to dress in the NHS’s trademark blue or fancy dress.
Lots of NHS teams will be taking part and can provide information about the NHS and signpost to all the ways communities can help support the service, for example joining the NHS Organ Donor Register, giving blood or signing up to research programmes.
Please register in advance before attending parkrun. Attending parkrun is free!
Find your local parkrun event. And don’t forget to bring your parkrun barcode!
The partnership between the NHS and parkrun was launched in February.
Sir Andy Murray said: “The NHS is one of our nation’s greatest institutions and I am honoured to support its 75th birthday. ‘parkrun for the NHS’ is a great initiative and it’ll be amazing to see thousands of people from across the UK walking, running and volunteering at their local parkrun and junior parkrun events to mark this major milestone in the NHS’s history.”
Dame Ruth May DBE, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “I’m delighted that the NHS has teamed up with parkrun UK to help celebrate the NHS’s 75th birthday. I am sure ‘parkrun for the NHS’ will be popular and I encourage as many people as possible – from local communities to NHS staff and volunteers – to get involved, whether it’s by walking, jogging or running the course, or lending a hand as a volunteer. Or just coming along to watch and soak up the atmosphere.”
Chrissie Wellington, Global Head of Health and Wellbeing at parkrun, said: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with the NHS across the UK to celebrate its 75th anniversary. We know that participating in parkrun and junior parkrun is incredibly beneficial to people’s mental and physical health, and best of all the events are local, they are accessible, they are free, and they are fun!
“They’re also there every week, and we’d love to see those taking part continue to join us in the future. ‘parkrun for the NHS’ is the perfect way for us to increase awareness of parkrun across the health sector while at the same time paying tribute to the enormous and incredibly valuable contribution of NHS staff and volunteers to the health of our nation.”