Milestones + Halfway to a junior parkrun - Burgess parkrun #587 - 08/11/25

The bridge to nowhere in Burgess Park, which participants go under twice.

Being a park walker has become one of my favourite volunteer roles. I cover the 5k distance, immersing myself in the sights and sounds of the Park, with a normal heart rate and never tempted to check my watch to see what pace I’m moving at. 🙂 

I’m also able to talk with others and this week I had the pleasure of walking and talking with Cathy and Phil. Cathy was completing her 50th volunteer stint, thereby entering the prestigious 50 Volunteer Club. It’s a great achievement and contribution. I hope she’ll wear the volunteer 50 club kit with pride. 🙂

Cathy and Phil are both members of the Burgess banana crew.

Cathy is also a member of the Burgess banana crew, like myself. We had a meaningful conversation about whether bringing of bananas, financed by the individual, should warrant a volunteer credit. Phil, Cathy’s partner, was clear that not everyone could be in a financial position to bring bananas for 700+ participants and that every volunteer position should be something which anyone could do, irrespective of their financial situation. However, given that the “banana table” hosts the token collection point into batches of 100s ready for token sorters, signposting for volunteering sign-up and welcome messages, the setup of our ‘banana table’ and its closing down are considered part of the wider pre-event setup and close-down, respectively. Therefore, creating eligibility for a volunteer credit accordingly.

What is abundantly clear is that the warmth of the Banana crew itself, with their generosity of the weekly offering of bananas (and dog treats), is one of the features that contribute to the sense of inclusivity and welcoming nature of our event. 

My other companion for today was Nisha Anaya Daphne Shah, who had turned two on Thursday. Nisha attended her first parkrun at Burgess parkrun on 18th November 2023 and has rarely missed a parkrun since! Nisha is often at Kennington junior parkrun and has attended events in four different countries!

Nisha at Terry Hershey parkrun in June 2024.

The earliest age at which anyone can officially start their parkrun journey is age 4. Nisha is therefore halfway to being eligible to officially ‘open her account’. 

I don’t know if Nisha will want to run, and there will never be any pressure from her parents to do so. However, she’ll keep attending as going to parkrun is an activity we do as a family. It’s not entirely about finish times, milestones, or challenges (although we do love them); at its heart, it's about people and connectedness. 

Nisha is already enjoying the joy of volunteering. Photo credit Kennington junior parkrun.

I want to say a huge thank you to the whole of Burgess, Kennington junior and wider parkrun community for being so welcoming to Nisha. It provides an incredibly safe and loving space for her to grow up in. 

Congratulations again to Cathy on joining the volunteering 50 club, and here’s to joining the 250 club in two weeks, another milestone on your impressive parkrun journey, which is taking you all around the world.  And thank you for being part of the banana crew, it’s hugely appreciated. 

Stay well and happy running, walking or volunteering.

www.horizons.uk

You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’ The Definitive Account of how a run became a Global Movement by clicking here

If you’d like to join or contribute to the Burgess parkrun banana crew there’s always a banana crew member at Burgess to speak to.

Happy birthday Nisha!