Worthing Parkrun welcomed volunteers from local social care charity Guild Care to their seafront event on Saturday 28th June. The initiative brought together Worthing Parkrun’s volunteer organisers and runners with Guild Care staff who gave their time alongside the team to help the event run smoothly.

Mike Belton, event director of Worthing Parkrun, said, “Parkrun is a free, weekly, 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) timed run, jog, or walk held in parks and open spaces around the world. It's a community event designed to be inclusive and accessible to everyone, regardless of fitness level. Benefits include improved physical and mental health, increased social connections, and a sense of community.”

The event is very similar in its ethos to Guild Care’s upcoming Walk With Purpose event which takes place on Sunday 20^th July, along a similar seafront route to Worthing Parkrun. In addition to a 5k course, Walk With Purpose will also offer a more challenging 10k option or a shorter, accessible route to suit different abilities.

The local collaboration aimed to encourage new connections and share support local community events, while also showing how easy it can be to give a couple of hours as a volunteer and what a difference that can make to events and those who take part.

Guild Care volunteers included CEO Warren Fabes alongside colleagues from departments across the charity including HR, community partnerships, events, volunteering and corporate development. They joined the Parkrun volunteer team from 8.15am to assist with setup and marshalling ahead of the 9am start.

Sophie Barton, events officer at Guild Care, said, “It was great to work alongside the Parkrun team and support the event that brings so many together every week. The Parkrun team do such a fantastic job for local runners, and it was great to be part of what they do so well.

“Some of the Parkrun volunteers also talked to us about helping out as marshals for our own Walk With Purpose, which is now just a month away. The event will help raise funds for the services we provide for others in our community, particularly for older people, people living with dementia, and children and adults with learning disabilities.”

Guild Care is inviting all regular Parkrun volunteers, already familiar with the route and event logistics, to consider helping at Walk With Purpose in July. Their experience and insight will help make this year’s event even more successful than last.

The partnership highlights the value of collaboration in promoting wellbeing and supporting the wider community. Volunteers are always needed for Worthing Parkrun and more information can be found at www.parkrun.org.uk/worthing.

Guild Care would be also pleased to hear from anyone who could lend a hand as a volunteer at the 20^th July event. For more details contact [email protected], or to sign up for Walk With Purpose, visit www.walkwithpurpose.info.