Burgess parkrun 14th Birthday + 1st visit to Southwark Junior parkrun and concluding the Southwark Slam!
Burgess parkrun's birthday is always special. As I did the course check, I thought about how this simple Saturday morning activity has become an anchor in my week and the positive impact it has had on my life. I cleared away one broken beer bottle and reported into the Run Director that we were good to go.
The first Burgess event had 78 finishers and 9 volunteers. Today, the event welcomed 735 finishers, and a team of 41 volunteers managed it. I also did the first-timers welcome today. I’m always keen to put people at ease, say that walking is completely fine/encouraged, share a few facts about the park, and let them know there are bananas and cake at the end 🙂 I hope the 129 first-timers felt reassured and enjoyed themselves.
Shona, today’s Run Director, provided all the essential information for the day. People were asked to volunteer, and I hope this series shows that you can both run and volunteer on the same day; all help helps.
It was great to be back at home event, and to run with so many friends I’ve made over the years, including all the ‘Slammers’ from this year and previously. Doing the Southwark Slam has added an additional dimension to my parkrun journey. I need to see if this challenge can be added to the parkrun app so people can take it on and explore the borough, which is so diverse and enriching.
Each year I’ve tried to add a twist to the Southwark Slam; last year I finished it by volunteering at Burgess Junior parkrun. At that event, I met Saskia, who shared that she was hoping to start Southwark Junior parkrun. It launched in March 2026, and I felt it would be fitting to finish the Southwark Slam by visiting and volunteering at this event.
Over the past year, Junior parkrun has continued to grow, as shown in the Junior parkrun Impact Report. It records how 43 new junior parkrun events have launched across the UK, including 10 in areas within the lowest deprivation quartile, reaching communities who can benefit most.
With 43 new junior parkruns launched, Southwark Junior parkrun must be a jewel in the rollout. It takes place at the Southwark park pavilion cafe. Saskia has formed a fantastic volunteer team who are warm and welcoming. At the volunteer briefing, there was a shout-out to Max, who was joining the Volunteer 25 Club.
Southwark Junior parkrun is on Event 26; today they had 83 participants. In the field, joining The 10 Club were
1. Harry Macfarlane, 2. Ro Henry and 3. Thomas Evangelou
Olga led the pre-event warm-up, which was a bundle of excitement. We then walked down to the start area. I made my way to the back as today’s Tail Walker. There was a countdown, and then we were off.
The children's exuberance was tangible, and the Marshals were wonderful, high-fiving everyone all around this flat two-lap course.
Today’s first female finisher was Livia Maudsley
Today’s first male finisher was - James Maudsley
As the Tail Walker, I was the last person through the finish funnel. I then helped with the event shutdown before joining other volunteers for drinks and cake in the cafe. Included amongst today’s volunteers was Commeletia Allison an active contributor to the Facebook parkrun World Tourist group, who has the distinction of being the only person to both run and volunteer in every country which has parkruns! With 415 events visited, Commeletia is like a parkrun encyclopedia!
Thank you very much, Southwark Junior parkrun team; it was wonderful to experience your event and the perfect way to conclude this Southwark Slam, with such optimism for the future.
Next week will be parkrun’s 22nd birthday. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to celebrate what parkrun has done for you over this period.
Stay well and happy running, walking or volunteering.
How parkrun began
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.
You can watch a promotional video about Junior parkrun, shot at Southwark Junior parkrun, by clicking here
Comments