AS THE successful 5k parkrun at Barry Island approaches its 100th event in a few weeks’ time, the team behind it have announced that plans are well underway to bring a junior parkrun to Barry in the spring.

Working in close partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Romilly Park in Barry has been chosen as the venue to host the new two-lap junior parkrun course.

The junior parkrun is a series of 2k runs for children aged between four and 14-years-old. They are held on Sunday mornings in areas of open spaces around the UK.

They’re open to all, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. Children can run on their own or with an accompanying adult. Results are published online later the same day.

A junior parkrun club rewards runners who complete a certain number of runs with series of coloured wristbands and a certificate. For example, after competing 11 junior parkruns, runners join the Half Marathon Club on passing the half marathon distance of 21.1 kilometres (13.1 miles).

There are currently 147 junior parkruns in the UK and more than 100,000 registered junior parkrunners, with the numbers growing every week. In Wales, there are already 12 junior parkruns including Newport, Cardiff and Bridgend.

The new course in Romilly Park will consist of two laps of 1km each. The park is a great location for a junior parkrun, with its open green spaces, well maintained paths, access to toilet facilities and proximity to a number of local cafes for post-run socialising.

The essence of every parkrun is that it’s a community-led event. They’re organised entirely by teams of volunteers from their local communities. It typically takes a team of 10-15 volunteers to put on a junior parkrun each week.

In order to finalise a start date for Barry junior parkrun, a core team of volunteers now needs to be put in place.

Lyn Evans, co-event director at Barry Island parkrun and parkrun volunteer ambassador explained: “Putting a core volunteer team in place is the final piece of the jigsaw before parkrun HQ will give the green light for Barry junior parkrun to go ahead and allocate a start date.

"Our partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council means we already have the other jigsaw pieces - the course in Romilly Park and start-up funding - in place.

"We’re now looking for enthusiastic volunteers from the local community to form the core organising team for Barry junior parkrun.

"Volunteers don’t need to be a member of a running club/group, or a runner at all, to be able to contribute to the team.

"As more than 300 people have already found out at Barry Island parkrun, volunteering is great fun and very rewarding.

"Initially, we’re looking for a core team of about 10-12 volunteers to ensure that the event is run correctly, is sustainable, and that workloads can be shared.

"While some volunteers are needed to take on the main organising roles, other core team members help in various other roles each week, such as timekeeping, barcode scanning and course marshalling.

"We’ll provide the appropriate training for all the roles.

"Anyone interested in being part of the volunteer team can email me at lyn.evans@parkrun.com. I’d love to hear from you and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.”

Karen Davies, sports and play development manager for the Vale of Glamorgan Council is another keen supporter.

Karen commented: “From a sports development perspective the junior parkrun will provide a fantastic opportunity for children and young people of all abilities to participate alongside each other.

"From the person who is already involved in sport and is using the parkrun as an additional training opportunity, to the young person who doesn't want to participate in sport but would like to undertake a healthy, fun activity in a lovely local setting.

"The fact that the activity is free is a great bonus as it means that cost is not a barrier to taking part.

"The results of a recent School Sport Survey highlighted that the cost of participating in sport and physical activity prevented some young of people in the Vale from participating in activities.”

Jon Greatrex, parks and open spaces officer for the Vale of Glamorgan Council is looking forward to hosting the junior parkrun: “We are so pleased to have junior parkrun coming to Romilly Park this Spring.

"There’s no doubt that having an active and healthy start in life pays massive dividends all life-long.

"So what's better than enjoying some fun, healthy and sociable sport in the great outdoors.

"It's what our parks and open spaces are made for.”

General information about junior parkrun can be found at parkrun.org.uk/events/juniorevents/.