The NHS is teaming up with parkrun UK this July to celebrate the NHS’s 75th birthday.
People across the UK are invited to ‘parkrun for the NHS’ at events on Saturday 8 July and junior parkrun events on Sunday 9 July.
NHS and parkrun: an ongoing partnership
This is the second time parkrun UK and the NHS have worked together. In 2018, the NHS and parkrun teamed up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS. The UK-wide event saw more than 146,000 people taking part, many of whom were running their first parkrun.
The celebration was led by Dame Kelly Holmes, a former nursing assistant, regular parkrunner and Women’s Running cover star.
parkrun for the NHS 2023
The event is an opportunity for parkruns and their local communities to acknowledge the huge contribution that the NHS makes. It is also a chance to celebrate all the staff and volunteers, past and present, who have made the NHS what it is.
Anyone can get involved. You can walk, jog or run 5k at your local parkrun. Alternatively, you can volunteer or just come along to spectate and soak up the atmosphere.
Everyone is being encouraged to dress in the NHS’s trademark blue, or in fancy dress.
Lots of NHS teams will be taking part. They will be providing information about the NHS and encouraging communities to help support the service. For example, by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register, giving blood, or signing up to research programmes.
parkrun already has a well-established relationship with GPs. This sees GP surgeries partnered with local parkrun events in the ‘parkrun practice’ initiative. Both patients and staff are signed up to local parkruns to improve both mental and physical health.
Sir Andy Murray is an ambassador for the event. He said, “The NHS is one of our nation’s greatest institutions and I am honored to support its 75th birthday. ‘parkrun for the NHS’ is a great initiative. It’ll be amazing to see thousands of people from across the UK walking, running and volunteering at their local parkrun and junior parkrun events to mark this major milestone in the NHS’s history.”
