New junior parkrun set for summer launch in Batley

A junior parkrun at Crow Nest Park, Dewsbury. A run will soon be held at Wilton Park, Batley

Organisers hope to hold the first Wilton Park junior parkrun in mid July, and it will then run every Sunday at 9am.

It is a 2km run (not a race) of a set course around the park, for children aged four-14 to take part

The weekly event is expected to last for about 20 minutes to half an hour.

Jason Hawkins, event director of the new Wilton Park junior parkrun, said: “Wilton Park is one of the five top parks within Kirklees and is very popular with users from near and afar.

“The Friends of Wilton Park, Batley are very keen to help bring more activities within the park aimed at engaging kids to get out in the park and increasing active play and are very pleased to be working closely with the parkrun movement to bring you a regular junior parkrun, free of any charge.

“The junior parkrun is part of a wider range of initiatives that the Friends group are launching this year, designed with free of charge, active, enjoyable play and recreation at the fore for all of its users.”

The organisers are looking for volunteers to sign up to help out with the new event.

Jason said: “Although we have volunteers in place, we are currently looking for more to help out from 8.30am for about an hour on Sunday mornings. It doesn’t have to be every week by any means, just as often as they can to help us be visible to all runners, guide and encourage them to do well.

“It’s an ideal way to spend half an hour or so helping our local kids keep active.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Wilton Park junior parkrun, or would like further details on how their children can take part, is asked to get in touch via email at [email protected].

Elsewhere in North Kirklees, the Dewsbury Junior Parkrun held at Crow Nest Park, which has been running for quite some time, is back up and running. It gets underway every Sunday at 9am.

Parkruns are free, weekly, community events held all around the world - there are more than 1,000 in the UK alone. They are set up to be “a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience where there is no time limit and no one finishes last”.

Everyone is welcome to come along, whether they walk, jog or run.