Parkrun launched in Guernsey at the beginning of April 2016, providing a weekly free 5km event for runners, joggers and walkers of all ages.

Guernsey parkrun takes place every Saturday morning at 9.00am from the footpath east of the Pembroke Bay car parks. This regular event is open to entrants of all ages, from four years and upwards, although children younger than 11 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are welcome to attend regardless of experience, ability or fitness. There is no cost to enter; interested attendees simply register once on the Parkrun website beforehand, where they can also view safety information and full details of the two lap course.

Lorna O’Donnell, who has been instrumental in launching Guernsey parkrun, explains how it works: "The parkrun concept is simple; you register on the parkrun website, print your barcode and turn up to run, for free. At the end, each finisher is handed a token, which is scanned alongside their personal barcode. Later on that day your time and results are published on the parkrun.org.uk website and also emailed to you. You can then have another go the following Saturday and track your own progress over time. One of the best things about parkrun is that you can run, jog or walk at entirely your own pace. It is a timed run, not a race and everyone is friendly and supportive."

Guernsey parkrun is funded by and partnered locally with Generali Worldwide and Intersport, is fully supported by the Guernsey Sports Commission, and is made possible thanks to the consent of the Vale Commons Council, with advice from the States Environment Department.

Jenny Murphy, Sports Development Officer with the Guernsey Sports Commission, said: "We feel that parkrun fits in perfectly with what we are trying to achieve with the Generali Get Active, Stay Active programme. We want to encourage people of all ages and abilities to get active on a regular basis and parkrun offers just that. The donation from Generali Worldwide has allowed us to help launch this ongoing, regular and free event which will benefit the local Guernsey community."

The parkrun phenomenon is taking the world by storm with over 800 weekly parkruns already taking place across the UK and worldwide. A large reason for its success is that parkrun is a social and community event. In line with this, participants of the Guernsey parkrun are encouraged to stick around afterwards, to make new friends and take refreshment at the Beach House Cafe.

Guernsey parkrun also fundamentally depends upon its team of local volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact guernseyhelpers@parkrun.com for more information.

For full details on Guernsey parkrun please check the web page www.parkrun.org.uk/guernsey