Over a year ago, Harworth Group attended a community meeting at Waverley giving residents an opportunity to share ideas and shape their neighbourhood. There, we met local resident Vinny. A quick chat about local roads soon turned into an exciting conversation about running. What began as a simple idea, quickly grew. Having previously worked with the local running group “Handsworth Hogs”, we linked up with them to create a positive working action group, each person taking on a role to get the parkrun to where we are today.  

A few bumps along the way didn’t deter them and now we are proud to offer Waverley and the wider community a weekly parkrun, offering a fun and free running club catering for all abilities.  

This is Placemaking in action. A collaborative, community-driven process that reimagines and shapes public spaces to maximize shared value, fostering healthier, more social, and sustainable communities. Parkrun offers communities a sense of ownership through community led “hands off” activities, promoting social cohesion, improving physical and mental wellbeing and enhancing community spirit.  

The inaugural event saw a massive 432 runners taking part in the run around the beautiful lakes. It was a great turnout and the busiest first parkrun in Yorkshire since 2019! 

Parkrun cannot run without the help of volunteers and are always grateful for any help. You don’t have to be a parkrun expert or have any experience, you will just need a barcode which can be set up easily by visiting the parkrun website.

So, if you wish to take part as a volunteer, please email waverleylakes@parkrun.com or visit their Facebook page. You can also find them on Instagram by searching @waverleylakesparkrun.