Saturday March 22 saw 203 runners and walkers turn up to celebrate the launch of the first Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Parkrun and participate in the four-and-a-half laps around the school field covering 5km (three miles).
Steph Scott-Patrick, one of the volunteer team behind the event said the atmosphere was “incredible”. She commented: “There were families, buggy runners, friends and tourists taking part and I am pretty sure everyone had a smile on their faces! We received some very positive feedback and our event is being talked about all over the parkrun groups on Facebook.”
Apparently there are keen runners who like to collect Parkrun locations around the country with different letters of the alphabet, A-Z, with very few possibilities with the letter Q.
Julia Fowler from Horncastle Education Trust which runs the school added that it went absolutely brilliantly: “The weather held and everyone had an amazing time. Facebook has been full of pictures and compliments, so we are really pleased.”
Steph said it is supported by a wonderful group of volunteers and the Horncastle Education Trust. “We are very fortunate to now have a parkrun in our town and it has taken a long time for it all to fall into place (around five years!).
"Our event directors, Robin and Laura, and the core team have worked really hard to find suitable venues, raise awareness, contact the relevant bodies and achieve the necessary funding for parkrun to go ahead and there have been a few ups and downs along the way.”
She said: “Everyone has played an integral role behind the scenes to get this parkrun up and running and I am really sure that our community are grateful for all of our hard work. For me, the hardest part was keeping it all a secret.”
She said that by 8.15am the car park was filling up nicely and people had travelled from all over the country to join the first event.
“We are really excited for the future as Queen Elizabeth Grammar School parkrun is such an amazing addition to our town and county. As a team, we love parkrun and what it means to us - building a community, improving our physical and mental health, building friendships and encouraging one another.
"We welcome you to join us and would love if you would like to volunteer at our event. Volunteering is a very rewarding activity and there are so many different roles available. Please get in touch if you’d like any further information about the roles of if there’s any you would like to do.”
The Parkruns will continue every Saturday at 9am and she encourages visitors to make a day of it and enjoy what Horncastle has to offer after the run.
The runs average about half an hour to do but there is no racing or rewards, just a strong sense of community while getting out in the outdoors and improving health, fitness and wellbeing.
Parkrun started in London in 2004. There are now more than 1,200 around the world.
The events rely on volunteers, with more than 400,000 helping to organise runs in the UK.
People of all ages and abilities gather on Saturday mornings, with a start time of 9am or 9.30am, depending on the location.
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The Parkrun volunteers team. Photo: HET Photo: HET
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Dressing up was optional but added to the fun occasion. Photo: HET Photo: HET
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The Parkrun 'prop box'. Photo: HET Photo: HET
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Runners of all ages on the four and a half laps of the school field. Photo: HET Photo: HET