#97 parkrun: Fitness, Fun & Friendship

In this episode of the HSE Talking Health and Wellbeing Podcast, we talk about parkrun, a free, volunteer-led, 5k and 2k events that take place in open spaces every weekend around Ireland. This HSE supported initiative encourages people of all ages to come together to run, walk and talk.   We talk about the origins of parkrun and how it has gone from strength to strength, with over 14,000 participants weekly and over 10% of the population registered, it is a community initiative which is open to all ages.   Jenny Branigan, parkrun, Territory Manager, Republic of Ireland, talks about the parkrun experience, how it is volunteer-led and that everyone is made to feel welcome. She stresses that parkrun is a free, fun event to be enjoyed by people of all ages and at their own pace. She also acknowledges the supportive role the HSE has played over many years through funding and also through the many volunteers who give up their time to organise events across the country. Katie Dillon Keane, HSE Health Promotion Officer, talks to us about the benefits and importance of physical activity and also shares her thoughts and experiences of being a volunteer with parkrun.   Please see links to useful resources as mentioned during the discussion: https://parkrun.ie https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/our-priority-programmes/heal/physical-activity-guidelines/   To get in touch with the podcast email [email protected]   Produced by GKMedia.ie